Eureka!

One of the things that capture the imagination of children, is the fantasy of discovering treasure. This wish is fanned by stories of maps leading seekers to hidden treasure and instant wealth. “X” marks the spot. (Spoiler alert: “X” the Greek letter “Chi” is the first letter in the word, “Christ”.) It is not just in stories, we know the history of gold rushes, and elaborate hunts for lost caches of gold, jewels, or cash. Diving into the sea or hiking through the Superstition Mountains, the few who catch the bug are captivated, despite the trouble and slim odds.

The short prayer that comes in the introduction to liturgy this Sunday hints at our desire for another kind of treasure. We address God with a request: Please grant that we “become partakers of your heavenly treasure.” In that prayer and the lessons from Scripture going with it, we get the message that there is an intrinsic desire for the security of wealth, but also that there are different categories of wealth. The world has its kinds of riches, and God offers heavenly riches.

We are all very familiar with the joys and worries that accompany worldly wealth. As you come to know Christ better, you have also come to know the joy and peace that come from love, compassion, and generosity. We will hear Jesus’ story recorded by Luke, about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man has everything except the capacity to notice or care about the poor man lying at his gate. How rich is he if he does not have the treasure of compassion for the suffering? The rich man has a house, a gate, fine clothing, and food on the table. The poor man, has hunger, disease, and the company of dogs that lick the sores on his body. They die, and the rich man is in torment with no one to help; the poor man is comforted in the company of Abraham.

We should feel called, by the combination of the Scriptures we will hear, to practice a kind of personal poverty that will lead us to the treasure of God’s Spirit. Apparently, in this life, it is not all about me, it is all about love. What a treasure! It is the trove we should ever be hunting. Releasing greed, seeking God, and serving those in need: these things allow us to partake in divine love, the kind that exceeds all love. So begins the great Wesleyan hymn (657 in our hymnal) sung at the late Queen’s burial service at Westminster Abbey:

Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart.