Treasure in Heaven

Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way. Then someone came to him and said, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these; what do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Matthew 19:13-22

A family friend owned a gift shop by the ocean. We had our small boat stored there and we often went out fishing during summers when I was small. The gift shop had a rusty old trunk full of paper bags which he called Captain Kidd's treasure chest. For a small sum, children could pay to reach in and chose a bag full of some surprise wonderful gift. We rarely could afford this fun but when we could, it was thrilling and too often, disappointing. The expectation rarely met the reality. We are in that season before Christmas when everyone is trying to find the right treasure for gift giving. We stop listening to Jesus' plea to give to the poor. They are often last on our list. May we follow Jesus by letting go our temporal treasure. 

Loving Creator, you encompass us with love

showering us with the blessings of life

and speak to us in the night when we are afraid.

We turn away from you and focus on treasure

convinced that we can thrive in isolation

missing the joy of sharing the treasures we have.

Help us to follow Jesus by letting go of things

and embracing those in need around us

so we might share your treasures in heaven. Amen.