First off, I want to give you a glimpse into the work the Building Committee has been doing.  Some of you know that in addition to the weekly hour and a half to two hour meetings, a sub-committee of their members also met for several hours on Friday afternoon and then again yesterday morning.  Then the whole committee met once again yesterday afternoon for another two and a half hours in order to prepare for today’s presentation.  You already know it, but I want to remind you again of just how blessed we are as a church family to have this group of dedicated Christian leaders, with all their experience, energy and expertise, to shepherd us through this demanding and very complicated process.  They deserve our gratitude, and the support of our prayers.  Please share with them just how much you appreciate their labor on our behalf.

Now, I want to start with a disclaimer.  I did not choose today’s scripture!  I’ve heard it said that nothing happens by chance, but when the lectionary offers up a passage like this one, on a day like today, I can’t help but wonder about God’s twisted sense of humor.  Especially when our liturgist for the day is Jerry Kenefick, who heads up the Endowment Committee. 

The words Jerry just read are too familiar, and too emotionally laden for us to really hear them.  We all know that Jesus said that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into heaven.  It's a vivid, maybe even a humorous image, unless you happen to have a little money.  Then it’s not so funny.  Besides that, this is definitely not the time for badmouthing money - so let’s talk about heaven instead.

Heaven is not in some far off place or distant future, somewhere then and there.  Heaven is within, and it’s possible for us to experience at least a taste of heaven right here and right now! 

The context for this morning’s teaching is the story of a young man who asks Jesus what he must do to “inherit eternal life.”  Or, in other words, “get to heaven.”  He’s a good man who follows all the biblical commandments, but he knows that there’s still something lacking. He doesn’t feel the fruits of the Spirit that would indicate that heaven is in his heart. 

In verse 21 the scripture says that Jesus “looked at him and loved him.”  And you know that when Jesus looks at you he really sees you.  Wouldn’t you love to be that man?  Imagine the love in the eyes of Jesus as he looks at you.  Wouldn’t you love it if someone were to write that once upon a time Jesus looked at you – saw you through and through - and loved you still? 

And then Jesus did something even more extraordinary.  He personally invited this young man to become a disciple, to follow him in living completely for God.  I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, don’t you?  You want to follow him, don’t you?  Let me read it for you:  “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”  But then, Jesus, the great physician, the healer of the heart, discerned a blockage in the flow of God’s love.  There was something, some lack of trust, or misplaced trust, that was clogging the arteries of the young man’s heart.  Jesus recognized that a kind of spiritual angioplasty was necessary, so that’s when he said:  ‘One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.’”

Most of us are not biblical literalists, so that gets us off the hook a bit.  Jesus is talking symbolically, and money is a very powerful symbol.  We print, “In God We Trust” on our money, but in spite of the words it’s very easy for us to trust in money instead of God, making, in fact, a false god out of money.  It’s very easy to slip into hoping and praying for money to provide the things that only God can provide, things like true happiness, genuine security and lasting peace.

That’s what Jesus meant when he said that it’s hard for someone who trusts in money for his or her security to experience the joy of heaven.  Money isn’t a bad thing; it just isn’t God.  Love of money, to the point of worshipping money, gets sticky and becomes a kind of spiritual cholesterol, blocking the flow of God’s love into our hearts.

But there were people of wealth even in the early Christian community, people who loved God and who used their money to share God’s love, opening their homes and helping to provide for Jesus and his disciples in order to further their ministry. Those homes were, in fact, the first churches.  The misuse of money can block the flow of God’s love, but the wise use of money can help to channel the flow of God’s love.  Money can be a spiritual tool for building up and helping to maintain the Body of Christ. It can help provide a taste of heaven, both here and now as well as in the future. 

In a few minutes our Building Committee is going to be sharing the results of their labor with us.  They have been guided by prayer throughout their work, and I have absolute confidence in the sincerity and the faithfulness of their discipleship.  Their personal stewardship of time, money and talent places the bar very, very high for the rest of us. 

We are planning for the future and building for the future, and we are not just talking about constructing a physical building of wood, glass, metal and stone.  We are working together to build up the House of the Lord, the spiritual Body of Christ.  I give thanks to the members of the Building committee and to you, and I join with them and with you in giving glory to God.  Amen.