"Check Your Purses Here"

Sermon 08.08.10
“Check Your Purses Here”

Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

Some of you are already turning me out. She’s going to talk about money again, so I may as well think about what I need to thaw out for dinner or how many more games could the Orioles possibly lose. Sadly, I tell you the truth, last week’s sermon and this week’s are not part of my stewardship campaign. I’ll inflict that on you a little later in the year.

But I am going to talk about giving, and to start with, here’s a story:

The apostles Paul writes: “But do not ignore this fact, beloved, that with the Lord, one day is worth a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.”
An economist who read this passage was quite amazed and talked to God about it. “Lord,” he said, “is it true that a thousand years for us is like a minute to you.”
The Lord said yes.
The economist said, “Then a million dollars to us must be like a penny to you.
The Lord said yes.
The economist said, “Will you give me one of those pennies?”
The Lord said, “All right. Wait here a minute.”

Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out. That’s a tough proposition that Luke throws out to us this Sunday. It’s easier for a woman to understand – we have purses to match our shoes, purses that go with elegant clothes, and purses that are so big we can put a complete change of clothes in them. I myself carry so much stuff in my purse that I could probably do brain surgery in the middle of the Sahara desert, if necessary. And I wanted to give you all an idea of how many purses I have, so you don’t think I’m not including myself in the sermon.

Men, fortunately, or unfortunately, don’t usually carry more than a wallet, which is worn out because you keep opening it to give more money to your children, and your grandchildren, and maybe even your great-grandchildren. Eventually, though, the leather wears and cracks and you have to buy a new one, maybe every twenty years or so…

Make purses that do not wear out. Purses made of silk, satin, leather all wear out eventually, or are ruined. I often think that if I had a $400 Gucci purse, there would surely be a pen that would leak all over the bottom or a melted Snickers bar.

Jesus is not really talking about pocketbooks or wallets. The purse is an attitude for giving, for being people who are unselfish in mind, body and spirit. He says that those who are generous, those who give alms, will not have to put up with having their purses being stolen. The attitude for giving is openhanded, because the true treasure is in heaven.
Charitable giving is where your heart lies.

No event was a more spectacular example of this was 9/11. New York was swapped by people donating supplies, folks hauling in items that were sorely needed for the dead and dying. The Red Cross actually had to turn people away who had come to donate blood because their own resources couldn’t handle the crowd. This event, which was the US’s most horrific, was also its best moment when you consider the outpouring that took place. This is the alms-giving that Jesus wants us to strive for; the bountiful sacrifice for the greatest good. No moth can destroy this kind of purse that we hold so dear.

We are at our worst when we hold tightly to our earthly purses, bought at such a great price. They will surely weigh us down from making it to the kingdom that Jesus promises to his little flock. But we keep on stockpiling those purses anyway. America is said to be made of those who have, those who have not, and those who have not paid for what they have. Eventually the purses turn into larger satchels that we wear around our necks like milestones and we suffocate under the pressure.

Jesus says that where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. Your treasure can’t be full of gold and silver; it can’t be the place where you stash your fortune of jewels. Your heart will never be made of money.

And he tells us in verse 32: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” He knows that most of us fear of losing our purses and wallets. We get nervous and clutch them even tighter in crowded places. Jesus understands our anxiety, and assures us that kingdom will be given in exchange for a purse. Sounds like a pretty good bargain to me.

At the heart of worship is the collection, so here’s my small stewardship pitch. Here is where we have an opportunity to walk the talk. You can sleep through the sermon, or mouth the prayers while you scan the back of the bulletin. But when the basket comes through, you need to do something. Money may be the thing that you put in, but it all has to do with attitude. An attitude that giving is part of the Christian way of life. Treasures are not to be hoarded like possessions. Don’t be dragging those purses behind you.

Billy Graham was once speaking in the San Jose area, and on the closing day of the revival, he told this story. It seems that there was a strong man that traveled with the circus. One of his most impressive stunts was to take an orange and squeeze every last drop of juice from it. Then the strong man would offer $1,000 to anyone in the crowd who could squeeze as one additional drop. He went from town to town making this offer, but no one was ever able to win the contest and collect the money.

Then one day the circus came into a small town in California and the strong man put on his act again, but this time, his opponent was a wizened old ninety-eight pound weakling. This small man took all the orange scoops up together in his hand and squeezed out 6 more drops of juice. The strong man was amazed and take back by this incredible feat. He asked the man with the juice on his hands to explain how it was possible for him to do this. The man just shrugged it off, saying, “I’m the treasurer down at the local Baptist church and we do this all the time.”

This man’s capability was no doubt because he knew that the church is the first place of charity and selfless giving. He understood that his actions, though profoundly effective on the strong man, and the crowd watching, were a weekly pattern of the emptying out of purses that will not last in heaven.

When you leave today, take a hard look at your purse or wallet and see if it speaks to your heart, your treasure, which is being stored up in heaven. Are you giving alms, and developing an attitude of giving out of thanksgiving, instead of obligation? I think that there will be someone standing outside the pearly gates with a sign that says, “Check your purses here before entering.” It will be a lot easier if your bag is not crammed with earthly treasures.

Let me quote verses 33-34 one more time, for emphasis and from Eugene Peterson take in the Message, which uses a very different metaphor. But I think it rings true whether you have a purse or a wallet: It says, “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that won’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can count on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will want to be, and end up being.”

The place where your treasure is, is the place you will want to be, and end up being. This week, let us look to trimming back, tossing out the stuff in the purses that we don’t need, the stuff that I spoke of last week. Invest in a purse that won’t wear out and goes with everything you wear when you live generously. May we follow Jesus’ words to the best of our ability. Amen.