Steward of Heavenly Blessings: Isaiah 42:1-9; Matthew 6:19-21
As kids, we often play games using our imagination, creativity, and coming up with elaborate ideas and plans. When I was little, very often we would play games of going on a treasure hunt which involved some wild adventure. I’m sure at some point my Nanna grew incredibly tired of all the make believe games, but she was a good sport about it. In fact treasure hunts appeal to us on a variety of levels. We read books about hunting for treasure, watch movies such as the Indiana Jones movies, and so on. Our Gospel lesson speaks to this curiosity with treasure hunts telling us “wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
So what kind of tools would we need for a treasure hunt? In the life of a follower of Christ, our greatest tools for a treasure hunt are faith and prayer. Over and over in our scriptures today we are told to look toward heavenly things. We are told in the Gospel to store treasures in heaven. In Isaiah it talks about God’s spirit being upon the chosen one, and that God “will take [him] by the hand and guard [him].” That close communion with God through prayer and faith is required to store up our treasures in heaven.
We hear the importance of prayer and faith sung in songs throughout churches: “Faith is the Victory, Sweet Hour of Prayer, My Faith Looks Up to Thee, and Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire.” In that last one, we hear the words, “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, the Christian’s native air, his watchword at the gates of death; he enters heaven with prayer.” For where our treasure is, there our hearts shall be. Faith and prayer are the tools which keep us connected to God in Christ, which humble us, open our communication with the Holy One, and keep us grounded in what we believe. Indeed, faith and prayer our are greatest tools on our heavenly treasure hunt.
Faith and prayer, though, are not just things we have—things which are convenient to keep around. They are tools, and tools are meant to be used. I’m often amazed at the number of Christians, who, when asked about the last time they really prayed, cannot even remember it. If you don’t use them, tools grow rusty, dull, and we quickly lose the ability to use them. Prayer and faith need to be used…more than just two sentences over dinner and more than just a few quick words here and there when needed.
Why are these tools so important? The answer is that in any treasure hunt there will be danger along the way, which we must find a way to face. Our Gospel lesson tells us that if our treasures are stored here on earth then we face a threat to our treasure: moth and rust destroy them, and thieves break in and steal. So, the only thing standing between you and your earthly treasure is a little dry rot and a savvy burglar. The truth is that real treasure is found in our faith, in our trust in God, and in our heavenly blessings. Here on earth, we will face danger all the way on our treasure hunt.
I was sent an article this week about a carjacking in the parking lot over at Vineville Christian Towers. Other news stories around it included stories about armed robbery, shootings, violence, poverty. We see on our national news about escalating war tensions throughout the world and especially in the Middle East. It reminds me of an old hymn in the Lutheran church, “I walk in danger all the way. The thought shall never leave me that Satan, who has marked his prey, is plotting to deceive me. This foe with hidden snares may seize me unawares if I should fail to watch and pray. I walk in danger all the way.”
Our lives are filled with danger, and with 24 hour, readily available news, we are even more well-reminded how dangerous life can be. But if our treasure is stored in heaven, trouble and danger will not seem quite as scary to us. Those tools of faith and prayer can give us strength, courage, and security when the pathway of our treasure hunt becomes treacherous. If you only focus on the danger, you will never be able to make the journey. We have to trust that God is walking with us, guiding us, and leading us each and every step. As Isaiah says, “God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And…[he] will take you by the hand and guard you.” It’s a promise, and that’s why our treasure should rest in heavenly things.
Finally, we must remember that the treasure awaits us. We can invest all the things we want on earth—money, business, looks, talents. Everything under the sun can be saved up and invested in here on earth, but eventually those things will fade. That is why we must invest our treasures in heaven, where we can develop time, talents, abilities to sustain us throughout our entire lives. Theologian Stanley Hauerwas reminds us, “Just as an athlete with natural gifts may fail to develop the fundamental skills necessary to play their sport after their talent fades, so people [of] faith may fail to develop the skills necessary to sustain them for a lifetime.”
Here’s the idea—you must develop the basics of faith—invest your treasure in heaven—in order to sustain your trust in God for a lifetime. You may be the most talented preacher, best singer, most beautiful pray-er in the church, but if you have not developed the basics and made the investment, you will fall to the danger on the way. As an example, being a native Kentuckian, we always watched basketball instead of football. Now, I would like to think that’s because basketball is the sport of my state; however, I’m pretty sure it’s simply because we are pretty awful at football.
If you watched some of the young basketball stars recruited by the University of Kentucky, you can see them doing these fancy jump shots, swinging from the net, elaborate defense and trick moves. But they can’t shoot a simple free-throw from right in front of the basket. They failed to develop fundamental skills, and when the talent faded, there was no support left for them to play the game. If we do not invest in heavenly treasures, in developing our faith and prayer abilities, of working out our trust in God daily, then we will not have good enough fundamentals to sustain our faith when the treasure hunt gets dangerous.
Our hope, our trust, and our faith must be built on the solid rock which never fails us. So get ready for your treasure hunt—sharpen and prepare your tools of faith and prayer making sure they are strong and well developed. Prepare for the danger that lurks on your journey, and remember what treasure awaits you when you trust in God and walk with Christ. That will be the greatest treasure you find—no rot and rust, no burglars waiting to take your treasure away. Invest your time, talents, and faith in God, for where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.