Lilies of the field

Recently, in my morning devotions I was reading Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). I think all of Jesus' teachings present a real challenge to us if we take them for what they really say, versus what we have reduced them to. However, if we were to take the Sermon on the Mount literally as a guide on how to live a Christian life, what an amazing challenge that would be! Suddenly Counter Cultural would mean a bit more than wearing Diesel brand t-shirts with Che Guevara's image on them, or sporting 'Make Poverty History' armbands.

Especially when we read Matt 6:19-34, This is the passage that covers storing up treasures on earth and then goes onto the passage about the Lilies on the field. We cannot reduce this passage down to simply having mastery over our money (cannot serve both God & Mammon v24) and then deliver a tithe message. Nor can we simply reduce it to a message about Faith, saying that if we trust the Lord he will look after us. If we are true to the message here (remember last weeks quote of the week?), then are called to so much more, this passage stands in direct contrast to the lives that we in the west are living!

The first part tells us not to store up treasures on Earth, but to store up treasures in Heaven. Yet we live in a society and church that promotes the building of our own little Kingdoms; our own homes, investments, 2 cars, plasma TV's, a wardrobe full of clothes, (dare I say, a Fancy, Flashy new church building?). Whilst all around us there are images of people starving to death - we cannot fain ignorance about it, it is forced in our face by organizations like World Vision every day (and rightly so!!). The Early Church Held that if a child starved to death, and a Christian has extra food, then that Christian is guilty of MURDER. My God, how many have I murdered!?! Yet we can calm this guilt, all we need to do is tithe to a church that does great work in the third world, and maybe sponsor a child through world vision for "less than a cup of coffee a day" - if we have done that, we have done our bit right? Not if we are to take Jesus' message seriously. We call this sort of thing sacrifice - giving to the needy, but if it does not hurt, how can it be sacrifice? Sacrifice is pain, sacrifice is death! - remember "The Passion of the Christ?"

If this is all we are called to do, then why would Jesus tell us not to worry about our food and clothing, if we are still living in our own little Kingdoms of luxury, we don't need to trust in the Lord to supply our needs! Clearly Jesus is calling for more than just a tokenistic response. The early church sold their possessions, shared out of their wealth, so that none would have need (Acts 4:32) If we take God's words seriously, if we give sacrificially, then we have to trust in the Lord, then we really do need to pray "give us today our daily bread". Suddenly that line of the Lord's prayer makes more sense... We cannot view it simply as asking God for more. In fact if you read the above quote of the week, you will see where this line out of the Lords Prayer actually originates...

In building our little kingdoms here on earth, I fear that we have missed the point of it all, we are no longer working for the kingdom of God, we are working for the kingdom of self. The kingdom of God is at hand, but we can't grab hold of it, because our hands are full of our own possessions...