Fr Robert Hendrickson

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today's Gospel is a challenging one.  When you hear it you can't help but let it wash over you.  "You cannot serve God and wealth." 

When Jesus tells us this we need to listen.  The service of wealth without pause, reservation, or constraint is sin.  God is always calling us to offer all that we have to be a blessing for the world.  Of course we all fall down in this call.  Few of us sell all of our goods and give them away.  Yet we do have to face this Gospel honestly and with a spirit of confession.  We need to come to terms with how we use our gifts for the building up of the Kingdom.

The Book of Common Prayer describes the Christian duty as "working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God." Many work.  Many pray.  Many give.  Are you working for the Kingdom?  Are you praying for a spirit of self-offering and not just for what you want today?  Are you giving to build up the Kingdom?  We cannot serve wealth and God.  This begins with how we work, how we pray, and how we give.  All of us need only to look at our bank statements, our wills, and how we spend our hours to determine whom it is that we serve.

The Gospel today is a challenging one.  The most honest faith is that which dives into the challenge faithfully, accepts that we might not like the answers, and resolves to work, pray, and give in ways that will build up the Kingdom - and build up our hearts too for it is the generous and loving heart that always finds ways to grow.

Yours in Christ,

Robert