"WE’RE RICH!"

January 6, 2002

Ephesians 3: 1-13

Do you consider yourself rich? An immediate reply might be "No" if we compare ourselves to those who are multimillionaires such as the Bill Gate’s and the Michael Jordan’s of society. Yet, there are very few of them in society. We still might say "No" if we say that one must be able to afford a $500,000 house and that lifestyle. Yet, we might be able to say "Yes" if we compare ourselves to a person living on the streets of Seattle or Yakima with no family or no place to stay. Rich is a relative term. What may be rich to someone may not be to someone else.

Roger Finch can tell you some true stories of families living in Yakima and Yakima Valley in housing that was not fit for any human in our society and that were dangerous. Electrical wiring that was dangerous; chicken coup with dirt floors, holes in the wall that let in the cold winter wind. It is rather hard for children to study for school or feel good about themselves in those conditions. Are you rich?

A lady named Marion Doolan tells the story of two children in ragged outgrown coats who appeared one day at her door. "Any old papers, lady?" "I was busy," she said. "I wanted to say no – until I looked down at their feet. Thin sandals, sopped with sleet. She invited them in for a cup of hot cocoa. Their soggy sandals left marks on the hearthstone. After finishing the drink, the girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it; the boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady… are you rich?" "Am I rich? Mercy, no!" She looked at the shabby slip covers. The girl put her cup back in its saucer carefully. "Your cups match your saucers." They left holding their bundles of papers against the wind. Marion looked at her plain blue pottery cups and saucers; they matched. She checked the potatoes and brown gravy on the stove, and reflected on the roof over her head, a husband with a good steady job. As she tidied up the living room she saw the muddy prints of small sandals on the hearth and left them there. " I want them there in case I ever forget again how very rich I am."

Rich doesn’t just apply to finances, bank accounts and nice homes and cars. Rich can also apply to the storehouse full of family, friends, relationships and health that we often take for granted. Rich can apply to the personal well being we feel about ourselves as well as the opportunities before us. The story is told of the couple who played the lottery every week for years. They finally won the big prize and had fun celebrating and enjoying it. Two years later there was a divorce, a painful division of goods, family divided and not speaking to each other. He said at one point, "I wish we had never won the lottery." There are some things more important than worldly possessions; some things money can’t buy. You can live in the fanciest of houses but still be a very miserable person. How frequently our culture tries to proclaim that what is on the outside, what we surround ourselves with, is what makes us happy, successful and rich. Richness is not a dollar amount in the bank but an attitude of mind and heart.

The Apostle Paul frequently found himself in dangerous situations because of his message of life in Jesus Christ. He was beaten with rods, whipped, stoned nearly to the point of death, shipwrecked, and on several occasion in jail. The Ephesians letter assumes that as he is writing Paul is in prison, probably in Rome. From a prison cell that had few pleasantries, Paul wrote about the Good News of Jesus Christ, the grace of God and the "boundless riches of Christ." Can you imagine being in a dirty dungeon, not knowing what tomorrow would bring, depending on friends to give you food and clothing, and you have the presence to write about the "boundless riches of Christ."

In another letter written from prison, Philippians, Paul proclaims, "Yet, whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…" (Phil. 3: 7-9).

Paul’s ministry was to Gentiles – non Jews. His message was that the Good News of Jesus Christ is not just for the children of Abraham, but also for all people regardless of race or ethnic background. Paul goes even a step farther by saying that what God has revealed to the church through Christ will not only affect the entire physical world but also affect even the spiritual realm – what he called the principalities and powers. The Good News of Jesus Christ is cosmic in nature.

And what is that Good News? That "boundless riches of Christ?" If I were to put into a sentence or two my understanding of the Gospel of Christ, I would have to begin by saying that God, our Creator, longs to be in relationship with us, and that longing translates into love and grace as shown in Christ beyond our ability to comprehend.

On occasions I have made bad decisions and screwed things up between Kathy and me. Besides correcting myself and changing and apologizing, I am totally dependent upon Kathy to offer the word of grace – forgiveness – in order for our relationship to continue and grow. How much more is the gracious gift of forgiveness and grace that can be found in God through Jesus Christ. He entered time and history as a human being to show us, on our terms, that inclusion. He died to show us the extent of that love and grace – the length to which God will go to be in wholeness of relationship with us.

In what we call the "Sermon on the Mount" as found in Matthew, Jesus talks about not worrying about what we shall eat or drink or wear; rather, those in relationship to Christ are called to seek something greater – strive first for the Kingdom of God – and then everything else will be given to us. By that I understand Jesus to be saying that when we long for wholeness in relationship with Jesus Christ – the Reign of God – then the other things of this world will find their proper perspective.

In a world that is torn by terrorism, political, racial and ethnic fighting and conflict, in a world struggling with racism and classism between the "haves" and "have-nots," the Church holds the eternal message, the Good News, the "boundless riches of Christ" for the entire world. Individuals are in pain because of brokenness and guilt; marriage relationships are strained and broken due to broken promises and mistrust; parents and children are separated because of misunderstandings and harsh words spoken in hurt and grief. The key to wholeness in life, whether personally or in relationship with other, is found in the gracious gift of love and life expressed in Jesus Christ.

The church began with a handful of people who had come to be followers of Jesus Christ. But a handful of people, filled with the Holy Spirit began to transform the world. From small house churches scattered among communities around the Mediterranean Sea has grown groups of people and church buildings big and small that influenced the direction of the world over the past 2,000 years. Through missionaries, pastors and common folk of faith, the "riches of Christ" has reached every corner and country in the world. Lives have been changed; relationships have been strengthened, communities have been changed. Houses have been built, injustices have been corrected; food has been given to the poor and health care provided and education offered to countless millions. The world is better because of the love of Christ. The riches of Christ cannot be contained, in heaven or on earth.

The question for you is: how rich are you? There are different ways to answer that question. But if there is a sense of emptiness or poverty, brokenness or longing, you have found the place to be made whole. How rich are you?