The Gospel of Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Let us Pray the Collect for Labor Day Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
In this lesson Jesus is continuing His sermon on the mountainside, and He is showing us how a genuine follower of God is supposed to live. Focusing on God’s kingdom reminds us to prioritize values such as love, generosity, compassion, and serving others rather than being consumed by the accumulation of wealth and possessions. Perhaps this verse is a gentle nudge for us to shift our focus towards a deeper faith in God’s provision and a commitment to living a life that aligns with His teachings. I think that this lesson should be read at every political meeting of the president, cabinet and house and Senate. This reading from Matthew on this Labor Day is about reminding believers to prioritize spiritual wealth over material possessions, trusting in God’s provision and care, and focusing on the Kingdom of God rather than worrying about worldly concerns. Listeners of Jesus’ day would have identified greatly with this, probably better than us today because they didn’t have debit cards and savings accounts. They had actual stuff. Their precious metals could tarnish, their fabrics could be eaten by moths, their herds could be stolen, their fields could be burned or suffer insect attack. These things could be taken from them. We experience this today but in a different way, right? Our possessions can be wiped away by a hurricane. One change in the housing market can decrease the value of our home tremendously. One bad business deal can bankrupt our company. One bad car accident can leave us without a vehicle. Our wallets can be stolen, our laptops can have coffee spilled on them and our phone screens can be broken. Jesus is pointing out that all the things on this earth that we treasure are temporary, they are fragile, they don’t last. This piece is interesting how in the middle he changes from storing up your treasure in heaven to talking about the eye is the light of the body. How do they connect? Jesus says the eye is the lamp of the body. Well, a lamp usually provides light. In ancient culture, an oil lamp would provide enough light to see where one is going. In our context, we can think of the eye showing us where to go, as it sets the direction for where we are going. Before we go somewhere we look at where we are going. We see it and then we go that way, or we see something and then we get it. If we are setting our gaze on possessions and money, we will go for possessions and money. If we are setting our focus on the things of God, we will go for the things of God. Remember the binoculars? We must focus on what we want to see! We must focus our eye on Jesus and His ways! So now we can see how they connect, if we are not looking in the right direction we are setting our focus not on The ways of Jesus but the ways of man that can be contradictive to the ways of Jesus. I believe that the implications for the devotion of our heart, the direction of our eye, and the way we live go far beyond money.
Let us Pray: Eternal Father, Teach our children to see with clear eyes, Not dazzled by wealth, but drawn to wisdom. May they grow in the light of Your truth, Choosing You above all rivals. Let their hearts be shaped by compassion, Their lives by purpose, And their legacy by love. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 