Methodist Corner

“Don’t let the vehicle fool you, my treasure is in heaven.” That was the pithy phrase on the bumper sticker on the back of the Hummer in front of me as I sat stuck in traffic after leaving MTS one rainy Tuesday afternoon. Fresh from Dr. Mitzi Minor’s Gospel of Luke class, I wondered what Luke would think of the idea that our accumulation of material possessions says nothing about our ultimate affections. I began to try and visualize the type of church this individual must attend and the sermons he or she would hear. “It must be one of those ‘name it and claim it’ ministries”, I thought. It must be one of those with the large opulent sanctuaries, video screens projecting sermon outlines, and praise bands keeping the people entertained. But those thoughts didn’t last long. Instead they turned to my own Hummer. No, I don’t actually own a Hummer, but I do have “things”. You know, things that cost too much or take up too much valuable time. Computers and mobile phones, TVs and iPods, mortgaged homes and financed education – none are necessities, so I guess I could put a “Don’t let this thing fool ya” bumber sticker on any of them. And what would Luke say then to me. I say “Luke”, because I’m not real sure I won’t to have that conversation with Jesus. I’m sure a conversation with Jesus would include something about an ox in a well, salt and manure, or maybe even about a narrow door, but whatever he says, I’m sure it will leave me examining the life I live and the choices I’ve made, wondering what to do now, and praying for the courage to make the changes that “seeing” and “hearing” require.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 am and is filed under Practical Theology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.