Rich presented this to the afternoon service at Our Savior Lutheran, Lansing, MI
Arrrr – Where be your treasure, Mate?
Please pray with me –
“Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable in Your sight. Amen.”
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
March 7, 1955, was a special day for me – for it was on March 7, 1955, that I introduced to Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell – thanks to NBC TV. I sat mesmerized – captured by the story, the sets, the characters. Afterwards my brothers and I would play “Pirate” – we thought Captain Hook was cool.
We would take our treasure boxes, bury them in a field, the backyard, or hide them in the house – we would draw a secret map – using codes to confuse those that would steal our treasure. We would try to find each other’s map – decode it and uncover their special treasure.
We would dig for hours in the vacant lots – looking for treasures – of all kinds. We would look for:
- arrow heads
- Indian hatchets
- dinosaur bones
- fossils
- gold
But most of all – we dreamed of finding Pirate Treasure!
Arrr – we be pirates and we dig for treasure!
It was easy for me to be captured by the “Pirate Syndrome” – for I had been collecting treasures ever since I was in Kindergarten!
It was Christmas-time at St. Paul Lutheran School in Round Lake, Illinois and I was in Mrs. Gronke’s Kindergarten class. It was before Christmas vacation and the principal came downstairs and announced that we were going to have an assembly in the church.
Not knowing what an “Assembly” was – I started to be a little anxious – until the older kids started cheering – I figured this “Assembly” thing must be pretty good.
We sat in the church and I watched a movie! – “The Littlest Angel”! This is the story of a Kindergarten aged boy that becomes an angel and has a hard time adjusting to life in heaven. Finally, he is sent to the “Understanding Angel” who found out that the Littlest Angel just needed his special treasure box from earth. The “Understanding Angel” sent a messenger to retrieve the special treasure box from its secret hiding place.
The Littlest Angel kept his special treasures in a small wooden box – a butterfly, a bird’s egg, two white stones and a dog collar. These were the treasures of a small boy.
Soon it was time to celebrate the birth of Jesus – God’s only Son. All of the angels made very special and fancy presents to give to God’s Son – while the Littlest Angel gave that which he treasured the most – his wooden box filled with treasures.
Oh, I wanted a wooden box – for one would never know just when one would be an angel and need a gift for God’s Son!
Grandpa gave me a very special wooden cigar box – one that I could latch closed – and fill with my special treasures – rocks and roller skate keys – marbles and a dice all filled my treasure chest.
As I grew, so did my treasure chest – cigar boxes giving way to shoe boxes – as I added a pocket knife, baseball cards and coins – a silver dollar, a quarter and an Indian Head penny.
Arr – I had treasures!
Arrr – many treasures! Aye, Mat-ey – I be sharing with you me treasures!
(Bring out Treasure box)
Each year I discovered that I needed to add more and more treasures to my treasure box!
I had to have fashion! I learned that the road to happiness was wearing the latest designer names – having the shoes that were advertised on TV – I went from wearing my name on the back of my collar to wearing someone else’s name on my jeans.
But fashion wasn’t enough – I had to eat the right foods – the more expensive the brand – the better my life! I discovered that menus came in two forms – those with prices and those without. If I ever could afford to eat where the menus had no prices listed – I had arrived!
But more than clothing and food – I needed to build up money, cars, things! The more I had – the more respect I commanded – I spent a long time in the pursuit of things!
Then one day I heard the words of Jesus – the words He taught to His disciples – the words He taught to thousands –
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Sell my possessions? But what would I eat – what would I wear? Where would I sleep? How would I live? Surely Jesus didn’t mean it literally – there had to be some wiggle room –
Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
There it is - if we are not going to pursue material things, then how will we provide our physical needs? Trust God. Don’t worry!
But we have debts – we have bills – how can we not worry? How can we provide for that which we need?
Jesus points to the birds – to the grasses of nature – God provided for the lowest of birds – even the ravens have food. The flowers of the field live a short time and die – yet they are beautiful. God is caring – He is compassionate – if He takes care of the birds and grasses – why would He abandon us?
“Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink – do not worry about it”
Yeah, but what about unemployment – what about our lives – does God want us to live less than our neighbors? Can’t we have a big screen TV, a boat, a big bank balance – An Ninetendo, 246, IMAX Playstation IPod phone and TV?
The pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
It is a matter of perspective – our basic approach to life. What do we need?
The world would have us believe that there are many things we need – and that we need them now. The TV proclaims our needs in 30 sec. bursts- we need a new car – credit doesn’t matter – we need a new kitchen – we can get it on credit – we need new furniture – and don’t have to pay for one full year.
The TV also proclaims you can be a millionaire by merely guessing the percentage of Americans answering a question – or by picking the right suitcase – or by being smarter than a fifth grader. We don’t need to work – we need credit – we need luck.
So the world and our sinful self turns us into people who are anxious and lacking trust in God, constantly trying to gain control of things that are often are beyond our control.
I have been there – I have given into the temptations – I have used that which is God’s strictly for me. I have tried to fill my treasure chest with money and the things that money can buy – I have spent more than I earned.
I have lain awake at night worrying about how bills would be paid or how I could get another thing.
One day the words of Christ sounded loud in my heart - Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
It was then that I realized that God does indeed take care of His children. What good would worrying do me? I started to concentrate not on the things – but on people. I started small – giving a set percentage to church – my bills were paid.
I gained confidence – I started giving more – my bills were still paid – The more I gave the more I received. I was using treasure for people – I started seeing how I could help more people. My treasure chest started growing – not with things – but with relationships.
Now I know that I need to work diligently to provide the needs of the day – but God provides! I know that life is more than things – more than treasures that will rot.
My treasures are:
1. My bank book and how I can use it to help others
2. My family
3. My relationship with God.
Arrr – what be your treasures, matey?
“Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable in Your sight. Amen.”
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
March 7, 1955, was a special day for me – for it was on March 7, 1955, that I introduced to Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell – thanks to NBC TV. I sat mesmerized – captured by the story, the sets, the characters. Afterwards my brothers and I would play “Pirate” – we thought Captain Hook was cool.
We would take our treasure boxes, bury them in a field, the backyard, or hide them in the house – we would draw a secret map – using codes to confuse those that would steal our treasure. We would try to find each other’s map – decode it and uncover their special treasure.
We would dig for hours in the vacant lots – looking for treasures – of all kinds. We would look for:
- arrow heads
- Indian hatchets
- dinosaur bones
- fossils
- gold
But most of all – we dreamed of finding Pirate Treasure!
Arrr – we be pirates and we dig for treasure!
It was easy for me to be captured by the “Pirate Syndrome” – for I had been collecting treasures ever since I was in Kindergarten!
It was Christmas-time at St. Paul Lutheran School in Round Lake, Illinois and I was in Mrs. Gronke’s Kindergarten class. It was before Christmas vacation and the principal came downstairs and announced that we were going to have an assembly in the church.
Not knowing what an “Assembly” was – I started to be a little anxious – until the older kids started cheering – I figured this “Assembly” thing must be pretty good.
We sat in the church and I watched a movie! – “The Littlest Angel”! This is the story of a Kindergarten aged boy that becomes an angel and has a hard time adjusting to life in heaven. Finally, he is sent to the “Understanding Angel” who found out that the Littlest Angel just needed his special treasure box from earth. The “Understanding Angel” sent a messenger to retrieve the special treasure box from its secret hiding place.
The Littlest Angel kept his special treasures in a small wooden box – a butterfly, a bird’s egg, two white stones and a dog collar. These were the treasures of a small boy.
Soon it was time to celebrate the birth of Jesus – God’s only Son. All of the angels made very special and fancy presents to give to God’s Son – while the Littlest Angel gave that which he treasured the most – his wooden box filled with treasures.
Oh, I wanted a wooden box – for one would never know just when one would be an angel and need a gift for God’s Son!
Grandpa gave me a very special wooden cigar box – one that I could latch closed – and fill with my special treasures – rocks and roller skate keys – marbles and a dice all filled my treasure chest.
As I grew, so did my treasure chest – cigar boxes giving way to shoe boxes – as I added a pocket knife, baseball cards and coins – a silver dollar, a quarter and an Indian Head penny.
Arr – I had treasures!
Arrr – many treasures! Aye, Mat-ey – I be sharing with you me treasures!
(Bring out Treasure box)
Each year I discovered that I needed to add more and more treasures to my treasure box!
I had to have fashion! I learned that the road to happiness was wearing the latest designer names – having the shoes that were advertised on TV – I went from wearing my name on the back of my collar to wearing someone else’s name on my jeans.
But fashion wasn’t enough – I had to eat the right foods – the more expensive the brand – the better my life! I discovered that menus came in two forms – those with prices and those without. If I ever could afford to eat where the menus had no prices listed – I had arrived!
But more than clothing and food – I needed to build up money, cars, things! The more I had – the more respect I commanded – I spent a long time in the pursuit of things!
Then one day I heard the words of Jesus – the words He taught to His disciples – the words He taught to thousands –
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Sell my possessions? But what would I eat – what would I wear? Where would I sleep? How would I live? Surely Jesus didn’t mean it literally – there had to be some wiggle room –
Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
There it is - if we are not going to pursue material things, then how will we provide our physical needs? Trust God. Don’t worry!
But we have debts – we have bills – how can we not worry? How can we provide for that which we need?
Jesus points to the birds – to the grasses of nature – God provided for the lowest of birds – even the ravens have food. The flowers of the field live a short time and die – yet they are beautiful. God is caring – He is compassionate – if He takes care of the birds and grasses – why would He abandon us?
“Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink – do not worry about it”
Yeah, but what about unemployment – what about our lives – does God want us to live less than our neighbors? Can’t we have a big screen TV, a boat, a big bank balance – An Ninetendo, 246, IMAX Playstation IPod phone and TV?
The pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
It is a matter of perspective – our basic approach to life. What do we need?
The world would have us believe that there are many things we need – and that we need them now. The TV proclaims our needs in 30 sec. bursts- we need a new car – credit doesn’t matter – we need a new kitchen – we can get it on credit – we need new furniture – and don’t have to pay for one full year.
The TV also proclaims you can be a millionaire by merely guessing the percentage of Americans answering a question – or by picking the right suitcase – or by being smarter than a fifth grader. We don’t need to work – we need credit – we need luck.
So the world and our sinful self turns us into people who are anxious and lacking trust in God, constantly trying to gain control of things that are often are beyond our control.
I have been there – I have given into the temptations – I have used that which is God’s strictly for me. I have tried to fill my treasure chest with money and the things that money can buy – I have spent more than I earned.
I have lain awake at night worrying about how bills would be paid or how I could get another thing.
One day the words of Christ sounded loud in my heart - Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
It was then that I realized that God does indeed take care of His children. What good would worrying do me? I started to concentrate not on the things – but on people. I started small – giving a set percentage to church – my bills were paid.
I gained confidence – I started giving more – my bills were still paid – The more I gave the more I received. I was using treasure for people – I started seeing how I could help more people. My treasure chest started growing – not with things – but with relationships.
Now I know that I need to work diligently to provide the needs of the day – but God provides! I know that life is more than things – more than treasures that will rot.
My treasures are:
1. My bank book and how I can use it to help others
2. My family
3. My relationship with God.
Arrr – what be your treasures, matey?
