Immediate Wealth: Jesus' Investment Strategy

 

Imagine that you are visiting an Indigo or Chapters bookstore. Laid out at the front of the store and down the centre aisle are the hottest new titles. There are must-read selections skillfully chosen by staff and national best-sellers lists. The books include everything from serious non-fiction to romantic novels. In these must-read books there is a display themed around money and wealth management. You find a book with the title: Immediate Wealth: Jesus’ Investment Strategy

 

Immediate Wealth: Jesus’ Investment Strategy … Are you inclined to pick up this book?

The poor – the poor in spirit- might pick up this book with the hope of realizing the kindom of God. The curious might pick up this book to investigate any truth to be found in the claim of ‘immediate’ wealth. Analysts and investment brokers might take a gander at the book, to debate it on industry panels or social media. But would YOU read the book?

Honestly having heard the Gospels proclaimed here on Sundays, you have already heard Jesus’ investment strategies told in parables and stories like the one from this morning. Jesus was always talking about investment and wealth management.

 

How rich do you feel? … I wonder if our individual consideration of what ‘rich ‘means and how rich we feel, depends on how we have interpreted and put into practice Jesus’ investment strategies? The same could be said for the church. How is the wealth of the church globally, locally? Here, now?

 

Jesus’ strategy exemplified in today’s Gospel is all about intentional investment; bringing to life the old adage, ‘you reap what you sow.” Jesus has invested time and teaching on a group of 70 or so, followers. Jesus sends these followers out in pairs to every town and place that he intends to visit. Jesus is preparing the market for his upcoming investment of time and presence. Jesus is intentional, having a strategic plan and a marketing plan. The plan for those creating hype for Jesus’ investment strategy have some rules that make strategic sense when we consider financial investing today.

Don’t delay – the sooner you start the more your investment has the potential to exponentially grow;

Stay put – invested funds go up and down, don’t get distracted by immediate greener-grass and shift about, be patient and see the long view of a well-balanced portfolio;

Add more – continue to save.

Don’t delay. Stay put. Add more.

Jesus’ investment strategy then gets awkward and not so recognizable to traditional ideas about investing. And really, are you surprised by this? It is a reason many followers would shy away from picking up a book about Jesus’ investment strategies. Consider the notable chapters written and expanded from Jesus’ ministry:

Scatter Seeds Indiscriminately Everywhere

Upset the Apple Cart- Turning Economy Upside Down

Pay Caesar

 

Jesus’ investment strategy for the 70 is for them to start out without purse, bag, or sandals. This means having no money, no extra possessions, and bare feet. It is akin to me at the dismissal of the service asking you to remove your shoes, leave your purses and wallets, and any other bags or jackets you have with you, in the pews, and to go out. Once out in the streets, don’t delay, knock on a door … keep knocking on doors until someone invites you in. Say to that person, ‘Peace be with you.’ When you leave, tell your host, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

See what I mean, I can’t imagine any of you doing that, Jesus’ investment strategy is awkward.

But there is something to the strategy. It is old wisdom that has been lost to many of us and to our society as a whole. Jesus sends the followers out to intentionally sow seeds that grow kindom –

The investment strategy requires the gift of hospitality: a place to stay, a cup of soup, a helping hand, a pair of shoes, a loaned jacket. It requires having to take the time to find necessities and in the process meet others and enter conversations. This investment strategy requires a letting go of the notion of being self-sufficient and to willing receive hospitality given. In return the followers offer what they have, the story of Jesus, the words, “The kingdom of God has come near to you,” and really in the exchange to them too. Jesus’ very intentional investment strategy requires making connections and being relational. Jesus’ investment strategy grows community – love toward each other – and this IS the kindom of God being near.

 

In, Immediate Wealth: Jesus’ Investment Strategy, I imagine a chapter titled: Growing Tomatoes and Harvesting Zucchini

Jesus often returns to imagery of seeds and harvest. It is a good image that has stood the test of time. For anyone who knows about gardening, growing tomatoes from seed is not an easy task. Even getting already grown small plants requires investment. You know that one will need to invest time, water, patience, space, expense, labour, to get the best crop possible. If you want tomatoes there is investment required: someone needs to get the supplies, someone needs to plant the seeds, someone needs to tend the seeds. When there are tomato plants, intentional investment is needed to assist them through to the harvesting of the fruit. And it never hurts to pray - Great Gardener, help these seeds grow.

 

To grow in faith, grace, and community; to have robust worship, full pews, thriving ministries; to be noticed in the neighbourhood, the city, the wider world …  it involves intentional investment. Counter-intuitively it is not money, resources, or youth; not pastor, programs, or more people, that makes a church thrive. It is the investment of going out in pairs or little groups and planting seeds that make connections and grow community – the reciprocity of hospitality and relational living. It is acknowledging, aloud, that in those moments God’s kindom has come near.

 

A few weeks ago, when we visited Grace in Cole Harbour, their musician commented that she had never heard Lutherans sing so well – that was a compliment to the music ministry that has continually and intentionally invested in worship and liturgical music here – for the people by the people and it started long before Tim, and way before Isabel who invested 50 years as organist and choir director. Planted seeds and an investment of time are continuing to bear fruit. To note past music directors would have had no idea that their ‘tomatoes’ would end up at singing at Grace. The crop changed, this change is the zucchini part. You never know what God is going to do. If you know about zucchini once they produce, they just don’t stop! There is an abundance of fruit that the harvesters pass on for free to anyone who will take some.

 

This morning, I am not going to ask you to take off your shoes, or to leave your purses, wallets, or other bags and jackets. But I am inviting you to invest without delay. Intentionally make connections, have conversations, ask for help, draw people into a hospitality role, share a cup of tea – and remember to offer God’s peace, “Peace be with you.” For this week, intentionally invest in bringing God’s kindom near. Plant the seeds – next week and the week after you can check on the seeds you planted and invest more time and energy in connecting your seeds with your church family. Let us plant tomatoes and harvest zucchini. Intentionally following Jesus’ investment strategy there is much and immediate wealth, for the kindom of God comes near.