Mar 18, 2026
Imagine life without the burden of attachment: lighter, more spacious, and free to love, respond, and act with compassion rather than fear of loss or apprehension. Jesus invites us to give generously and to embrace a way of life rooted in abundance, shared dignity, and enduring righteousness.
This week we look the a familiar text about a rich man who encounters Jesus only to be disappointed when Jesus tells him to sell everything and give it to the poor (Matthew 19:16-22). This is not a lesson about greed or earning eternal life, but a story about attachment and freedom. The man is sincere, moral, and responsible, yet still feels incomplete. Jesus’ invitation to sell his possessions and follow him is not a test of generosity, but a call to liberation. The man’s grief reveals how wealth and security can quietly own us, promising safety while limiting our capacity to live fully.
We live in a modern economic system that rewards accumulation, protects scarcity, and spiritualizes charity while resisting justice. Poverty not as a failure of individuals, but of systems and “powers and principalities” (echoing Epistle to the Ephesians 6:12) that distribute resources unequally despite global abundance. True faith, the sermon moves beyond charity toward transforming unjust structures.
I am not suggesting that you sell all your possessions and give them to the poor. I suggest that we look at the abundance in our lives and consider what we really need and how we can best share with those who have less.
