As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [...] Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (Mark 10:17, 21-22)

My husband and are nearing the end stages of buying our first house—tentatively scheduled to close at the end of the same week we hear this passage in worship. It's been a point of conversation in our family. Besides all of the joys and challenges that we expect (and will be surprised by!) in home ownership, what does it mean to own a home?

Owning a home means that we have a measure of wealth. We have more than we need. We've been living under our means for some years in order to save and now we will be moving into a modest home—which is about 2 and ½ times the size of our current apartment. How do we become good stewards, generous in our encounters with others, and make good use of a home?

In reading a house blessing from the book, “Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals” we have some guidance. “May all be welcomed here, friend and stranger, from near and far. May each be blessed and honored as they enter. There is a friend's love in the gentle heart of the Savior. For love of him we offer friendship and welcome every guest.”

Welcome into the home is not always easy for me. For those of you who have seen my office, you know that I am a person of clutter! Well, really piles of disorder that are my personal filing system. In our home, the piles of mail that I should have shredded, the baby toys strewn on the floor, the unfolded laundry in the basket, become excuses for me to exclude others from our home.

It's not always easy. I don't claim to be an expert on radical generosity and welcome. And, I don't expect to have a huge congregational open house in our new home. But, I do hear the conversation that Jesus has with the rich man, and hear myself in the story. The message that I hear isn’t necessarily to sell the home that we're just purchasing. The message that I hear is that we are called to be good stewards of what God has first given us—living in the reality that all we are given is a gift from God. What would it really mean to live that way?

Dear Jesus, you looked at the rich man and loved him. You look at each of us and love us too. But, out of love, you also remind us to hold lightly to our possessions. Show us how best to serve you and those in need, using what you have first given us. In your name we pray, Amen.

Contributed by Pastor Becky
Monday October 19, 2015
Liturgical Year B: Week 47
Liturgical Color: Green
Sunday Gospel reading: Proper24
Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost