The Lutheran Hour
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"Clearing the Clutter"
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Text: Mark 10:17-22
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17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good-except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, and honor your father and mother.'” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, and follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Amen.
A recent headline in Good Housekeeping Magazine proclaimed, “There Are More Self-Storage Units Than McDonald’s in the United States.” The subtitle of the article was: “Too. Much. Stuff.”
Many of us are living cluttered lives.
In a New York Times article, Graham Hill tells the story of his struggle with stuff. After hitting it big with the sale of an Internet start-up company, Graham bought a big house on the west coast, furnished it to the hilt, purchased a plethora of electronic gadgets, and put a fancy car in the garage. Because of his busy work schedule, he hired a personal shopper to take care of filling his new place. Then Hill rented an apartment on the east coast as he commuted back and forth for business. More furniture, electronics, and housewares were added to his life.
What was the result of this American dream? He said, “My life was unnecessarily complicated. There were lawns to mow, gutters to clear, floors to vacuum, a car to insure, wash, refuel, repair, and register, and tech to set up and keep working. My house and my things were my new employers for a job I had never applied for.” The clutter was suffocating. There was no room to live.
This was not a happy life. He thought this can’t be what it is all about.
You begin to understand what Jesus was doing in Mark, chapter ten, when the rich young man approached him. You may be familiar with the short encounter. The text says, “Jesus was setting out on a journey and a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
First, Jesus saw the clutter in the young man’s life. When Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone,” He was providing clarity for the man. This young man needed to seek God for satisfaction and fulfillment. Trying to achieve the next conquest or acquire the next thing wasn’t the pathway to happiness. What was this man really focusing on? Was his intent on accumulating more stuff?
He felt compassion for him and He wanted the man to have true treasure. Jesus cut a swath through the clutter of the man’s life and He said, “Do you want real treasure? Get rid of everything that is draining life from you.”
Jesus was on a mission to de-junk the man’s life, to de-clutter his overcrowded and empty existence. The man needed it. That’s why he knelt before Jesus in desperation, seeking meaning and satisfaction. But finding those treasures wasn’t going to happen the way he thought it would.
That may be true for you, today. Is there room in your life for what is truly meaningful, important, and precious? Jesus brings you real life. Do you have room for that?
You may be desperate for it. Don’t worry, that’s the way things are when we try to fill our lives and souls with anything else other than God. And God can deal with that, with you, with me, with anyone who repents and turns to Him by faith!
And that’s Jesus’ point. When it comes to uncluttering our life, to de-junking our souls from what is temporal and fading away, we can’t even do that. We need help from the outside. We need more than an organizer; more than a cleaner….we need a Savior.
So in Mark, chapter ten, Jesus let the young man know that there was time to make room for God. His possessions were getting in the way. His pride was getting in the way. Distractions were keeping him from experiencing true joy and contentment.
But Jesus isn’t merely an advice giver; He isn’t the One that came just to straighten up your sinful life. No, He came to give you His life as a gift, His forgiveness as a gift, a fresh start that lasts for eternity. The only question was; was this man going to treat Jesus as just another teacher who gave him some helpful hints for a happy life or would Jesus be the man’s real Treasure, his Savior, his Lord?
It’s clear that the young man’s life thus far was not providing real fulfillment. In verse twenty-two we hear that the man was disheartened by Jesus’ response. He was shocked. He was appalled and he went away with grief. His stuff had a hold on him and made him miserable.
What about you? What’s cluttering up your life?Material things are just the surface of what can overcrowd our lives. Is your schedule packed? Have you lost the margin in your life–space to rest and breathe? Is your pride clogging up your chance to reconcile a relationship or mend a fence with someone? Is your anger alienating you from others and destroying you from the inside out? Is your stubbornness keeping you from taking good advice or holding you back from the next step of growth that you really need? Is your unforgiveness paralyzing you as you hold a grudge and simmer with resentment? Are you missing out on each new day because past wounds and grief dominate your thinking and tear down your self-esteem?
Oh, there’s a lot of clutter in our lives! Guilt, pain, failure, vanity, and woundedness–all of it crowds out what is good and what is life-giving. Like the man who approached Jesus, you may feel like you close each day with disheartened sorrow.
What’s the answer? Graham Hill, he found it. Graham is the person I mentioned at the beginning of the message, the guy whose life became cluttered and unhappy with too much stuff on two coasts. What did Graham Hill find? Love. He fell in love. He met Olga, a beautiful European woman, and followed her to Barcelona. Suddenly Graham downsized his oversized life. He lived out of a backpack with the essentials: some toiletries, a few changes of clothes, and a laptop. He began to see that the most important things in life aren’t things at all. He saw the importance of relationships, experiences, and meaningful service to others. He felt liberated when his life was simplified. He got rid of everything, he downsized to a small apartment, and rejoiced in having more time for real life.
He said, “My experiences show that after a certain point, material objects have a tendency to crowd out the emotional needs that they were meant to support.”
After de-cluttering, Hill realized something truly important. He said, “My space is small, but my life is big.”
Love can do that with your life; but there’s a love that can de-clutter, that’s even bigger than any other relationship you can have right now. And, it can make the difference about everything, giving you an eternal life that’s big, that lasts.
That is exactly what Jesus was trying to show the rich young man in Mark, chapter ten. It’s what He offers you today by faith. Love, His love, the eternal and lasting love of God in Jesus Christ — will bring you through the clutter.
You heard me say that Jesus loved the young man. The word in the text is one you may be familiar with: agape. The Greek word is all about self-sacrifice, giving up everything for someone you truly care about deeply.
That’s exactly what Jesus did for you when He sacrificed His life on the cross. He gave up everything–His very life–so He could de-clutter your life and provide a fresh and brand new beginning–a life that is big, that’s eternal with Him.
You may have heard the verses from the Bible: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).
That is God de-cluttering, that’s God empowering, delivering real life and salvation! You couldn’t do it yourself, so God sent His only Son to clear away the clutter of sin, and guilt, and shame, and pain, and pride. He came to de-junk your life, to remove everything that stands in the way of life that is good and meaningful, life that lasts forever. Because of God’s love, His rescue for you, you no longer live in an overcrowded mass of anxiety. You walk with Jesus who says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus truly de-clutters.
You may remember when Jesus entered the Jerusalem temple and cleared it out. It happened twice. Seeing the salespeople and the vendors, hearing the noise and the commotion, Jesus dispersed the clutter and distraction form God’s temple. God’s house was not meant to be a den of robbers, but a place of prayer. It was not meant to be an uproar of distraction, but a refuge to meet the One who delivers and saves.
Through His living, life-giving Word and through the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, Jesus de-clutters you, too. He empties you of the junk that separates you from God and He fills you with His Spirit, His grace, His hope, His love. Jesus de-clutters you and me and He fills us with what is good.
As the Apostle Paul says in Galatians, chapter two: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
De-cluttered and made over. That’s new life in Jesus.
And, do you want to talk about a big life? That’s a big life. It’s an eternally big life. “In Christ you are a new creation!” Your life is blessed with what matters, what lasts, and what is truly fulfilling. Jesus called it treasure.
It’s a treasure to know you’re forgiven. It’s a treasure to know that this life is not the end, but you have a home in heaven purchased and won by the death and resurrection of your Savior. It’s a treasure to know that contentment can be found in the strength of your risen Savior and in the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. It’s a treasure to surrender your pride and depend on God’s help. It’s a treasure to cast your care on your caring God in prayer. It’s a treasure to humbly say you’re sorry and rebuild a relationship. It’s a treasure to live a new life in the Spirit of God and experience real joy.
So my big question for you today is do you have room for that new life in Jesus in your life? Do you have room for the gift of life that God gives? Will you let Jesus have His say over your life today?
Psalm 46 says it this way, “Be still and know that I am God.” Is your life too noisy to hear Him? Are your days too cluttered to receive His Word of life? Is your life too crowded to let God lead you and guide you?
Don’t despair. Jesus clears the clutter.
Jeanne Leier’s clutter started building up after her fiancé was tragically killed in Iraq as he served in the United States Army Reserve. His death devastated her. Then her faithful dog died. It was the last straw. Feeling like she lost everything, her life came to a halt. She couldn’t even make decisions.
She would shop, but let the boxes and bags accumulate in her apartment. Mail would come and pile up unopened. Packages would arrive and stay stacked in the front hall. Jeanne became what is known today as a hoarder. Because of her grief and pain, her life became a crowded prison. Finally, she realized she couldn’t help herself. Professional organizer and social worker Nikki Havens stepped in. First, she got Jeanne into counseling. She emphasized, “Companies treat the clutter, and the clutter is not the problem.” Jeanne needed something bigger to handle the clutter issue in her life.
Well, my friend, you need something bigger than yourself too to have your life de-cluttered. The rich young man in Mark, ten proved that. But the Son of God, Jesus Christ….is not only bigger than yourself, He is a Savior who wants to fill your life with His joy, His grace, His peace. Don’t turn from Him today. Instead, by faith, put your trust in Him. Let Him have His say with your life today. Call on Him to remove the clutter that’s imprisoning you.
Unhappiness, grief, anger, pain, stubbornness, chasing after material possessions or notoriety, addictions; call upon Jesus today to de-junk your life with His sweeping work of grace.
And begin to follow Him, let His Word guide your life…each day! I know it sounds
frightening, but it isn’t. He is the only One in your life who will never, and I mean never, let you down!He even makes a promise to you at this very moment…Jesus said it this way, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). He’s the One, no matter your circumstance, no matter your struggles….even when your space is small…your life in Him can be very big indeed!
I’ve got some good news for you today too. There are a lot of people discovering this today. I know places like the United States and Europe are swelling with stuff and struggling with faith…..but in other parts of the world, faith in Jesus is exploding! The Global South is growing in Christian faith at a rapid pace. While the numbing effects of materialism lead the west to become complacent, even lost, the developing world, in its leanness and need, has room for Jesus. They are seeing Him work in wonderful ways as many people are discovering the strength and hope given by the Savior who sacrificed all so that we may walk in the newness of life. Small spaces….yet even bigger lives in Christ for others!
That’s Jesus’ offer to anyone listening today; whether in need or in abundance, the key to life is knowing Him by faith, uncluttered, forgiven, renewed, and empowered to live as His child, now and forever. That can be you; it can be me, by faith in Him.
Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for October 11, 2015
Topic: The Church Always Out Of Step?ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor, today with all the changes taking place in society; this casual view of sex, the destruction of marriage, the coarseness of our culture; is it a problem that the church seems to be behind the times and that Christians are powerless to do anything about this?
SELTZ: Mark, Let’s be honest, our listener isn’t saying something we don’t already know. I’d go one step further and say that the Christian Message even as well as the Christian Church is under attack today. So, maybe the point should be “Should that surprise us? And, what should our reaction be?”
ANNOUNCER: All right. Should this surprise us?
SELTZ: No.
ANNOUNCER: That’s a pretty direct statement!
SELTZ: I know, but it’s the Biblical answer to the question. Jesus Himself says that His church, people who follow His teaching, will be persecuted at times just as He was.
ANNOUNER: Why do you think that is?
SELTZ: Well, lost in all the discussion about marriage, sex, health care is the underlying discussion of what it means to be men and women in relationship to God and then in relationship to one another.
ANNOUNCER: And so many people today believe that God, the Church, and even morality are passé?
SELTZ: They do. There is a secular view of life today that seeks for the individual to be, in their words, “unshackled” from all authority, especially from God.
ANNOUNCER: And, you’re saying that such a view has really changed how people view even personal relationships.
SELTZ: Right, but remember, though, this tension between Jesus’ teachings and society was true even in Jesus’ day. But in this culture, merely a generation ago, many people did understand that these relationship questions were rooted deeper, namely, in one’s relationship to God and His Word.
ANNOUNCER: And if you build on different roots, it’s easy to see how these different ways of seeing these deeper issues produce very different ideas about marriage, family, and sexual relations.
SELTZ: Yeah, different ideas; but that doesn’t mean we’re behind the times.
ANNOUNCER: How then should we engage people in this discussion?
SELTZ: Well, first I tell people how you think deep down eventually causes you to act a certain way, to treat people a certain way. So, if my personal happiness is all that matters, then we’ll see more broken marriages, sexually transmitted diseases, abortions, and even worse, many more hardened perspectives to a lot of practices that would have appalled us in years past.
ANNOUNCER: That brings to mind these recent videos that were shot in abortion clinics about the selling of baby parts.
SELTZ: Among other things. Think about it; not only are millions of abortions unleashed on our culture, and yes, now people are selling baby parts. What’s going on here? But also think about the dehumanizing diseases, broken relationships too many to count, the coarseness in our language even and the practices of relationships and sexuality just so we can be happy. I say it this way, there is no pill or policy that is going to “fix” these foundational earthquakes.
ANNOUNCER: So, then, you mean the ultimate fix is going to have to come at a deeper level?
SELTZ: Right, at the heart and soul level, not merely the policy, political level. That’s why we have to be careful that people don’t just see the church’s responses to these very public, tension filled discussions as God merely saying, “No” to us.
ANNOUNCER: Which is one reason that people think the church is often out of step!
SELTZ: Correct, but they need to hear that we also have a different “Yes” too. We want to make sure that people hear the positive message of self-discipline, committed “relationships for sexuality and intimacy,” but those that are rooted in the love and forgiveness of God; that is the key not just to our relationships but to our very lives.
ANNOUNCER: And it even extends benefits to society in general?
SELTZ: That’s true, but that’s another Q&A. And let’s just say that the church needs to get over the need to be popular and to get busy being faithful and loving to those who need Jesus as their Savior.
ANNOUNCER: So believers need always to be concerned about non-believers hearing this bigger message of Jesus, not just that the church has certain moral positions on certain public questions.
SELTZ: That’s for sure. Like I said, the church’s ultimate message is about the grace and love of God in Jesus Christ. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a responsibility to help build a morally, civil society for all, even for those who may disagree with our belief that the greatest gift of freedom, life, and eternal salvation is in Jesus Christ alone.
ANNOUNCER: So if not behind the times but made for a time, such as this.
SELTZ: Yes, and ultimately to show that the one answer for all these things is faith in the God Who lived, and died, and rose again for all, Jesus Christ.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Action in Ministry for October 11, 2015
Guest: Dr. Melanie WilsonANNOUNCER: You’re listening to The Lutheran Hour and this is Action in Ministry. Today Pastor Seltz shared some wonderful insights with us about clearing away all the clutter in our lives. Continuing with that theme, I’d like to introduce Dr. Melanie Wilson. She’s a Christian psychologist and home-schooling mother of six; also an author, a blogger, and a public speaker.
SELTZ: Melanie, I’m glad that you could squeeze us in. Did something miraculous have to happen for you to be here?
WILSON: No, I just called in a favor to a friend and I’m just thrilled to be out of the house for a little bit.
SELTZ: There you are. Well, thanks for joining us. Well, let’s start with home-schooling six children; if anyone can relate to having to prioritize things, it would have to be you, but you also manage to do all kinds of other things; so how do you manage it all?
WILSON: Yeah, by the grace of God and through the help of my husband who has just been an amazing…just help to me and an encouragement to me; so that’s where it starts and then a lot of planning. I really have to be careful to plan my weeks looking forward otherwise things fall through the cracks.
ANNOUNCER: Listeners may be surprised to learn that you didn’t always have these skills. Tell us your story.
WILSON: Absolutely. When I was in graduate school, I had come off of four years of high school and then four years of college where I did pretty well; even though I was a pretty busy person. But once I hit graduate school my natural ability to organize myself and even remember what I was supposed to be doing when, pretty much fell apart and my home life was an absolute disaster, my apartment had millions of roaches in it, I had moldy laundry because it was in my basement and it was soaking wet and I just wasn’t taking care of it, and I wasn’t using a calendar, I was missing client appointments, and I was not asking for help in my classes, and I was struggling, and it was just…everything just kind of imploded at that point.
SELTZ: Wow, when and why did the change begin?
WILSON: Yeah, the change began when I realized that I needed to return to church. I had given up on attending church and my walk with the Lord was really suffering as a result of that and also not spending time with people who are Christians. And once I met my husband, we both decided that we wanted to make faith the foundation of our marriage and we recommitted ourselves to church and that made a huge difference and then just learning about what I needed to do to get my life back on track. That made a difference too.
ANNOUNCER: This week we’re offering a booklet titled “Setting Priorities” by Tim Wesemann. Dr. Wilson, what are the benefits of some of the things that this book discusses? What do you think about that and how could our listeners benefit from reading this booklet?
WILSON: Right. Well, I mentioned how important it was for me to learn how to get my life organized again and that booklet is a great example of how you can begin to understand the relationship between your priorities, your real priorities, and the way that you spend your time. And he gives excellent nuts-and-bolts advice for how to go about doing that, in a humorous way too. I love that booklet!
SELTZ: It’s pretty hard for God to be at work in our life if there is no time for quiet, no time to pray, no time to listen to Him through His Word; and this is why I think you were talking about it….it really gets good here. It might take some work to organize but you’re going to be more fulfilled in the end. Dr. Wilson, how has your life been different since setting priorities became a priority?
WILSON: I have a lot more peace and my family is a lot happier. When I was first home-schooling and I had young children at home, things were really chaotic. No one knew what to expect, including me. But now I do know what to expect because we have routines. We have plans. We organize our school and our days and the whole family is a lot happier.
ANNOUNCER: So learning how to set priorities helps you learn how to decide how you best use this gift of time that God gives us every day.
SELTZ: And the good news is that God Himself makes us priority number one and that’s so important to all of this. Dr. Wilson, so great to talk with you today. Thanks for being here.
WILSON: It was my pleasure.ANNOUNCER: And the name of the booklet is Setting Priorities. For your free copy, call The Lutheran Hour toll free: 1-855-john316. That’s 1-855-564-6316. Or go online: lutheranhour.org and look for the tab that says “Action in Ministry.” Our email address is: info@lhm.org.
Music Selections for this program:
A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)