Sermon - 14th Feb '21

The Rich Youth

Gospel Reading: Luke 18: 18-34

Dear Community of Christians,

​Every child brings an enormous wealth with them when they are born. What these, and every one of us have gathered in terms of experience and knowledge is the treasure of past lives. This wealth is then included in the stream of earthly development and also becomes a part of earthly material wealth. This process in life, to live with this inherited wealth, which also becomes earthly richness, has the effect that we have to come back again and again to live here. Because there is still so much to transform and fulfill.

The rich youth of the Gospel had a clear consciousness of what his earthly-eternal task was, and, how to fulfill it. As a human being bound to time, he was challenged to shape his soul, and his higher, spiritual nature. What this meant for him, and how we also have to fulfill this task as humans, shows why the wealth is needed and part of us. This wealth has made possible the development towards an “I am” filled human being. And it forms the basis for going on to the eternal fulfillment until the time when the more-earthly wealth becomes a burden. “Sell all your goods and give the proceeds to the poor, and you will acquire a treasure in the spiritual worlds; then follow me!” This he was told. And he was very sad.

Why would we then have to gain all the wealth, when we have to get rid of it? Can it be that the accumulation of wealth, spiritual and material, is old and no longer relevant?

What Christ brought into the world is new. Incomparably new. It is the immeasurable love, the human–divine love. It seems that is the most difficult task for humans to fulfill. It includes the love towards enemies and even for the evil beings. Will we ever achieve that? In our time, when we are confronted with evil, with the darkest powers, this strength is most needed for human beings, and it shows how infinitely difficult this task is. Can we ever achieve this? The gospel says it will be possible “through the power of God”. It will then develop towards a new wealth, the eternal life. 

Rev. Ute Koenig