A teaching on Matthew 6
Treasures in Heaven
Letting go of the world's ambitions, and setting our hearts on what lasts. A 15-minute teaching with sacred art, from MyOratory on YouTube.
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”Matthew 6:19–21 (King James Version)
Where your treasure is
Jesus does not begin by telling us to stop wanting things. He tells us to want something better. Everyone has a treasure. The question is where we have put it, because wherever it is, our heart has gone there too.
The ladder that never ends
Most of us were taught to climb: a better job, a bigger house, a title, a following. None of these are evil, and many are good gifts. But each new rung brings a moment of relief, and then a quiet whisper: not yet, not enough. The teaching walks through the Teacher of Ecclesiastes, Tolstoy's peasant Pahom, the old story of Alexander's empty hands, and the rich fool of Luke 12, who planned a whole life in which God and his neighbor had no part.
What lasts
A treasure in heaven is any act of love that is freely given. A meal shared. A hand held in a hospital room. A prayer for someone who will never know you prayed. A kindness no one saw. These are the only things we can carry with us, because they are not things at all. They are pieces of a heart that has learned to love, and love does not end.
Three simple practices
- Give thanks before you ask. Before you think about what you still want, name three things you already have.
- Give something in secret. Once this week, do one kind thing no one will ever know about (Matthew 6:4).
- Rest. Set aside ten minutes each day when you are not climbing anything at all. Sit still, and let God love you without your earning it.
A closing prayer
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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