Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Today is a “Show and Tell” Sunday. I have brought with me a family treasure to show you. It’s a treasure that was given to me just this past week, It’s here in this box, but, before I show it to you, I need to assure you it is safe. I have personally checked this treasure multiple times over the past 30 years that I have known of its existence, including just this morning. If you have never before trusted me, trust me today.

My treasure is an old Smith & Wesson. As near as I can tell, this handgun is 100 years old and maybe even a little older than that. This treasure is only worth a few hundred dollars as tens of thousands of these were mass produced. However, in terms of family value, this Smith & Wesson is priceless. Family lore says that this handgun was purchased by either my great grandfather or by my great, great grandfather and presented to his wife, either my great grandmother, whom I knew, or my great, great grandmother because, even in that day, the perception about the safety of living in Downtown Chicago had changed. He was working nights and purchased this handgun for her to protect herself. Family lore holds that he had forgotten his keys one night and was climbing through the window when she thought he was a burglar and almost killed him. But for her bad handling of this gun, I would probably not be here today. So, while this gun may be only worth a few hundred dollars in terms of value to anyone else, to me personally, this handgun is a priceless treasure, worth far more than I could gain from it from any consignment shop.

Today’s “Great Hymn of the Faith” tells a similar story. Today’s “Great Hymn of the Faith,” a seemingly old, slow, depressing German hymn talks about the priceless Treasure of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I probably don’t have to waste my breath to tell you that many people in our world today don’t consider Jesus Christ a priceless Treasure. In fact, many people consider Jesus to be just one treasure among many in this world, just one more way, just one more truth, just one more way of life in our world [John 14:6]. I’m sure you have each heard it – and I certainly have head it – that Jesus Christ is just one way among many to reach the same final goal. Whether the name invoked is “Buddha” or “Allah” or “Krishna” or “Living a Good Life” or “Jesus,” the prevailing thought in our world is that all roads lead to the same final end. Thinking that way doesn’t make it true, though.

Remember our First Reading last Sunday, from Isaiah 44? Through the Prophet Isaiah God spoke: “Apart from Me there is no God ... No, there is no other Rock; I know not one” [Isaiah 44:6, 8]. Keep that verse in mine while we put it to the test using this Sunday’s Scriptures.

“Apart from Me there is no God .” How true that is because what other “god” – “Buddha,” “Allah,” “Krishna,” or “self righteousness” – chose his people because of what they were not? [Deuteronomy 7:6-9]. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it? What other “god” chose a small, powerless people and bestowed upon them his riches, his greatness, his power? It’s usually the other way around. What other “god” led his people out of slavery? What other “god” consistently looked upon his people not as being a burden or a bother, but as being his own priceless possession? “No, there is no other Rock; I know not one”

“Apart from Me there is no God .” How true that is because what other “god” – “Buddha,” “Allah,” “Krishna,” or “self righteousness” – has promised to always work for the good of his people? [Romans 8:29-39]. What other “god” has gone to such great lengths to prove his love for his people, not to be the object of their love, but that they would be the object of his love? What other “god” sacrificed His own Son into death so that all the people of the world could live? What other “god” has promised his people to always be conquerors? What other “god” has promised that nothing can ever separate his people from him and from his love? “No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

When you stop to think about it like that, no wonder Jesus taught His followers that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a priceless treasure hidden in a field or like a unique pearl of greatest value [Matthew 13:44-46]. According to Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven, if we had to purchase it, would be worth everything we have and even so much more.

You probably all remember Jed Clampitt of Beverly Hillbillies fame. Remember how the story went? Jed was out hunting one day when a stray bullet hit the ground and oil came bubbling up Suddenly oil company executives were knocking on Jed’s door, offering him millions of dollars for his property. They didn’t want the property. It wasn’t just out of the kindness of their hearts that they were willing to make dirt-poor Jed a millionaire. No, it was the oil that they were after, that treasure hidden in his ground. They were willing to put up millions of dollars to get access to that oil. What happened to Jed Clampitt could have been used by Jesus as an illustration of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.

We as followers of Jesus Christ need to sometimes back up and review in our minds why Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a priceless treasure hidden in a field or like a unique pearl of greatest value. It wasn’t just wishful thinking on Jesus’ part, creating a great empire for Himself. No, on the pages of the Holy Bible, from the very beginning to the very end, is one proof after another that establishes the truly undeniable value of the Kingdom of God as taught by Jesus.

If you doubt that, I challenge you to commit to an in-depth study of the Bible and an in-depth study of all the other major spiritual books of the world. Study them each not for the nuggets of wisdom that each contains. Instead, study them each for the message of the love of the “god” it espouses for his people. Keep track in your study of every instance of love shown by the “god” for his people. I am confident that if you have doubts and if you undertake such a comprehensive study you will discover the extravagant overabundance of the love of our God for us, His people, and that extravagant overabundance of love will stand in unique position in comparison with the messages proclaimed by the other spiritual books of the world.

Jesus Christ is our priceless Treasure because we were first His priceless treasure. We were the treasure hidden in the field of this world. We were the unique pearl of greatest value that God discovered while shucking oysters. Finding us and wanting us for His very own, Jesus went and sold all that He had. He gave His very life that we might belong to Him, that we might forever be His possession. No other “god” has ever done that. No, not even one.

No wonder Johann Franck would summarize the reaction of the people of God to God’s great love by writing the words, “Jesus, Priceless Treasure, Fount of purest pleasure, truest Friend to me. Ah, how long in anguish, shall my spirit languish, yearning, Lord, for Thee? Thou art mine, O Lamb Divine. I will suffer naught to hide Thee, naught I ask beside Thee.”

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena