Today I spent time with my spiritual director who left me to consider this scripture passage, “Where your treasure is, there your heart is also” (Matthew 6:21). Given that this week ends with the heart holiday, the irony of her request was not lost on me.
When I take time to think about this passage, I think first about my heart and then about my treasure. Where are the places my heart is open? Where is my heart closed? At what times does my heart feel free; when does it feel broken? In those times, when my heart is open or closed, free or broken, what things do I value, what do I hold as treasure? Is my heart filled with joy, curiosity, hope and wonder? Is my heart holding frustration, anger, vengeance, dread? What is the treasure I hold and what does this say about my heart?
Have you ever thought about your heart and your treasure? When you do, what do you find? Is there wholeness and hope? Do you find family and friends? Do you find treasured experience and joy-filled accomplishments? Do you notice community and connections? When you notice your heart and your treasure, where is God?
In my work with the Open Spirit Task Force, as we struggle toward understanding whether and how a new expression of Methodism can be born from our New England roots, I have found myself delighted and heart-sick, joyful and heart-broken. But as we move quickly toward a different Methodism, I pray that we will discover in our hearts a treasurer beyond denomination, beyond institution. I pray that we will discover the greatest treasure of all: The Body of Christ alive, loving one and all. That is where my heart is and my treasure too. What about you?
See you in church,
Hope