Welcome to Resurrection Parish.  This week we are beginning a brand new message series, “Confessions of a Control Freak.”  I am not aware of any formal definition of what classifies someone as being a Control Freak, but you might be a Control Freak if you:
    • Take the dirty dishes that others put into the dishwasher out of the dishwasher and rearrange them.
    • Have to decorate the Christmas Tree all by yourself, if anyone adds an ornament you quietly take it away later. You and you alone get to decide how the packages are arranged under the tree, all the wrapping paper is coordinated.
    • Keep the spices in your spice rack in alphabetical order, your sweaters are stacked according to color in your closet, everything in your refrigerator has an established place.
    • Always insist on driving, and you’re a terrible passenger.
    In truth, I think we are all control freaks in one way, shape or form. We may have varying degrees of control freakiness. At least we are all control freaks about something.
    To help prove it to you, we are going to look at a passage from St. Mark’s Gospel today. St. Mark tells us, “As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him”
(Mark 10:17a). As is common, Jesus is described as being on a journey, and a man kneels before him. This man is not just any man, he has a lot going for him. He’s rich, he’s young, and he holds some kind of prominent position. He is described as having run up to Jesus and knelt down before him. People of prominence and affluence don’t do that. If you’re a prominent person, people run after you. This little detail tells us something significant about this guy. For everything he’s got, he knows something is missing from his life. The rich young man despite all he has seeks something more and he does it by asking this question: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17b).
    Often when we hear that phrase, eternal life, we think simply in terms of time. Eternal means forever. However, eternal life also concerns quality of life. It means entering into God’s life that is on a completely higher plane. It means living a life of peace and purpose, meaning and value, and a joy that doesn’t depend on our circumstances.
    It is a life we get glimpses of from time to time. The rich young man has caught a glimpse of it in the person of Christ himself, so he wants to know what he can do to have it as a possession.
    Jesus begins to answer the question with with a refresher in the basics: “You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and mother” (Mark 10:18-19).
    Every rabbi of that time would have given basically the same answer. You can’t do these things as part of your lifestyle and enjoy the quality of life God wants to give you. The rich young man certainly knew, but the basics weren’t enough for him. He wanted more. “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth” (Mark 10:20). He follows the rules but instinctively he knows there must be more to a relationship with God.
    Here’s a news flash for many people who grew up in church: Christianity is not about religious rule keeping. Jesus certainly wants to instruct us in right and wrong, and good and bad,
because there are just certain actions that are incompatible with having the kind of life God wants to give us.
    However, the heart of the Gospel is not about religious rule keeping. The heart of the Gospel is about so much more, its about positioning ourselves to receive the good things that God want to give us. The heart of the Gospel is about building our life on a living relationship with a loving God, leading us to love others in return.
    The good news is that a living, loving faith doesn’t start with religious rule keeping and its so much more than that. But, here’s the thing; the difficulty is that if you want a faith that goes beyond religious rule keeping you’ve got to do something beyond just following the rules.
    “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me’” (Mark 10.21).
    Jesus’ instructions and teachings never come out of anything but love. He loves you and is for you, even when his teachings sound challenging, as this fellow learned.
    What he is lacking is yoked to what everyone else would have thought of as is greatest asset: his wealth. His money is crippling him, because it is controlling him, it is keeping him from the life God has in mind for him. Jesus told the man to give up his money and possessions not to be altruistic or because it is wrong to have money. He told him to give up his earthly money, something that is temporary for something eternal. He is inviting the rich young man into a life on a whole new level of living and giving, a life that is actually richer.
    “At this statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions” (Mark 10:22). As soon as Jesus said go sell everything you have, the rich young man couldn’t hear anything else. He couldn’t hear the part about having treasure in heaven and he didn’t hear the part about following Jesus because he could not imagine a life worth living without his stuff. Jesus gave him the exact advice he needed, and yet he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t give up control.
     The bottom line for this week:  give up all control of your money. No, that’s not true because this isn’t a message about money. Its about our heart.
    In your heart and in mine, is the very same desire. The desire of our heart is for a more abundant life. A life that God, by the way, promises. A life God can give us. Unless, like the rich young man, we’re holding on to something else instead.
    Is there something you need to let go of in order to receive, in order to be able to receive the gifts and blessings God intends to give you? The point of this series is to identify those things and make different decisions. Rather than going back to business as usual, we will surrender it to God and trust him with it.
    We are going to examine what it is that God is calling us to give up control. He’s asking us to let it go not because he wants something from us, but because he wants something for us.