September 4, 2022 – Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18)

Some of you may have heard the story of the wise woman’s stone:

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. 

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. 

But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.” 

The wise woman replied, “You already have what enabled me to give you the stone inside you. Now that you know that, you will learn to release it and realize that that is the beginning of the path to wisdom. Keep the stone to remind you of your true potential.”

My friends, that wise woman found the stone. In giving it away to someone who could make use of its value, she lost nothing; she had just as much as before she found the stone. But the feeling in her heart at helping someone in need was beyond price.

But while the wise woman could give away the stone, she could not give away the character of compassion that everyone must develop within themselves and the wisdom to understand God’s good judgment. The traveler in asking first for the stone, and then also for her virtue, still did not understand that the most precious of things can only be cultivated and conditioned within our own character.

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus say, “Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.… [N]one of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple” (Lk 14:27, 33).

I wonder if Jesus is asking us to give up our stones – those things we accumulate just because they’re there. And in giving those things away, we help others. When we give away things we don’t really need, we lose nothing in the transaction. And yet, we can gain so much…

Think about times you’ve volunteered to help out those less fortunate. Maybe you’ve worked in a soup kitchen, helping to feed those in need. You have given away your time, and in giving away your time, you’ve learned compassion and shared God’s love with those whom you served.

Maybe you’ve come into money unexpectedly and were able to donate some of that money to an organization that shelters the homeless. Think of the love you’ve shared, and think about how the people you’ve helped just may be able to sleep for a night without worrying about crime, weather, or anything, but getting rest for their weary souls.

Maybe you’ve used your talents that you learned through your life to help make clothing for the poor. Think of how you shared comfort and warmth and helped those who received the clothing to feel loved by someone even through their hardship so that they could focus on other aspects of their lives.

The wise woman’s life is not focused on that stone, but on the compassion with which she lives. What she did isn’t generosity or good deeds, but wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge and understanding to a situation in order to steer ourselves (and others) in the right direction.

In Eugene Peterson’s The Message, part of Galatians (5:22-23) is translated as “holiness permeates [all] things and [all] people.” We are not disciples of God because of our possessions, but because of our actions. And those actions need to be applied to all of God’s creation.

My friends, in the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (5:16), “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” By being compassionate to others, you’ll enable other people to open up to God, our generous Creator in heaven. By becoming in tune with Divine Wisdom we become able to participate more fully in God’s redemptive plan not just for us, but for the whole world. We are able to help to bring God’s reign on earth to fruition.