One of the things that I love about being a pastor in a local church instead of being an itinerant preacher is that I get to come back week after week and clarify and correct and sometimes apologize.

And so... sometimes apologize and so I was helped tremendously by two questions that were

asked about last week's message. And I want to sum up last week's message, tell you what

the questions were, and then respond to them, and then preach today's

message, so that's where we're going.

Last week, the point was simple, and the point was, come on, Bethlehem.

Let's be about laying up for ourselves,

treasures in heaven, and not laying up for ourselves

treasures on earth.

That was the main point.

Let's do that.

And then I argued that it means give away your money rather than accumulating more and more and more for yourself.

Laying up treasures in heaven is done by giving and giving and giving.

Becoming an open-hearted, free-handed, radically generous person is the way that you lay

up treasures in heaven.

And my argument was based on two texts.

One, in Luke 1233, sell your possessions, give to the needy,

provide yourselves with money bags that don't grow old, and with a treasure in heaven that does not fail.

So you see the connection between selling and giving and having a treasure in heaven.

And Luke 1413.

When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

and you'll be blessed because they can't repay you.

...