Do you remember the bumper sticker which was popular a few years ago that read: "He
who dies with the most toys wins!"?
A second version of it reflecting the more upscale values of Yuppie and Generation X culture stated: "He who
dies with the best toys wins!" If there was a Biblical version of that same thought it would be: "He/She
who dies with the most toys is still dead!" And therein in the heart of our Gospel warning for today.
A key Old Testament concept, I believe, is that God blesses us so that we can bless others. Good fortune in all
its forms is meant to be shared. Jesus knew that covetousness, greed and accumulation were fatal to the human spirit,
not in and of themselves as if material things had any real powers of their own, but because they take our eyes,
heart and mind off the command to "love the Lord [our] God with ALL our heart, soul and strength."
Thus Jesus said, "Be on your guard against ALL kinds of greed--not just possessions, but also that desire
for more prestige, power, prominence, popularity, etc. Coming at a time in his ministry when the disciples themselves
were struggling with a false sense of their own importance as Jesus appeared to be riding the crest of his fifteen
minutes of fame, his teachings centered on what was really important in this life and on being anxious for the
wrong things.
So it is very important not to miss the point that the young man in the crowd only asked for what he thought was
his. How often do we demand to get only what we "deserve" and never think of it as being greedy? We live
in a culture that is based far more on want than need, and all of us, in the church and outside of it, need to
be very careful in throwing our stones.
How often do we "need" the very latest of whatever it is, so we can do our ministry better? At least
that is what we tell ourselves. Do we not want the most members, the biggest church, the best music, and of course
the right answers to all the important questions? Jesus warns often and strongly about greed in many areas of this
business of "living," and we should not be deluded into missing the point that greed is the down fall
of many of people within the church. Even as we take communion this morning we should be asking ourselves, "Can
we just receive what God gives us and have faith that it is enough? Or do we want more?
When I was just starting out in the ministry, I can remember asking the pastor of one of our more affluent congregations
(the kind with parishioners with million dollar homes, very fancy cars, living the country club life,etc.) what
it was like to be in a church with all that money. His response was that his members were all very keenly aware
that there were people who made more money than they did, and in all too many cases it was their consuming passion.
I remember too a story about a boat that owned a family and I think a few of us know, or are people in that situation.
Every weekend the boat would get the family up, make them load the car, and push them through heavy traffic to
the mooring spot so that the boat could play with its friends. It didn't take long before the boat decided that
it wanted to play more often, so it made the family buy a summer place closer to the water, resulting in their
spending even less time at home, and more time caring and paying for a second property. In the end, so the story
goes, the boat got tired of the family, and sold them to a bigger boat.
It's been said that any fool knows the meaning of "more," but that it takes true wisdom to know the meaning
of "enough."
Where is the "wisdom" when we spend 20 or 30 years doing things we hate with the goal of having the freedom
to do what we love "when we retire"? Can there be any value in stockpiling if we have "work with
out vocation" and "possessions without generosity or stewardship"? Is it possible to speak of a
"budget surplus" while elderly people in this country are having to make choices between eating and prescription
drugs? When millions of people in this country have no health insurance? When millions of children are hungry?
The world has never before been so interconnected and interdependent. Is it possible that on a global scale we
should be asking if we can no longer afford to build bigger barns, but should perhaps be thinking more about how
to share what we have been blessed to receive? That sharing can take many forms, from our dollars, our freedoms,
our respect for human rights, and our concern for the welfare of other humans beings. day.
Should we not have our IRA's and stock portfolios? Should we not be saving for that inevitable rainy day that will
surely come along? Absolutely yes, and to not is to misuse God's gift of abundance to us today. The real question
however is WHY would we have them? To try to keep ourselves living in fine style for years to come? Or to be able
to still make a difference in the life of the world by sharing the blessings that God has shared with us?
This congregation exists today because of a great many people who did exactly that. Some of them lived quite frugally,
and left the greatest share of their savings for the ministry now entrusted to your keeping. What kind of legacy
will we leave? You don't have to think any further than to ask yourself what you will do with that "unexpected"
rebate check? Those bonus points You get at the market? That closet full of clothes you never wear, the surplus
food in your garden and refrigerator?
Not too long ago there was a kind of blessing going around the Internet circles on that very theme.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you
enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much
bigger.I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."
Today's psalm is a reflection on God's steadfastness, and the true reason why gratitude should be a part of our
everyday life no matter what our circumstances. God's covenant with us never ends. Like the parent's anger when
a child is past curfew, which quickly turns to relief when that child pulls in the driveway, so God's disappointment
with us fades when we recognize our true calling, and live as we have been raised to live.
The Bible indicates that a true covenant is more like the ties of a parent to her child than it is a professional
or contractual arrangement similar to a doctor's appointment. If a child fails to show up for dinner, the parent's
obligation, unlike the doctor's, isn't canceled. The parent finds out where the child is and makes sure he's cared
for. One member's failure does not destroy the relationship. A covenant puts no conditions on faithfulness. It
is the unconditional commitment to love and serve.
John Wesley saw the use of money and wealth in fairly stark and simple terms. He wrote:
"Gain all you can, without hurting either yourself or your neighbor, in soul or body, by applying thereto
with un-intermitted diligence, and with all the understanding which God has given you. Save all you can, by cutting
off every expense which serves only to indulge foolish desire, to gratify either the desire of the flesh, the desire
of the eye, or the pride of life. Waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly, whether for yourself or your
children. And then, Give all you can, or in other words give all you have to God." (From John Wesley, WORKS,
"Sermons II" (Albert Outler, Ed) 278-79. Copyright 1985.)
Good advice. How much is too much? Jesus is more than just a little bit more, but how much more is he to you?
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