Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Jesus replied, "Who appointed me judge or arbiter between you?" Then he said to the crowd, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life is not found in the abundance of his possessions."
He told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced an exceptionally good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have saved up for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
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I hope that your summer has blessed you with some special moments of contentment. Maybe at the beach or beside a cold mountain stream. Maybe when you had some fun with grandchildren, or lunching with friends, or a short trip (or long) to a place of quiet and rest; maybe you took some pride in the amount of money you had to retire on; sat back with a satisfied smile and said to yourself “Soul, relax; eat and drink, be merry. Nothing to worry about.”
This morning's lesson from Luke has a lot to do with leisure, with living, with getting a fresh perspective on things. You can almost visualise Jesus perched on a huge boulder, perhaps an outcropping of rock on an otherwise pretty flat plain. Thousands of people have travelled to hear his revolutionary words, perhaps in the hope of healing and exorcising of evil spirits. Jesus knows the time is short. With his own death before him, he preaches his "No Fear" sermon one last time.
But as he begins to move into his second point - a heckler in the crowd shouts: "Hey, Jesus, would you please order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance." Who is this guy? He has one thing on his mind, and he hasn't heard a thing that's been said. Jesus angrily snaps a retort back to the heckler: "Who do you think I am, buddy? Some judge that God has personally assigned to you? Take care, my friend, about greed; there's more to life than getting things. "
What Jesus says next should be plastered across every billboard in North America. It's a story about a man whose land produces a bumper crop. He's blessed with abundance. So Jesus says that this little guy knocks down his existing buildings in order to make room for the surplus crop. Well, he's worked hard, so we can kind of see where he’s coming from. But now adequate facilities need to be built. So far, we're exactly in line with this fellow; we've done the same thing we do in most of our churches - we add air conditioning, new wall to wall carpeting and fresh paint, add extra storage space and give the youth their own room. So we've torn our barns down in order to build bigger ones. No problem here. But then Jesus lets us overhear this guy as he begins to talk to himself; a sort of brain to wallet to soul meeting.
"You've made it! You’ve really made it! No more work for you, buddy roo; you can just ease on into retirement and live off the interest. You know eat, drink, and be merry kinds of stuff."
Now we do have a problem. Just live off the interest? Just ease out of life? Just unplug ourselves from life and take it easy? An interruptive voice breaks up this guy’s thought. "Fool," says God. "Tonight death may come for you, and your very soul will be required. So then who'll get your things; you certainly won't."
Seems to be a straightforward story about greed. Greed is probably one of the biggest temptations we face. We're trained to be greedy quite early in life, brainwashed, all of us, into being unable to discern between real need, and just want. The average child has watched 15,000 TV commercials before he or she even starts school. We spend more money on advertising than on our public institutions of higher education. Billions of dollars have been pumped into our world by greedy people, to try and convince us that Jesus was wrong about greed.
When I was in Japan this summer, a huge scandal broke around the sport of sumo. Now, the origins of sumo are religious; the ring is considered holy ground, and those who participate in the sport, are supposed to be above reproach in everything they do. Some of them however, got greedy. They got involved with mafia middlemen, and began betting on baseball - heavily - and ran up huge debts. Greed overcame commitment to something which has elements of both religion and sport. Some of them got caught - and some didn’t. They did more, though - they let go the principles which had brought them to the sport, in favour of feathering nests for the future.
Jesus seems to be warning us against being greedy. But there is also something more here, much more than human greed. Something to do with the way we view life--and death. The heckler seemed to subscribe to the same belief as many today - that you only go around once in life. That the only life we have is the here and now.
We may or may not believe there is an afterlife, but what we think we do have is the here and now. Jesus says that ain’t necessarily so.
Paul says with this “Get it all now just in case” philosophy, we might as well be greedy; might as well cheat, might as well get even; because if all we have is this life, we sure can’t enjoy it after we’re dead.
I prefer a slightly different tack: I believe that there is another life beyond this one, but I want to live this life as if there isn’t. Because that, actually, if I am quite honest about it, puts me on the proverbial hot seat. Just in case there is no afterlife and no second chances, I need to do the best job with this life that I possibly can.
It’s a difficult conundrum. One could say that if we believe in an afterlife we need to be better in this one, in case we are judged in the next and found wanting; but the Christian hope tells us that we are forgiven no matter what we do, in God’s prevenient grace. But if we live as if there is no afterlife, then we really do have only this chance, right now, to make it worthwhile.
Jesus seems to be saying that. We can accumulate goods, make investments to cover us after we retire, enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, sit back and relax - and our very soul might be required while we are patting ourselves on the back for being wise and prudent.
The Good News of the Gospel reminds us that though we live in the world like everyone else, life is centred in our relationship with God. God alone can fill us with good things, that God's love is steadfast and sure.
That doesn’t mean we should not enjoy our lives - Jesus certainly had time to sit with friends and family, to enjoy a glass of wine on a summer’s day, to laugh and celebrate the very act of living. Of course we need to take moments to eat, drink, and be merry! That's what summers and families are about. But for Jesus it was not the end goal. He didn’t get to a certain point and say “that’s it, I’ve done my bit, someone else’s turn now.” Life - and faith - are continuing. If we have faith, we cannot stop living life, to its fullest and to the best of our ability, *because* we have faith. When it comes to how we view this world, and ourselves in it, perhaps we need to eat, drink, - and be wise-- for tomorrow we may die, but we may also live another day.
Sources:
How Much Is Enough? by Rev. Thomas N. Hall
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
“A Marriage Made in Heaven” a sermon based on Hosea preached at Knob Hill United Church July 25, 2010
You should have seen the babies! Just so beautiful, each one of them. Black curly hair, dark raisin eyes, dimpled cheeks, a sparkle in their eyes, and light in their laughter. Each baby had a different laugh. We had three children. Each time I carried the baby well...and easy births, all three. The mid-wives used to say I was just made for having babies, that it was too bad I only had three, that with the number of babies around dying, we could have had a family as big as Abraham's"
My name? I am Gomer. I have no idea what my father was thinking when he named me, but it was nothing compared to the names Hosea chose for our children. What was *he* thinking? Jezreel for our first born son, Lo-ruhamah for our only daughter, and Lo-ammi for our lastborn son.
The names won’t mean anything to you, but they mean a lot to my people, the Israelite people. It’s a mystery to me what was going on in his head; he got this religion thing, and kept on telling me that God had even told him who to marry. Well, the other girls couldn't believe it that day when Hosea walked into the place, took one look at me, and said "That's her!" "That's the one!" At first it was misunderstood; everyone just thought the woman he wanted in the brothel was me, as if we were just to treat him as a regular customer. Then he said he wanted to marry me!
"Oh yeah" I said to him. “They all say that when they want something, but then when it’s over, where am I? Back in my little hovel with a few coins in my hand...waiting for the next one.” Hosea was different. He talked to me gently. He said he meant it, that I would belong to him...be his woman...have his children, that I didn’t have to work as a prostitute any more. I could have a regular fire for cooking, and a regular tent for sleeping, and I would belong to his people.
Now I'll tell you what the names meant. Jezreel, the first one; his name is really about sowing seed...in the ordinary sense, but not in those days. In fact it was a really big threat. It has to do with how the Omrites got overcome in the valley of Jezreel, and how God meant that to be a message for the people of Israel. You should have seen how mean the kids were to Jezreel. He came home many a time beaten up because of his name.
Then the second one, our daughter. I begged for a nice plain name like Sarah, but he insisted. This one was called Lo-ruhamah. In our language it means "Unloved". I just didn't get it. How could we raise a daughter named “Unloved”? But Hosea explained that God meant to love the people of Israel no longer. The people of Judah would be favoured, but not our people. Why? I asked, what have they done?
Hosea replied that they had spent too much time going after other idols......they couldn't take a commitment to God through thick and thin. So Hosea named our daughter "No more love".
Then the third child came - another boy. Would you believe it? This name topped it all off. His name is Lo-ammi. It meant our people were gone, out of the sight of God. Cut off. Finished. In my language his name meant "You are not my people, and I am not your God".
But without God, we were a people in darkness. Hosea told me that it was all about his people and how they'd been unfaithful to God, how they'd take wool and flax, bread and water, and even raisin cakes, down to the idols. How they forgot who is the Creator of the Universe when it comes to our daily bread. How they danced and pranced before the idols and gave their silver and gold...just as if Ba’al and the other idols were God.
Well, the other people started to talk, and it got bad. They talked about how my children, now orphans they called them, were no better off than the children of Israel, since they'd gone running off after idols and forgetting their faith. My children were OK but the talk was awful. I left Hosea, taking the children with me; I couldn’t take the laughing and the jeering any more, but Hosea came after me again.
In our culture, there was a punishment for leaving a husband and going back to the old business; a woman would be put out in the desert with no cover, no food or water, just left to die. I had made it to the city again. That's where he found me. I was going back to my former business, to make some money to support my children, when he came looking for me again. He put out more money than I had seen at one time; fifteen silver shekels...and a bushel and a half of barley. That's the price of freeing one slave. And I was bought back. More than bought back. It was like he was courting me all over again. There was tender talk, fresh dates and figs. There was no talk of the past. He treated me as if I was going to be his new wife, and start all over again. I wasn't sure at first. Was this just more of the same? Was I going to be treated just like another example? Yes, and No, said Hosea.."You'd better explain" I said.
So he did explain. The tender love he was giving me was just like the tender love that God has for people....just so long as they don't go off worshipping idols. The covenant, it's called. The tender love he had for me was something he just enjoyed doing. He wanted me back as his own faithful wife. Well...he kept on loving me, and this time I stayed. I settled in to the family and started learning about his people. His people became my people.
Jezreel kept his name, but the land became good again, so Jezreel’s name was about the goodness that God sows in our hearts even when we stray. Lo-ruhamah..the one called "unloved"...became known as "the loved one". She's a beautiful girl....just about to have a child of her own. As for Lo-ammi..."no people of mine"...his is the best! "You are my people" says God. And Lo-ammi says"You are my God". And all comes right for us; but we have to watch the people, says my Hosea. They do like to go off on their own ways so easily. Some day, I told Hosea, some day there's going to be a great teacher in Israel. Someone so great, that he'll teach them of the great tender love of our God. But he may have to die to prove it.
My name? I am Gomer. I have no idea what my father was thinking when he named me, but it was nothing compared to the names Hosea chose for our children. What was *he* thinking? Jezreel for our first born son, Lo-ruhamah for our only daughter, and Lo-ammi for our lastborn son.
The names won’t mean anything to you, but they mean a lot to my people, the Israelite people. It’s a mystery to me what was going on in his head; he got this religion thing, and kept on telling me that God had even told him who to marry. Well, the other girls couldn't believe it that day when Hosea walked into the place, took one look at me, and said "That's her!" "That's the one!" At first it was misunderstood; everyone just thought the woman he wanted in the brothel was me, as if we were just to treat him as a regular customer. Then he said he wanted to marry me!
"Oh yeah" I said to him. “They all say that when they want something, but then when it’s over, where am I? Back in my little hovel with a few coins in my hand...waiting for the next one.” Hosea was different. He talked to me gently. He said he meant it, that I would belong to him...be his woman...have his children, that I didn’t have to work as a prostitute any more. I could have a regular fire for cooking, and a regular tent for sleeping, and I would belong to his people.
Now I'll tell you what the names meant. Jezreel, the first one; his name is really about sowing seed...in the ordinary sense, but not in those days. In fact it was a really big threat. It has to do with how the Omrites got overcome in the valley of Jezreel, and how God meant that to be a message for the people of Israel. You should have seen how mean the kids were to Jezreel. He came home many a time beaten up because of his name.
Then the second one, our daughter. I begged for a nice plain name like Sarah, but he insisted. This one was called Lo-ruhamah. In our language it means "Unloved". I just didn't get it. How could we raise a daughter named “Unloved”? But Hosea explained that God meant to love the people of Israel no longer. The people of Judah would be favoured, but not our people. Why? I asked, what have they done?
Hosea replied that they had spent too much time going after other idols......they couldn't take a commitment to God through thick and thin. So Hosea named our daughter "No more love".
Then the third child came - another boy. Would you believe it? This name topped it all off. His name is Lo-ammi. It meant our people were gone, out of the sight of God. Cut off. Finished. In my language his name meant "You are not my people, and I am not your God".
But without God, we were a people in darkness. Hosea told me that it was all about his people and how they'd been unfaithful to God, how they'd take wool and flax, bread and water, and even raisin cakes, down to the idols. How they forgot who is the Creator of the Universe when it comes to our daily bread. How they danced and pranced before the idols and gave their silver and gold...just as if Ba’al and the other idols were God.
Well, the other people started to talk, and it got bad. They talked about how my children, now orphans they called them, were no better off than the children of Israel, since they'd gone running off after idols and forgetting their faith. My children were OK but the talk was awful. I left Hosea, taking the children with me; I couldn’t take the laughing and the jeering any more, but Hosea came after me again.
In our culture, there was a punishment for leaving a husband and going back to the old business; a woman would be put out in the desert with no cover, no food or water, just left to die. I had made it to the city again. That's where he found me. I was going back to my former business, to make some money to support my children, when he came looking for me again. He put out more money than I had seen at one time; fifteen silver shekels...and a bushel and a half of barley. That's the price of freeing one slave. And I was bought back. More than bought back. It was like he was courting me all over again. There was tender talk, fresh dates and figs. There was no talk of the past. He treated me as if I was going to be his new wife, and start all over again. I wasn't sure at first. Was this just more of the same? Was I going to be treated just like another example? Yes, and No, said Hosea.."You'd better explain" I said.
So he did explain. The tender love he was giving me was just like the tender love that God has for people....just so long as they don't go off worshipping idols. The covenant, it's called. The tender love he had for me was something he just enjoyed doing. He wanted me back as his own faithful wife. Well...he kept on loving me, and this time I stayed. I settled in to the family and started learning about his people. His people became my people.
Jezreel kept his name, but the land became good again, so Jezreel’s name was about the goodness that God sows in our hearts even when we stray. Lo-ruhamah..the one called "unloved"...became known as "the loved one". She's a beautiful girl....just about to have a child of her own. As for Lo-ammi..."no people of mine"...his is the best! "You are my people" says God. And Lo-ammi says"You are my God". And all comes right for us; but we have to watch the people, says my Hosea. They do like to go off on their own ways so easily. Some day, I told Hosea, some day there's going to be a great teacher in Israel. Someone so great, that he'll teach them of the great tender love of our God. But he may have to die to prove it.
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