Sermon 8/5/01 Proper 13
Your Money or Your Life
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23,Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21
(view lectionary notes for this text)
While staying with my host family in Ghana this summer, I used an empty shopping bag to take care of the trash I accumulated during the week. By the end of my stay it was filled with wrappers from snacks I had brought with me, used wet-ones that came in little travel packs, empty travel-sized shampoo bottles, and scrap paper that I didn't need. I had to use my own little trash bag, because I had no idea what my host family did with their garbage. In fact, they produced such a small amount of trash, I doubted if they even had a place for garbage besides for food garbage from the kitchen. And most food garbage would be fed to the animals in the yard. Here in America, more and more products are advertised as conveniently disposable, or individually packed for single-serving size. Instead of one empty spaghetti box and one empty sauce jar to throw in the trash, we have 6 individual sauce pouches and 6 individual pasta containers plus the box that they were all packaged in to toss in the trash.
I was advised to bring gifts to my host family in Ghana, and knowing that I would have a two year old and a four year old in my household, I was unsure what would be best to bring. It was only by chance that I did not pick out toys for each of them, and I was so glad I had settled on crayons instead, because children in Ghana don't really play with toys. They play games with one another and use their imagination, or color and read and write. Here in America, children are bombarded with advertising on the TV for the latest and coolest toys, while the toys they wanted to much just this past Christmas often sit untouched on the shelf.
I visited an elementary school in Ghana where the desks where of different shapes and sizes, children's school uniforms were tattered and torn, textbooks were falling apart, and there were more children than the door-less building could handle. I expected to find the students struggling just to get a half-decent education. Instead I found students who spoke both Twi, which is the primary local language, and English, the official language of Ghana, fluently. I found students with math skills that were beyond those of American students of the same age. Here, in America, most schools don't start language courses until junior high, and even with that, most students find that they can't test out of the basic foreign language courses when they get to high school. We worry about our falling test scores, and find ourselves behind students of other countries. We have the best in textbooks, buildings, and technology, but we are struggling to turn our resources into knowledge.
I bring up all these points not to say that Ghana is the perfect country of humble but hard-working people, and not to say that America is the Evil Superpower. Ghana is a country with problems and corruptions all its own. America is a place with freedoms we cannot stand to do without. But I tell you these stories to show the great contrast between the materialism that plagues the US and the freedom that Ghanaians find in focusing on quality, not quantity, and content, not packaging.
Our three scripture lessons today all speak with one voice against the evils of materialism and earthly cares. From Ecclesiasties, the Preacher, as the author is commonly called, is filled with despair. "Sometimes one who has knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by one who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil," he says, "what has one to gain from all the toil and strain with which he toils beneath the sun?" The Preacher realizes that when his life ends, so will his control over the things of earth end. Knowing that his hard work and his energies will just turn over into someone else's responsibilities fills him with anger. Yet, though the preacher has profound insights into the cycle of life, he cannot seem to see an alternative to save him from his despair.
In Paul's letter to the Colossians, however, we find the same arguments against the things of the earth, but instead of words filled with despair, we hear words of hope. Paul argues that if we are followers of Christ, we should exhibit Christ-like behavior. "If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is," he says. "Put to death what is earthly in you." Instead of focusing on what cannot be controlled, or the meaninglessness of the ins and outs work and toil, Paul focuses on leading a life that is Christ-like, by rejecting worldliness and embracing a life full of the "things above." Without the worldly distinctions of class and status, people stand as equal before God, not trapped in by labels of Greek or Jew, free or slave, but instead living as one in Christ.
Finally, in the third scripture passage, the gospel lesson for Luke, we hear about material wealth and spiritual health, through one of Jesus' poignant parables. Jesus describes a man who sought bigger barns for all his possessions, only to come face-to-face with his death, leaving his material things valueless. "The things you have prepared, whose will they be?" God's words ring in our ears. The things we collect, the possessions we cherish, the toys and gadgets and clothes – whose will they be? More importantly, to whom will our soul belong, when all is said and done? Jesus warns us not to let our soul be tied to our accumulation of things. Instead, we must tie our souls to God, so that in God's eyes we are rich in the important things. Jesus says, "one's life does not consist in the abundance of one's possessions." What does your life consist of? What are your most valuable possessions? Who are you? Are you defined by what you own? How much money you make? Your social class standing? Or does your life consist of riches toward God? Are your most valued possessions your family, your loved ones, and you relationship with God? If you answer yes to this question, do your actions and attitudes let others know what you truly value?
This past winter Rev. Strader sent me a forward that I found so meaningful and inspiring that I have saved it ever since. It contains a short quiz that helps put things in perspective. Take a few moments to think about your answers to the following questions. Question 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. 3. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 4. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Actress. 5. Name the last decade's worth of World Series Winners. How did you do? If you are like most people, you can only fill in a few names here and there, but usually can't remember who did what and who won what. The point is most of us don't remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They're the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Now, here's another quiz. See how you do on this one: 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 6. Name a half dozen non-celebrity heroes whose stories have inspired you. Easier? Of course. We have no problem remembering the people who have helped to shape us. We remember those who have inspired us and encouraged us. These are the people we tell our friends about. These are the people that hold a place in our heart. These are the people we truly value. The lesson? The people who make a difference in your life aren't the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They're the ones who care.
I like this story because it helps us to remember what is really valuable. One of my favorite stories, The Little Prince, offers this advice: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. Jesus' parable tells of a man who valued that which could be seen – that which could be counted and added and piled up and displayed to others. God values in us that which is not seen by the eye – our compassion and kindness, our humility and our ability to love. So, what do you value? Would you rather be rich in money or rich in love? Would you rather take rewards from the world or rewards from God? Would you rather lose everything you own or lose your soul?
The answers to these questions seem obvious. Of course – we choose God, we choose soul, we choose love. But too often our lives do not reflect the choices we claim to make. We take too much from the earth and from others without giving back in return. We always feel that we need something more, no matter how much we accumulate. Take a look at your life this week, and see what your possessions say about your values. What changes can you make in your life to reorder what is important to you? How can you change your life, so that in our next quiz, someone names you as a hero and an inspiration in his or her life? Think about it – it just might save your soul.
Let us pray: Awesome God, help us learn what is valuable to you – a loving and giving heart. Guide us each day, that we might reorder our values, putting you first. With your aid, we can tear down our barns and storerooms, and turn to adding up riches in your eyes. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Benediction: May God grant you riches in friends and family. May God bless your life with abundant love. May God grant you success in your endeavors to help those around you. And may God store up for you treasures in heaven. Amen.