Rev. Debbie Cato
Fairfield Community Church
Luke 12:13-21
July 31, 2022
Loving God, open
our hearts this day, as we proclaim your holy word.
As we offer praise and thanksgiving, in response
to your abundant acts of love, challenge us to seek the values of heaven over
the trappings of this world. May the words we experience this day call us to a
rich relationship with you, as we learn to live out the calling of our baptism,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Rich Toward God
Today, Jesus exposes our human greed and
anxiety about money and then he uses a parable to singe away any illusion that
the godly life is synonymous with the American ideals of prosperity and
success.
His barns were already bursting to overflowing when a rich man harvests another bumper crop with no place to store it. Wanting to keep his bounty all for himself, and not being concerned with waste, he decides to tear down the old barns which are not big enough and build larger ones that will store all his crops. Then he is going to sit back and enjoy all his excess. If you want to know how not to live as a follower of Jesus, be just like this farmer.
Greed is a problem because it focuses on the self and keeps people from being rich toward God and rich toward others. The human propensity toward greed stands in striking contrast to God’s providential care for others.
Frugal-minded folks have long stashed excess food and supplies in pantries and basement shelves for rainy days and squirreled away funds for retirement. Some have even hidden money under mattresses and in cookies jars just in case of economic uncertainty. [1] And we are certainly in one of those times now.
After all, isn’t this what young Joseph advised Pharaoh to do after interpreting a dream to mean seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Genesis? He recommended storing up excess during the years of excess so that there would be enough for everybody in the lean years. It saved Egypt during the famine, and it saved Joseph’s father and brothers from starvation.[2]
It seems reasonable that this man deserves to “eat, drink, and be merry” in celebration of his extreme good fortune. There are all sorts of feasts and parties throughout the Bible that give ample evidence for the practice of celebrating the harvest or rejoicing at signs of good fortune. So, what is the problem?
You see it is not the man’s good fortune that is the problem. It is not the man’s wealth that is the problem. It is not money that is the problem. It is what money and good fortune do to us; how they make us behave; who they make us become.
You might be sitting there feeling pretty good. I’m not wealthy you might be saying to yourself. This sermon is not about me. But we know better than that, don’t we? Scripture applies to all of us so this passage about greed and anxiety about money applies to all of us as well. I’ve never had much money and just from my personal experience I know that you don’t have to be rich to feel greedy and have anxiety about money.
When my husband first left the girls and I, I was not working. Tracy was only a few days old, and I had been staying home with Jessica. I lived off my income from selling my CPA practice for a few months so I could be home with my newborn and confused 2-year-old. But then he emptied our savings account and literally left me penniless. So, I found a job and after paying for daycare and my mortgage and utilities, I had little left for food and other necessities. We struggled.
I stopped giving to the church because I just felt like I didn’t have any money. I worried so much, and I kept every penny for myself. I didn’t feel like I was being greedy, but I was afraid to let go. I was afraid to let go and trust God.
Then Pastor Sheryl preached a sermon that really convicted me. She used Deuteronomy 26 – First Fruits and Tithing and preached about setting aside God’s portion first and then paying your bills. In her sermon, Sheryl said that when you give first, you will always have enough left to pay for your obligations.
That really spoke to me, and so I prayed about it and decided to try it. I prayed about how much I should give each pay period. It scared me; I’ll be honest. The amount I felt God telling me to give felt like too much, but I decided to trust. I started doing it and you know, I always had enough. In fact, I had money left over. Not a lot! But I had some. God was good. He always provided for us. Often in very unexpected ways. But my children were always fed and clothed and we always had what we needed.
I’ll admit, I’ve never had a big savings account and I’ve struggled most of my life, but God has always provided. And I’ve always had enough. And I’ve always had a heart to help others and give to God. And it feels good to me. It feels right to me. It’s the way I want to live. It’s my decision, my choice.
Money is always about more than money. Our spending, our saving, and our general attitude toward material wealth are all invested with emotions and memories. A capacity to trust God can deepen only as other matters lessen their grip on our lives.[3]
When it comes to money and worldly treasures, what values do you carry forward from your childhood? Does a commitment to a life rich toward God that will draw you into a sense of deep and abiding joy and deepen your relationship with Christ interest you? This parable calls on all of us to reflect carefully about what we want and why we want it. Are our desires and standards for what is enough driven by a determination to store up treasures for our own pleasure, or by our understanding of God’s blessings and our true purpose in life? Will we measure our lives by the standards of the world seducing us to want more and more, or by the call of the gospel to be rich toward God?[4] Let us pray:
Loving God. Help us to trust you in all things, including our finances. Help us to remember that you are the provider of all things in our lives, including our ability to earn money and provide for our needs. Teach us to trust you will provide each and every day. In Jesus name. Amen.
[1] Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 3. Pentecost and the Season After Pentecost
1. Luke 12:13-21. Theological Perspective. Audrey West.
P. 312.[2] Feasting on the Word, Year
C, Volume 3. Pentecost and the Season
After Pentecost 1. Luke 12:13-21. Theological Perspective. Audrey West.
P.312.
[3] Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 3. Pentecost and the Season After Pentecost
1. Luke 12:13-21. Pastoral Perspective. Patricia J. Lull. P. 312.[4] Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 3. Pentecost and the Season After Pentecost
1. Luke 12:13-21. Theological Perspective. Audrey West.
P. 314
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