[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 13C

Fri Jul 29 02:50:47 EDT 2016

Forwarded: 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Thu, Jul 28, 2016 10:55 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 13C

Dear Friends,

This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Greed” or “FirstThings First” and deals with all the lessons. Here it is: 

Our Bible lessons today arereally centered in reality.  When welisten to the Old Testament lesson, we can almost feel the discouragement anddepression of the writer who struggles with the ultimate uselessness of materialpossessions to make us happy.  Don’t yousometimes think, “Just try me!”- yet you know it’s true.  In the Gospel, we hear Jesus refuse to getinvolved with a property struggle between brothers after their fatherdies.  He then tells the story of the farmerwhose farm was producing more and more goods, so he built bigger barns in whichto store all his riches.  We hear Godsay, “You fool, tonight you will die.” Jesus advice to his listeners was to be rich in the sight of God.  Both St.  Paul and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. give us theadvice about what being “rich in the sight of God” might look like. 

These Bible lessons hit veryclose to home, because they run opposite to the brainwashing of oursociety.  From everywhere we arebombarded with messages to get all that we can get, get it first, and get themost- in other words, be greedy.  Thefavorite pastime of many American women is shopping.  What do we do when we shop?  We look around at malls until we findsomething we like, then we buy it.  Howmany pairs of shoes does one person need? God has no problem with us having what we need; it is the surplus thatcreates the problem.  Did you hear thestory of the little boy who was in the lunch line at his parochial school?  At the front of the line was a beautiful bowlof apples.  In front of the apples was asign- “Take only one.  God is watchingyou!”  When he got to the end of theline, he saw a bowl of even-better-looking cookies.  He got his pencil and made a matching sign,which read- “Take as many cookies as you want. God is watching the apples.”  The problem is, our society is selling us alie along with the shoes and apples and cookies.  We’ll find out, as did the author ofEcclesiastes, that they don’t satisfy. They can’t make us happy.

Being greedy creates anotherdifficulty that is illustrated by the thought for the week: “I don’t know howbig your house is, how much money you have, or how nice your car is.  But…we came into this world with nothing, andwe are leaving with nothing.  Everythingwe get along the way is a blessing from God.” (Paul Azinger).  Have you everbeen in a hurry to get dressed and your dog decided to play tug-of-war with thesock you’re trying to put on?  You knowhow tightly he or she holds on to that sock? That’s how some of us hold on to our money and possessions.  Back to the dog-sock illustration- whose sockis it?  Sure ours, but the dog acts likeit’s his or hers.  We hold on to ourpossessions as if they’re ours, but whose stuff is it really?  Of course- God’s.  Everythingwe have, everything we buy, everything we store is God’s.  God has simply entrusted us as the managersof his resources.  Do you remember theparable Jesus told of the servants who were entrusted with the master’s money.  Two invested it and gave a tidy sum to themaster on his return.  The servantdescribed as “unfaithful” was afraid to invest it, so he hid it in theground.  Do you recall the disapproval hefaced on the master’s return?  Not onlydo we face an unhappy Lord when we die, we face a difficult life now.  How many families have had relationshipsdestroyed over money and possessions when a father or mother dies?  Think about it.  Money will buy:
            A bed, but not sleep;
            Books, but not brains;
            Food, but not appetite;
            Clothes, but not beauty;
            A house, but not a home;
            Fun, but not happiness;
            A crucifix, but not a savior;
            A church pew, but not heaven.

There’s an old saying thatillustrates our third life lesson: “I’ve never seen a hearse with a U-Haulbehind it.”  (The Rev. Bill Gruen, Jr., Princeton, Indiana).  Did you hear about the woman who lost herpurse?  She was relieved when she got aphone call from the bus company saying she had left it under the seat, andeverything was safe and sound.  When shewent to reclaim her purse, she found the contents spread out on the counter,since an inventory had to be made by the driver.  This wasn’t surprising, but she also foundherself surrounded by three other drivers. “I hope you don’t mind if we watch, ma’am.  Even though we all tried, none of us couldfit everything back into the purse, and we’d like to see just how you doit.”  Sometimes our greedy lives get like that purse- so full of things thatthere’s no room for God.  A lifebuilt on material things is sad, lonely, and ultimately wasted.  “Only one life- will soon be past.  Only what’s done for God will last.”  So be rich in the sight of God.  Remember how Jesus said, “Where your treasureis, there will your heart be also.”  Weneed room in our hearts for God.

So check yourself out:
1.  What do your closets look like- or yourrefrigerator, or kids’ toys, or your CD’s? Do you have what you need, or do you have stuff you never use?
2.  What do you do with the stuff you don’t use-give it away or store it in case you might need it someday?
3.  What would you do if you won the lottery?
4.  What are other pertinent “greedy-type”questions?

One more way to checkourselves out is to listen to one of our Christian heroes- The Rev. Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr.  Two months before hewas shot, in his “Drum Major for Justice Speech” he described what heconsidered important in his life.  Thisspeech was also played at his funeral. How does your life measure up to his standard?  He said, “If any of you are around when Ihave to meet my day......tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel PeacePrize, that isn’t important.  Tell themnot to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that’s notimportant.  Tell them not to mentionwhere I went to school.  I’d likesomebody to mention that day that...Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give hislife serving others.  I’d like forsomebody to say that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.  I want you to say that day, that...I tried tobe right on the war question.  I want youto be able to say that day that...I did try to feed the hungry.  And I want you to be able to say that day,that...I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked.  I want you to say, on that day, that...I didtry, in my life, to visit those who were in prison.  I want you to say that..I tried to love andserve humanity.  Yes, if you want to saythat I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drummajor for righteousness.  And all of theother shallow things will not matter.  Iwon’t have any money to leave behind.  Iwon’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind.  But I just want to leave a committed lifebehind.  And that’s all I want to say... ‘ifI can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word orsong, if I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong, then my living will not bein vain.  If I can do my duty as aChristian ought, if I can bring salvation to a world once wrought, if I canspread the message as the master taught, then my living will not be in vain.’” 

For anyone who isinterested, this sermon and updated African-American wisdom statements areposted on our parish’s web site under “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

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