[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 22C

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2016 9:46 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 22C



Dear Friends,
 
This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Money! Money! Money!”and deals with the Gospel (Luke 16: 19-31). Here it is: 
 
Last week our Gospelwas about caring- caring about God’s concerns. This week our Gospel is about sharing. Did you hear about the man who died? He had taken out a life insurance policy of $100,000 before he died, andhis wife had just collected the money. As his family gathered around the casket in the funeral home for onelast look, the younger son said, “We have to remember that Father wanted to beburied with every bit of that $100,000.” “Yes,” responded the middle daughter,“but we can only put in $75,000 because he wanted a very expensive funeral andthe burial expenses are $25,000.” “Don't forget: We have to deduct the tax,”the oldest son said. “Enough!” exclaimed the mother.  “Your poor father doesn't deserve thisbickering over money. We'll bury him with a credit card and he can spendwhatever he wants.”  
 
We just heard Jesustell the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. It seems there was a rich man who had everything he wanted- lots offriends, expensive clothes, the best food- morning, noon, and night. Please note that the rich man is not named.  We’ve heard him called “Dives,” but that’sjust a mistranslation of the Latin word that means “rich.”  There was also a poor man who is named- Infact, he’s the only person named in any of Jesus’ parables.  Lazarus must have been crippled, because hewas brought to the rich man’s gate every day to beg.  When rich people ate greasy food in thosedays, they used pieces of bread as napkins. These are the scraps of bread Lazarus had to fight the dogs for.  Speaking of dogs, they licked his sores.  We hear that both people died- perhapsLazarus was killed by his disease or perhaps the dogs killed him.  We don’t know what killed the rich man.  We heard how Lazarus ended up in heaven andthe rich man ended up in hell.  What’shappening?
 
It isn’t the rich man’smoney that landed him in hell- it was his attitude about his money.  Paul Azinger (golf pro) has a very wisestatement: “I don’t know how big your house is, how much money you have, or hownice your car is.  But…we came into thisworld with nothing, and we are leaving with nothing.  Everything we get along the way is a blessingfrom God”.  That’s what the rich manforgot.  He acted as if all his materialthings were his own.  The truth is-everything we have is really on loan from God. He expects us to manage his stuff according to his values.  So how does God want his stuff managed?
 
First of all, give God the top 10% if possible.  From Malachi 3:8-10: “You people are robbingme, your God. And, here you are, asking, ‘How are we robbing you?’  You are robbing me of the offerings and ofthe ten percent that belongs to me. That's why your whole nation is under a curse.  I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challengeyou to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, sothere will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven andflood you with blessing after blessing.” Tithing also applies to us, so how do we work it out today?  What if you can’t give 10%?  Well then, give what you can, preferably bypercent- try 1 or 2% and then work toward 10%. The most important point of all of this is- pay God first.  When your check comes in, give God his first,then pay your bills.  Even if right nowyou can just afford a quarter or a dollar or whatever from each check, putGod’s in your church envelope first. Then at the end of the month, if you have anything left- give God someof that.  I learned this important lessonabout tithing from a very dear friend- Mrs. Lorainetta LeBon, who was choirdirector and organist at St. Matthew’s Church in Detroit. Mrs. LeBon was an amazingly talented lady.  She was the first woman and the firstAfrican-American person to be inducted into the Detroit Organists’ Guild.  I was about 17 years old when I startedtaking piano lessons from her.  When wesat down at the piano for my lesson, every once in a while when I gave her mydollar for my lesson, she would get up from the piano bench and go back to herbedroom.  I finally asked her what she wasdoing.  She told me that if mine was thetenth dollar she had received, she would put it in her “God jar” to take tochurch.
 
Next, use your money and other material things to care for your familyand your self.  Remember, don’t wasteor destroy God’s stuff.  Don’t wastefood.  Take only what you can eat.  After that, help those in need.
 
Listening to today’s Gospel, it sounds like we should help everyone whocomes to us, but that’s not what the Bible teaches.  Paul faced a problem in his Thessalonian churchthat speaks to this.  Members in thischurch were sure that Jesus was coming back soon, like maybe today or tomorrow,so some of them didn’t see any need to work. They quit their jobs and just sponged food from their hard-workingChristian sisters and brothers who had maintained their jobs.  When Paul found out about it, he wrote thatunder circumstances like these when someone was just being lazy and not usingthe gifts God had given them, he gave them this rule: “If you don't work, youdon't eat” (2nd Thessalonians 3:10). The lesson for us- don’t let people misuse your goodness, or you willjust enable and weaken them.  Help thosewho need it, but use good judgment. (Some people would call it “Tough Love.”) and don’t let people con you.
 
Having a little bit ofmoney is a small test from God.  Having alot of money is a huge test from God. May God bless us as we manage his stuff. 
 
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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