The Temptation to Possess

Lectionary Readings for August 1, 2010:
Psalm 107: 1-9, 43
Hosea 11: 1-11
Luke 12: 13-21
Colossians 3:1-11

Common Lectionary Thread
I am intrigued with trying to find a common theme or at least a common thread that runs through the four scripture readings from the lectionary for whatever Sunday I get the opportunity to preach.

I believe that there is common aspect with today’s readings that deal first with the idea of the Children of Israel turning away from God, and then in the New Testament reading of being transformed when they seek God, and finally in the Gospel, Jesus speaks specifically to one of these aspects: greed.

Starting with verse 2, Hosea 11 says:
“2 The more I called them,
the more they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
and offering incense to idols…”

God calls out that the Children of Israel have turned from Him rather than seek His will, and He is tempted to turn away from them and let them suffer their fate of punishment. Yet God relents, and instead shows compassion.

Our reading from Psalm 107 says in verses 4-7:
“4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town …”


Our New Testament reading from Colossians 3: 1 – 11 sounds very familiar to what Lisa has highlighted this past month from the text in Galatians 5: 1, 13-25 even to the point of reciting the list of sins, followed by another list of things that are from above. Paul speaks of being transformed by seeking God’s will rather than turning from God as the Children of Israel did repetitively in the Old Testament:

“1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

And finally, in today’s Gospel scripture in Luke 12:13-21, Jesus focuses on one of the sins that Paul listed: greed. In the passage in Luke, Jesus warns us:
“’And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God”

Focus on Greed and Possessions
I would like to focus this morning on the notion of greed and possessions – whether it is grain stored in enlarged new barns, or retirement pensions, IRA’s, 401 K, stock portfolios, property investments or life insurance. Is it good or bad to save up for a “rainy day” or retirement? Surely each of these things listed – in and of themselves is not bad – but neither are barns – even new, big ones. Yet Jesus tells us that God called the rich man a fool. Rather than to try to give you answers based on my beliefs or how I interpret our scripture readings, I prefer to ask you questions and let you wrestle with where to draw the line as you discern God’s will for you.

Possessions Here on Earth
I do believe that most of us, who profess to be Christians here today, readily accept the notion of a heaven after our time on earth, as well as that we can’t take our wealth and possessions with us.

Noted scholar, William Barclay, in his commentary on Luke, notes that there was a Spanish proverb that says: “There are no pockets in a shroud.” Not too many years ago, a number of cars sported a bumper sticker that claimed cynically that “He who dies with the most toys, wins!” which begs the question: wins what – since we can’t take it with us?

And if most of us accept that we can’t take wealth with us, why then are so many of us – even, or perhaps, especially, us Christians, so preoccupied with wealth and security? At what point does collecting wealth (or perhaps being preoccupied with trying to collect wealth) while here on Earth become greed? Or is all wealth sinful?

There is the phrase that money is the root of all evil. Wikipedia says it is attributed to Jesus in First Timothy, but that a more accurate translation from the original Greek would be: "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil …” making the distinction that money in itself is not necessarily evil, but that love or obsession for money can lead to problems.

When Is Enough Enough?
So where do you draw the line? As John Ortmeyer, a Methodist minister, counselor and friend of mine, asked me: how does a person know when enough is enough? What would it look like? What would it feel like?

Theologian William Barclay also cited a Roman proverb saying that “money was like sea-water – the more a man drank the thirstier he became.”

Bill Gates
When Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, was still CEO, he was known for being driven, even obsessed with the fear that some competitor might unveil some new innovative software or some advancement with hardware that would override Microsoft’s dominance in the market, leading to their rapid and ultimate demise. Gates continuously acted on the premise that Microsoft’s impending downfall was just around the corner, and therefore they had to remain vigilant, needed to rush to innovate and grow as fast as possible.

Paradoxically, here was a man who became arguably the richest man in America, and possibly the world – whose day to day mannerisms was to act on the verge of paranoia that all was at risk and under threat, which allow him to justify aggressive and even monopolistic tactics. The question can be applied to Bill Gates: how would he know when enough was finally enough? When could he stop being so paranoid.

I think it is fascinating that it was after he finally stepped down as acting CEO and became preoccupied with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on giving his money away that he finally seemed to relax and even look like he might be enjoying life.

Are Americans Happy?
A similar question could be asked of us as a nation. It can be argued that America in the year 2010 is the most powerful and affluent nation in the world at any point in history of mankind. Yet to listen to so many of the political opinions expressed in America or to note the American obsession with civil lawsuits for even some of the most petty things such as tripping on the edge of a sidewalk, or being served a cup of coffee that was scalding hot, etc.— one can wonder if given only two choices, would we as a group be summed us as either happy or angry? And if the answer is not happy, just how much more money, how many more things, how much more power would we need in order finally to become happy? When would enough be enough?

Bogged Down with Possessions
At what point does the accumulation of possessions start becoming a boggy quicksand from which we can get mired rather than our possessions giving us choices and freedom.

Can having so many possessions ever transform into chains holding us back – along the lines of where the Ghost of Marley, in Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, warns Scrooge that the chains waiting for him will be even longer, heavier and weigh him down even more in the hereafter.

Motor Home
I have a friend who has a magnificent RV motor home. It’s as large as a Greyhound bus in which he and his family can get away from it all by taking it all with them – at the cost of about 4 miles to the gallon.

Moving My Possessions
When I graduated and first moved from my college dorm to an apartment – my possessions fit into the back of a Pinto hatchback. Two years later, when I packed up to go be a Peace Corps volunteer, my first wife and I could fit everything into the smallest of the U-haul trailers. Nine years later, when I left Caldwell to move to Washington, my wife and two kids, needed the help of a friend, his pick up and the smallest of the U-haul truck. Divorced and kids grown, two years ago, moving back to Idaho required the largest of U-haul’s trucks – just for my own stuff, which then went into a three-bay garage along with stuff that Annie has collected over the years, and stuff that her daughter is starting to collect – for both her and our young grandson.

Two years later, we still have any number of things still piled in boxes somewhere in the garage – fairly sure we have it, but just not sure which box it is in nor under which boxes it might be buried and therefore not really able to use it. We then debate whether to go to the store and just buy another one so we can know where it is … At least, we are no longer renting storage space each month – most of it is in the garage and we can even get two of our three cars inside the garage – as long as we don’t drive by any more garage sales this summer …

Where are you? Do you ever feel bogged down with what you have collected or do you still feel something is lacking and have the desire to go out and try to fill that void?

Christmas Morning
I have witnessed on several occasions Christmas mornings when young kids were tired out from having so many gifts to unwrap. And sadly, I have seen times despite all the toys, when kids couldn’t find anything to do. Do you ever get bored – with not enough in your possession to keep you entertained?

Getting Rid of Something to Make Space for Anything New Added)
So how do you decide for you how much “stuff” is enough? Short on space, my parents agreed that before they could “acquire” anything else, they would have to make space for it by getting rid of something else in its place. Are you too at a point where space is becoming limited?

89 Sq Ft Home
Recently I saw a news story online a couple of weeks ago that told of a man who moved out of his parent’s 4000 square foot home into something a bit smaller. (Show Tiny Home video: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/7888960/20914090
Tiny Houses by Tumbleweed Houses: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/)
I wonder how many of us could even seriously consider living in a tiny house less than a 100 square feet big -- could we live that freely? Many of us have play rooms (whether we call them studies, dens, offices, craft rooms, hobby rooms, or libraries.) These rooms typically are more than double that square footage. Some of our homes have walk-in closets almost that big.


Steve Martin in The Jerk
So – just what is essential to you and what could you live without? Probably most of us would come to a different conclusion than Steve Martin’s character, Navin Johnson, did, in the 1979 movie, The Jerk, when Johnson’s financial empire started to crumble around him and he had to decide what he really needed.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VbI5zcB8Ac)

Text if video is not shown: Steve Martin in the Jerk:
Navin R. Johnson: Well I'm gonna to go then. And I don't need any of this. I don't need this stuff, and I don't need you. I don't need anything except this.
[picks up an ashtray]
Navin R. Johnson: And that's it and that's the only thing I need, is this. I don't need this or this. Just this ashtray. And this paddle game, the ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need. And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that's all I need. And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And this lamp. The ashtray, this paddle game and the remote control and the lamp and that's all I need. And that's all I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one - I need this. The paddle game, and the chair, and the remote control, and the matches, for sure. And this. And that's all I need. The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, this magazine and the chair.
[walking outside]
Navin R. Johnson: And I don't need one other thing, except my dog.
[dog barks]
Navin R. Johnson: I don't need my dog.

Note that even at this low point, Johnson’s list kept growing – just like a man’s thirst from sea-water. And what about you – under what conditions does your thirst get quenched, and when do you find yourself just getting thirstier?

Sharing
So with all of your things, do you ever find it hard to give or share? Under what conditions is it easier to share, and under what conditions does it start getting harder and harder to share or even to give away something outright? Is it harder for you to give food to someone else if you have not yet eaten compared to giving away left over food once you are done with your meal?

At what point does it become harder to give money when if it does not come from a portion of your abundance, but instead needs to come from an already over-stretched budget? Can you give to mission programs like the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) based on the concept – or does it take a more personal connection – seeing the homeless person on the street corner with a hand out – or do you find it takes knowing the person in need before you decide to help – or does knowing the person make it even harder to help because you know so very well how they should have avoided getting into a position of need in the first place?

Twice now our church has hosted a financial program by Dave Ramsey and his Financial Peace University, where he talks about the problems of helping members of the family and the inherent dangers of enabling dependency and avoiding accountability.

How do you decide when to give, how much to give, and who to give to? Do you ever place any stipulations on giving?

Civil War Saber
There is a family with an heirloom, a sword, or more accurately, a saber that one of their ancestors had while serving in the Civil War. The saber has been passed down from one generation to the next four times, and the current owner’s son has asked several times as to when it will be passed on to him.

The owner of the saber has avoided answering his son. He is waiting to see when his son’s financial situation will improve and stabilize. He worries that if given the family saber now – it might end up in a pawn shop in order to provide some immediate cash. So how should the owner weigh his son’s sporadic financial situation compared with the importance of honoring family heritage?

Deb
In contrast, my wife, Annie, has a wonderful friend, Deb, who encountered one of her former employees in a time of need. Deb took off her wedding and engagement rings to give to the lady and instructed her to pawn the rings for immediate cash. To this day, Deb has never regretted her decision – though in all honesty, her husband initially was not too happy – but eventually, he too came around. I suspect he knows that while not overly religious, his wife still is an extraordinary person

So do you decide under what conditions you are willing to give? Do you give unconditionally or do you give with strings attached? Would you give money to a man on the street if you thought he was going to go immediately to the liquor store? Could you accept that maybe a drink would give him the most immediate happiness or relief from pain – albeit only temporarily? How do you decide when and what conditions to put on your giving?

Fear
Perhaps fear is an area that often can draw out the possessiveness in us. For many of us that currently have or have had children, we can feel a tremendous responsibility that the family does not miss any meals or end out on the street, especially during times of economic recession and high unemployment. In terms of financial security, the future can be scary.

The thought of being out on the street terrifies me – but when I try to understand why, I am not sure. In all honesty, I don’t think it is something that should leave me terrified or panicked. Obviously, it would be tremendously uncomfortable – but the truth is that if I were compelled to do it – I could. Just as I am able to sleep outdoors as long as I make myself think of it as camping and it’s only temporary. Still, it can be done.

Yet the truth is, despite all of my stress and financial worries over the years, neither I nor my family while they lived in my household ever missed a meal due to a lack of money nor spent a night living out of a car or out on the street.

Does the street cause you also to panic, or at least lose sleep? Do you find yourself seeking money as the foundation of your sense of security? Do you ever find yourself competing to get money at the expense of anyone else? Is competitiveness just an unfortunate but necessary part of the American free enterprise system – survival of the fittest? How far have you ever gone, or are willing to go to win the competition? … and at what expense to the other person?

Luke 22B and 24
Verses 22 and 24 that come immediately after today’s reading in Luke, it states:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. … Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them.”

We are reminded on our U.S. coins: In God we trust. How many of us place more trust in our money than in God?

Short Sale
Yet it is much harder to truly trust God in reality than theory. Currently, I am trying to sell my house in western Washington that has been in the process of a short sale since January. The price is about $60,000 short of what I would have needed to break even. But in these economic times in a small, logging community that is hurting so badly, it is no longer realistic to hope to break even. There is great reason to panic – yet scripture reminds me to put my trust in God. Easy to say – but not nearly so easy to do.

I know that I am not alone. How many of you or sitting next to you today also are struggling financially, or trying to find employment, or trying to not be underemployed, or trying to be able to cope with balloon payments, variable interest rates, to obtain affordable medical insurance or contend with looming medical bills? Many of us face incredible financial difficulties. In such times, how do you cope? Are you able truly to put your trust in God?

10 Bridesmaids
In closing, the question remains: should we be building barns and storing wealth for rainy days?

Jesus also told the parable of the 10 bridesmaids in Matthew 10 where 5 of the ten bridesmaids prepared in advance making sure they had enough oil for their lamps, and 5 did not. Here Jesus refers to the 5 who did not prepare in advance as the foolish ones.
So -- how do you decide how much to prepare, in what ways to prepare and what to leave entirely in the hands of God – so as not to be deemed foolish by God – whether it be from building bigger barns or whether it be from not having prepared by having adequate oil for your lamp? I don’t believe that there are any easy answers.