A Sermon for 4 August 2019 – 8^th Sunday after Pentecost

A reading from the gospel of Luke 12:13-21. Listen for God’s word to us.

“Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But Jesus said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷ And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then the man said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.’”

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

 

There’s a short video out there by the motivational speaker Jay Shetty. It’s called “If you Feel Pressure, Watch This.” A perfect reminder as children, parents, and teachers get ready to go back to school in these next weeks. In the video, a noisy bunch of young teens race into an auditorium for an assembly in a Secondary School in England. All dressed in their school’s upscale uniform, a sea of multi-colored faces follow the leader’s directions to settle down. Someone who looks like a strict headmistress launches into a reminder that the students are about to begin their exams. She says: “These exams are going to define you. The grades you get are going to determine which sixth form (high school), which university, and which job you will be able to get into. These exams are exceedingly important and I want you to take them seriously” (Episode 144, https://jayshetty.me/videos/). As she speaks, the students’ faces grow a little anxious. One girl sits biting her nails. Another’s face shows apprehension. The headmistress continues: “These exams will determine what you become in life” (Ibid.).

Over in the corner, an out-of-place man casually raises his hand. He heads to the stage to begin reading a letter written by a principal in Singapore. He says he wants their teachers, their parents, and the students to hear it. “Dear Parents,” the letter begins. “The exams of your children are to start soon. I know you’re really anxious for your child to do well. But please do remember, amongst the students who will be sitting for their exams there’s an artist who doesn’t need to understand math. There’s an entrepreneur who doesn’t care about history or English literature. There’s a musician whose chemistry marks won’t matter” (Ibid.). The faces of the students lighten. Some even begin to nod their heads in agreement. The letter continues: “There’s a sports person whose physical fitness is more important than their grade in physics. If your child does get top marks, that’s great. But if he or she doesn’t, please don’t take away their self-confidence and their dignity from them. Tell them it’s OK, it’s just an exam. They are cut out for much bigger things in life” (Ibid.) Now if you really value education, you may be taking issue with the message of this video. But as it came to me from a parent of a teen who is struggle with a learning disability, I’m grateful it’s out there.

The video wraps up with Jay Shetty finishing the letter from the Singapore teacher. He reads: “Tell them no matter what they score, that you love them and don’t judge them. Please do this and when you do, watch your children conquer the world. One exam or low mark won’t take away their dreams or their talent. And please do not think that doctors and engineers are the only happy people in the world.” The letter is signed: “With warm regards, the Principal.” Shetty continues: “And here’s my message. Exams are important, but they’re not everything. Grades are good, but they don’t define you. Don’t let one exam or one grade define your whole future. There is so much more potential right inside you. And remember,” Shetty concludes, “as Albert Einstein said, everyone’s a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it’s stupid. Don’t let other peoples’ metrics of success become yours.” The students jump in joy to give a standing ovation.

Don’t let other peoples’ metrics of success become yours.

How often do we consider the metrics of success by which we build our lives? How often do we pause enough to be intentional about what really matters to us and how we will judge the value of our own lives? The world around us is primed and ready to tell us what metrics it thinks equal success. Everywhere we turn, society booms the values it wants us to embrace. Like: youth – no matter the cost. Speed – despite what’s lost. Prestige. Physical power. Wealth. If we’re not intentional, we’ll get swallowed up in it all. Which not only can be detrimental to our health and our relationships. Taking on the metrics of success spouted by society can be disastrous to our souls.

“You fool,” Jesus quotes God in his story about a rich man who had so much, he had nowhere left to put the abundance that came to him. The land, which he certainly was not working on his own, produced such a prolific abundance – which the man was convinced he had to keep for himself – so that all the man could think to do was pull down his already stuffed-to-the-brim barns so he could build bigger places to store his stuff. Never once did that man stop to think about giving away some of that bounty. According to Jesus’ story, the man didn’t reward those working with him with a surprise feast or consider sharing the bumper crop with them. The man never thought to sell what he had so that others might be fed too. Or even allow the fields to be gleaned – according to their ancestor’s practice to leave a little behind in each harvest for those with no land to be able to come behind to have enough. The very way Ruth and her mother in law Naomi finally came to be progenitors of the great King David.

The man in Jesus’ parable thought only of himself. He had some very clear metrics – his description of success. “Relax, eat, drink, and be merry” he literally told his soul (Luke 12:19). Wealth mattered most to him. He himself and his own ease in life seemed to surpass any other concern he had. We’re never even told if he had a family – anyone else in his life for which he sought to do all that work. In the span of two short bible verses, the man refers to himself 6 different times: “I, I, I, I, I, I” (Luke 12:17-19). The problem is not a healthy desire to take care of one’s self. The problem, according to Jesus’ story is that that very night the man’s soul would be demanded of him. All that he stored up on earth, God wondered, “whose do you think they will be?” (Luke 12:20). There’s a kind of selfishness that is blatant in Jesus’ parable aptly labeled “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” Measuring the value of our life. Holding to the metrics of success according to the society around us is, according to God, foolish. Totally devoid of any wisdom.

What does it look like to be rich to God? To measure the value of our lives according to the metrics of God.

It looks like the life of Jesus! Which is why knowing the life of Jesus is so very important. Reading the gospels to hear how he spent his days. What he did when someone in need came across his path. How he was among those who hurt. Who he welcomed into his circle and even went out of his way to find. We never hear of a bank account Jesus had squirreled away somewhere. He didn’t have a Traditional or Roth IRA. Nor a 403b account. As far as we know he never even sought to own his own home. I’m not going to stand up here and say we gotta go sell it all to give to the poor, even though Jesus told a man that in one encounter in his life. Rather, this story from Jesus is here to remind us to consider the metrics of God. The value of Love. Peace. Forgiveness. Justice. Trust. As Christians we need to hear now and again of the charge to be rich to God. To spend our lives – literally pouring out the time, talents, and treasures we have – according to the values of God. Which we see clearly in Jesus, the Christ, our Savior and our Lord. The Teacher who shows us the Way for each of our days. “Take care,” Christ reminds. Be rich to God!

In the name of the life-giving Father, the life-redeeming Son, and the life-sustaining Spirit, Amen.

© Copyright JMN – 2019 (All rights reserved.)