Pentecost 18.htm
Amos 6:1a,4-7
Psalm 146
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Luke 16:19-31
I met my first really rich people when I had graduated from
college and went to live in
Now, I realize that “rich” is very much a relative
term. When I was in
But right out of college, I was still pretty naďve and still
saw myself as a poor farm girl. This was
the eighties, after all. The farm crisis
was at a peak. College classmate who
studied agriculture were depressed, some to the point of suicide because there
was no longer a family farm to go home to.
Anyway, I went to
I had a host family there, arranged by a local Lutheran
church. Dick and Claudia. They are rich…they lived in a high rise
apartment overlooking the
This apartment had
been decorated by a decorator and had been featured in the Delaware Today
magazine!. They drove a Mercedes ( I got
to drive it once, smooth…)! They had real art on the walls!!!
At the same time my job was at a Food Bank. Where I met Rosie. Rosie worked 2 cleaning jobs in order to have
money not only to raise her grandkids, but to buy food for her own food closet
which she ran out of her garage! That’s
not all, she would regularly provide the Food Bank staff with homemade sweet
potato. Mmmmmm.
Then I would drive my little old Food Bank pickup to Dick
and Claudia’s were they would take me out after church for Eggs Benedict and
Mimosas. Not bad either.
I really struggled that year with the contrasting worlds I
went between. Is money really
evil? Look at all the good Rosie did
with what little she had…
Then again, did I mention that Dick and Claudia were also
very generous? They spent a year in
pre-war
So what gives? Is
money evil or not? Notice that the
scripture says; “For the love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pains.”
The LOVE of money.
It is about what you worship, and then how you use what you have.
Bill Gates says, “With great wealth comes great
responsibility.” And we all know
people who take this seriously, think of the Carnegie Libraries, Blank Children’s Hospital, Pew Charitable Trusts.
But when we love money itself, worship it, hoard it, never
share it…
Never have enough…
Let’s take a look at today’s parable. The rich man isn’t condemned for being rich,
he is condemned for having blinders on.
For choosing not to notice Lazarus at his gate. For choosing to do nothing about it. For hoarding his wealth.
For letting the dogs eat the scraps while the humans
starved.
Now, we are all rich by global standards, we know that.
Half the world, nearly three billion folks, like on less than $2.00 a
day. We spend 2 bucks a day on coffee
or soda and never bat an eye.
It’s what we do with our money that is important. Does it rule us? Do we hoard it and collect it like we will
never have enough? Do we go around saying, “If only I had more money I would be happy?”
My sweet potato pie baking friend Rosie always had a huge
smile for us, hugs if we needed
them. Dick and Claudia were also
content.
Because all of them lived in God’s economy of
abundance. A world in which we have been
given enough to share with others. No
matter if that is just a few bucks or a few million.
Money did not rule any of their lives. It was a gift to be used.
I struggle with this, like you do. I like to have my nice house and clothes and
stuff for the kids. I don’t want to
worry about money.
But I do…
I don’t want worry about money to rule my life. Neither do you.
The Bible talks a lot, a lot more about money than sex. (Don’t tell this to our fundamentalist
brothers and sisters). Cut out the sex
parts and the Bible holds together.
Remove all the parts about money and it falls apart. Jesus tells us to put store up treasures in
heaven, to give to the poor, to put God first.
And if money is the ruler in someone’s life, Jesus tells them to give it
away.
This isn’t just Jesus talking, the prophets are all about
economic injustice…like Amos today warning those who are living large, singing
idle songs, and not worrying about the fall of
I’m reminded of a small church I served that had money in
reserve. Quite a bit. And they wouldn’t spend it. They were saving it for a rainy day…”when
you’re older, Pastor, you’ll understand.”
I just kept saying to the 15, 13, 12 people in the pews,
living in a very poor community, “look around folks…it’s raining!”
I’m older now. I
still don’t understand. And that church
closed its doors a few years ago.
The Scripture readings today don’t tell us to feel guilty
for having money. Money itself isn’t
evil. It can be used for so much good.
It’s the love of money, the hoarding of it. The closing of our eyes and our
pocketbooks. Looking the other way when
the hungry stranger is right outside our gate.
Today’s lessons are about putting first things first. Love of God, love of neighbor. Then living out our lives to reflect our
priorities.
You do that. We give
so much away as a church. We are a very
generous group.
We just need to be reminded that God comes first. The rest will fall into place. We need to be reminded to keep our eyes
open to the world around us, and God will show us who needs our care, our time,
out talents, and our money.
We seek to live out the economy of abundance, of
freedom, of living large in this corner
of the
“Let us take hold of the life that really is life.” With the help of God. Amen.