It's Not The Economy, Stupid
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Introducing the Texts
This week's lectionary texts are as fresh as today's newspaper. The old deadly sin of greed, sometimes called covetousness, is front and center. There are days when we all wonder if money doesn't make the world go around. Anybody knows it has got to be the economy. Starving thousands in the Sudan ... Haggles over the minimum wage ... Millions spent by political candidates ... The roller-coaster stock market ... Schools underfunded. How could it not be the economy! All those TV commercials seduce the best of us. This week's texts ask probing questions about where our real security lies. Loud and clear, in different ways each lection teaches us that it really is not the economy after all.
Hosea 11:1-9 comes toward the end of the prophet's story. The book was written in a turbulent time when people looked everywhere for security and hope. And in this parable where God's people are unfaithful and unbelieving, Yahweh will not let them go, even after much sinning. Yahweh's compassion triumphs over Yahweh's justice. The preacher might put down our paltry securities today beside God's never-failing compassion.
Psalm 107:1-9 reminds the people of God that our ultimate thanks are to go to God. There is no such thing as self-sufficiency. The psalmist reminds the believer that, backstage, behind the chaos and drama of everyday, there is the steadfast love of God that will not let us go. Six times the psalmist reminds the reader of that steadfast love. The preacher is challenged to ponder the great Old Testament word chesed -- loving-kindness, steadfast love. God alone can be depended on.
Colossians 3:1-11 turns the church from earthly concerns to the things above. Then Paul shifts gears again and turns the church's attention back toward the shabby deeds God's people had given themselves to -- anger, wrath, malice, and slander. The apostle reminds the early church that the baptized are to take their clues from another source than the world. Their security comes from the One who led them through the baptismal waters. Like the prodigal son, we are encouraged to take off the old rags that will not cover or protect and receive the new robe and sandals of the new life.
Luke 12:13-21 is the focus of my reflections this week. Walter Russell Bowie called Luke's Gospel the story of the compassionate Christ. Reaching out toward a sea of misery, today's parable reminds us that even in a world shot through with materialism we can find a better way. We are challenged to guard against greed and to seek a road less traveled.
"It's Not the Economy, Stupid"
Merrill Abbey, a very fine teacher of preaching, used to say that the task of today's preacher is to challenge the axioms of our time. This week's reading from Luke certainly turns the light on one of our central problems. Culture keeps reminding us that we can't be too rich, too skinny, or too young. Few of us are immune to connecting the dots of youthful vigor -- lean, healthy bodies and lots of money -- with the dot of worth. Today's text focuses on the dot called materialism. Most of us never ask how much is enough --everybody knows you can't have too much money. Ask Ken Lay or Martha Stewart or most of the professional athletes at the bargaining table.
But let's not pick on them. Jesus' words were first given to the poor. Most of his followers had few of the world's goods. Many of those who followed him were considered little and unimportant by the Roman world. Luke's Gospel was primarily addressed to slaves and poor and dispossessed. To these Jesus talked about rich young rulers and those who tore down barns and built bigger barns. He told them of rich men who passed by the Lazaruses of his time. Luke's account of the Beatitudes reads: "Blessed are the poor ... the hungry ..." (Luke 6:21). And he followed that with, "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry ..." (Luke 6:24-25a). The preacher might consider why Jesus spent so much time talking about the dangers of riches to those who had so little. Maybe Jesus knew that the have-nots struggle with greed as much as the haves. This is a universal malady. None of us are immune to greed and her twin sister covetousness.
Luke begins our text with the story of two brothers haggling over the family's inheritance. One man comes to Jesus and asks him to step between him and his warring brother. Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me, he says. It is an old story. Often we try to use our faith to get whatever it is we want. Jesus shook his head. He would not stand between the two brothers. He did warn the man to be on guard against all kinds of greed. He reminded the irate brother that one's life never consists in the abundance of the things we possess.
Jesus' understanding of greed came out of his own personal struggle. At the beginning of his ministry the first temptation in the wilderness was to turn stones into bread. The devil had whispered: "You're hungry -- use your powers to make yourself strong." Diogenes Allen has said in his book Temptation that Jesus' first temptation was to use his powers to bring comfort to his body (Diogenes Allen, Temptation [Princeton, New Jersey: Caroline Press, 1986, pp. 20f.). What would be wrong with using his gifts to care for his very basic needs? In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a hungry stomach can focus on little else. Surely this was a decent proposal. Jesus refused, telling the devil that bread was not enough. The first temptation dealt with the universal struggle to feed a human need. But even at the beginning, Jesus knew bread would was not enough for him or his world. The world's goods cannot satisfy. So Jesus' first temptation was to understand that meeting his bodily needs did not go far enough. Dr. Allen says only as we renounce the partiality of the world's goods do we draw a bold line between mammon and God.
The reason why Jesus continually talked of greed and covetousness was that he knew these very seductive antidotes could never save us. Only as we settle this basic problem of true security we can find the way home.
So our Lord gave us a parable of a man who believed it really was the economy. Donald Trump would have been his hero. He tore down barns and built larger barns to store more grain. Jesus ended the story by saying that those who store up treasures for themselves are not rich toward God (12:21).
Let's use Jesus' story to challenge some of the axioms by which we live.
Axiom 1: Our security comes from what we have.
We must struggle as Jesus struggled with where our real security lies. We cannot simply be concerned with our needs. In eight short verses the man says "I" six times. Six other times he uses the words "my" and "you" (second person, referring to himself). Dr. Buttrick says the man erased the line between life and livelihood -- between soul and things. We must make a distinction between the within and the without. Mammon and God are poles apart.
There is a story about a millionaire who died in Texas leaving a strange bequest. He was to be buried in his Cadillac. This presented quite a logistical problem. But he had left money, and his wishes were honored. After considerable trouble, the huge grave was dug and the dead man was placed at the wheel of his Cadillac. A crane came and slowly lifted up the car and the man. As this maneuvering was going on, one of the workers was heard to say: "Man, that's livin'...." The standards of success are hopelessly entangled in our lust for acquisition. Sometimes the lines of our priorities get smudged.
Axiom 2:We have to look out for ourselves and ours.
Jesus turned the man's attention from the pronoun "I" to the pronoun "we." We have the highest standard of living in the world, and yet we are a fearful people. Just this past week our nation received the report from the commission on 9/11. The report said that even after all the work and energy we have expended on security matters, we are still far from safe as a country. There are many recommendations in this long, detailed report. Many practical issues must be attended to if we are to be good stewards. But the parable says ours is a theological problem. We will not be made secure by programs or weapons or wars. Few ask what strange soil produces terrorists so desperate that it does not matter whether they live or die. Life means little when people see no hope at all in their present predicaments. Do we not need to ask questions about the quality of life that produces such people? And is there any connection between our rich nation and the poor of the world? Do we not need to ask disturbing questions about our bigger and bigger barns?
Each presidential candidate will have spent over 200 million dollars before this presidential race is over. Will all these efforts for success make this country stronger or better or safer? Will they make the world better? Somehow we have lost the way.
Just last week Bill Moyers in his PBS program, Now, focused on this nation's health-care crisis. He illustrated his point by shining the light on the state of Mississippi. More than 65,000 of its poorest citizens have lost their Medicaid coverage. Those affected were told there was no money in the state's coffers. People on dialysis, diabetes, mental illness, and people needing chemotherapy will go lacking. Unless something happens, many will die. Put our parable down beside the aching problems of our time and we know that something is very wrong. To simply talk about our barns is not enough.
We claim to be a religious nation. Most of our fights are over whether or not the name of God will be intoned in schools, on coins, and in our Pledge of Allegiance. But Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-11 that the baptized are to live by different standards than the world. "But now you must get rid of ... such things -- anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language ..." (3:8). "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (3:12). Hemingway once said the rich are different. Our faith says that Christians are to live lives that will help make the world better. Now that's what Colossians calls different. We know on our better days that it isn't the economy, after all. It is discovering how we might be salt and light and keys and leaven -- all penetrating forces in a world such as this. Our barns must help the rest of the world.
Helmut Thielicke informs us in the introduction of his book on the Lord's Prayer (Our Heavenly Father [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974], pp. 13f) that the sermons were delivered in Stuttgart, Germany. "They were addressed to people who continued to assemble throughout the horrors of the air raids, the declining days of a reign of terror and finally through the period of total military and political collapse and the beginning of the occupation." He writes that his sermons were first begun in the Church of the Hospitallers, where believers had worshiped for centuries. The city of Stuttgart was more or less intact, and its cultural life was flourishing even in the midst of war. The sermons were concluded in the small auditorium of St. Matthew's parish house, which was the largest auditorium available at that time. There were no more churches standing in Stuttgart, and only remnants of the Church of the Hospitallers were left standing. The church had been destroyed. Dr. Thielicke writes that as he preached, he looked out on the faces of his hearers terrified of the present and not knowing what the future would hold. At any moment, he said, the scream of sirens would send them scattering in all directions. They had left underground shelters at great risk, hungering and thirsting for comfort and encouragement. As the church services ended, they would make their way back to those dark underground shelters. And Dr. Thielicke opened the Bible and preached Sunday after Sunday, on the Lord's Prayer. He said that the words of our Lord's Prayer were able to deal with the fears and the fragile hopes of his parishioners. Somehow the worshipers were able to get through all the terrible things the war had brought as they whispered together: "Our Father ... which art in heaven...."
This Sunday, when many in your congregation fear the unknowns of life, tell the old story that Jesus gave us. There is more here than we can see or feel or touch or buy. The economy does not hold the last word. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 107:1).
Team Comments
Carter Shelly responds: Roger, you've managed to provide the key insight for each lectionary reading in a sharp, concise form. I love the notion of "time for us to fight back" against the tyranny of the American ideal of thin, rich, and young. The majority of our population does not fit these categories, so why are we so seduced by them? Why does Madison Avenue run us instead of the other way around? You make a number of excellent points. I particularly appreciate your discussion of Jesus' primary audience being the poor not the rich and powerful. As part of my illustrative contribution this week, I've added the lyrics of the song, "If I Were a Rich Man," from A Fiddler on the Roof, which is currently enjoying a revival on Broadway. I wanted to see what aspirations and plans Tevye has. As is so often the case, Tevye doesn't envision the prosperity of the Tsar but that of someone just a few notches up the economic ladder from himself. Two items stand out in the song: the desire for some physical comforts and free time, and the desire to be envied and admired by the rest of the people in his community. The song begins with a prayer reminding God that being poor is no great honor.
Since I have been teaching preaching to Commissioned Lay Pastors, who don't have the benefit of three years of seminary training in biblical studies, I want to point out that not all New Testament scholars believe Paul wrote Colossians. In fact, some of the more traditional segments, such as that which draws upon Roman household structures of authority, are believed to date from some decades after Paul's death, at a point when the Christian community took pains to identify both its uniqueness and its resemblance to the dominant culture's family structures. While today's text clearly emphasizes the Christian community's imperative to be different, the church is coming to grips with the risks and challenges of being viewed as a threat due to difference, and so it wants to show points of similarity as well.
While this scholastic detail may seem to have little significance to Sunday morning's sermons, I find texts like this one offer learning opportunities for the whole congregation that can be made at a different point in the service so it does not detract from the primary textual focus of the day as presented by you. For example, I might do a children's time this Sunday on the differences between the way we understand authorship today and how it was viewed in the first century. I would talk about how a writer the children know well, such as Maurice Sendak or Rosemary Wells. Their books are so popular that their parents might check one out from the library based on the knowledge that the child has loved these authors' books in the past. Then I would talk about how the gospel writers and later epistles of the New Testament each were written by individuals whose names may not have been Matthew, Mark, or Luke, because those names played such a vital role in the early witness of the church. I would then show them the book jacket for an Archy McNally adventure, those originally written by Lawrence Sanders, and ask them to compare it to a more recent McNally book jacket and point out what looks different. In the latter the author is Vincent Lardo, who now writes the series, because Sanders is deceased.
I'm always struck by how most average Americans, myself included, do not think of themselves as rich. "Rich" is a term we apply to American dynasties like the Rockefellers, the Mellons, the Trumps, or to self-made millionaires like Martha Stewart and self-made billionaires like Bill Gates. In fact, if each of us did an informal show of hands poll in church Sunday morning, I suspect the majority of our members would not raise their hand if we asked, "Would all who consider yourselves rich, please raise your hand." Most of us understand cognitively that we are very lucky to live in the United States where the lives of the lower middle class and even welfare recipients seems charmed compared to the hardscrabble life of the poor in many other countries.
Like Tevye, most of us view wealth as something that lies a little bit beyond our own economic category. It's interesting to note that in post-World War II Cold War espionage, most spies were financed in small increments, not large. One reason for this approach was to keep the spy hungry for just a bit more money to feed the expanded needs he or she developed by having just a little bit more income.
When I was living in England in the early 1970s, I was told that an American could be spotted a mile off, because they always had clean hair and straight teeth. These two items represented prosperity: easy access to hot water to wash hair regularly, access to sufficient dollars that some could be spent on getting one's children's teeth fixed, not to mention the fact that we could afford airfare to visit or study in other countries. Clean hair, straight teeth, and the opportunity to travel to other countries are all signs of wealth to people who are unable to do any of the three.
It's interesting as American Christians for us to consider why we work so hard for "things" and yet work so little at our faith. I think part of the answer can be found in the fact that most of us don't think daily of Christianity as something we have to work at in order to keep our Christian commitment fit and hardy. I read somewhere this past week that "It takes ten weeks to get into good physical shape and about ten days to get out of it!" I know I don't spend anywhere near as much time warming up, stretching, or exercising my Christianity as I do my physical, professional, or culinary muscles. Imagine what an amazing society America would be if all of us paid as much attention to embodying the call of Jesus Christ as we did to our other commitments.
An exercise I may include in this Sunday's sermon to help illustrate your point, Roger, will be to ask members of the congregation to take a moment to think back about times when they've really been happy and content. What was the circumstance? What were they doing? How much, if anything, did this experience / feeling cost? My hunch is most will imagine moments that had little or nothing to do with money. One of mine would be the incredible sense of peace and contentment I feel in a worship service when I'm not one of the ministers leading it. Another would be the sense of peace, contentment, and calm I experience on those rare occasions when I get up early in the morning and enjoy a hot cup of coffee and a good book on our back porch, knowing I have at least an hour to read before anyone else wakes up or needs anything. Most of our truly meaningful spiritual experiences and pleasures are simple and cost free. So the challenge I might offer this Sunday would be a challenge to myself and my congregation to work and build up our individual and communal Christian fitness and to celebrate more often the good things of life that God provides that don't require a trip to the mall or the use of a Visa card.
Fiddler on the Roof Soundtrack Lyrics "If I Were a Rich Man"
[TEVYE]
'Dear God, you made many, many poor people.
I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor.
But it's no great honor either!
So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?'
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen,
Right in the middle of the town.
A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below.
There would be one long staircase just going up,
And one even longer coming down,
And one more leading nowhere, just for show.
I'd fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks
For the town to see and hear.
And each loud 'cheep' and 'swaqwk' and 'honk' and 'quack'
Would land like a trumpet on the ear,
As if to say 'Here lives a wealthy man.'
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
I see my wife, my Golde, looking like a rich man's wife
With a proper double-chin.
Supervising meals to her heart's delight.
I see her putting on airs and strutting like a peacock.
Oy, what a happy mood she's in.
Screaming at the servants, day and night.
The most important men in town would come to fawn on me!
They would ask me to advise them,
Like a Solomon the Wise.
'If you please, Reb Tevye ...'
'Pardon me, Reb Tevye ...'
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes!
And it won't make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong.
When you're rich, they think you really know!
If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray.
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
full info about this lyric:
http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/fiddler_on_the_roof_soundtrack/fiddle...
Related Illustrations
From Roger Lovette
The Rich Fool
What a fool he was, Lord,
that wealthy farmer with his bumper crop;
not a thought for the poor, the needy,
or even for his tax deductions.
Nowadays, with United Way, the Heart Fund,
the dollar in the plate on Sunday mornings,
people know better than to be so foolish.
And what about those barns he planned to build, Father?
I guess we all build barns of one kind or another.
We build the barn of influence and self-esteem,
always seeking to further our own prosperity,
knowing the right people, being seen
with them in all the proper places,
trying in everything we say and do and wear
to project our own importance, attractiveness, or success.
Or there is the barn of things we construct
from day to day, the latest gadget
or the newest toy, properties and real estate,
all the solid stuff we gather around us
to amuse us or protect us from the storm.
Yet something, somewhere keeps telling us
that self and stuff are not enough.
We see, without admitting it,
that far from us consuming them, possessions in the end
will consume us by their demands
on our time and energy.
Tear down my self-protective, foolish barns,
and let me spend this day out in the open,
my sole security in this,
your promise, "I am with you."
-- J. Barrie Shepherd, A Diary of Prayer (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1981), p. 125
* * *
Bill Coffin, Credo (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004):
"The primary problems of the planet arise not from the poor, for whom education is the answer; they arise from the well-educated, for whom self-interest is the problem." (p. 61)
"The biblical reminder is clear: whatever our economic system, the enemy is excess, not possessions. The battle cry is 'Enough!' not 'Nothing!' 'Enough' so that we can all break bread together, so that everyone's prayer can be answered -- 'Give us this day our daily bread.' " (p. 57)
"It's the noneconomic uses of money that make money so complicated, even demonic. Jesus saw the demonic side when he saw money as a rival god capable of inspiring great devotion: 'You cannot serve God and mammon.' Note that only money is put on a par with God, not knowledge, not family nobility, not reputation, not talent; only money is elevated to divine status. No wonder Jesus talked more about money than any other subject except the kingdom of God." (p. 59)
* * *
Richard Burton once said, "I've been in trouble all my life, I've done the most unutterable rubbish, all because of money. I didn't need it ... the lure of the zeros was simply too great." ("Loose Talk," Rolling Stone, November 17, 1977, issue 252, p. 13)
* * *
In a more lighthearted vein, Arnold Schwarzenegger is reported to have said, "Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million."
Worship Resources
By Julia Ross Strope
At the Church of the Covenant in Greensboro, North Carolina, we look for language to craft a liturgy that encourages individuals to look within themselves and ask questions of their attitudes and actions. Meditations on all the day's lectionary texts are used in various places. We note the biblical texts and invite people to use the scriptures in the week ahead in their own spiritual inquiry.
CALL TO WORSHIP (from Psalm 107)
Leader: For a very long time, God has beckoned to people, inviting a relationship that would satisfy both humanity and divinity.
People: But people do not always respond positively to the divine invitation.
Leader: Humankind often turns away from God's dependable love and from holy living.
People: Some wander in uncomfortable deserts, unable to find themselves and a good way in the world.
Leader: Some feel hungry and hopeless, thirsty and unloved.
People: When we are wise, we think about these things and acknowledge God's constant loving presence.
Leader: The Holy One -- like a mother and a father -- meets us where we are and satisfies our longings.
PRAYER OF ADORATION (unison)
Creating God, thank you for summer beauty and the promises of abundant harvests. We are glad for our children's leisure and travels. Thanks, too, for the change of pace and spiritual adventures. During this hour, we listen for the hum of your love and for your guiding voice. Amen.
Hymn
"O Day Of Radiant Gladness" (Tune: Es Flog ein Kleins Waldvogelein; in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990, 470)
COMMUNITY CONFESSION (unison; from Colossians 3)
Living God, thank you for Christ in us and among us. We know that you have given us new life and that you want us to let go of our culture's goals and values. But when we are worried about having enough money and prestige, it's difficult to keep our minds focused on things you recommend:
Justice and mercy are not easy to dispense;
Peace and compassion seem to be in short supply;
Patience and gratitude seem firmly tucked into closets.
Help us be alert to movement toward your hopes for humankind;
Empower us to participate with you for our own good and for the good of our neighbors. Amen.
PERSONAL CONFESSION (silent)
WORD OF GRACE
When we name that which separates us from God and from our best selves, God graciously frees us and sets us on a new path. In Christ, we have a new beginning! Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE (available in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990, 333)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.
Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek and you shall find;
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.
Hymn
"Though I May Speak" (Tune: O Waly Waly; 1 Corinthians 13)
AN AFFIRMATION (unison; based on Luke 12:13-21 and Colossians 3)
Jesus was an activist!
He lived long ago challenging his culture to notice how it was abusive to individuals who did not have the necessities to live easily.
Jesus suggested ways to shape a kinder environment, to feel close to God and to make relationships more satisfying:
Love God with your whole self;
Love yourself;
Love your neighbor.
Save one day for rest and re-creation.
Do not be greedy;
Do not loan or borrow money with interest. Life is not evaluated by what one owns.
Life is a journey toward inner peace that has hidden potholes, surprising twists, and grace-giving companions.
These teachings of Jesus challenge us and our culture.
When we intentionally live by them, we bring the Holy to every moment of life and manifest divine goodness. Let it be so!
INTERCESSORY PRAYER
Leader: Let us be God's people in prayer for ourselves and for our global village.
Mysterious One, we desperately want to understand our experiences. Like Hosea, we try all sorts of explanations. We know that how we live -- our decisions and our behavior -- either brings you to the midst of everything that happens to us or hides your mercy and love.
People: Empower us to live and love with courage so we can make sense of every day. In the living and loving, we feel close to you.
Leader: God of body and soul, we get weary and sick of trying.
People: Soothe us; quiet our fretfulness.
Leader: We so often are frightened by things and happenings around us.
People: Erase the fears that stifle our creativity.
Leader: We have high expectations.
People: Release us from opinions that tightly grip us.
Leader: Our bodies hurt.
People: In the pain, we trust you to keep us in your care.
Help us learn grace and wisdom from our wounds.
Leader: We want to feel fully alive.
People: Let giggles and laughter lead us to dance steps and lively songs. Let us be in the world as joy-filled people.
Leader: God of continents and cultures, like Hosea, we long for a kind world at peace with everyone practicing neighborliness -- Israel and Palestine, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Iraq and America....
People: We look forward to collaboration between religions and tribes. We ask for wise leaders who do what is fair and helpful for the whole populace. Help us make it happen, somehow.
Leader: God of this moment, thank you for all we have and who we are becoming. Let us be glad with one another and with those we soon will meet.
People: What a wondrous thing when we enjoy you!
Amen.
OFFERTORY STATEMENT
Leader: We participate in the realm of God by promoting life not death, by compassionate living not oppression. Let us combine our moneys, time, and talents to expand the divine domain here and around this globe.
DOXOLOGY (Old Hundredth, inclusive language)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God, above you heavenly hosts,
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Leader: Holy One,
For these people and their loyalty;
For these gifts and the hope they give,
Thank you. Amen.
Hymn
"Live Into Hope" (Tune: Truro; available in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990, 332)
BENEDICTION (from Luke 12 and Colossians 3)
Leader: Walk deliberately with Christ.
Notice your perception of words, institutions, and scriptures changing.
Walk through fears to the vision not yet clear.
May there be no disconnect between your symbols and your actions.
The Holy One is by your side, under your feet and accessible in your psyche.
Take time to be at peace. Amen.
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley T. Runk
Wanting things too much and too many
Text: v. 15 -- And he 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." (Luke 12:13-21)
Object: a big bag of candy bars (enough for each child to have one)
Good morning, boys and girls. Did I ever tell you how much I like candy bars? (let them answer) I love them. As a matter of fact, when I go to the grocery store I make sure there is no one in the store that I know, and then I pick up a bag of these and kind of put it at the bottom of the cart and cover it up with everything else I am going to buy. At the checkout counter, I make sure no one is watching and then I have the clerk put the candy in a separate bag and I take it home. As soon as the coast is clear, I take my candy bars to my favorite hiding place and put them away. No one knows that I have candy bars so no one ever asks to share them. I feel a little funny sneaking around and making sure that no one sees me take a couple out of the bag. Then I just eat them as fast as I can and pretend that nothing ever happened.
Do you like to share your favorite things with others or do you like to keep them all to yourself? (let them answer) Some of you are like me and some of you aren't. (talk to the people like you) What do you have that you like to keep all to yourself? (let them answer) Does it make you feel good that no one else can play with your baseball cards, dolls, and so on? Do you know what we call people like you and me? (let them answer) They call us greedy.
Jesus said that the best things in life are not those things we keep all to ourselves but rather the things that we share. When we are sharing the things that we have we don't have to hide them, do we? (let them answer) If I gave all of my candy bars away to all of the people here in church how would everyone feel about me? (let them answer) Then why don't I do it? Why don't I want to feel really good instead of sneaking around and hiding and keeping them all to myself?
I don't want to be greedy anymore. I want to share. I want to do what Jesus teaches me to do and that is to share the things I have with others. Would you like to feel good, also? Would you like to stop being greedy and sharing the gifts of God with others? (let them answer) Good, then let's start doing it! (pass out the candy bars)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, August 1, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
This week's lectionary texts are as fresh as today's newspaper. The old deadly sin of greed, sometimes called covetousness, is front and center. There are days when we all wonder if money doesn't make the world go around. Anybody knows it has got to be the economy. Starving thousands in the Sudan ... Haggles over the minimum wage ... Millions spent by political candidates ... The roller-coaster stock market ... Schools underfunded. How could it not be the economy! All those TV commercials seduce the best of us. This week's texts ask probing questions about where our real security lies. Loud and clear, in different ways each lection teaches us that it really is not the economy after all.
Hosea 11:1-9 comes toward the end of the prophet's story. The book was written in a turbulent time when people looked everywhere for security and hope. And in this parable where God's people are unfaithful and unbelieving, Yahweh will not let them go, even after much sinning. Yahweh's compassion triumphs over Yahweh's justice. The preacher might put down our paltry securities today beside God's never-failing compassion.
Psalm 107:1-9 reminds the people of God that our ultimate thanks are to go to God. There is no such thing as self-sufficiency. The psalmist reminds the believer that, backstage, behind the chaos and drama of everyday, there is the steadfast love of God that will not let us go. Six times the psalmist reminds the reader of that steadfast love. The preacher is challenged to ponder the great Old Testament word chesed -- loving-kindness, steadfast love. God alone can be depended on.
Colossians 3:1-11 turns the church from earthly concerns to the things above. Then Paul shifts gears again and turns the church's attention back toward the shabby deeds God's people had given themselves to -- anger, wrath, malice, and slander. The apostle reminds the early church that the baptized are to take their clues from another source than the world. Their security comes from the One who led them through the baptismal waters. Like the prodigal son, we are encouraged to take off the old rags that will not cover or protect and receive the new robe and sandals of the new life.
Luke 12:13-21 is the focus of my reflections this week. Walter Russell Bowie called Luke's Gospel the story of the compassionate Christ. Reaching out toward a sea of misery, today's parable reminds us that even in a world shot through with materialism we can find a better way. We are challenged to guard against greed and to seek a road less traveled.
"It's Not the Economy, Stupid"
Merrill Abbey, a very fine teacher of preaching, used to say that the task of today's preacher is to challenge the axioms of our time. This week's reading from Luke certainly turns the light on one of our central problems. Culture keeps reminding us that we can't be too rich, too skinny, or too young. Few of us are immune to connecting the dots of youthful vigor -- lean, healthy bodies and lots of money -- with the dot of worth. Today's text focuses on the dot called materialism. Most of us never ask how much is enough --everybody knows you can't have too much money. Ask Ken Lay or Martha Stewart or most of the professional athletes at the bargaining table.
But let's not pick on them. Jesus' words were first given to the poor. Most of his followers had few of the world's goods. Many of those who followed him were considered little and unimportant by the Roman world. Luke's Gospel was primarily addressed to slaves and poor and dispossessed. To these Jesus talked about rich young rulers and those who tore down barns and built bigger barns. He told them of rich men who passed by the Lazaruses of his time. Luke's account of the Beatitudes reads: "Blessed are the poor ... the hungry ..." (Luke 6:21). And he followed that with, "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry ..." (Luke 6:24-25a). The preacher might consider why Jesus spent so much time talking about the dangers of riches to those who had so little. Maybe Jesus knew that the have-nots struggle with greed as much as the haves. This is a universal malady. None of us are immune to greed and her twin sister covetousness.
Luke begins our text with the story of two brothers haggling over the family's inheritance. One man comes to Jesus and asks him to step between him and his warring brother. Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me, he says. It is an old story. Often we try to use our faith to get whatever it is we want. Jesus shook his head. He would not stand between the two brothers. He did warn the man to be on guard against all kinds of greed. He reminded the irate brother that one's life never consists in the abundance of the things we possess.
Jesus' understanding of greed came out of his own personal struggle. At the beginning of his ministry the first temptation in the wilderness was to turn stones into bread. The devil had whispered: "You're hungry -- use your powers to make yourself strong." Diogenes Allen has said in his book Temptation that Jesus' first temptation was to use his powers to bring comfort to his body (Diogenes Allen, Temptation [Princeton, New Jersey: Caroline Press, 1986, pp. 20f.). What would be wrong with using his gifts to care for his very basic needs? In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a hungry stomach can focus on little else. Surely this was a decent proposal. Jesus refused, telling the devil that bread was not enough. The first temptation dealt with the universal struggle to feed a human need. But even at the beginning, Jesus knew bread would was not enough for him or his world. The world's goods cannot satisfy. So Jesus' first temptation was to understand that meeting his bodily needs did not go far enough. Dr. Allen says only as we renounce the partiality of the world's goods do we draw a bold line between mammon and God.
The reason why Jesus continually talked of greed and covetousness was that he knew these very seductive antidotes could never save us. Only as we settle this basic problem of true security we can find the way home.
So our Lord gave us a parable of a man who believed it really was the economy. Donald Trump would have been his hero. He tore down barns and built larger barns to store more grain. Jesus ended the story by saying that those who store up treasures for themselves are not rich toward God (12:21).
Let's use Jesus' story to challenge some of the axioms by which we live.
Axiom 1: Our security comes from what we have.
We must struggle as Jesus struggled with where our real security lies. We cannot simply be concerned with our needs. In eight short verses the man says "I" six times. Six other times he uses the words "my" and "you" (second person, referring to himself). Dr. Buttrick says the man erased the line between life and livelihood -- between soul and things. We must make a distinction between the within and the without. Mammon and God are poles apart.
There is a story about a millionaire who died in Texas leaving a strange bequest. He was to be buried in his Cadillac. This presented quite a logistical problem. But he had left money, and his wishes were honored. After considerable trouble, the huge grave was dug and the dead man was placed at the wheel of his Cadillac. A crane came and slowly lifted up the car and the man. As this maneuvering was going on, one of the workers was heard to say: "Man, that's livin'...." The standards of success are hopelessly entangled in our lust for acquisition. Sometimes the lines of our priorities get smudged.
Axiom 2:We have to look out for ourselves and ours.
Jesus turned the man's attention from the pronoun "I" to the pronoun "we." We have the highest standard of living in the world, and yet we are a fearful people. Just this past week our nation received the report from the commission on 9/11. The report said that even after all the work and energy we have expended on security matters, we are still far from safe as a country. There are many recommendations in this long, detailed report. Many practical issues must be attended to if we are to be good stewards. But the parable says ours is a theological problem. We will not be made secure by programs or weapons or wars. Few ask what strange soil produces terrorists so desperate that it does not matter whether they live or die. Life means little when people see no hope at all in their present predicaments. Do we not need to ask questions about the quality of life that produces such people? And is there any connection between our rich nation and the poor of the world? Do we not need to ask disturbing questions about our bigger and bigger barns?
Each presidential candidate will have spent over 200 million dollars before this presidential race is over. Will all these efforts for success make this country stronger or better or safer? Will they make the world better? Somehow we have lost the way.
Just last week Bill Moyers in his PBS program, Now, focused on this nation's health-care crisis. He illustrated his point by shining the light on the state of Mississippi. More than 65,000 of its poorest citizens have lost their Medicaid coverage. Those affected were told there was no money in the state's coffers. People on dialysis, diabetes, mental illness, and people needing chemotherapy will go lacking. Unless something happens, many will die. Put our parable down beside the aching problems of our time and we know that something is very wrong. To simply talk about our barns is not enough.
We claim to be a religious nation. Most of our fights are over whether or not the name of God will be intoned in schools, on coins, and in our Pledge of Allegiance. But Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-11 that the baptized are to live by different standards than the world. "But now you must get rid of ... such things -- anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language ..." (3:8). "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (3:12). Hemingway once said the rich are different. Our faith says that Christians are to live lives that will help make the world better. Now that's what Colossians calls different. We know on our better days that it isn't the economy, after all. It is discovering how we might be salt and light and keys and leaven -- all penetrating forces in a world such as this. Our barns must help the rest of the world.
Helmut Thielicke informs us in the introduction of his book on the Lord's Prayer (Our Heavenly Father [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974], pp. 13f) that the sermons were delivered in Stuttgart, Germany. "They were addressed to people who continued to assemble throughout the horrors of the air raids, the declining days of a reign of terror and finally through the period of total military and political collapse and the beginning of the occupation." He writes that his sermons were first begun in the Church of the Hospitallers, where believers had worshiped for centuries. The city of Stuttgart was more or less intact, and its cultural life was flourishing even in the midst of war. The sermons were concluded in the small auditorium of St. Matthew's parish house, which was the largest auditorium available at that time. There were no more churches standing in Stuttgart, and only remnants of the Church of the Hospitallers were left standing. The church had been destroyed. Dr. Thielicke writes that as he preached, he looked out on the faces of his hearers terrified of the present and not knowing what the future would hold. At any moment, he said, the scream of sirens would send them scattering in all directions. They had left underground shelters at great risk, hungering and thirsting for comfort and encouragement. As the church services ended, they would make their way back to those dark underground shelters. And Dr. Thielicke opened the Bible and preached Sunday after Sunday, on the Lord's Prayer. He said that the words of our Lord's Prayer were able to deal with the fears and the fragile hopes of his parishioners. Somehow the worshipers were able to get through all the terrible things the war had brought as they whispered together: "Our Father ... which art in heaven...."
This Sunday, when many in your congregation fear the unknowns of life, tell the old story that Jesus gave us. There is more here than we can see or feel or touch or buy. The economy does not hold the last word. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 107:1).
Team Comments
Carter Shelly responds: Roger, you've managed to provide the key insight for each lectionary reading in a sharp, concise form. I love the notion of "time for us to fight back" against the tyranny of the American ideal of thin, rich, and young. The majority of our population does not fit these categories, so why are we so seduced by them? Why does Madison Avenue run us instead of the other way around? You make a number of excellent points. I particularly appreciate your discussion of Jesus' primary audience being the poor not the rich and powerful. As part of my illustrative contribution this week, I've added the lyrics of the song, "If I Were a Rich Man," from A Fiddler on the Roof, which is currently enjoying a revival on Broadway. I wanted to see what aspirations and plans Tevye has. As is so often the case, Tevye doesn't envision the prosperity of the Tsar but that of someone just a few notches up the economic ladder from himself. Two items stand out in the song: the desire for some physical comforts and free time, and the desire to be envied and admired by the rest of the people in his community. The song begins with a prayer reminding God that being poor is no great honor.
Since I have been teaching preaching to Commissioned Lay Pastors, who don't have the benefit of three years of seminary training in biblical studies, I want to point out that not all New Testament scholars believe Paul wrote Colossians. In fact, some of the more traditional segments, such as that which draws upon Roman household structures of authority, are believed to date from some decades after Paul's death, at a point when the Christian community took pains to identify both its uniqueness and its resemblance to the dominant culture's family structures. While today's text clearly emphasizes the Christian community's imperative to be different, the church is coming to grips with the risks and challenges of being viewed as a threat due to difference, and so it wants to show points of similarity as well.
While this scholastic detail may seem to have little significance to Sunday morning's sermons, I find texts like this one offer learning opportunities for the whole congregation that can be made at a different point in the service so it does not detract from the primary textual focus of the day as presented by you. For example, I might do a children's time this Sunday on the differences between the way we understand authorship today and how it was viewed in the first century. I would talk about how a writer the children know well, such as Maurice Sendak or Rosemary Wells. Their books are so popular that their parents might check one out from the library based on the knowledge that the child has loved these authors' books in the past. Then I would talk about how the gospel writers and later epistles of the New Testament each were written by individuals whose names may not have been Matthew, Mark, or Luke, because those names played such a vital role in the early witness of the church. I would then show them the book jacket for an Archy McNally adventure, those originally written by Lawrence Sanders, and ask them to compare it to a more recent McNally book jacket and point out what looks different. In the latter the author is Vincent Lardo, who now writes the series, because Sanders is deceased.
I'm always struck by how most average Americans, myself included, do not think of themselves as rich. "Rich" is a term we apply to American dynasties like the Rockefellers, the Mellons, the Trumps, or to self-made millionaires like Martha Stewart and self-made billionaires like Bill Gates. In fact, if each of us did an informal show of hands poll in church Sunday morning, I suspect the majority of our members would not raise their hand if we asked, "Would all who consider yourselves rich, please raise your hand." Most of us understand cognitively that we are very lucky to live in the United States where the lives of the lower middle class and even welfare recipients seems charmed compared to the hardscrabble life of the poor in many other countries.
Like Tevye, most of us view wealth as something that lies a little bit beyond our own economic category. It's interesting to note that in post-World War II Cold War espionage, most spies were financed in small increments, not large. One reason for this approach was to keep the spy hungry for just a bit more money to feed the expanded needs he or she developed by having just a little bit more income.
When I was living in England in the early 1970s, I was told that an American could be spotted a mile off, because they always had clean hair and straight teeth. These two items represented prosperity: easy access to hot water to wash hair regularly, access to sufficient dollars that some could be spent on getting one's children's teeth fixed, not to mention the fact that we could afford airfare to visit or study in other countries. Clean hair, straight teeth, and the opportunity to travel to other countries are all signs of wealth to people who are unable to do any of the three.
It's interesting as American Christians for us to consider why we work so hard for "things" and yet work so little at our faith. I think part of the answer can be found in the fact that most of us don't think daily of Christianity as something we have to work at in order to keep our Christian commitment fit and hardy. I read somewhere this past week that "It takes ten weeks to get into good physical shape and about ten days to get out of it!" I know I don't spend anywhere near as much time warming up, stretching, or exercising my Christianity as I do my physical, professional, or culinary muscles. Imagine what an amazing society America would be if all of us paid as much attention to embodying the call of Jesus Christ as we did to our other commitments.
An exercise I may include in this Sunday's sermon to help illustrate your point, Roger, will be to ask members of the congregation to take a moment to think back about times when they've really been happy and content. What was the circumstance? What were they doing? How much, if anything, did this experience / feeling cost? My hunch is most will imagine moments that had little or nothing to do with money. One of mine would be the incredible sense of peace and contentment I feel in a worship service when I'm not one of the ministers leading it. Another would be the sense of peace, contentment, and calm I experience on those rare occasions when I get up early in the morning and enjoy a hot cup of coffee and a good book on our back porch, knowing I have at least an hour to read before anyone else wakes up or needs anything. Most of our truly meaningful spiritual experiences and pleasures are simple and cost free. So the challenge I might offer this Sunday would be a challenge to myself and my congregation to work and build up our individual and communal Christian fitness and to celebrate more often the good things of life that God provides that don't require a trip to the mall or the use of a Visa card.
Fiddler on the Roof Soundtrack Lyrics "If I Were a Rich Man"
[TEVYE]
'Dear God, you made many, many poor people.
I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor.
But it's no great honor either!
So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?'
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen,
Right in the middle of the town.
A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below.
There would be one long staircase just going up,
And one even longer coming down,
And one more leading nowhere, just for show.
I'd fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks
For the town to see and hear.
And each loud 'cheep' and 'swaqwk' and 'honk' and 'quack'
Would land like a trumpet on the ear,
As if to say 'Here lives a wealthy man.'
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
I see my wife, my Golde, looking like a rich man's wife
With a proper double-chin.
Supervising meals to her heart's delight.
I see her putting on airs and strutting like a peacock.
Oy, what a happy mood she's in.
Screaming at the servants, day and night.
The most important men in town would come to fawn on me!
They would ask me to advise them,
Like a Solomon the Wise.
'If you please, Reb Tevye ...'
'Pardon me, Reb Tevye ...'
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes!
And it won't make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong.
When you're rich, they think you really know!
If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray.
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
full info about this lyric:
http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/fiddler_on_the_roof_soundtrack/fiddle...
Related Illustrations
From Roger Lovette
The Rich Fool
What a fool he was, Lord,
that wealthy farmer with his bumper crop;
not a thought for the poor, the needy,
or even for his tax deductions.
Nowadays, with United Way, the Heart Fund,
the dollar in the plate on Sunday mornings,
people know better than to be so foolish.
And what about those barns he planned to build, Father?
I guess we all build barns of one kind or another.
We build the barn of influence and self-esteem,
always seeking to further our own prosperity,
knowing the right people, being seen
with them in all the proper places,
trying in everything we say and do and wear
to project our own importance, attractiveness, or success.
Or there is the barn of things we construct
from day to day, the latest gadget
or the newest toy, properties and real estate,
all the solid stuff we gather around us
to amuse us or protect us from the storm.
Yet something, somewhere keeps telling us
that self and stuff are not enough.
We see, without admitting it,
that far from us consuming them, possessions in the end
will consume us by their demands
on our time and energy.
Tear down my self-protective, foolish barns,
and let me spend this day out in the open,
my sole security in this,
your promise, "I am with you."
-- J. Barrie Shepherd, A Diary of Prayer (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1981), p. 125
* * *
Bill Coffin, Credo (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004):
"The primary problems of the planet arise not from the poor, for whom education is the answer; they arise from the well-educated, for whom self-interest is the problem." (p. 61)
"The biblical reminder is clear: whatever our economic system, the enemy is excess, not possessions. The battle cry is 'Enough!' not 'Nothing!' 'Enough' so that we can all break bread together, so that everyone's prayer can be answered -- 'Give us this day our daily bread.' " (p. 57)
"It's the noneconomic uses of money that make money so complicated, even demonic. Jesus saw the demonic side when he saw money as a rival god capable of inspiring great devotion: 'You cannot serve God and mammon.' Note that only money is put on a par with God, not knowledge, not family nobility, not reputation, not talent; only money is elevated to divine status. No wonder Jesus talked more about money than any other subject except the kingdom of God." (p. 59)
* * *
Richard Burton once said, "I've been in trouble all my life, I've done the most unutterable rubbish, all because of money. I didn't need it ... the lure of the zeros was simply too great." ("Loose Talk," Rolling Stone, November 17, 1977, issue 252, p. 13)
* * *
In a more lighthearted vein, Arnold Schwarzenegger is reported to have said, "Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million."
Worship Resources
By Julia Ross Strope
At the Church of the Covenant in Greensboro, North Carolina, we look for language to craft a liturgy that encourages individuals to look within themselves and ask questions of their attitudes and actions. Meditations on all the day's lectionary texts are used in various places. We note the biblical texts and invite people to use the scriptures in the week ahead in their own spiritual inquiry.
CALL TO WORSHIP (from Psalm 107)
Leader: For a very long time, God has beckoned to people, inviting a relationship that would satisfy both humanity and divinity.
People: But people do not always respond positively to the divine invitation.
Leader: Humankind often turns away from God's dependable love and from holy living.
People: Some wander in uncomfortable deserts, unable to find themselves and a good way in the world.
Leader: Some feel hungry and hopeless, thirsty and unloved.
People: When we are wise, we think about these things and acknowledge God's constant loving presence.
Leader: The Holy One -- like a mother and a father -- meets us where we are and satisfies our longings.
PRAYER OF ADORATION (unison)
Creating God, thank you for summer beauty and the promises of abundant harvests. We are glad for our children's leisure and travels. Thanks, too, for the change of pace and spiritual adventures. During this hour, we listen for the hum of your love and for your guiding voice. Amen.
Hymn
"O Day Of Radiant Gladness" (Tune: Es Flog ein Kleins Waldvogelein; in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990, 470)
COMMUNITY CONFESSION (unison; from Colossians 3)
Living God, thank you for Christ in us and among us. We know that you have given us new life and that you want us to let go of our culture's goals and values. But when we are worried about having enough money and prestige, it's difficult to keep our minds focused on things you recommend:
Justice and mercy are not easy to dispense;
Peace and compassion seem to be in short supply;
Patience and gratitude seem firmly tucked into closets.
Help us be alert to movement toward your hopes for humankind;
Empower us to participate with you for our own good and for the good of our neighbors. Amen.
PERSONAL CONFESSION (silent)
WORD OF GRACE
When we name that which separates us from God and from our best selves, God graciously frees us and sets us on a new path. In Christ, we have a new beginning! Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE (available in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990, 333)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.
Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek and you shall find;
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.
Hymn
"Though I May Speak" (Tune: O Waly Waly; 1 Corinthians 13)
AN AFFIRMATION (unison; based on Luke 12:13-21 and Colossians 3)
Jesus was an activist!
He lived long ago challenging his culture to notice how it was abusive to individuals who did not have the necessities to live easily.
Jesus suggested ways to shape a kinder environment, to feel close to God and to make relationships more satisfying:
Love God with your whole self;
Love yourself;
Love your neighbor.
Save one day for rest and re-creation.
Do not be greedy;
Do not loan or borrow money with interest. Life is not evaluated by what one owns.
Life is a journey toward inner peace that has hidden potholes, surprising twists, and grace-giving companions.
These teachings of Jesus challenge us and our culture.
When we intentionally live by them, we bring the Holy to every moment of life and manifest divine goodness. Let it be so!
INTERCESSORY PRAYER
Leader: Let us be God's people in prayer for ourselves and for our global village.
Mysterious One, we desperately want to understand our experiences. Like Hosea, we try all sorts of explanations. We know that how we live -- our decisions and our behavior -- either brings you to the midst of everything that happens to us or hides your mercy and love.
People: Empower us to live and love with courage so we can make sense of every day. In the living and loving, we feel close to you.
Leader: God of body and soul, we get weary and sick of trying.
People: Soothe us; quiet our fretfulness.
Leader: We so often are frightened by things and happenings around us.
People: Erase the fears that stifle our creativity.
Leader: We have high expectations.
People: Release us from opinions that tightly grip us.
Leader: Our bodies hurt.
People: In the pain, we trust you to keep us in your care.
Help us learn grace and wisdom from our wounds.
Leader: We want to feel fully alive.
People: Let giggles and laughter lead us to dance steps and lively songs. Let us be in the world as joy-filled people.
Leader: God of continents and cultures, like Hosea, we long for a kind world at peace with everyone practicing neighborliness -- Israel and Palestine, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Iraq and America....
People: We look forward to collaboration between religions and tribes. We ask for wise leaders who do what is fair and helpful for the whole populace. Help us make it happen, somehow.
Leader: God of this moment, thank you for all we have and who we are becoming. Let us be glad with one another and with those we soon will meet.
People: What a wondrous thing when we enjoy you!
Amen.
OFFERTORY STATEMENT
Leader: We participate in the realm of God by promoting life not death, by compassionate living not oppression. Let us combine our moneys, time, and talents to expand the divine domain here and around this globe.
DOXOLOGY (Old Hundredth, inclusive language)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God, above you heavenly hosts,
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Leader: Holy One,
For these people and their loyalty;
For these gifts and the hope they give,
Thank you. Amen.
Hymn
"Live Into Hope" (Tune: Truro; available in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990, 332)
BENEDICTION (from Luke 12 and Colossians 3)
Leader: Walk deliberately with Christ.
Notice your perception of words, institutions, and scriptures changing.
Walk through fears to the vision not yet clear.
May there be no disconnect between your symbols and your actions.
The Holy One is by your side, under your feet and accessible in your psyche.
Take time to be at peace. Amen.
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley T. Runk
Wanting things too much and too many
Text: v. 15 -- And he 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." (Luke 12:13-21)
Object: a big bag of candy bars (enough for each child to have one)
Good morning, boys and girls. Did I ever tell you how much I like candy bars? (let them answer) I love them. As a matter of fact, when I go to the grocery store I make sure there is no one in the store that I know, and then I pick up a bag of these and kind of put it at the bottom of the cart and cover it up with everything else I am going to buy. At the checkout counter, I make sure no one is watching and then I have the clerk put the candy in a separate bag and I take it home. As soon as the coast is clear, I take my candy bars to my favorite hiding place and put them away. No one knows that I have candy bars so no one ever asks to share them. I feel a little funny sneaking around and making sure that no one sees me take a couple out of the bag. Then I just eat them as fast as I can and pretend that nothing ever happened.
Do you like to share your favorite things with others or do you like to keep them all to yourself? (let them answer) Some of you are like me and some of you aren't. (talk to the people like you) What do you have that you like to keep all to yourself? (let them answer) Does it make you feel good that no one else can play with your baseball cards, dolls, and so on? Do you know what we call people like you and me? (let them answer) They call us greedy.
Jesus said that the best things in life are not those things we keep all to ourselves but rather the things that we share. When we are sharing the things that we have we don't have to hide them, do we? (let them answer) If I gave all of my candy bars away to all of the people here in church how would everyone feel about me? (let them answer) Then why don't I do it? Why don't I want to feel really good instead of sneaking around and hiding and keeping them all to myself?
I don't want to be greedy anymore. I want to share. I want to do what Jesus teaches me to do and that is to share the things I have with others. Would you like to feel good, also? Would you like to stop being greedy and sharing the gifts of God with others? (let them answer) Good, then let's start doing it! (pass out the candy bars)
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The Immediate Word, August 1, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
