Proper 13
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle C
Object:
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Hosea 11:1-11 (C)
This is a deeply moving passage, one of the occasions where we see the compassionate love of God controlling His bent toward justice. With a few word changes, this could easily be directed to our own time. The worship of ba'als, translated, surely refers to success, money, power, prestige -- in some circles cocaine, guns, sex. The chains referred to in Hosea easily describe the degree to which so many of us are imprisoned by our hungry desire for the fulfillment we hope will come from ba'al. Remember Elijah, urging the worshipers of ba'al to cry louder, perchance they do not hear you, as the sadly misled people cried out to the dead idols which could bring them no solace, no release, no salvation?
Here we have a view of God which sees Him grieving over the failure of the Jews to see what He has done for them, and over their wayward wandering. And yet, like a desperate yet totally loving parent, He refuses to give up on these people. He will persevere in trying to win their loyalty.
Is that what's happening to our time? Are we, like the Jews of old, wandering aimlessly, searching here, searching there, grimly trying to find the inner resources which will empower us for life, and assure us of a joyous fate, only to discover that new cars, and expensive furnishings, and exotic vacations still leave us searching, that fame and prestige soon become flat and stale, that money, for all the fun and pleasure it makes possible, does not in the end bring peace? Does that help explain why so many famous people in the entertainment field die of suicide or drug overdose? Does that have anything to do with why so many successful executives with their enormous incomes go out in search of younger wives in a vain desire for lost youth, why so many world-class athletes end up in jail, or detox, or a funeral home? Or why so many clergy are embarrassed when a dalliance is uncovered, and their once illustrious careers are ruined?
I sound like Jeremiah without his credentials, I know. But here and there, someone returns to the Lord and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. And when such a person begins to live out the life which Jesus extols, that person begins to find all those things which ba'al could not provide. Just this morning a man in a group with which I was having breakfast drew his chair close to mine and whispered something personal. I had recently made a reference to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter six, where Jesus said that God knows what we need before we tell him. This man, successful, wealthy, celebrated in this city, said he was out along a seashore the other day. He said that as he sat there, he turned everything over to God. As he watched birds arcing across the heavens, listened to the gentle murmur of the surf, felt the warm and welcome spring sunshine on his face, he felt all at once a sense of complete peace, as though he was at one with the universe. He said for the first time, he realized he didn't have to present a carefully composed prayer to include all the people he should pray for, all the issues which faced him. He just allowed himself to feel the divine presence. He felt -- joy.
There's a place for the things of this world. I'd be a hypocrite not to admit that like nearly everyone else, I would like a nice home and car. I love travel, and good books, and nice clothes. But the point to be made is that unless we put the other first, unless we make God and God's word as we have it from Jesus Christ first, these other things can never satisfy our hunger for inner peace and a final sense of life's true meaning.
Lesson 1: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 (RC); Ecclesiastes 1:12-14; 2:(1-7, 11) 18-23 (E)
All is vanity. These are the words of a man who apparently has tried it all the other way, has worked hard only to realize someone else will inherit all that he has accumulated. His discouragement is symbolic of all the disappointed hopes and dreams of those who have sought their meaning and their happiness in the wrong places.
Lesson 2: 2 Colossians 3:1-11 (C); Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 (RC); Colossians 3:(5-11) 12-17 (E)
Paul reveals his fastidious sense of the Christian life. Oh, if only this could come to pass. No more obscenity. No more lies, or insults, or angry actions. No more hatefulness or greedy competition. When Christ is in us (oh, if only it were always so) we lift our minds above all these failings and turn our minds to the things of heaven. We know from Paul's other writings that these are the many consequences of a loving spirit. Kindness, compassion, modesty, forgiveness, long suffering, good humor -- these would characterize the person of Christ.
My dad raised me with one traditional motto in our family: "The higher you aim, the higher you shoot." He didn't mean literally shoot, of course. He meant that we may not always achieve our goals, but we can do our best, give it our best shot, and that's the best anyone can do. Most of us are not yet able to live up to this exalted standard of conduct, try as we may. Our sinful natures will keep asserting themselves at times, and we will slip. But we can try. We can hang in there. We can at least apologize when we do wrong. We can at least keep a healthy self-critical eye on ourselves and be aware of our shortcomings. We can be tolerant of others when they fall short since they may be trying too. And one day, one grand day perhaps, we may discover that we are indeed living the true Christian life.
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21 (C, RC, E)
Several years ago, I had a friend who spent the last few years of his working life day-dreaming about retirement. A few months prior to that long-awaited event, he and his wife bought a rather expensive recreational vehicle and made elaborate plans to tour the country. It was all fitted out, the pantry filled with food, new clothes hanging in the closets. He went to the meeting where his retirement was announced, dashed home, got into his traveling clothes and fell over dead. Bless his heart, he really wasn't much different from the rest of us. Who among us doesn't wistfully dream of the day when we can sleep late, read the paper with a leisurely breakfast, putter about the house for a bit until it's time for a golf date or a luncheon with friends? That's the American dream for most of us. There doesn't seem anything wrong with that part of the conduct of this man in our text. But the point is, he was surrounded by people in need, he had more than he could use, and all he could think to do was hoard it all. That was his mistake. And if I had to guess what the real problem was, I would say that it was the fact that this attitude was turning him into a not very admirable man. A selfish man. We all have a bit of a desire to amass a comfortable estate with a cushion in it. But we realize that's not what God wants of us. Prepare a secure retirement for yourself, yes. That protects your family from having to take care of you. But don't hoard. Give some away. Open our eyes and what do we see? People all around who are hungry, who can't afford heat in the winter. People who are wandering, lost, in columns down some faraway road filled with refugees. Hollow-eyed old men and women staring out of dilapidated windows, fearful of the threatening world, lacking the medical care which would cost the money they must spend on food.
Mother Teresa visited a destitute family in one of the poor nations through which she traveled. The family had literally been almost without food for days. She brought with her a large bundle of flour with which bread could be made. As they talked, the woman began to divide the flour into two packages. Mother Teresa said she asked the woman what she was doing, and the woman replied that she was preparing half her flour for a neighbor who was also hungry. This story was told because that woman had found a kind of profound happiness which eludes the great majority.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow ..."
Text: Hosea 11:1-11
Theme: My title is brought to my mind by Shakespeare's famous line: "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day ... and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death." How grimly do we plod through life, most of us missing so much because of our eager search for happiness. And that happiness, as distinct from temporary pleasure, is simply not to be apart from the experience of love, both love given and love received. And love comes from God. Until I know myself loved, I am not free to love. My driving inner needs prevent the full expression of love (as distinct from eros -- infatuation) until I am set free by the life-changing power of God's inflowing Spirit which assures me I can be forgiven, made new.
Title: "The Higher Happiness"
Text: Colossians 3:1-11
Theme: The Bible teaches that if one is to find happiness, it will be through the excellent way, through love (1 Corinthians 12:13). And love commands us to live an excellent life such as described by Paul in his letter to the Galatians where he described the products of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control" (Galatians 5). If we have God's Spirit, those qualities are supposed to characterize our lives. In practical terms, this is a call to a worthier life than is being lived by many of us today. Obscenity is an example. It is heard everywhere, even, as I recently heard, in the cars of mothers chauffeuring their third graders and their friends to school. It is a call for simple kindly actions toward people we don't know. For example, in my morning paper, the executive leader of a service agency told of sitting with an elderly lady at a recent banquet. The woman is a volunteer who helps other less mobile elderly people. She told of walking in a cold rain some time ago, leaning into a blustery wind, the temperature below freezing, making her way to a bus stop. She was on her way to help a very old woman with her housework. A sheriff's car went by, did a U-turn, offered this woman a ride. He drove her several miles to her destination, even turning his car around so she could get out on the sidewalk side. She was so grateful. A simple gesture. One, though, we could all duplicate in one way or another. That's what Paul is calling for.
1. Simple kindness should characterize our daily lives. There are so many different opportunities for this. After a while, it becomes a natural reaction.
2. Cleanliness -- next to godliness we're told -- should describe our language. It's time we preachers asked our people to clean up their language. The people who grew up in the '60s got it into their heads that obscene language was okay. It is not, and they need to hear that. Half the children who talk that way do so because they hear it at home. Let's cut it out.
3.. Respect for other people should describe our relationships. Especially one's elders, but for everyone really. I'm a northerner, but I kind of like the southern custom of saying sir and ma'am. I think that when we talk that way, we not only show respect for other people, we show respect for ourselves. Moms and Dads, it's time to raise children who show respect for one's elders, for authority figures (unless they prove themselves undeserving), for parents, for our own peers.
Title: "The Giving Tree"
Text: Luke 12:13-21
Theme: The preacher can easily obtain a copy of Shel Silverstein's little children's book by this name. Every child knows this story. It makes a good illustration for a sermon on giving. It has been said that the only things we are allowed to keep through eternity are those things which we gave away. Obviously, this doesn't mean we can keep physical possessions. It means that as we give, we develop in ourselves a giving spirit, and that will be a priceless possession, not only here but hereafter.
The man in our Bible story died, according to Jesus, while on the very point of having achieved all his worldly dreams. I don't think Jesus meant that we shouldn't save for old age, or that there is something inherently wrong with amassing a comfortable savings. He meant that this must be accompanied by generosity which gives a part of what we accumulate as we go along. I always liked Robert Schuler's suggestion: Give ten percent, save ten percent, live on the rest. Of course the IRS confuses the issue when it comes to deciding what to give. The Jews who gave us the idea of tithing were, in fact, shuffling taxation and charitable giving into one dynamic. The measure which works best for me is that we give to the point that we must sacrifice something we would like to have in order to make our gift. Elsewhere, we read Jesus' story of the widow who gave a couple small coins, a gift of monumental proportion to what she had, because she had practically nothing. John Wesley recommended that we "earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can." It is estimated that he gave away over a million dollars back when, as one of my friends likes to say, a million dollars was real money.
1. Our generous gifts will bless us. That doesn't mean I should give just so I will receive some sort of blessing. It means that every time I give generously, something happens inside me. I am a better person because of my gift, and somewhere, someone else's life is a bit better too. I once read one man's rule, which I have since adopted: always give money to a street musician. He meant that literally, but symbolically, he meant that when we see someone trying to earn a bit for survival purposes, we should help. I still haven't decided about panhandlers. When I don't give them anything, I feel like a rat. When I do give, I worry that I'm helping them to continue some kind of bad habit. But maybe God would say, "Give, then."
2. Generosity involves more than money. For example, a woman recently was quoted as saying something unkind about another person. But one member of the group responded: "I know that gal. I don't believe she would say something like that." That was generosity. There are many other forms of generosity. The measure is a loving attitude and the willingness to pay a price, whether in money, time, or the subtle willingness to think the best when our lesser selves might very well take secret pleasure in another person's discomfort.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
There's a scene in Edward Albee's famous play, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf? in which Martha and George have invited some friends to their apartment to listen to one of their endless battles. George and the wife of the other professor have gone for a walk and Martha stands in the kitchen, talking to Nick. She says:
"There is only one man in my life who has ever ... made me happy. Do you know that? One. George, my husband, who is out somewhere there in the dark ... George who is good to me, and whom I revile; who understands me, and I push off; who can make me laugh, and I choke it back in my throat; who can hold me at night, so that it's warm; who keeps learning the games we play as quickly as I change the rules; who can make me happy. George and Martha. Sad, sad, sad,"
(George) "... whom I will not forgive for having come to rest; for having seen me and having said: yes, this will do; who has made the hideous, the hurting, the insulting mistake of loving me and must be punished for it. George and Martha. Sad, sad, sad."
(George) "... who tolerates, which is intolerable; who is kind, which is cruel; who understands, which is beyond comprehension ... Some day ... hah. Some night ... some stupid, liquor ridden night ... I will go too far ... and I'll either break the man's back ... or push him off for good ... which is what I deserve."
That catches the spirit of the Christian faith's attitude toward God, who doesn't love us because we qualify, but because His love cannot be resisted.
____________
Many centuries ago, on the island of Formosa, there was a governor named Goho. He was dearly beloved by the people, and for forty years he reigned over the wild tribesmen who resided there. It was their custom to sacrifice farm animals after the manner of the Old Testament, believing that thus they could placate their gods and thereby have plentiful harvests. But one year the weather was terrible, the harvest promised to provide little, and starvation loomed. The tribal leaders went to Governor Goho and demanded that a human sacrifice be made to the gods. Goho resisted with his every power of persuasion, but the superstitious people would not be dissuaded.
After lengthy reflection, Goho ordered that if there must be such a sacrifice, it must be done according to his rules. He ordered that the following morning, precisely at dawn, just as the light broke through, they were to be at an assigned location where they would find the victim of Goho's choosing. The victim would be wearing a red robe and a scarlet mask. They were, without hesitation, to strike and sever the victim's head.
At the appointed time, the tribal leaders were ready. Precisely at dawn they saw the figure of a person tied to a tree, wearing the scarlet mask and a red robe. They saw that Goho had kept his pledge. One of the leaders stepped forward. With a sword carefully sharpened, he struck the figure across the neck, the head rolling to their feet. When the mask was removed, they were appalled to see the face of their beloved Governor Goho.
The people were so shocked at this unnecessary sacrifice, there has never again been such a sacrifice on the island of Formosa. An order was formed called The Order Of The Red Robe. It is said that on the island of Formosa, when a man wants to show that his life has been totally changed by God, he disposes of his common robe and appears in a red robe among his people.
____________
Shortly after World War II, a group of German and British theologians gathered in Germany to talk about their hope for the future. One German theologian addressed the group thus: "I have just returned from a visit to several prisoner of war camps where former German soldiers are still being held prisoner. I tried to reassure them of God's continuing love and care. But they laughed and practically threw me out of the camp. They said, 'How can you speak of a faithful God when we find ourselves imprisoned, defeated, alone, miserable? Go elsewhere with that foolish talk.' "
At this point a young British theologian, Dr. James Atkinson, from whose lips I heard this story, arose and spoke. "Gentlemen," he said, "forgive me if I sound presumptuous. But surely you aren't surprised at the reaction of those men if you told them that. Instead, you might have reminded them that they were recently part of one of history's greatest atrocities. They have served a cause which is evil, which has murdered millions of innocent people, and brutalized nations. Of course they're imprisoned and miserable. They should be. God doesn't tolerate what they tried to do. If there's any evidence of a faithful God in all of this, that's it. They should rejoice in that."
____________
Reuel Howe, in his classic little book Herein Is Love, told of a bus driver who noticed that almost everyone who got on his bus, especially during the early morning run, looked unhappy and grumpy. He decided that his ministry in life would be to show cheer and good spirit to these people. As each person boarded, he greeted them with a smile and a kind, happy word. As time went on, people began to thank him and some told him he had changed their lives and their relationships, because he had rearranged their attitudes as they had set forth into their day. Dr. Howe pointed out that the bus driver was a church member and his ministry had been suggested to him by his personal faith. Thus, one could say his church had reached out in a significant way to change people's lives through the ministry of one of its members.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 107:1-9, 43 -- "O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good."
Prayer Of The Day
Grant us the wisdom to give of our plentiful possessions, that someone somewhere, perhaps unbeknownst to us, may find a moment of joy because we were willing to sacrifice. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Lesson 1: Hosea 11:1-11 (C)
This is a deeply moving passage, one of the occasions where we see the compassionate love of God controlling His bent toward justice. With a few word changes, this could easily be directed to our own time. The worship of ba'als, translated, surely refers to success, money, power, prestige -- in some circles cocaine, guns, sex. The chains referred to in Hosea easily describe the degree to which so many of us are imprisoned by our hungry desire for the fulfillment we hope will come from ba'al. Remember Elijah, urging the worshipers of ba'al to cry louder, perchance they do not hear you, as the sadly misled people cried out to the dead idols which could bring them no solace, no release, no salvation?
Here we have a view of God which sees Him grieving over the failure of the Jews to see what He has done for them, and over their wayward wandering. And yet, like a desperate yet totally loving parent, He refuses to give up on these people. He will persevere in trying to win their loyalty.
Is that what's happening to our time? Are we, like the Jews of old, wandering aimlessly, searching here, searching there, grimly trying to find the inner resources which will empower us for life, and assure us of a joyous fate, only to discover that new cars, and expensive furnishings, and exotic vacations still leave us searching, that fame and prestige soon become flat and stale, that money, for all the fun and pleasure it makes possible, does not in the end bring peace? Does that help explain why so many famous people in the entertainment field die of suicide or drug overdose? Does that have anything to do with why so many successful executives with their enormous incomes go out in search of younger wives in a vain desire for lost youth, why so many world-class athletes end up in jail, or detox, or a funeral home? Or why so many clergy are embarrassed when a dalliance is uncovered, and their once illustrious careers are ruined?
I sound like Jeremiah without his credentials, I know. But here and there, someone returns to the Lord and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. And when such a person begins to live out the life which Jesus extols, that person begins to find all those things which ba'al could not provide. Just this morning a man in a group with which I was having breakfast drew his chair close to mine and whispered something personal. I had recently made a reference to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter six, where Jesus said that God knows what we need before we tell him. This man, successful, wealthy, celebrated in this city, said he was out along a seashore the other day. He said that as he sat there, he turned everything over to God. As he watched birds arcing across the heavens, listened to the gentle murmur of the surf, felt the warm and welcome spring sunshine on his face, he felt all at once a sense of complete peace, as though he was at one with the universe. He said for the first time, he realized he didn't have to present a carefully composed prayer to include all the people he should pray for, all the issues which faced him. He just allowed himself to feel the divine presence. He felt -- joy.
There's a place for the things of this world. I'd be a hypocrite not to admit that like nearly everyone else, I would like a nice home and car. I love travel, and good books, and nice clothes. But the point to be made is that unless we put the other first, unless we make God and God's word as we have it from Jesus Christ first, these other things can never satisfy our hunger for inner peace and a final sense of life's true meaning.
Lesson 1: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 (RC); Ecclesiastes 1:12-14; 2:(1-7, 11) 18-23 (E)
All is vanity. These are the words of a man who apparently has tried it all the other way, has worked hard only to realize someone else will inherit all that he has accumulated. His discouragement is symbolic of all the disappointed hopes and dreams of those who have sought their meaning and their happiness in the wrong places.
Lesson 2: 2 Colossians 3:1-11 (C); Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 (RC); Colossians 3:(5-11) 12-17 (E)
Paul reveals his fastidious sense of the Christian life. Oh, if only this could come to pass. No more obscenity. No more lies, or insults, or angry actions. No more hatefulness or greedy competition. When Christ is in us (oh, if only it were always so) we lift our minds above all these failings and turn our minds to the things of heaven. We know from Paul's other writings that these are the many consequences of a loving spirit. Kindness, compassion, modesty, forgiveness, long suffering, good humor -- these would characterize the person of Christ.
My dad raised me with one traditional motto in our family: "The higher you aim, the higher you shoot." He didn't mean literally shoot, of course. He meant that we may not always achieve our goals, but we can do our best, give it our best shot, and that's the best anyone can do. Most of us are not yet able to live up to this exalted standard of conduct, try as we may. Our sinful natures will keep asserting themselves at times, and we will slip. But we can try. We can hang in there. We can at least apologize when we do wrong. We can at least keep a healthy self-critical eye on ourselves and be aware of our shortcomings. We can be tolerant of others when they fall short since they may be trying too. And one day, one grand day perhaps, we may discover that we are indeed living the true Christian life.
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21 (C, RC, E)
Several years ago, I had a friend who spent the last few years of his working life day-dreaming about retirement. A few months prior to that long-awaited event, he and his wife bought a rather expensive recreational vehicle and made elaborate plans to tour the country. It was all fitted out, the pantry filled with food, new clothes hanging in the closets. He went to the meeting where his retirement was announced, dashed home, got into his traveling clothes and fell over dead. Bless his heart, he really wasn't much different from the rest of us. Who among us doesn't wistfully dream of the day when we can sleep late, read the paper with a leisurely breakfast, putter about the house for a bit until it's time for a golf date or a luncheon with friends? That's the American dream for most of us. There doesn't seem anything wrong with that part of the conduct of this man in our text. But the point is, he was surrounded by people in need, he had more than he could use, and all he could think to do was hoard it all. That was his mistake. And if I had to guess what the real problem was, I would say that it was the fact that this attitude was turning him into a not very admirable man. A selfish man. We all have a bit of a desire to amass a comfortable estate with a cushion in it. But we realize that's not what God wants of us. Prepare a secure retirement for yourself, yes. That protects your family from having to take care of you. But don't hoard. Give some away. Open our eyes and what do we see? People all around who are hungry, who can't afford heat in the winter. People who are wandering, lost, in columns down some faraway road filled with refugees. Hollow-eyed old men and women staring out of dilapidated windows, fearful of the threatening world, lacking the medical care which would cost the money they must spend on food.
Mother Teresa visited a destitute family in one of the poor nations through which she traveled. The family had literally been almost without food for days. She brought with her a large bundle of flour with which bread could be made. As they talked, the woman began to divide the flour into two packages. Mother Teresa said she asked the woman what she was doing, and the woman replied that she was preparing half her flour for a neighbor who was also hungry. This story was told because that woman had found a kind of profound happiness which eludes the great majority.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow ..."
Text: Hosea 11:1-11
Theme: My title is brought to my mind by Shakespeare's famous line: "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day ... and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death." How grimly do we plod through life, most of us missing so much because of our eager search for happiness. And that happiness, as distinct from temporary pleasure, is simply not to be apart from the experience of love, both love given and love received. And love comes from God. Until I know myself loved, I am not free to love. My driving inner needs prevent the full expression of love (as distinct from eros -- infatuation) until I am set free by the life-changing power of God's inflowing Spirit which assures me I can be forgiven, made new.
Title: "The Higher Happiness"
Text: Colossians 3:1-11
Theme: The Bible teaches that if one is to find happiness, it will be through the excellent way, through love (1 Corinthians 12:13). And love commands us to live an excellent life such as described by Paul in his letter to the Galatians where he described the products of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control" (Galatians 5). If we have God's Spirit, those qualities are supposed to characterize our lives. In practical terms, this is a call to a worthier life than is being lived by many of us today. Obscenity is an example. It is heard everywhere, even, as I recently heard, in the cars of mothers chauffeuring their third graders and their friends to school. It is a call for simple kindly actions toward people we don't know. For example, in my morning paper, the executive leader of a service agency told of sitting with an elderly lady at a recent banquet. The woman is a volunteer who helps other less mobile elderly people. She told of walking in a cold rain some time ago, leaning into a blustery wind, the temperature below freezing, making her way to a bus stop. She was on her way to help a very old woman with her housework. A sheriff's car went by, did a U-turn, offered this woman a ride. He drove her several miles to her destination, even turning his car around so she could get out on the sidewalk side. She was so grateful. A simple gesture. One, though, we could all duplicate in one way or another. That's what Paul is calling for.
1. Simple kindness should characterize our daily lives. There are so many different opportunities for this. After a while, it becomes a natural reaction.
2. Cleanliness -- next to godliness we're told -- should describe our language. It's time we preachers asked our people to clean up their language. The people who grew up in the '60s got it into their heads that obscene language was okay. It is not, and they need to hear that. Half the children who talk that way do so because they hear it at home. Let's cut it out.
3.. Respect for other people should describe our relationships. Especially one's elders, but for everyone really. I'm a northerner, but I kind of like the southern custom of saying sir and ma'am. I think that when we talk that way, we not only show respect for other people, we show respect for ourselves. Moms and Dads, it's time to raise children who show respect for one's elders, for authority figures (unless they prove themselves undeserving), for parents, for our own peers.
Title: "The Giving Tree"
Text: Luke 12:13-21
Theme: The preacher can easily obtain a copy of Shel Silverstein's little children's book by this name. Every child knows this story. It makes a good illustration for a sermon on giving. It has been said that the only things we are allowed to keep through eternity are those things which we gave away. Obviously, this doesn't mean we can keep physical possessions. It means that as we give, we develop in ourselves a giving spirit, and that will be a priceless possession, not only here but hereafter.
The man in our Bible story died, according to Jesus, while on the very point of having achieved all his worldly dreams. I don't think Jesus meant that we shouldn't save for old age, or that there is something inherently wrong with amassing a comfortable savings. He meant that this must be accompanied by generosity which gives a part of what we accumulate as we go along. I always liked Robert Schuler's suggestion: Give ten percent, save ten percent, live on the rest. Of course the IRS confuses the issue when it comes to deciding what to give. The Jews who gave us the idea of tithing were, in fact, shuffling taxation and charitable giving into one dynamic. The measure which works best for me is that we give to the point that we must sacrifice something we would like to have in order to make our gift. Elsewhere, we read Jesus' story of the widow who gave a couple small coins, a gift of monumental proportion to what she had, because she had practically nothing. John Wesley recommended that we "earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can." It is estimated that he gave away over a million dollars back when, as one of my friends likes to say, a million dollars was real money.
1. Our generous gifts will bless us. That doesn't mean I should give just so I will receive some sort of blessing. It means that every time I give generously, something happens inside me. I am a better person because of my gift, and somewhere, someone else's life is a bit better too. I once read one man's rule, which I have since adopted: always give money to a street musician. He meant that literally, but symbolically, he meant that when we see someone trying to earn a bit for survival purposes, we should help. I still haven't decided about panhandlers. When I don't give them anything, I feel like a rat. When I do give, I worry that I'm helping them to continue some kind of bad habit. But maybe God would say, "Give, then."
2. Generosity involves more than money. For example, a woman recently was quoted as saying something unkind about another person. But one member of the group responded: "I know that gal. I don't believe she would say something like that." That was generosity. There are many other forms of generosity. The measure is a loving attitude and the willingness to pay a price, whether in money, time, or the subtle willingness to think the best when our lesser selves might very well take secret pleasure in another person's discomfort.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
There's a scene in Edward Albee's famous play, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf? in which Martha and George have invited some friends to their apartment to listen to one of their endless battles. George and the wife of the other professor have gone for a walk and Martha stands in the kitchen, talking to Nick. She says:
"There is only one man in my life who has ever ... made me happy. Do you know that? One. George, my husband, who is out somewhere there in the dark ... George who is good to me, and whom I revile; who understands me, and I push off; who can make me laugh, and I choke it back in my throat; who can hold me at night, so that it's warm; who keeps learning the games we play as quickly as I change the rules; who can make me happy. George and Martha. Sad, sad, sad,"
(George) "... whom I will not forgive for having come to rest; for having seen me and having said: yes, this will do; who has made the hideous, the hurting, the insulting mistake of loving me and must be punished for it. George and Martha. Sad, sad, sad."
(George) "... who tolerates, which is intolerable; who is kind, which is cruel; who understands, which is beyond comprehension ... Some day ... hah. Some night ... some stupid, liquor ridden night ... I will go too far ... and I'll either break the man's back ... or push him off for good ... which is what I deserve."
That catches the spirit of the Christian faith's attitude toward God, who doesn't love us because we qualify, but because His love cannot be resisted.
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Many centuries ago, on the island of Formosa, there was a governor named Goho. He was dearly beloved by the people, and for forty years he reigned over the wild tribesmen who resided there. It was their custom to sacrifice farm animals after the manner of the Old Testament, believing that thus they could placate their gods and thereby have plentiful harvests. But one year the weather was terrible, the harvest promised to provide little, and starvation loomed. The tribal leaders went to Governor Goho and demanded that a human sacrifice be made to the gods. Goho resisted with his every power of persuasion, but the superstitious people would not be dissuaded.
After lengthy reflection, Goho ordered that if there must be such a sacrifice, it must be done according to his rules. He ordered that the following morning, precisely at dawn, just as the light broke through, they were to be at an assigned location where they would find the victim of Goho's choosing. The victim would be wearing a red robe and a scarlet mask. They were, without hesitation, to strike and sever the victim's head.
At the appointed time, the tribal leaders were ready. Precisely at dawn they saw the figure of a person tied to a tree, wearing the scarlet mask and a red robe. They saw that Goho had kept his pledge. One of the leaders stepped forward. With a sword carefully sharpened, he struck the figure across the neck, the head rolling to their feet. When the mask was removed, they were appalled to see the face of their beloved Governor Goho.
The people were so shocked at this unnecessary sacrifice, there has never again been such a sacrifice on the island of Formosa. An order was formed called The Order Of The Red Robe. It is said that on the island of Formosa, when a man wants to show that his life has been totally changed by God, he disposes of his common robe and appears in a red robe among his people.
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Shortly after World War II, a group of German and British theologians gathered in Germany to talk about their hope for the future. One German theologian addressed the group thus: "I have just returned from a visit to several prisoner of war camps where former German soldiers are still being held prisoner. I tried to reassure them of God's continuing love and care. But they laughed and practically threw me out of the camp. They said, 'How can you speak of a faithful God when we find ourselves imprisoned, defeated, alone, miserable? Go elsewhere with that foolish talk.' "
At this point a young British theologian, Dr. James Atkinson, from whose lips I heard this story, arose and spoke. "Gentlemen," he said, "forgive me if I sound presumptuous. But surely you aren't surprised at the reaction of those men if you told them that. Instead, you might have reminded them that they were recently part of one of history's greatest atrocities. They have served a cause which is evil, which has murdered millions of innocent people, and brutalized nations. Of course they're imprisoned and miserable. They should be. God doesn't tolerate what they tried to do. If there's any evidence of a faithful God in all of this, that's it. They should rejoice in that."
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Reuel Howe, in his classic little book Herein Is Love, told of a bus driver who noticed that almost everyone who got on his bus, especially during the early morning run, looked unhappy and grumpy. He decided that his ministry in life would be to show cheer and good spirit to these people. As each person boarded, he greeted them with a smile and a kind, happy word. As time went on, people began to thank him and some told him he had changed their lives and their relationships, because he had rearranged their attitudes as they had set forth into their day. Dr. Howe pointed out that the bus driver was a church member and his ministry had been suggested to him by his personal faith. Thus, one could say his church had reached out in a significant way to change people's lives through the ministry of one of its members.
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Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 107:1-9, 43 -- "O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good."
Prayer Of The Day
Grant us the wisdom to give of our plentiful possessions, that someone somewhere, perhaps unbeknownst to us, may find a moment of joy because we were willing to sacrifice. In Jesus' name. Amen.
