August 4, 2013
“Bigger Barns”
Rev. Mark R. Miller
Luke 12:13-31
It was one of those random moments
where a student asks the teacher a question and the entire class thinks to
themselves, “What on earth are you talking about?” The question is so utterly off topic that you
wonder if the student is listening. Up
to this point Jesus has been talking about the life of a disciple. There has been teaching on hypocrisy, God’s
faithfulness, how to pray, and the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the
community, and the need to not be afraid.
It is pretty powerful stuff.
And then, and then a hand goes
up. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide
the family inheritance with me.” You can
almost hear someone say, “Really? Weren’t you listening?” Fortunately, Jesus does not dismiss the man’s
foolishness. Like any good teacher he
knows this is a teachable moment. Jesus
quickly discerns that the question is rooted in greed, selfishness, and
fear.
It would be easy to use this man
as a foil. But before we beat up on the
man too much, it is important to know that he was most likely a person in
need. In Deuteronomy the laws are very
clear about inheritance. It only goes to
the men and most of it to the oldest son.
Two-thirds of the estate belongs to the older brother. It appears that he is not giving the younger
brother his third. The issue for this
man is fairness and justice for himself.
Jesus is not blind to these things.
He seems to understand this man needs a change of focus.
Jesus understands the power and
pull of materialism. This man is
distracted by one thing. It is one thing
that stands in his way of faithful discipleship. Money or lack thereof is keeping him from
focusing on living as a disciple. This
results in Jesus reframing the question and helping to open his eyes. “Take care! Be on your guard against all
kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
To make this point Jesus tells a
parable meant to show the foolish impulse of hoarding. Massive accumulation of wealth consumes our
whole being. The man already has full
barns. He already has more than he needs
or can use. So with no thought of sharing
his overabundance he builds bigger barns.
Or today, we might call them off shore bank accounts to avoid corporate
taxes. How else will we be able to pay
billions of dollars to those who serve as CEO of the worlds’ major
corporations? Jesus’ response to this is
simple, “You people are fools!”
Once again we come face to face
with how the biblical story and our culture are at odds. Our
consumer culture has tapped into something deep in the human spirit. We all have God-given desires. But consumerism has gotten those desires out
of order. In a consumer society,
everything becomes a commodity to be bought and sold – the value of everything
and everyone is based upon their utility to us.
Just like the man whose desire is for his inheritance and the desire for
bigger barns, the underlying motivation is selfishness, what is in it for me.
Thomas Aquinas, monk and medieval
theologian, had much to teach on the issue of property. Property, like anything else, should be
regarded as a gift from God, he said.
And, that gift is only valid if we use it for the benefit of others. In other words, life and possessions are a
gift of God to be used to advance God’s agenda of care and compassion,
precisely for those who lack resources to provide for themselves. For Jesus and for his followers, money is not
a neutral topic and that is why healthy communities of faith learn to see money
as deeper spiritual issue. Indeed it is
practical. The building must be fixed
and bills must be paid, but it is not simply a practical issue. And when we separate out our discussion about
resources from our corporate and spiritual life, it is a sign that our
spiritual life is not healthy.
A few years ago I read an article
about money, faith, and the local congregation.
It said that one of the simple truths about money is this: “Money matters reveal the true heart of a
congregation.” How is money used? How is money talked about? These are the questions that reveal the most
about our spiritual health. So how are
we doing with our money? (Big Pause)
Being
very deliberate with our money is important.
In fact, I cannot say this enough.
Planning with our money is essential – ignoring it is not the way
forward, in our homes or in the congregation.
The plan must be rooted in our faith values. The long term goals must be focused on the
building of disciples for ministry in the world. The simple truth is that we cannot do
everything. And we need to learn to say
no more often, we cannot and should not do everything, but we cannot fall into
the trap of the young man. It is not
about us and our desires.
What does it mean for Westminster
to be rich toward God? It means that our
first desire is to order our desires in God’s desires. It means that we as a small congregation
cannot jump at everything that comes along.
It means we must stop comparing ourselves with what other communities
are doing. Just because it worked
somewhere else does not mean that is God’s plan for us here. We have been called by God to invite people
into deeper relationship with God and one another for all that means along the
Delmar Divide.
There isn’t enough money for
that. That is too expensive. Those are not unimportant
considerations. It is true that there
are some things we simply cannot do because of resources of time, people, and
money. However, those words seem to take
on a life of their own. They become a
way to hide our true feelings. If there
isn’t enough money no more discussion needs to be had. And this is the flip side of what is
happening with the young man. Everything,
all the kingdom conversations, healings, breaking bread, have to come to a halt
until we deal with the practical issues of the money. Until we have exhausted all possibilities
through prayer and discernment, our best creative minds, saying there isn’t
money for something is a sign we need to attend more closely to our spiritual
life. So let us commit to do just that,
to keep one another accountable and remember that bigger barns, or bigger
endowments, or bigger congregations were not the building blocks Jesus sought
in showing us how to be part of God’s work.
Amen?
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