In today’s gospel lesson Jesus speaks to his disciples about their relationship with material possessions. As he does at many points throughout Luke’s gospel, he explains that their stance toward possessions is a very important indicator of their relationship to God, if not the most important.
Those of you who have had to make a move recently know about how quickly stuff can accumulate. So much so that two people can sit in the living room scratching their heads wondering how they are ever going to get rid of it.
We live in an economy based on increased production so we can increase consumption. As demands increase, the economy grows, we are told. The assumption is that prosperity and more consumption makes us happy.
There are problems, however, with this way of living in the world. One is that not everybody is happy. Some see that others have more and start to harbor feelings of resentment that lead to conflict. As for those who possess the most, even they apparently aren’t a lot happier than those who have less. Studies on happiness show that once people have their basic needs met, the level of happiness does not increase significantly for people with more stuff.
The other major problem with unrestrained consumption is that we now live on an overstuffed planet. Taking into account the presence of toxins in many products and the dangers they pose to us and the environment, and the huge challenges of disposing of our stuff when we’re finished with it, we are left with an environmental in crisis. So how do we get off this merry-go-round of non-stop consumption and waste, things that are hurting our planet, our neighbors and ourselves?
As a starting point, I suggest that we refer to the gospel of Luke. Without using economic terms like production and consumption, Jesus has plenty to say about possessions. In Luke we find a Jesus who often casts salvation in terms of how we deal with money and property. Beginning with chapter 12, which our lesson is taken from today, we recognize just how much we can get too wrapped up in our possessions. In the parable that precedes this, there is the story of the rich, young fool.
We remember how he had such abundant crops that he decided he should tear down his barns and build bigger ones in order to store all that he owned without thinking for his neighbors needs. So he kicked back and congratulated himself on how much stuff he had, saying to himself, “Relax, eat, drink and be merry!”
What he didn’t know was that he was going to die that very night, and even though he may have had the most toys, he still didn’t win. So God said to him “And the things you have stored up, whose will they be?“
So it is for those who store up treasures for themselves, but are not rich toward God.” Jesus tries his best to impress upon us the need to connect our inner integrity with how we spend our money. So what do we do instead? Jesus says the answer depends on one thing. Where does your heart belong?
Where do we want our hearts to belong? If you say you want your heart to belong to God—not just 50%, not just 75%, but 100% to God—then Jesus has a simple answer for you according to Jesus, “wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Those who spend their time fretting about possessions make the choice to invest their hearts in stuff that will end up in the garbage. Those who choose to trust in God’s provision, so that they are free to receive the wealth that God can give, are investing their hearts in values that last. And bring lasting satisfaction.
I’ve often heard that if we just get people’s hearts right then the money will follow. But that’s really just the opposite of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus says to get your wallet right, and then hearts will follow. To whom do you want your heart to belong? Then put your money there. So maybe it is a lot more fun to give away possessions than suffer through the headaches that go with owning, maintaining, insuring, storing, and moving it all, from place to place.
But what I’ve also learned is that as time passes, we are shaped by our commitments and loyalties, which add up to a particular way of life. If you enjoy reading, you are tempted to accumulate books.
If you have children, you are trying to provide for their needs and discern the difference between what they need and what will only provide short-lived entertainment destined for the landfill.
Material possessions in and of themselves are not sinful, but they all too easily become the center of our lives such that there isn’t space for God. It can get to the point that we don’t own them; they own us!—and thus blind us to the critical needs of others. My son, Colin, said an interesting thing the other day. He said, “Dad, with people my age we are not into stuff, we are more into experiences.” So advertisers now sell an experience along with whatever stuff they want you to buy. Look at the car commercial where the car is propped up on some outcropping in Utah advertizing, not the car, but the so called experience of freedom and power.
At the beginning of today’s gospel we heard four words, and they are four of the most important in the whole Bible: Do not be afraid. Elsewhere Jesus has told us to not be afraid in the middle of a raging storm, or in the dark of night, or when he appeared after his resurrection. Don’t be afraid to take the leap of faith and give. Invest in the kingdom of heaven with all our heart.
You are a very generous congregation, but the fears are real. For some faith is always in competition with anxiety; these are often intertwined l together. Who isn’t worried about saving for retirement and college tuition, health care costs, declining real estate values and stock portfolios, getting or keeping a good job?
These have a bearing on the ways we attempt to provide security for ourselves and our families. Jesus doesn’t deny what life can do to us.
He just wants to give us the kingdom of heaven and all the love, joy, peace, and hope that accompany it, the kind of treasures where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Our true security lies in the truth that the reign of God is always closer than we realize, and that makes all the difference. Our best intentions aren’t worth much when they are only intentions.
Every Sunday morning we pray thy kingdom come thy will be done. Whenever and wherever God’s will is done God’s Kingdom comes. If you believe in the kingdom of heaven, you will make room in your life to make it here on earth, as it is in heaven, and you do and you are.
However, you believe what makes the world go around is chance, or human aggressiveness, or the laws of supply and demand, then Jesus’ words make little sense.
The reality of God’s rule over the world is the only justifiable reason for a carefree attitude toward life’s necessities and the willingness to share our possessions with the poor. On the days when you need to be reminded of this, just go outside and watch the birds. They neither sow nor reap; yet God cares for them, the seemingly most carefree of all God’s creatures. Notice how birds do a lot of work getting worms out from the ground. We also work hard, but the ingredients for a fruitful life are also nearby.
Jesus says you’re even more valuable than these birds. Remember that life is a gift, both to be treasured and to be shared. Most important of all, your heart, always and everywhere, belongs to God. Let’s live lives that express that truth. Where you spend your money, there your heart will be. Let’s give it to God’s work so that our hearts can be truthful in expressing to whom they belong.