This Week's Light Service Sermon

Light Service Sermons for the Month
Homemade Bread for the Heart
A Story about True Wealth
DATE: February 28, 1999
TEXT: Luke 12:13-21

My little girl after she finishes her day job as an economist in our nation's capital relaxes in the evening with her friends by teaching kick boxing aerobics a couple evenings a week. But when she was younger she had another special, special friend growing up. She affectionately called her little blue blanket her "blank-blank." This well-worn blanket became her friend. She dragged it wherever she went. She loved to cuddle with it next to her cheek and then, in went her fingers. She carried it all over the house and especially sleepovers with her friends. Gradually it stopped having its own seat in the family room but it still remained her bed partner for a number of years.
I imagine that if that blanket could talk to Stacy, it might have said something like: Stacy, I'm glad to be your friend. Even though you drag me over the rocks. Even though you spill milk on me at mealtime. Even though I get slammed in the car door many times, I like being your friend. But, Stacy, I have to tell you something. You see, there will come a day when you will no longer need me. In fact, Stacy, to tell you the truth, you really don't need me right now. You see, I'm just a blanket. I cannot really protect you from the wind and rain--I'm too thin. I cannot protect you from all the flying objects your brother throws. And when those adults try to take you away from Mom and hold you, I cannot protect you because, little one, I'm just a blanket.
You and I deep down in our hearts all need a sense of security. We're born with this need. And probably each of us has at least one, maybe several, security blankets that we like to hold onto. My question for you this morning is what's yours? What's your security blanket?
For some of us it may be friends. We grab onto a family member, a spouse, a child, a parent or friend with whom when we are with them, we feel secure. Some of us grab onto our job. We talk often about "job security." When we're working we feel secure. Others may grab onto their house. When we're inside our house we feel safe and secure.
But most Americans, as we grow older, let go of this baby's security blanket and replace it with this---it's green, much thinner, much smaller---money. If money could talk, I would imagine it would say the same thing to us that the baby blanket said to Stacy: I'm just money. I can't really give you security. I can't protect you from the storms and the winds of life that attack you. I'm just money.
Yet, somehow, we live with the illusion that this money, like a child's blanket, can give us security.
That's what one man thought when he asked Jesus the question we read in our text today, "Jesus, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. Tell my brother to divide the 'security blanket' with me." Jesus knew that this was not a matter of money. Jesus knew this was not a matter of justice or fairness between two brothers. Jesus wisely knew that this was a matter of the heart--a matter of security. And so Jesus told them a story about a farmer who reaped abundant crops and in this abundance he asked, ""What should I do? I have no place to store my crops? I'll build bigger barns." And so he tore down his barns and built bigger barns and stored all his crops. He said, "I'll say to myself, 'Self, relax. You've got everything you need for years to come. Eat, drink, and be merry!"
Then just as this man had filled his barns, just as he had packed his suitcase to go on his retirement trip to Tahiti, he died. God said, "You fool, what now?" And so it is with those who store up treasures on earth but are not rich toward God.
In this passage is Jesus criticizing wealth? I don't think so. Is he criticizing money? Probably not. Is Jesus criticizing someone who worked hard to plant the seed and water the crop and now has an abundant crop? Absolutely not. But Jesus is going for the heart and asking the questions, "Is having it all in this life enough?"
In seeking wealth in our society, our culture's belief system says, "Keep what you got. Protect it at any cost. Then go after more and more and more as fast and as hard as you can because you can have it all! Go for it!"
There is one fundamental problem with this approach. It doesn't work. First, we don't have time to go for it all, even if we could. There's too much "ALL" in this world for us to seek after. The moment that I finally find that something I'm looking for, my mind is racing off for something else, something more. We can NEVER have enough.
The famous billionaire John D. Rockefeller was once asked by a reporter, "How much money does it really take to satisfy a person?" He wisely responded, "Always a little bit more."
That's been our dilemma and plight for centuries. In fact, thousands of years ago it was Solomon's. Solomon was the Bill Gates, the Henry Kissinger and the Hugh Hefner of our day all rolled into one. He was the wisest man of his day. He was the wealthiest man of his day. And he went after anyone in skirts his heart desired. In Ecclesiastes we read what he says about his ambition and his wealth. Solomon says, "I made my works great. I built myself houses and planted myself vineyards. I made myself watering pools. I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all that were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of the kings and princes. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all that were before me. Also my wisdom remained with me and whatever my wives desired, I did not keep from them."
I don't know about you, but that sounds like a man who has it all. And yet consider what Solomon (who one would think would be quite content) says. Consider his conclusions about his wealth. Ecclesiastes 5:12 " the excesses of the rich will still not let them sleep." Ecclesiastes 1:14, "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun and indeed all is vanity and grasping for the wind."
An ancient Roman proverb says, "Wealth is like salty sea water. The more we drink it, the more thirsty we become."
So what is God saying to us about wealth? About our security? A wise old sage once said, "There are those who have money, and there are those who are rich." I believe that God wants you and I to be truly rich. To have wealth in the richest and fullest sense of that term. It may not be physical wealth. But Jesus says, "I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly!" Richly!
So how do we discover that kind of wealth? The wealth that brings us true and lasting security? I'd like to share with you four secrets of true wealth. And I've chosen the letter of the word RICH to help you remember them.
R=We RECEIVE everything as a gift from God. You may work hard. You may sweat and shed tears over your job. But ultimately, all that we have we receive is a gift from God.
There's a man from India who first arrived in the United States at one of our large modern airports. When he arrived in the airport, he stood in shock--he thought he had landed on another planet. He had never seen anything like this before! He saw the rows and rows of food, the magazines, the newspapers, and the beautiful upholstered chairs. He saw restrooms that you didn't have to pay to use--they even had hot and cold running water. He saw well-lit rooms with people dressed so nicely. This airport was bigger than his village and it was completely air-conditioned and carpeted from wall to wall! He stood in amazement. But then he watched the people as they scurried from place to place, acting like they really didn't even appreciate this beautiful terminal. Finally he turned to his friend, "These people live in paradise. I wonder if they'll ever know."
Friends, we may wish we had more. We may feel poor at times. But in relation to the rest of this world, we live in paradise. Wealth is not a matter of material possessions. Appreciating and enjoying what we have no matter how much or little it may be is what makes us wealthy.
A woman felt really poor and sorry for herself. One cold evening a couple of kids knocked on her door and asked if they could come in and warm up from the storm. She invited them in and asked them to sit down. She served them some hot chocolate. As she was serving the hot chocolate, the little girl looked up at her and said, "Ma'am, are you rich?" "Why do you ask if I'm rich?" The girl said, "Your tea cup and saucer match."
We live in paradise and when we appreciate what God has given us, when we receive all that we have as a gift from God, we can experience the wealth and the abundance that comes from within.
I=We INVEST our wealth in others. The apostle Paul so beautifully describes to his friend Timothy in 1 Corinthians 6 the goal of our wealth. He says, "Tell the people to go after God who piles on all the riches you could ever manage, to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they'll do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, giving life that is truly life."
I love that phrase, "be rich in helping others." Not the mind set, "Well Lord, this is MY money, and you can have anything you can pry from my hands." That mindset believes that what I give to charity or a needy person or a church is something that's being stolen from me. It's mine. I have it and now it's being stolen. Instead God turns it around and says, "A cheerful giver is one who believes that God has given it all to us. And when I give, I'm investing in someone or something I truly believe in. It's an investment that has a lasting impact.
That's what makes us a cheerful giver--giving is investing joyfully in something we believe in.
We invest our resources in others.
C=CHOOSE what wants you really want.
Let me describe it this way. All of us have a few basic needs: air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear, shelter, and chocolate chip cookies. Above and beyond those basic needs, physically speaking, everything else is a want. Our task is to prayerfully choose what want is REALLY a want out of all the things that would be nice to have. And that's a prayerful process--letting God guide us and remembering that as we make those choices, some things have eternal value. What things are eternal investments of our resources?
There was a young ambitious college student who was sitting with his grandpa one day. His wise old grandpa asked him, "Grandson, what do you want to do with your life?" He said, "Well, I'm going to finish school so that I can get a great job." The grandfather said, "Okay. Then what?" "Then I'll get a better job and make lots and lots of money." "Then what?" "Then I'll probably retire some day and spend all this money that I've accumulated." "Then what?" "Well, I suppose, someday I'll die." "Then what?" asked the grandfather.
It's that last "then what" that keeps me going. It reminds me that ultimately our security is not in this life. As much as we try to hang on and hold on tight to our security blankets. There's ultimate security as we are in relationship to Jesus Christ for eternity. We claim the promise that even though our bodies will deteriorate, as will these "security blankets" the day will come when we will celebrate with God forever. There will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more pain. Ultimate security with God. Which leads me to my last point.
H=We are rich, truly rich when we HOLD on to the one who HOLDS onto us. Listen to the promises of the Psalms. The psalmist in Psalm 46 says, "God, you are my refuge and strength." A place of security and strength.
Psalm 84 says, "You are my sun and my shield." A protection, a hard armor against the attacks of life. Psalm 59, "Lord, you are my hiding place." A safe secure place when we feel all alone.
Jesus who became poor on your behalf suffered and died on the cross so that you might be rich. That Jesus says to you, "Come to me. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I will be there for you." Jesus is the one security blanket worth holding on to. As we put our trust in him then we can receive all that we have as a gift from God. We can invest our lives and our resources into the lives of others joyfully and find ourselves being truly rich. We can choose the best things in life out of all the things that are good. And we can hold onto God because God holds onto us.
AMEN