The Rich Fool
Rev. Christina
M. Neilson
April 1, 2007
Unitarian Universalist
Singer/Songwriter Malvena Reynolds sings, “Love is something if you give it
away, you end up having more. It’s just
like a magic penny- hold it tight and you won’t have any. Lend it, spend it, and you’ll have so many,
they’ll roll all over the floor.”
This is a song of faith, of
trust. How many of us trust that we will
have enough? That if we spend our money,
it will just magically reappear? Who
among us clings to our money with a death grip, certain that disaster is around
the corner, waiting to grab all that we’ve saved so ardently. It’s hard to let go and trust, to know that
by giving away we’ll end up having more.
I don’t believe that money
magically appears. I am no rich fool,
oblivious to the dependence on money in western society. I save for emergencies and beyond. I like to know that I have money for
vacation, for retirement, for unexpected circumstances. I don’t expect anyone to rescue me if I lack,
so how can I afford to let go?
Money has been a source of concern
since its creation. Our text today
begins with a Jewish brawl, two brothers who are arguing over the inheritance
laws at the time. It was usual at that
time for the older brother to inherit twice what the younger did. They were trying to keep the land in the
family, so that all of the family members could continue to be supported by
it. The family didn’t want the land to
be split up into many pieces, and able to support no one. Jewish laws were set up for preservation.
But the younger brother wants
more. He asks Jesus to divide the
property for them. He wants his share,
as all the family assets are in the land, and the brother refuses to split
it. He has a legitimate request. Should Jesus grant it?
Jesus doesn’t take sides. He says, “Take care!
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in
the abundance of possessions.”
When you think about it,
Jesus' word to his First Century disciples is a radical statement even today:
"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
This runs contrary to they way our society thinks and values and lives. For example, our reality seems to be that
·
Rich people are more successful than poor people.
·
Wealthy people are more important than poor people.
·
Well-to-do people are more sought after to serve on
civic boards and commissions, since they bring status, money, and presumably
have wisdom.
·
Well-off people are more believable in court than the
poor.
Success in our culture is
calibrated largely in terms of quantity -- quantity of degrees, wealth, salary,
perks, possessions, and publications. We are ambitious; we are trained by our
society to want more, to strive for more.
But Jesus says, "A man's life
does not consist in the abundance of his possessions". And that suggests
that we must choose to change, or try to convince others that we really aren’t
greedy. Not us! Most of us don't need to look far to see
greed. Most times we can see it in ourselves, unless we are willing to
systematically root it out. Poverty is
no guarantee against greed. In fact, poverty is a breeding ground for a lust
for money. Don’t we all secretly wish we could win the lottery? Don’t we really believe deep down, that if
only we had enough money, we would be insulated from all the hardships in
life?
I’ve been rich and I’ve been
poor. Rich is better. There was a time in my life when I slept on
the theatre set and wore costumes for clothing.
I barely had enough money for food.
And I’ve had times when I could afford to hop in a plane and fly to the
coast for dinner on a whim, and vacation in Europe.
There is no glamour or seduction in
digging your next meal out of a trash bin.
No dignity in wearing ragged clothes, or having no place to sleep. God does not ask us to give up all our
earthly processions in order to be right with our soul. Our soul needs a body
that’s nourished, a mind that is challenged.
But how do we know what is enough?
Jesus
uses the moment to teach us about greed in his parable, he says, “The land of a rich man
produced abundantly.
17And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to
store my crops?’
18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build
larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many
years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’
20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being
demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not
rich toward God.”
If a jury of your peers were to
examine your life and bank accounts and every action, would they believe that
you are strongly motivated (even primarily motivated) by money? Are you poor
and feel resentful toward the wealthy? Are you wealthy, but give only in a
limited way to the poor, or not at all?[1]
What does it mean to be rich toward
God? To me it means true abundance, or
what Parker Palmer calls, “Authentic abundance.
I liked that Jesus used the example of storing grain. It makes sense of course because he was
talking to an agrarian society. The younger brother does have a right to some
inheritance. And yet, if he demands that the property be split between the two
of them, neither one may have enough land to sustain their needs. If his greed
drives him to split the land, he is a rich fool. If he does not get what he deserves, if the
grain is not used and distributed, it will only rot and go to waste. That will hardly secure their future.
Grain is not something that can be
stored indefinitely, even with modern silos and storing techniques. If the
older brother keeps the grain to himself, he is a rich fool.
If he tears down the old barns, and
makes new and bigger barns, he will simply have a big barn full of rotted
grain, for they hold more than one family can use. You cannot grow a bigger soul with a bigger
barn. Treasures do not satisfy us. If
the brothers think they do, they are both fools.
They are concerned about the wrong
things in life. Jesus says, “Do not
worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will
wear. For life is more than food, and
body more than clothing.” The body, mind
and soul are all connected. If we
neglect one, we neglect the other. Our
attitude about wealth makes the difference.
The brothers can arrange their
finances so that both benefit, or both suffer.
There is enough for both, if they trust the earth’s supply. This parable isn’t just about equitable
division of property. It is about
trusting that there will be enough. That
is authentic abundance, like the “magic penny”- when we generate more of
whatever seems scarce by trusting it’s supply and passing it around. Authentic
abundance does not lie in secured stockpiles of food or cash, or influence or
affection, but in belonging to a community where we can give those goods to
others who need them, and receive them from others when we are in need.[2]
That is not magic, that is faith. Faith in
God’s abundance, faith that the earth will produce, faith that people with
generous hearts will share. Jesus sees beyond the futile request for security
in things and sees beyond them to a more enduring reality.
Greed kills the spirit. Greed is the desire to have more. It is the desire to take from others, rather
than give. Jesus never calls either
brother greedy. He only asks them to
consider each other’s needs and the good of all. Where do you fit in this story? What does it
take to satisfy your soul?
Giving generously is a threat to
the scarcity thinking that dominates in our society. Faith shakes the
foundation of rich foolishness. I give
generously, but not because I believe that money will magically appear. I don’t
even do it because I’m a good person who feels obligated. I do it because I’m selfish. I give it because it feels good. I love to support the church because I know
it supports the community.
I join in with others who believe
the work that we do is important. I need
to feel important. We all do. We need to feel as if our life matters. We need meaning in our lives. We need to feel part of something larger than
ourselves. The bible calls this being
rich with God. We may say we feel connected to the interdependent web. We may say that we are part of a covenanted
community. We are rich in ways no wealth
can buy. The value of belonging is
priceless. Abundance does not happen
automatically. It happens when we choose
community and celebrate our common store.
Together our money grows, not out
of some mystical, abstract magic, but because people working together to build
what they believe in, what they feel is important is magical.
We are trying to build a solid
foundation as a church community. We’re
not seeking mega growth, building barns for grain we will not use. We are trying to do things that make sense
for this church community. Our pledge
renewal goals are to start saving some money to pay for an administrator in a
year. We want to try to get around half
of that salary so we aren’t hit with big increases all at once. We want to restore some money to the committee
budgets. We want to be able to pay our
fair share of the district and UUA dues.
We want reasonable salary increases.
This will cost us, if we each contribute our share, about a 7% increase
over your previous pledge. I hope each
of you will continue to pledge generously.
We have a solid foundation of
worship, pastoral care, outreach, education, administration and specialized
ministries, such as young adults, over 50’s, GLBT, and people with
disabilities. We’ve been adding
structure to our committees through the development of some policies that have
been needed. I truly feel that the stewardship of this church’s assets has been
outstanding. We take care of what we
have, and we are not asking for more than we need to keep this community
thriving.
This sermon is ultimately about
trust. Trust that each will give their
share. I trust that together we make
this a valuable ministry to the community, whether that be to sustain the
church, to create a food pantry or community dinner, or to remodel rooms for
homeless women.
I trust that as individuals, we
will strive to take care of ourselves responsibly, that we will save some of
our money for our future needs, that we will give some money for those outside
of us, and that we will use the rest of our money to care for our needs and our
family needs. It’s not responsible to just
give it all away and neglect your own needs.
Nor is it responsible to hoard it all for a rainy day. Dividing your
money between caring for your needs, saving some and giving some results in a
healthy balance.
And giving love is the same way for
me. I don’t carelessly toss out “I love
you” to just anyone. It’s a feeling I reserve for those I truly
care about. I care about my partner and
my family. I will take care of them. I care about community, especially about our
church community. I believe in all of
you. I will give as generously as I
can. I care about particular causes in
the community. I will support them as
well.
This is what I trust- that when we
focus our time, money and energy on those people and communities that we love
and believe in, that love and money will expand. And there will be enough. And we will feel good and generous and
grateful to have it as part of our lives.