Sermon: The Heart of Christianity, Luke 12:10-17

       

Luke 12:10-17

What is the heart of Christianity? This is a fundamentally important question, which Christians must always go back to. The heart of Christianity is Jesus Christ, and the great gift of eternal life and ultimate healing he brings us. Jesus Christ, eternal, and truly God, came into this world as a human being to save humanity from its sin. Jesus came into our world on the biggest rescue mission ever. This was utterly and entirely at the initiative of God. Jesus found and saved us. We did not save ourselves. We did not find Jesus. Jesus found us. God deserves the glory for our salvation.  We do not. God’s decision was outside humanity’s control. If you read the gospel accounts, a basic fact of Jesus becomes perfectly clear: Jesus cannot be controlled.

Throughout the gospel accounts Jesus resists efforts to intimidate, manipulate, bribe, or in any way dissuade him from his life-giving mission. The effort to pull him off course began in the wilderness with the voice of Satan, and finished upon the cross at Golgotha. Both efforts failed to suppress or contain the life giving word of God.

 In today’s Gospel lesson we  read about one of  the  many  confrontations Jesus had with the religious authorities. Today we read about the  indignant leader of the synagogue, angry at Jesus for healing a woman on the Sabbath. This man surely knew his Torah well, and had a clear, concrete, idea of right and wrong.  He was a religious expert who knew what the law clearly said—or so he thought. He was so confident that he had no problem using faith as a weapon. Jesus not only exposes the man’s hypocrisy, but ,through our Lord’s healing actions, also reveals the true nature of the Sabbath. He proclaims this same truth with words in Mark 2:27-28: “ The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” The Sabbath is a gift from God to humanity. It is a gift which comes from where all true gifts come—from the heart of God. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath because he himself is the greatest gift God has given to the world. But the religious authorities lost sight of the true purpose of the Sabbath and did not recognize its Lord when he was standing face to face with them.  As we read today’s lesson it is very easy to shake our heads over such blindness.

It may be easy to  shake our heads, but how often in the history of  the Church, have Christians lost sight of the true purpose of the Sabbath, and the mission of its Lord? How often has church life been defined by stringent rules and regulations which have nothing to do with God’s Law, but are the inventions of human beings?

I once new a man who grew up in a very strict church environment, where Sabbath was meticulously observed.  This not only included time spent at church, but the time afterward. No playing or entertainment was allowed. On a scorching hot day, he and his siblings were allowed to go swimming to cool off, but only with the understanding that they were not to have any fun. Fun was forbidden!  Unfortunately, the impression that Christianity is fundamentally about rules and regulations has not gone away easily. Many non-Christians, and Christians, in fact, believe that the adherence to a strict moral code is the heart of Christianity. Christianity, to many, is a dreary, heavy, depressing, no-fun religion. But this is not true. Jesus Christ, and the Grace and healing he gives, is the heart of the Christian Faith. Living by Grace means living in the liberation given by and through Jesus Christ.

Sadly, many have turned  from the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath. We live in a place and time where honouring the Sabbath is rare. The Sabbath has, to use the words of Isaiah, been “trampled” on in modern society, as people use God’s Holy day to pursue their own interests.

“ Hold on a second”, some might exclaim, “ didn’t Jesus say that the Sabbath was made for humankind?” “Doesn’t that mean we can do what we like?”

Clearly, we need to be very careful about how we interpret these words of our Lord. That the Sabbath was made for humankind, does not mean that humans should do what they like with it. Rather the Sabbath is the special space in which God’s glorious and gracious gift to humanity is to be received.  We need look no further than the woman in today’s gospel lesson  for a role model of proper Sabbath observance. This woman , who had had struggled with a serious disability for eighteen years, was called over by Jesus. She answered the call and went to him. When she went, Jesus healed her, set her free, from her ailment. To be set free means to live in the light of eternal life, which shines perpetually. Being set free does not necessarily mean physical healing, but it means spiritual liberation from the bondage of sin from which we cannot free ourselves—a bondage which causes us to be turned in on ourselves, and be less than who we were created to be. Jesus gives that liberation, and it is a totally free gift! To celebrate the Sabbath is to celebrate that gift. That gift comes to us especially through hearing the Word proclaimed, and through receiving the sacraments. But we must also know that God’s gracious gifts extend beyond the walls of the church. God’s Sabbath gifts reach us everywhere. Sabbath keeping is truly marked by an attitude of gratitude.

The Sabbath is a gift from the Lord who has given the greatest gift of all. All Christians are called to proclaim this good news. How are you going to do? How are your going to get the message across in your time and place? Perhaps one good place to start is by refuting the popular stereotype of Sabbath keeping, and the popular and convenient stereotypes of contemporary culture. Lutherans are known for the politeness. But there is nothing rude about gently challenging popular and inaccurate perceptions. The best way to do that is by sharing your own faith story, and about what Sabbath has meant, and continues to mean, to you. All Christians are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ, so that others will  also be transformed by it!  So let us go forth today proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ!  Now may the peace which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Why Greed Isn't Good: Sermon, Pentecost 10

August 1: Pentecost 10

 Luke 12:13-21

It would not be an overgeneralization to say that money is a significant source of worry for most Canadians. A recent Reuters survey found that 65 percent of Canadians regularly lost sleep over finances during the last year. As these folks were tossing and turning their heads were filled with worry about paying off debt, not having enough for retirement, or an emergency fund.

The wealthy or extremely wealthy are not out of the woods as far as worry goes either. The financial crisis which swept across the US almost two years ago demonstrated how precarious the economy can be. Fortunes can be won, but fortunes can also be lost, and with the loss of fortune go the loss of identity, self esteem, and reputation.  It would not be an overgeneralization to say that more money you have, the more money you have to worry about.

          In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus is confronted by a worried man. We don’t know much about him, but we do know that he was worried about money or material wealth. He was worried about his  inheritance, worried that he would not receive his share--that his brother was withholding what should rightfully belong to him. So the man enlisted the aid of Jesus to get him what he thought he deserved.

There are many today like that young man. How many people turn to Jesus in order to get the money they think they deserve? How many television evangelists have come and gone promising that if you turn to Jesus you will get wealthy beyond your wildest dreams? This is called the success gospel, and it is very popular. But as we read today, Jesus affirms that he is not what many would like him to be—the  cosmic candy man, who dispenses goodies at the behest of the pious. 

Instead of complying with the man’s request,  Jesus issues an admonishment: “ Be on your guard against all kinds of greed!” All kinds of greed has been a  constant throughout human history. What is greed? Greed is defined as an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods.  In the 1986 film, the fictional character Gordon Gekko, a corporate raider, proudly proclaimed that “Greed is Good”. It is a sad reality that much operation in the financial world follows this ethic, and it is a fundamentally truth that greed has infected human relationships at all levels—from the  ruthless cigar chomping corporate raider to the  sulking child who deprives his little sister of a chocolate cookie out of an insatiable desire to stuff himself with another. Greed comes in many different forms—greed for money, greed for power, greed for control over another.

But  the ethic of greed is based upon a faulty premise, a flawed starting point. This is the point of the parable we hear in today’s gospel lesson. In this lesson, Jesus does not use an exaggerated example to  illustrate the end point of greed.  He doesn’t  provide an example so far removed from common experience that we could never possibly relate to the motivation of its main character. Rather he uses the  example of a  rich farmer. And as we read what Jesus tells about his behavior, we might, if we are truly honest with ourselves, even say that this man was  prudent—that we might under the same circumstances do the  exact same thing. In fact, what this wealthy man does, is exactly what many people do—invest, and save, with the hope  of living off their fortunes.  So what is the problem? Well, first of all, Jesus isn’t speaking here about prudence and wisely setting aside resources for the future. He is, rather, speaking about idol making. The fortunes which many have amassed have become that in which they place ultimate trust. Their fortunes become, for them, god. Herein lies the root sin of greediness. As Paul points out in today’s epistle reading, greed is idolatry. Greed turns money and possessions into gods. Greed must therefore be condemned by the true God who  issued the first Commandment: “ You shall have no other gods.”

Since the wage of sin is death, a death sentence has been pronounced upon all greediness. You will nowhere encounter a more succinct  description of where greed ultimately leads than that given in today’s Old Testament reading from Ecclesiastes. This comes from the section of the Old Testament referred to as wisdom, and for good reason. In these pages of scripture you will encounter Holy fundamental wisdom concerning the human condition. The teacher of the lesson set out to see the end point of all human accumulation, and what he discovered was not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but emptiness. All of that work, all of that effort put into gathering was an effort put forth in vain.  He concludes by asking, “ What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest.”  Death has been called the great leveler, and for good reason. In death, accumulated material  wealth means nothing. Even the best adorned casket cannot  erase that stark reality.

It is quite evident that the young man to whom Jesus speaks in today’s gospel lesson does not have a rested mind, and surely experienced much vexation But he is not left without hope. Jesus tells him plainly what it truly means to be rich. To truly be rich is to be rich toward God.

What exactly  does it mean to be rich toward God? The first thing we need to know about being rich toward God, is understanding where our wealth comes from, and what true wealth is. Being truly wealthy is living in the reality of God’s great gift of eternal life. This is the only enduring source of wealth we can ever enjoy. But it is not something we have earned, acquired, or own—it is a gift which comes to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is given to us in baptism.

In today’s epistle reading, St Paul reminds the Colossian Christians about  what true wealth means. He reminds them that they are raised with Christ, and being raised with Christ means a radical reordering of values and priorities. It means setting their minds on things that are above, not on earthly things. Paul is not telling them not to enjoy God’s physical gifts, or to enjoy what is offered in the physical world. To believe this is to misinterpret his message and to downgrade God beautiful creation. Rather he is telling them not to treat earthly things as idols. Therefore he admonishes them to put to death the idolatrous pull to the earthly—to put to death fornication, which is sex outside of marriage, put to death impurity, put to death evil desires and greed. With these things must go anger, malice, wrath, slander,  abusive language,  and lying. For these things are all remnants of the earthly way of doing things, all built on an orientation which does not see beyond the physical and trusts ultimately in that which is earthly. But this is the way of vanity.

Christ brings transformation, and a new self and a new orientation to reality, and a new way of thinking which is in accordance with our creator. With this new knowledge comes a new attitude toward possessions, toward saving, toward giving. With this new knowledge we are capable of seeing at length what we would otherwise be incapable of even getting a glimpse at—the eternal. With the eternal perspective in mind we need not toss and turn at night about our investments. With the eternal perspective in mind, we can share freely, knowing that we are guided by a higher vision and purpose. With the eternal perspective in mind we can be who we have been called to be, the ambassadors of Christ to a world which desperately needs to be transformed by His word.  Jesus has fed us and sustains us. We in turn are called to be rich toward God, and being rich toward God means being rich toward those whom he loves, and whom he loves are all people.  Jesus calls us to be bold in this love. So let us always and everywhere pray for the strength to be so. Now, may the peace  which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.