31 Jul SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

To a cry for equity regarding a share of his family’s inheritance, Jesus replies, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” To someone whose favorite activity is poking around thrift stores, his words give me pause. 

Seriously, I try Lord. While looking around, I ask myself, “Is this a need or a want; is this functional or merely decorative?” I think about the fact I’m running out of room. I’m reminded there are plenty of folks like me, with spare rooms already full of stuff at home. 

We’re all aware that an abundance of possessions: either stuff purchased and held onto or stuff acquired then discarded is not unusual. It’s not even unusual for people without homes to be paying on a storage unit full of stuff. 

But what if we shift the focus from possessions to abundance of any kind? That way, I’m not the only one feeling guilty and exposed by Jesus’ words. I know that I am surrounded by neighbors and friends who travel or spend money in other ways. The luxury of even choosing how to spend our money means we have abundance. 

Both sides of my family were hard-working and savers, characteristics common to early settlers and immigrants. In Ecclesiastes, verse 2:26b states, “To the sinner God gives the work of gathering and heaping.” Wait a minute. If you start with little or nothing, of course you’re inclined to gather and heap. 

Life’s uncertain. Who knows when more will be available or whether I’ll be able to get some? Here’s where young people or people of a different persuasion can teach people like myself a thing or two: to do a better job of enjoying myself and not worry so much about security. 

The actions of those who gather and heap try to make up for what’s lacking elsewhere. Acquisition for the sake of heaping money or stuff is the “unhappy business” God gives human beings, according to the king. In contrast, the king notes that wisdom, knowledge and joy are rewards given to those who please God.

We also know that many things pursued for the sake of capture or possession remain elusive. This week’s readings ask us to reconsider our goals and note the uncanny resemblance between reflections from a king of ancient time and modern individuals. So, let’s wonder together about the value of staying busy, pursuing adventure, doing business or whatever else we aim for to bring joy and meaning to our lives. 

Let’s start with the notion of vanity. The word is used 38 times in Ecclesiastes and means meaningless emptiness, the very opposite of filled with worth. It seems to me that what the king says is still true. We labor to become “master of all for which we toil.” We strive to master our bodies, master our finances, master our time and maintain our property. We strive with all the strength and wisdom we can muster to experience the greatest level of meaningful satisfaction. Is there anything wrong with that? Why did Jesus tell the parable?

Perhaps so we would think about the value of what we pursue and understand how we attach meaning to our pursuits. Do they in themselves bring joy or do they merely keep us busy? The parable Jesus tells is more than an illustration. It’s a true story I witnessed firsthand.

The Farm Service Agency office was one open space. Each of us four program techs had large L-shaped desks pushed up against two sides of the four walls so that we each took up a corner of the room. Along the long side of our L-shaped desks, we had space for several chairs to be pulled up. Throughout the year farmers participating in various programs had to review maps, declare crops, and sign documents.

Of course the office was also a social gathering space. A place to share stories and photos of groundhogs caught in hay balers, tractors stuck in mud, barn fires, and newly built structures. All official business was documented on paper, but outside affairs were verbal. There was a lot of talk and you couldn’t help but hear it all. 

Elsewhere in the space were numerous metal file cabinets. The drawers were long and heavy. Each manilla folder was named for the farmer who owned or rented the land. Associated farm numbers were assigned as needed. Only one gentleman occupied nearly an entire file drawer. This meant he had hundreds of farms and thousands of acres. 

It meant that instead of writing letters of the alphabet on an index card saying this drawer contains farmer’s names beginning with A-Br, we could have labeled one drawer with his name. But that would have violated his privacy, so we placed smaller files on either side of his, breaking up his file cabinet holdings, his farm real estate, so to speak. 

My first task when hired was to file literal mountains of paperwork. From then on, I anticipated meeting the farmers who went with farm numbers and the names on file. The big farmers, the wealthy ones, had favorite techs they preferred dealing with, mainly because they’d spent hours, sometimes years working to procure accurate payments for them. 

One day, the aforementioned, extremely well-off farmer came in to sign off on his acreage. Afterward, he hung around to talk. Again, you couldn’t help but overhear. Just that week he’d taken a trip to the main office in the county seat. There they offered incentives to purchase new pole barns.  

He really didn’t need ‘em, but couldn’t resist. He also couldn’t resist smiling as he talked about when the materials would be delivered and where he thought of erecting his new pole barns. Within a day, he was dead. I never thought he was wicked or meant to boast. But the impression made by seeing and hearing the man in real life, made the story clear. I’d seen the parable come true. 

The morning after his death, there was a massive campaign by hundreds of farmers to gain access to his previously owned and rented ground. The office was a buzz. In the system and on manila folders, farms and property had to be renamed and given new numbers. It was clear that the clever, like fools, die and leave their wealth to those who survive them. “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 

Take care and be on your guard against all kinds of greed.

The farmers I didn’t care for were the rich ones, ones who were millionaires and still managed to qualify for payments. They were greedy and often first in line or got special treatment. Other farmers were wealthy, but lived like paupers. One lost all interest in possessions. Everything he had was worn out and beat up. He surrounded himself only with dogs, except for a son who lived in an abandoned car on his property. “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,” or of gathering and heaping, accumulating money or things of value.

Jesus’ warning is to, “Take care and be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” Greed is an intense selfish desire to take and possess. But how are we to tell how much God intends for us to keep? Wasn’t God the one who made the land of the man produce abundant crops and therefore make him rich in the first place? Let’s start by acknowledging that abundance is a gift from God even when, like the farmer, we put in the hard work. 

What next? Give away surplus? Is it so wrong to store more than what we need? No. It’s not. In every parable, there’s a turning point. In this one, the turning point comes when the farmer says, “I will pull down my barns and build larger ones.” Or in the case of the guy I mentioned, “I’ll get new ones even though I have no need.” 

Perhaps the error of both was denying someone else the use of resources, or throwing away what might still have proven useful. If that’s the case, then we’re all in a heap of trouble. Again, it’ll help to acknowledge that we’ve been given abundance. 

God allowed our families to succeed at what they did, even as they did the hard work. It’s human nature not to acknowledge all we’ve been given and to forget the abundance that may have passed through our hands. Today’s readings seem awfully convicting.

The way we define retirement is biblical to a T. Attempt to store up ample goods over many years. Indulge your desire to relax, eat, drink and be merry. What are the goals of every weekend and vacation once work is done? To relax, eat, drink and be merry. So what’s the point? 

The point of Ecclesiastes and Luke’s parable, like much of scripture, is to point us in the direction of having our priorities straight and point out that we ought to be careful what we’re teaching future generations. “Do not store up treasures for yourselves and be stingy toward God.” 

What does that mean? Does God have needs? I don’t know. Let’s just start by acknowledging that we won’t own anything beyond the point of death. Like the farmer, what we once owned or rented will be up for grabs the morning after. 

In our culture, there’s a bumper sticker that reads, “I’m spending my children’s inheritance.” Perhaps you’re doing that. Or maybe you’re just trying to control how money is spent, to whom and where it goes. The point is, perhaps the abundance we have is not ours to possess. Perhaps we ought not to be looking for ways to store it. 

Will our children inherit wealth when we die that might make them fight each other or will they inherit a legacy of love that will make them miss us? 

I know many of you miss loved ones. No amount of wealth or inheritance can measure up to the value of life itself. We wouldn’t trade anything for those we love. I think that’s one point Jesus was trying to make. Are you really trying to involve me as a judge? 

Are you really turning to the courts to get your share? Figure out why you’re really unhappy. Enjoy life as it is. Figure out what brings you fulfillment without money. Find what holds meaning and work toward doing that. 

Be rich toward God. My mom used to say, “Your life is a gift from God. What you make of it is your gift to God.” I think one way to make something of your life is to enjoy and share it. Enjoy the time of your life however long it lasts. Enjoy work, if at all possible. Remember that anything hoarded or thrown away is no longer available for use by anyone else. Perhaps that’s the sin of possessing abundance. Pass it on so it benefits others. Then they’ll feel blessed and cared for by God. Let us pray.

Oh, Lord. We acknowledge you as master of the universe and the source of all abundance. Teach us generosity. Take our focus away from self so we please you. Give us wisdom, knowledge and joy in our work, time to play. Help us find meaning and value through relationships, the sharing of our time and talents as a reflection of your glory, your love and provision. In your holy name we pray, Amen.