Though we don’t often like to admit it, many of us in this
country are privileged to have a lot of stuff.
Oh, I’m not talking about the 1% at the top of the economic ladder. I’m talking about those of us in the “middle
class.” Sure, we have our struggles to
make ends meet. But, if you have a roof
over your head, food on your table, a car (or two) in your driveway, some money
in a retirement plan and the financial ability to take a vacation now and then
(even if it’s nothing exotic), then you have much more stuff than most of the
people on this planet, and many, many people in this country. If you qualify, then Jesus’ parable of the
“Rich Fool” in this week’s Gospel reading is for you.
Jesus’ parable does not condemn the rich fool for having
stuff. No. Instead, Jesus considers this man a “fool”
because of the way he thinks about and uses his stuff. His stuff has come to define his life. He clings to it for security and
meaning. It has become the center of
his concern. In short, his stuff has
become idols. It has taken the place of
the God. In the end, his stuff leaves
him so anxious, he has to tell himself to relax. His entire internal monologue about
protecting his stuff reflects his uncertainty and his fear.
It is easy for us to say “not I” when we read a parable like
this. But, I think there is probably a little Rich
Fool in most of us. How could that not
be true? This man’s false wisdom is
peddled in our culture every day. We
practically breathe it in with the air. We
are told that if we don’t have the right stuff, we won’t measure up. We are told that we need to be anxious and
fearful and protective. We are
applauded for putting ourselves first. We
succumb to this kind of thinking in our individual lives and yes, even in our
churches. And Jesus says, “You fools.”
So, as disciples of Jesus Christ, how are we to think of our
stuff? The answer is best summed up in
a cliché: “We are blessed to be a blessing.” Or, as Jesus teaches: We discover life when we learn how to give
our lives away. We experience true
abundance when we use our abundance for the sake of others. As disciples, Jesus expects us to steward
EVERYTHING we possess from our 401Ks to our next breath for his glory and in
his service.
I just spent the last three days at the “Domestic Mission
Review Table” in Chicago, discussing renewal grants for congregations across
the ELCA. I was deeply impressed by the
care-full, diligent and hard work our Directors of Evangelical Mission and
Churchwide staff put into considering and distributing these grants to support
mission and ministry across Christ’s Church.
Even more, I was overwhelmed by the amazing ministry going on in the
congregations that make up the ELCA.
Many of the congregations we heard about are small and struggling, and
yet, they are emptying their barns by reaching out to their communities,
renewing their worship life and enriching their discipleship by living out the
Gospel of Jesus Christ in creative ways.
“This,” I thought, “Is what Jesus
wants us to be about! These congregations are striving to live God’s abundance!” Would that we all had the courage and the
wisdom to do the same!
Peace,
Bishop Mike.
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