Sermon by Pastor Cheryl Foulk (August 4) - License Plate Sightings: ENUF

A father and his children were driving  outside town. They passed a landfill and the children asked “What was all that stuff piled up?”  The father answered them that this is what eventually happens to all our things: birthday presents, Christmas gifts,cars, furniture,bikes, everyday items that wear out or we get tired of.  They all were amazed at the amount of  possessions in our lives.

There is a  spiritual question that we continually have to answer concerning our things:

“What do we do with all that we have/ How much is enough? “ 

That leads to our license plate sighting for today: ENUF.

Our Gospel story from Luke  is one of Jesus most powerful images because of the finality of the message.  We picture here a man who is very comfortable in his lifestyle. All of his needs and his wants are being met. He looks forward to acquiring even more for his own enjoyment. God calls this man a fool because this will be his last day of life. He will have no more opportunities  to enjoy himself. Also he will have no more opportunities to respond to the needs of others. Spiritually, he dies a poor man.

The point is not that it was sinful for him to be a  wealthy productive person who prospered.  The  problem is that he  was  self- centered and he hoarded all that he had. Did you  notice how many times he speaks of me, myself and mine ?  His selfish perspective smothered his soul.

Jesus said:“Watch out – be on guard against all kinds of greed. Life does not consist of abundance of possessions.”

This story does make me feel uncomfortable.

I believe it is not meant to make us feel guilty about all the resources that we may have; this story was told to help us see the opportunities we have to give and to be generous people.  To feel grateful towards God and then bless others with the abundance that we have. To not wait to give because the opportunity is now.

Arthur Simon, founder of Bread for the World said that  we can become so “ preoccupied with keeping what we have or getting what we do not have, the needs of others fade from our thoughts.”

                                

Let's think about the opposite of the rich fool, and call the imaginary character Generous George.

George look at his life as being like a full basket.

-He realizes that he has enough, more than enough. He has extra in his life.  More than enough things, more than enough money, more than enough time.  He has something to draw from.

-He considers his possessions as being  not just for him. He is always looking towards the needs of others. and for ways to give. He likes to challenge himself to give more than he planned, to give more than he thinks that he can.

-He is listening to see if he can help meet a need of a neighbor, a friend, or even someone around the world.  Giving is not a burden to George but a joy.

                                         

 In Lafayette Indiana,  St. John's Episcopal Church hosts what they call Jubilee Christmas. The folks of the church collect toys and clothes so that in December  parents in need can shop to get presents  for their children. Some parishioners look for items year round for this mission.

 On the  pastor's blog he told about the family of Jean Jones. They brought in the toys that their mom had collected so far. ( see in picture) Jean died unexpectedly  this summer. At Jean's funeral the stack of presents were a visible reminder of what Jean treasured: the children of her community.  Obvious reminder that  what survives us is what we have done for others.

                                                   

When Jeff and Andre Shinabarger moved into their  Atlanta neighborhood, they did not know how their lives would be changed by a homeless man named Clarence who rang their doorbell and welcomed them to the neighborhood. His perspective on things gave new insights to this young couple.  Their friendship with him changed they way they regarded their possessions.

To him, their small house was a palace. I highly recommend their book More or Less  for private study or in a group.  In so many ways they tried to grapple with what God wanted them to do with their stuff, their money, their time, their daily routine.  In creative ways  they chose to have less so others could have more.

One activity in their book is to take an simple inventory of your closet and ask:

How much do I have?  How much do I need? What can I do with the excess?  When?

You can do this same inventory concerning anything that you own. What all do I have and what do I need? What will happen with the extra?

When we moved two years ago, I found out again how attached I am to things, my possessions.

Over and over I had to answer“What am I hanging on to that God wanted me to give away?   What do I have sitting around that is needed by someone else  and would make a difference in their lives?”

Stephen King is the master author of scary stories and he has chillingly scared  movie audiences and readers. Some years ago he was the commencement speaker for Vassar College. On that day he tried not to scare the young graduates but challenge them to see that they had a window in their lives when they had the power to do good. Two years prior to this speech, King had been severely injured in an accident where he was hit by a car as he walked on roadside. He refers to this accident in his speech:

“ A couple of years ago I  found out what “you can't take it with you” means. I found out while I was lying in a ditch at the side of a country road...on that particular day and in the months that followed, I got a painful but extremely valuable look at life's simple backstage truths. We come in naked and broke. We may be dressed when we go out, but we're just as broke. Warren Buffet?  Going to go out broke. Bill Gates? Going out broke... All the money you earn, all the stocks you buy.. all of that is mostly smoke and mirrors...So I want you to consider making your life one long gift to others. And why not? All you have is on loan, anyway. All that lasts is what you pass on... A life of giving-not just money, but time and spirit- repays. It helps us remember that we may be going out broke, but right now we're doing o.k. Right now we have the power to do great good for others and for ourselves. So I ask you to begin giving..  Only yours to give for a short while.” Stephen King's words were to Ivy League graduates who will probably earn lots of money.  His plea is applicable for all of us as we consider our possessions and their purposes.

                                 

Gary Moore is a financial consultant that helps Christians manage their finances.  He is asked often “How much should I give? What should be the percentage/ perimeters? “

He likes to smile and answer: “Well, that depends. How happy to you want to be?”

What abundant treasures we have been given by God!  What joy we will experience when in the end we give an account to God for what we did with all our blessings!