Sermon preached by the Reverend Doctor Susan Kraus

St. Paul’s on the Green, Norwalk, Connecticut

11^th Sunday after Pentecost - August 12, 2007

Open our ears, Lord Christ, to hear you. Open our eyes to see you. Open our hearts to love you. And open our hands to serve you, now and forever. Amen.

Today’s reading from the gospel of Luke is a continuation of Jesus’ teachings about greed, worldly possessions, and the kingdom of God. Last week’s lesson focused specifically on greed. Jesus said, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15). Then he told the parable of the rich man whose crops were so plentiful that he decided to tear down his old barns and build new, bigger ones so that he could store everything for himself and his own use. Trusting in his full barns to provide for his future, the rich man reasoned that he was free to “eat, drink, and be merry.” That’s not how it worked out, though, for God said “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20). At the end of the parable Jesus comments, “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

Greed, hoarding God’s abundant gifts to us for our own use exclusively, is not what God wants for us. It is not the way of life. It is not the way of God’s kingdom. The point of the parable is not that God wants us to be deprived, but that God wants us to share what we have been given.

This morning’s reading makes this clear. Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” No deprivation in this promise! God wants us to have abundant life in God. God wants what is best for us. God wants God’s kingdom of love for us.

I think we must take a good, hard look at the next lines of today’s reading. Jesus says, “Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This message is extremely counter-cultural. Jesus is not teaching the so-called “prosperity gospel,” popular among many Christians today. Jesus is not teaching that God wants us to have abundant material possessions or that we should pray for such things. Jesus is teaching that God wants us to have God’s kingdom. What is God’s kingdom? Many things, but one key element of God’s kingdom is that in God’s kingdom everyone is provided for.

If we truly mean what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” then we may be led to sell our possessions and give alms. Our hearts may be changed so that we cannot ignore the needs of God’s other children while we indulge ourselves in what we may want but do not need.

The book of the Acts of the Apostles teaches us that the first Christians held everything in common. Those who believed in Jesus sold what they had and gave to those in need. No one lacked what was necessary for life. Living this way, Jesus’ followers were full of joy. And their lifestyle was a powerful witness to the world, a witness which brought many to believe in Christ.

We all have the same opportunity the first Christians had. We have the same opportunity to open our hands and share what we have received from God with those in need. We have the same opportunity to witness to the world the generous love of God and to draw others to follow Christ.

Will we take the opportunity God gives us? Will we share our money? Might we sell some possessions and give alms or give our possessions to those who need them more than we do? Can we buy clothing for poor children in Liberia so that they can go to school rather than buy ourselves another pair of shoes we don’t really need? Will we purchase food each week for the food pantry, perhaps instead of indulging ourselves in some “treat” that isn’t even good for our health?

In a few moments you will come to the altar and stretch out your open hands to receive the sacrament of the body of Christ. As you do, pray that God will help you choose the life God wants for you – a life of abundant giving as well as receiving, a life of joy. Reach out with your open hands, receive Christ, and go from here with your hands still open, your heart full of love for God and for your neighbor. Amen.