Sermons

August 5

Sermon

Sunday August 5, 2007

Colossians 3:5-11, 12-17; Luke 12:13-21

Hillary T. West

 

Many of us may have enjoyed a pizza for dinner, last night,  right?  We’ve all got our favorites:  Bottoms Up, Leonardo’s, Chanello’s.  How about Dominos?  Is that a favorite of anyone’s?

 

Tom Monaghan, has found pizza to be a favorite.  He’s the former owner of Dominos.   Monaghan is also known for taking the Detroit Tigers to the World Series after purchasing them in 1983.   Monaghan barely graduated from high school and dropped out of college.  But, he wanted to be an architect.  So, eventually he accumulated a significant  collection of Frank Lloyd Wright decorative works.  Monaghan has been known to own a fleet of cars, an airplane, and a helicopter.  Then, in the 1990s, Monaghan sold it all, taking a “millionarie’s vow of poverty”.  “’I want to die broke,’ he declared.” (“The Deliverer” The New Yorker, February 19&26, 2007).  Getting rich didn’t seem to be the answer.  Monaghan has discovered that he has a deeper purpose in life.  He wants “to get as many people as possible into heaven…” he’s quoted as saying (“The Deliverer”).  So, being the faithful Christian that he is, Monaghan has devoted his life and his money to the Catholic Church.  Regardless of where we all stand on our feelings about the Catholic Church, what we do know is that Tom Monaghan has chosen to obey.  And that’s what I’d like to talk with you about today:  obedience.

 

Obedience is about submitting to someone who has authority or will over us.  Most of us don’t like that definition.  It means someone has control over us.  Obedience is what our dogs do.  Or, maybe not.  In our household, we flunked out of obedience school with our dog.  Anyway, usually, when we hear the word, obedience, we scrunch up our shoulders and resist.  We’re much too fiercely independent for the idea of obedience.    

 

In the Hebrew Scriptures, to obey means to hear; to hear God’s desire for us; and then for us to respond in such a way that we want to act on what God intends for us.  To obey means we first acknowledge that God overwhelmingly desires us.  God cherishes us and delights in us.  Imagine such a thing.   Oddly enough, however, we struggle to fully accept that God truly desires us.  But, he does.  So, God comes, patiently, lovingly, forgiving, constantly reaching out.  This is the God we know in Jesus Christ.  The God who chooses to put aside judgment and simply forgives and loves.  The God who shares in our suffering and pain as he journeys to the cross for us and then fills us with hope as he emerges from the tomb.  Such obedience takes  us to our knees and brings tears to our eyes. 

 

In fact, we saw it this week.  Acts of obedience that came as freely as the wind.  This past week, as you can see by the decorated worship space, we celebrated a glorious week of Vacation Bible School.  More than 200 kids, 50 youth helpers, dozens of shepherds, and leaders soared to new heights as we learned how to follow God, how to trust, to listen, to turn to God and to serve.  We listened for the presence of God in the teaching of bible stories; we shouted out our joy in songs of praise.  We regularly offered up prayers to God, giving thanks for families, friends and pets, and we asked for help and protection.  We blew the circuits in the Charity trailer, in a science experiment learning about how to trust in God.  In an effort to serve we brought in hundreds of canned goods for the Central Virginia Food Bank.  We took care of one another.  Faithful folks made certain that everyone had a snack every day, a t-shirt and a partner.  No one was left behind, lost or forgotten.  And last night 400 of us gathered and celebrated, loudly the glorious week we shared. 

 

Were we obedient?  It’s impossible to gather up a couple hundred children, and get too loud, and get too close, and share in a holy meal, and hug one another with God’s peace surrounding us, and not want to be obedient.    Obedience is response to how God’s love transforms us.  Children obey with the greatest of ease.  They are the vehicles for how we know God’s love.  It’s overwhelming.  The joy of their love brings us to tears.     

 

St. Augustine says, “Love God and do what you like.” Acknowledge that God desires us and we can’t help but respond.  We can’t help but obey.  So, we listen more intently.  We bend our ear to hear the word of God from those around us.  In turn, we weigh our words when we speak.  We ask ourselves, how does Jesus want us to respond?  We act and look for how we can help.  Maybe we just give our hearts with a deeper love.  Maybe we see with the lens that God sees.

 

Obedience is desiring what God desires.  What does God desire?  God desires that we first, have a desire for him; have a taste for God; a longing to be in relationship with God.  So, we live our lives in ways that are pleasing to God.  As the apostle says, we are the chosen of God, holy people whom he loves.  We live in relationship with one another adorning ourselves with the symbols of God’s love:  compassion, generosity, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and most of all, love. 

 

In obedience, we seek out ways to turn away from the addiction of too much comfort and security, or identity through status or success.  Because we all know all too well, and we learn all too quickly, that the one left with the most toys does not necessarily win. 

 

Jesus reminds us in today’s parable of the rich man who thinks about hoarding his grain and his goods, that “life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”  

 

The crowds are really gathering around Jesus now as he journeys toward Jerusalem.  They are numbering in the thousands.  Imagine the scene.  People are treading on one another to get a glimpse of Jesus, to hear what he has to tell them about the kingdom life.  A man works his way up to Jesus.  He knows Jesus is a person of authority.  So he asks him to solve a family matter.  “…tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.”  Jesus cautions the man about his greed. 

 

The word greed stems from the Greek word pleonexia which means we never rest from seeking more things, more possessions (Sacra Pagina).   The act of being greedy is something we feel forced or compelled to do.  Maybe that’s why in the gospel of Mark (7:22) Jesus lists greed as one of our evils, one of our vices.    Jesus warns us of the power of greed in the parable of the rich fool. 

 

A man has been very successful and has accumulated much wealth.  He’s convinced that he can build for himself bigger barns to protect his wealth for the rest of his life where times will be easy, as he will eat, drink and have a good time.  “Fool!” God says to the greedy man.  Your life is demanded now.  So, who now will have your possessions?  It seems that we know little about this rich man in the parable except that he is characterized by the treasure that he has stored up for himself.  Not by the treasure that makes him rich in the eyes of God.  

 

Hoarding stuff for ourselves does at least two things:   first, if we have enough stuff, we fall under the false delusion that we don’t need God.  We’ve make our “stuff” God.  Second, if we have enough “stuff”, we can insolate ourselves from embracing who God really intends for us to be, agents of God who love one another and care for one another. 

 

A few weeks ago, a young friend here at Christ Church celebrated his 13th birthday.  Now, turning 13th is a time to really clean up on the birthday presents, right?  Well, our young friend, who by the way, has given me permission to tell this story, decided to have his party.  They had a great time.  But, this year it looked a little different. 

 

Instead of all the party goers bringing gifts, he asked them to bring money to donate to his favorite charity; a charity that is helping kids across the world have a better life.  Our young friend doesn’t have a playroom stacked with new x boxes, bike helmets, and game boys.  Instead, he and his mom delivered an envelope to the head of the charity and asked them to use the money to help kids who probably aren’t having birthday parties. 

 

How to move as easily as a child does toward obedience?  Paul instructs us in his letter to the Colossians.  “Let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly…and whatever [we] do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks.”  Obey and be transformed in Christ.  Obey and be aligned with Jesus Christ. 

 

The truth is, it’s not our choice.  God has already decided.  God desires us.  We are rich in his eyes.  Jesus has made that promise for us.  “There is no need to be afraid little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom…for wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart will be also.”