August 5, 2007--Season of Pentecost

Lectionary Texts: Hosea 11:1-11 and Psalm 107:1-9, 43
or Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 and Psalm 49:1-12
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21

Sermon Text: Luke 12:13-21

Return on Investments

My husband Greg really was not that old. We celebrated his 52nd birthday at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco in 1999 at the height of the technology boom. Those were great days for brokers like Greg, but his death just four months later really put things into perspective. We had a hard time coming up with pictures of him with the family for the funeral. He was such a dedicated worker; he wanted the best for us. But you could tell there was something wrong at the funeral when the kids, Alex, Jesse, and Sarah, were finding it difficult to come up with fond memories. We never did go camping, although he said next year would be different since he was cashing out most of his investments. I must admit I am doing very well financially thanks to his foresight.

Unfortunately the kids are never around to enjoy the money. You see, we did not have any family traditions, so they all do Christmas and Thanksgiving with their in-laws. I think holidays with friends got started the Christmas when my husband woke up early and said he would be right back, and then spent all day at the office. We waited until after lunch to open presents by ourselves. My second son, Jesse, was the first one to spend a holiday away. The first time was after the baseball game Greg was supposed to provide drinks for. Jesse was so sure he finally would be at that game. I still remember the sinking feeling I felt when he saw me instead of Greg. I hated the feeling. Jesse got his 20th home run the same day. I was so proud of him but he didn’t say anything all the way home. I guess I can understand why the kids spend so much time with people who can spend time with them. I just wish I had more of that now, especially since Greg is gone.

But Greg really did care! He had plenty saved up to put the kids through college anywhere they wanted to go. They were really thankful for that. I felt bad when Sarah had to drop out for two quarters and get counseling for her eating problem. I know I should not associate her problem with Greg, but I always wonder if Sarah would have had better self-esteem if Greg could have made it to more than just her graduation recital. It was all supposed to be different in 1999. Greg said it was all supposed to be easy living; Mexican beaches with the kids, European castles, the Great Wall. It was going to be so nice! The kids have visited some of those places on their honeymoons with the gifts I gave them from Greg’s investments, but not me. It’s just not quite the same traveling by yourself you know.

Read Luke 12:13-21.

Is it bad Greg had a great stock spilt, property in San Francisco that sold for 16 times what he paid for it, or had money in tech firms in the 1990s? Is it bad to be a stock broker, keeping an eye out for the best “return on investment” (ROI)? No, of course not.

Is it bad to work hard enough to get a great windfall on our farm? Could needing bigger barns really be so horrible? No, so why is the man called a fool? Let’s look at this passage in context. A man comes up to Jesus and wants a financial dispute solved between him and his brother. Perhaps it sounds strange for a teacher to make financial judgments, but rabbis made decisions about financial matters that were to be respected by both parties. Since Christ was a wandering rabbi it might be logical to get His attention and have Him pronounce a better decision in this dispute. Jewish law was very clear about inheritance rights. The oldest brother always received twice the inheritance the younger ones did--end of discussion. But Christ needed to speak to a far deeper issue than “my brother is ripping me off!” The issue at stake here is not need, this man was wealthy before any inheritance. The issue here is covetousness, discontent, and misplaced priorities. This man had a false understanding about “return on investments” (ROI): what you put money or effort into should yield more in return. Christ knew this man would not be able to succeed in life unless he had his heart and priorities put in proper order.

Jesus paints a picture of a rich man. Sociologists are sure this man’s income had to be in the top 1 percent of Jewish society. Wouldn’t anyone want to be in this guy’s shoes? He was “independently wealthy” right? How many commercials and sales pitches ask us to be just that? But is this such a bad goal? Let’s look more at the text:

Read Luke 12:19-21.

The rich man was not looking at the ROI through the eyes of God. He was looking at it through his own human weaknesses. He wanted stability, not reliance upon God. He wanted financial freedom, not an attitude of sacrifice to God. The rich man wanted bigger and better first. God expected the rich man to use all the learning and the wealth and the blessings He had given the rich man in order to move God’s kingdom forward in this world. He did not intend it to carve out a little earthly utopia for selfish gain. The rich man knew relationships are the only things that last forever, yet he was putting them all on hold to when he could eat, drink, and be merry. His relationship to treasure (money) was poor because he did not understand how God intends our money to be used for more than us. His relationship to time was poor because he was planning on “easy living” the rest of his life. God does not intend for us to ever “check out,” and those who think they should are called fools by God. This man’s relationship to talent was poor. He thought God had given him success in order to buy the newest stuff--not one word of giving to others is mentioned! The fool’s relationship to tongue (or the things we talk about and promote to others around us) was obviously bad, as his words reveal a heart of complete self-absorption and neglect of others.

I wonder if we today share this wrong attitude of investment? Today we intentionally worry about IRAs, investing residual income, buying the new computer, getting a much more fashionable dress for the office party, salivating over the new BMW (or new whatever), the boat we can almost afford, or the house we can afford if we really pinch our savings. And yet we balk at supporting the child in the picture asking for $25 a month! Evangelical believers today give less than 2 percent of their income in tithe to the Church. Does this make us wonder about the quality of time, talent, and tongue at home and at work? When God looks at our hearts and sees we would rather spend more time at work to make more money in order to live in houses we can not afford, do we really think He believes we have invested where we are going to get the biggest return? Do we think the bank mortgage goes to support solutions to homelessness, world evangelism, the local Union Gospel Mission, or any other ministry lifting up Christ? Our personal “extra” expenses don’t lift up Christ. When God calls us to be accountable for our spending habits, including our time, talent, treasure, and tongue what will we say? Can God tell us we have lived a well balanced life with a positive return on eternal investment, or will we be called fools?

The truth is none of these things are evil. The essence of the question is whether we are devoting most of our wealth (be that time, talent, treasure, or tongue) to God or ourselves. I think Greg was not so wrong in what he wanted. He wanted the best for his family. I am sure the rich fool was not far off either. We need bigger barns if we want to store more stuff. But God had other plans for Greg’s money and the rich fool’s resources. Both Greg and the fool wanted financial independence for themselves, and were willing to pay now to live wealthy and unconcerned lives later. God never intended for us to live independent, unconcerned lives, or slave away for things that do not matter. God’s ROI is different than ours. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and you will find His ways end up benefiting more people just where they need it.

God can see what our money amounts to in the end. When we invest in a precious metal called gold, the pavement of heaven, we should pause and think about what we are investing in. When the rich man feels the wealth is “his” and to be used for his pleasure he is called a fool. The fool was pursuing a bad ROI in relationships with other people and with God. We would probably call him a shrewd investor, God called him a fool. The fool forfeited his relationship with God by choosing his interests first. Not only is he likely to be giving to God only out of his abundance (rather than sacrifice), he is not even thinking of God as he gloats about the future merriment he will be enjoying!

God specializes in ROI and He knows where our best investments are located. Christ says “when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me” (Matthew 25:40, NLT). Some people see this as a call to heroic action and that is not all bad. But I see it as an incredibly interesting facet of God to be praised! You see, God does not need our money (He created all things), He does not need our time (He has all the time there is), He is infinitely more talented than we could ever hope to be, and He can speak the sun into being! He needs absolutely nothing from us. Yet in His blessed thoughtfulness He provides us with the ability to turn our petty craving for time, talent, and treasure into a way of actually giving a blessing to the Creator of the Universe! He can use our weakness to be our greatest strength, and says this pleases Him the most. Sacrificing in these areas of time, talent, treasure, and tongue we also are investing heavily in the eternal kingdom and not our own. In other words, during this brief stay on Earth we have the opportunity to amass great wealth in heaven. God planned all of this in a perfectly orchestrated way to lift us up from our dark self centeredness. And, as we rise out of the murky depth, we draw others out with us!

And the amazing thing about this is God has promised He will accomplish this transformation of our hearts. He who began a good work in your life will be faithful to complete it. God is willing to do all the work and we have to be willing to use His system of sacrifice in order to fit into His miraculous plan to give you the greatest ROI. Our drive and our desires can be completely transformed through Christ as we seek a relationship with Him.

I would like to ask each of us to search our hearts today. The rich fool had no idea his end would come so soon. Neither do any of us. I am asking for an audit of my heart tonight. I am asking God to help me be better focused on the real ROI I need to pursue, rather than getting caught up in things of this world. I need to make sure relationships with God and others are my primary account, no matter what else comes along. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).