“Trivial Pursuits”         2013

Isaiah 12:2-6        Luke 12:13-21

Isaiah 12:2-6

2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. 3With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. 5Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. 6Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

 

Luke 12:13-21

13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

 

I was called to speak with a man under hospice care at La Posada,

     who was in terrible and total despair,  and hopeless grief.

                    He had been incredibly successful in his career,

                          traveled extensively and did some truly amazing things,

                but his estranged family would have nothing to do with him,

                        and dying, he was inconsolable with sorrow and regret…

 

   … then he explained, “I achieved everything I ever wanted in life,

          but I realize now,   it cost me  everything that matters most.”

 

     In this world with so many voices, choices and options,

            how do we decide  what is truly important and really matters?

What is the point in life,  the right and appropriate values & goals?

     How do we determine   if someone’s life  has been well-lived?

 

Jesus answers that with a parable in Luke 12,  vs.16-17

            Then he (Jesus) told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'

 

This was a very wealthy man who owned a vast amount of farm land.

            His fields and his workers had produced a huge windfall;

                 so much so, that he didn't have enough room to store it all.

 

     In the context of 1^st century rural Middle Eastern culture,

            such an plentiful harvest would involve the whole village;à

                          with everyone in that community

                            celebrating their good fortune & bountiful blessings

    --- a rich abundance to be shared by all who worked the land.

 

But this wealthy land owner has a different perspective.

            Rather than a heartfelt expression of gratitude toward God

                             or appreciation

                                    toward those whose hard work produced the harvest,

                      his focus is selfish – on satisfying his own desires.

 

Notice that for him, it’s all  ‘I and my’,  vs. 18-19

            Then he said, 'I will do this:   I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.   And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'

 

            Having no concern or desire to share with his neighbors,

                        he is determined that it’s his alone to enjoy alone,

                                    to keep it all for his own pleasure and well-being.

 

How pitifully small and selfish that he can imagine

            no greater good or benefit than to horde it all away

                        and keep it all for his own pleasure and delight ---

   --- with no thought of the blessings  by it   he might accomplish.

 

Foolishly, he thinks that if he stores it all,

   then he will be merry,  he can sit back to relax and enjoy his life.

 

When Martin Luther King preached a sermon on this text,

            he pointed out the absolute foolishness and waste,

                        of tearing down his barns  to build costlier bigger barns;

             when the rich man could have stored that abundance for free,

                        in the empty stomachs of his neighbors,

                                    the starving children   who go to bed hungry at night.

 

This man could have made a difference,

            he could have been a blessing to others,

                                                            but he didn’t … and he wasn’t.

 

Now, it’s not that this man has been a thief, or has cheated anyone.

            He has simply been very successful,    and so he makes plans

                 to use his good fortune and excess to retire early,

                          and with this wealth he feels secure to rest and be merry.

                                                           God, however, calls this man,   a  fool.

vs. 20             

            But God said to him, 'You fool!  This very night your life is being demanded of you.   And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'

 

And why does God call this man, a fool…

            because he trusted his future, his life and security to things,

                  hoarding wealth far in excess of what he could possibly use…

   … a fool in pursuit of the trivial, his own pleasure and comfort,

          rather than the things that actually matter  and last in life.

 

"your life is being demanded of you"

            In the Greek this is specifically the repayment of a loan.

The point is that  his life and all that it contains

            are really just on loan, and belong to his Creator,

                        to God …  who that very night, demanded repayment in full.

 

All through Scripture we are reminded,

            that our lives, our bodies, and all we will ever have

                        are all a gift from God,

                             and when our days are done, we’ll leave it all behind.

 

And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?

            … he thinks storing more stuff will make him more secure--

                                                                   -- but God calls this man,   a fool.

 

    He chose to build bigger barns

            rather than   build a bigger and more meaningful life…

                                    … and like the man I sat with at hospice,

                                                it ends in hopeless despair and agonizing grief.

 

You and I,   we have this one very short mortal life-time to live,

            in which to prepare for eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

 

The point and purpose of our lives

            is not to build bigger barns for storing all our stuff,

                        but to grow in grace and faith   in response to God’s love.

 

Our loving Creator blesses us and gives us these lives

                 so that our trust, understanding, and faith  can grow deeper

                        as the Holy Spirit inspires, guides and transform us…

          … because we are destined to be with   and enjoy God forever.

 

This parable

            is primarily about our attitudes toward money and wealth,

                        but the message and point goes much deeper,

                                    and applies to every aspect of our lives,--

- and anything that can interfere or hinder  our walk with the Lord.

 

Is our focus on a faithful and obedient relationship with God,

            or are we letting foolish and other worldly stuff distract us?

The parable is really about the foolishness of going all out to win,

   and striving for a prize that in the end,  has no lasting value.

 

If we use and invest our lives in the pursuit of trivialities,

            striving for distractions that don’t last or really matter,

                             - then we are fools, destined to end   in despair…

 

… for the things we acquire and our accomplishments in this world,

          they will not last,  and we cannot take them with us.

 

On the other hand, this mortal life and all that it contains

          can serve usefully to deepen our faith and walk with God…

 

… so that everything we encounter or deal with in life

          becomes a classroom to improve and deepen our faith

                       according to God's wise, gracious and wonderful purpose.

 

Jesus explains this a few verses past our passage, vs. 32,29,31

            Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

 

God called the man with the land in the parable a fool ---

            not because he was rich,

                        but because his attitude was selfish and shortsighted;

                             because he built to store  that which wouldn’t last.

 

Jesus doesn’t call us

            to acquire more stuff,  or to build and fill bigger barns,

                        but Jesus did say in John 10.10

                                                I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.

 

Our goal is that  when we look back over the life we lived,

            the truths and values by which we lived,  we can say, à

                        “No regrets, I walked with God along the journey  given me,

                             I enjoyed, I learned,  I grew and made a difference.”