SERMON, PROPER 13C, LUKE 12:13-21

Delivered at St. Paul's by the Morning Prayer Officiant
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Greed . . . is good, or so said Michael Douglas in the movie "Wall Street." And to a certain extent, he's right. Greed drives us to cover our necessities. It motivates us to better paying jobs. It urges us to satisfy our wants. Without greed, most of us wouldn't have the things we do; and that's not always a bad thing.

But we need to be careful that greed doesn't become the driving force in our lives. There are certainly things we need -- food, clothing, shelter and safety are at the top of that list. But after we satisfy that, how much is too much? Do we really need that new Cadillac Escalade when, in reality, a Hyundai would do just as well? Do we really need that new five-bedroom house on the hill when something smaller would probably fit just as well?

Now if these are your goals, that's fine; but recognize why you do what you do. Maybe you're tired of driving a beat up jalopy held together with duct tape and want to treat yourself. Or maybe you grew up with five siblings in a two-bedroom house and now you want some space. Or maybe you want those things because they are the latest status symbol. Maybe you have a large disposable income and you just want to spend it on yourself.

Greed is a fact of life -- especially in our wealthy American society. Greed comes in all forms: money, possessions, status, and power, to name a few. Know why you do what you do and be on your guard against all kinds of greed.

Greed can be good, yes, but it's ultimately insidious. It works its way into our lives and it turns us in on ourselves. When our needs are met on a consistent basis, we begin finding new needs. Wants become needs, and we begin to look for the bigger and better version. Clothes aren't the issue, but the right style of clothes. A home isn't the concern, but a house in the right part of town is.

George Carlin has a monologue along these lines called "Stuff." We like to collect stuff. We move into our first apartment and work to fill it up with stuff. Pretty soon we have too much stuff, so we need to buy a house. Then we realize that we don't have enough stuff, so we buy more stuff to fill up the empty places. The question is: where does it end? how much is too much?

And when we are talking about OUR stuff, who do we talk to about how much is too much, or about what we should do with our wealth? We talk to ourselves, or we talk to a financial adviser about how to protect and increase what we have. We become more and more focused on ourselves. Our talk revolves around us and may involve only us, and we become further and further removed from the community.

This is the problem of the rich man in today's parable. The rich man is a successful farmer, for he had land that produced abundant crops over a period of time. He didn't get rich by stealing or at the expense of others. He's not pointed out as mistreating his workers. For all intents and purposes he's pretty much like us -- honest and hard working. This hard work, plus some good luck in the weather department, has paid off and he has become extremely wealthy.

And yet, the man is a fool. He's a fool because he has removed himself from the community. He's a fool because he has allowed his greed to turn his focus inward. He's a fool because he refuses to see how he is in a position to extend himself beyond his own walls. He's a fool because he has put himself on his own pedestal, only to be knocked off.

One of Luke's major themes is the reversal of fortune. Nowhere is this more clear than in the Magnificat, which we said earlier. He has scattered the proud, brought down the powerful and sent the rich away empty. He has lifted up the lowly and filled the hungry. When we pay attention to this, when we work to lift up the lowly and feed the hungry, we reflect the kingdom of God.

Reflecting God's kingdom, proclaiming God's kingdom, picking up our cross daily and continually working at discipleship -- these should be the driving forces in our lives, not greed. Focusing only on our own needs or continually trying to obtain more and more stuff to fill the empty spaces in our lives really shows a lack of interest in the kingdom of God. Greed can be good, but we need to ask ourselves just who are we working for?

Greed turns us inward. It focuses us on ourselves, until pretty soon we desire a secluded house in a gated community where we can keep all the outsiders away. We end up in a place where we're withdrawn and maybe a little paranoid. Think Howard Hughes or Ebenezer Scrooge. This is contrary to the will of God. Being rich may not be contrary to God's will, but turning inward and focusing only on yourself certainly is.

God, remember, is looking to draw all people unto himself. He is looking to lift up the lowly, feed the hungry and find the lost. And all of this is done through community. Jesus called a community of twelve disciples to follow him, and he sent disciples out on missions in pairs, so they could be supported and strengthened by each other. We are the Body of Christ with many parts and talents, and it's foolish to think that each of us can do everything by ourselves. It's more foolish to think that we don't need each other.

This is the place that the rich man in the parable had come to. He looked at all he had accomplished and all that he had obtained and decided he didn't need anyone but himself. He failed to see how his life was connected to others and how it was connected to God. The reality is, however, that we are all connected to each other and to God.

Greed can be good, but using our abundant resources abundantly is better. Remember, God doesn't collect a paycheck. How can we use what we have so that we help to lift up the lowly and feed the hungry? How can we use what we have to proclaim the kingdom of God on a daily basis? As we move through our lives then, let us work towards building up the community of God. Let us work towards avoiding withdrawing from others in order to maintain our own pedestal. Let us acknowledge the place of greed and then always be on our guard to keep it from becoming the driving force in our lives.