"God Sized in a Super SIZE ME WORLD"

This message was originally preached on Sunday, August 5, 2007 at Bethany Lutheran Church. It is in my humble opinion a wonderful message of the realities of living today. This coming Sunday, August 1, 2010 we will have the same lessons. Obviously, the sermon will be different, but I wanted to share this with you as background. Tune in on Sunday to get the updated version "GREED versus GOD!"

for updated info on the ONE CAMPAIGN check out
Lutheran One Campaign info

for MDG info check out
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

“God Sized- In a “SuperSIZE ME World”

August 5, 2007

Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

Lectionary 18c- ONE SUNDAY

Pastor Ronald T. Glusenkamp

Chapter 1

²Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
      vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
¹²I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, ¹³applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. ¹⁴I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
      

Chapter 2

¹⁸I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me ¹⁹— and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. ²⁰So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, ²¹because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. ²²What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? ²³For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes)
      

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."  (Luke 12)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “ Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

I’m a big fan of what has been called, “bumper-sticker theology.” I think I like it because in just a few words a great deal can be said. For example, I saw one bumper-sticker on a large pick-up truck with big wheels which read, “He who ends with the most toys wins.” And my hunch would be that if we went to that person’s garage or basement we’d find a lot of “toys” and other stuff. Or on the back of a big RV these words were stamped, “We’re spending our kids’ inheritance.” Once again, I sense that if we were able to have a conversation with the drivers of that particular vehicle we’d get a pretty good picture of who and what is important to them (and also who and what isn’t important to them). One bumper-sticker which doesn’t have anything really to do with the sermon today, but I simply liked it reads, “I’m trying to be the person my dog thinks I am.” And last but not least there is the bumper-sticker on the car which reads, “Live Simply so Others May Simply Live.”  There is in those words an acknowledgment that how one lives has an affect on how others live.

Today you are hearing an emphasis about the ONE CAMPAIGN. Last summer we introduced it to you and we’re back again this year to encourage you to PRAY, TEACH, PURCHASE and READ (there are handouts which give direction and guidance)

This morning we have two great lessons to shape our hearts, our minds and our souls. I’ve tried to capture the essence of them by summarizing the richness of the words into a title or bumper-sticker, “God Sized-In a SUPERSIZE ME World.”  The first lesson from the Book of Ecclesiastes was the source for a book by Rabbi Harold Kushner entitled, When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.  It is a great little book which probes questions and comments like: “Was There Something I was Supposed to Do with my Life?” and  “The Loneliness of Looking Out for Number One.”  Kushner helps us see that in most situations we all have more things and stuff than we ever thought possible and yet, those things and stuff don’t exactly feed our soul, nor do they make us happy.

Years ago there was a song whose title was “Is That All There Is?” Those five words sum up most of the book of Ecclesiastes. Or as U2’s Bono plaintively sings, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

If we fast forward to the gospel lesson for today we are told about a man who asks Jesus to issue a quick probate decision for him.

"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

Jesus doesn’t respond in a Judge Judy type of fashion but instead tells the story of the “rich fool.” This person decides to build bigger and better barns to store up all his crops and things so that he can “eat, drink and be merry.” And yet, Jesus says that very night his soul was demanded of him.

As some of you know we have two Bible study groups which look at the gospel for coming Sunday, one on Monday morning at 9am and then other at 7am on Tuesday mornings (and I invite you to drop in at either one of those). This past week we talked about this text in some detail. And one member asked a great Lutheran question, “What does this mean?” So, “what are we to do?”  First of all, it’s the question, the bottom line if you will. And after years of praying and thinking about it all, wrestling with guilt (and as Garrison Keillor says, “guilt is the gift that keeps on giving” or at the other end of the spectrum apathy or indifference, I believe the Millennium Development Goals are clear succinct statements about how people like you and me can effect change and bring about goodness in our world.

The goals to be achieved by 2015 are

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
2. Achieve universal primary education;
3. Promote gender equality and empower women;
4. Reduce child mortality;
5. Improve  maternal health;
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases;
7. Ensure environmental sustainability; and
8. Create a global partnership for development.

Jesus concluded his “judgment” by saying,  “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."  So, it begs the questions, what does it mean to be rich toward God? One scholar has suggested that the answer is found in two short passages, Luke 6:27 and Luke 10:27:

But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. (Luke 6:27)

He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27)

I believe it really isn’t about square footage, “how big is your barn?” or even “how much is enough?” The question the parable is answering and asking at the same time is simple “who?”

Who are you? Who are you working for? Who is Jesus calling you to be? Who do you trust and believe in?  And at the same time, it is about praying that we might be “right sized” God-sized in a SuperSIZE ME World.

I know that you know and believe that happens as we “walk wet” through our lives remembering baptism, “marked with the cross of Christ, claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world.” We are fed and formed along the way by the Word which gives us comfort and direction. We gather around the table of the Lord where our Lord gives us life and promise. That is our story and our song.

Amen