Sunday, September 26, 2010

Need or Greed?

Need or Greed? Sermon for Proper 21, year C Pete Gdula
It is a blessing to return here on such a beautiful morning. A friend and classmate of mine made the trip here last Saturday in anticipation of taking a class only to find out we did not need either of the courses. Some made mention of how mad we must have been to make the trip and spend the time and gas without anything to show for it. How wrong they were. The drive brought back memories of my homily rehearsals as I drove through the snow covered branches in January. I paused to shout hello to the pony and wave to the horses; to point out the short cut through New Bloomfield and question the renovation of a consignment shop into a tattoo parlor. But above all, it showed me the grace I had received in exploring and sharing my new ministry with all of you. I have walked through hallowed halls of marble and gold through Europe, set foot in board rooms turned chapels, and saw heaven touch the earth on an early morning fishing trip as I stood in the middle of a stream. All of these are etched in my mind for their own reasons. What I’ve found is that none of those would mean a thing if it weren’t for the people who fill the rooms, or recognize the presence of the Holy and each other in these places and moments.
It is not the walls that make a church but the people that occupy it. It is not the people that make the community - but the love and effort of care- giving in regards to their neighbor. In today’s Epistle, Paul calls it “…godliness combined with contentment;” All each of us needs is food and clothing. When we miss the mark on this one, should we examine our relationship with our social status and monetary wealth? If we are already too far gone in the direction of loving our material belongings and our money, would we even notice where our attention is? Would we know that we are already like the rich man who is SO far removed from society, he thinks he deserves special treatment even after being condemned?
I remember a homily that I presented to you back in May where I suggested how the season of Pentecost was meant to bring our faith and education into the real world. I stressed how Pentecost is a time of acting out our lessons, putting feet on our prayers and ideas, and taking on the words of the Gospel by becoming living Christians in the truest sense of the word. Here we are, gathered again approximately three months later. We are at the half way point toward Advent, and today’s readings provide a good time to take a litmus test and find out how we are doing. Most of the summer we’ve listened to Luke’s presentation of Jesus’ teaching in parables. Parables that are “smack-you-in-the-face” wake up and let the dogs outside obvious. Its times like these I’m happy to be part of a faith that has a definitive liturgical cycle. We are given the framework for our house of faith during Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter. We now decide what color combinations to use in the dining room. We take the hours spent in home improvement centers looking at samples of carpeting, siding, roofing, and appliances and work on the finished product. We order the living room sofa and HD, cable ready TV, the beds, curtains and throw pillows, and make sure the driveway and sidewalk are clean and swept. It is a time for living.
But while many will be happy and step back here, soaking in the pride of what they have made, there are those who see that a neighbor may need some help with a chore. There are those who notice an acquaintance is walking to work while his car sits in his drive way in need of repairs. There are those who notice that even people who seem to be happy and well off need a shoulder to lean on or a hand to hold in prayer. These are the people who are “content with godliness”. They have what they need – and in most instances a great deal more – but they have not stopped noticing others who are not at the point of having their basic needs fulfilled yet.
When the rich man asks to have Lazarus sent to warn his brothers about the direction they are headed, Abraham refuses with a stern and somber answer. If you don’t heed the warnings now, from those who have been with you and wrote the laws, who would believe you when you say that you would now believe a resurrected body? Jesus makes this distinction clear and simple. His followers did not know at the time, it was He who would come back resurrected to confirm his identity so we might believe. Now the parable is turned on us. We not only have Moses and the prophets, we also have THE resurrected One who showed us the way.
Many treasures are stored up on earth. Many treasures are accumulated by both honest workers and those with greedy hands. Can the comparison stop there? Should we be concerned that perhaps this is where it will be decided who lives in eternal life being comforted and who ends up across the chasm, waiting for someone to send them a cooling drop of water that apparently won’t come? None of us can answer that. Fortunately – we have a foundation and the framework to begin finishing our works. We have our shell and roof and decorations. We have some pretty good written instructions and examples in our scripture. And we are filled with the grace from having those who show us in their actions every day. The ones who have built their treasures in heaven – and are sharing those treasures without bias or question. Amen