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St. Charles Episcopal Church, St. Charles, IL

The 10^th Sunday after Pentecost, August 1, 2010

Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13

Margo Churchwell, Jr. Warden

Good morning. Father Bill asked me to preach this morning as a way of shaking things up. Not as your Junior Warden, or a Cursillista, or the wife of Bill and mother of Avie, but as a regular parishioner just like all of you. He told me he would like to do this a couple times a year with others in our parish, so watch out! If Father Bill calls you, he might be asking you to preach on a Sunday in the future. Thank God for caller ID, right?

As I come closer to my personal mid-century mark, I look around my house to take stock in what I accumulated over 25 years of marriage. I have drawers with useless trinkets, cupboards full of mis-matched coffee mugs, clothes that no longer fit or are not in style.

Things that I purposely collected that had significant value is now becoming stuff.

As my parents and in-laws age, I sometimes look around their homes to see what items I may eventually inherit (is that wrong?) and wonder what I would do with their stuff.

It’s as if our things provide a buffer against an uncertain world. Like a “stuff” security blanket.

I want to discuss Jesus’ story about the man who stored up grain for many seasons in his barns, with such a surplus that he thought of building bigger barns.

What was your opinion of this man? Did you think he was successful in his life?

Success in our culture is calibrated largely in terms of quantity -- quantity of academic degrees, personal wealth, salary, perks, and possessions.

He left no grain for the gleaners, the widows and the orphans, and the only tithe he had offered was a sigh of contentment.

As a nation we are ambitious; we are trained by our society to want more, to strive for more. Television commercials sell you on buying more stuff, items you can’t live without. The farmer believes that his riches will now insulate his life from hardship. God isn't in the equation at all. The man's focus is squarely on things rather than God.

How are we different than this farmer?

We have over learned over the years to lay up stores in fat years for lean years. Much of our money is tied up in tomorrow – 401Ks, IRAs -- while our neighbors need help today. And we tithe less and less.

After the farmer congratulated himself on his good fortune and his guarantee of a pain-free life for the future, God comes into the picture. God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

This is how I think it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. Eventually we are all going to die. From what I understand, all these things that define us like the car we drive, the job title we hold will not prevent death. And you can’t take it with you either. So how do we become rich toward God?

In our Gospel lesson we see a contrast between laying up treasures in heaven vs. laying up treasures for ourselves. How do you suppose God wants us to prepare, to become rich? It is written that we prepare for heaven by humbly living for him now.

Giving to the needy, praying, fasting (if you are into it), and doing good deeds.

Our church ministries offer wonderful opportunities for volunteering and contributing financially. We are always looking for help from teaching Sunday school to caring for the grounds to washing dishes. We depend on un-paid volunteer efforts and donations to keep the doors open. The church receives no grants from the government or anywhere else that I am aware of; we are doing this on our own. I personally don’t always have time to offer but I can usually find extra money to donate to make up for it.

We put our tithe into our family budget and pay the church like any bill that arrives in the mail.

And that thrill you get from buying something cool? How long does that feeling last?

The feeling you get from helping others grows with each act, whether it is dropping some coin in the plate or working overnight at Hesed House.

Please take some time this week to ponder your own situation and what you value.

If you feel as though you can offer more of yourself either personally or financially, I thank you in advance.

Amen.