“But, I Need It!” – Luke 12:13-21 – August 5, 2007

How often does someone close to you suggest that you throw an item away or give it away? Most of us respond by saying, “But, I might need it.” Let’s be honest. We are savers. We are packrats. We collect stuff, store stuff and we always manage to find room for something we just might need. Stockpiling is a natural trait in our land of abundance. Like the man in the story, we are constantly building more buildings to warehouse our stuff.

Today, however I don’t intend to dwell on all the stuff we have. Whatever you currently own you have already rationalized the importance of keeping your things because someday, you just might need them. And some of you will say, “So and so needs to hear this story, since they have so much and I have so little.” Others of you believe that this story has nothing to do with you because you are frugal and generous.

I have preached this story at least ten times. I have many good illustrations and examples that would only make you feel guilty of having too many possessions. I have many great stories that illustrate the fact how greed and abundance take away from the joy of living. I could talk about the “haves and the have not’s.” Or, I could talk about the perils of materialism. But, today I would like to focus on Jesus’ last comment in the story.

Jesus said, “Those who store up treasures for themselves are not rich toward God.” Therefore, the question I want to deal with today is, “How can we be rich toward God?” To be rich toward God is to be filled with joy. To be rich toward God is to be free. To be rich toward God is live with the assurance of eternal life. So, how can we achieve those goals?

I believe there are three ways we can be rich toward God. They all begin with the letter, “S.” The first way to be rich toward God is to simplify. Our lives are very complex. Our families no longer live in the same town. They are scattered all over the nation. Technology is overwhelming for some and the businesses we have to deal with are becoming more impersonal. The pace is fast and we long for the days when life was not as complex. Our culture is more diverse and few of us know the people who live in our neighborhoods. How do we cope?

I believe we can cope by simplifying our lives. Not only do we have too much stuff, we have too many things scheduled on our calendars. We feel obligated to attend every birthday party, every wedding, every anniversary celebration and every graduation. We feel guilty about saying “no” or skipping events. Consequently we are overwhelmed and tired. Some even feel as though they are losing it. So many things are beyond our control. It is impossible to keep up.

This summer I made a personal goal that I would reorganize the garage and throw away anything I no longer used. Once a week I have been setting things out with the trash. I have been putting out articles late in the evening and by morning they are gone, long before the trash truck comes. I guess there are folks out there who needed my junk worse then I do. So far this summer I have gotten rid of an old basketball pole, which was rusty and falling over, a worn out vacuum sweeper, a used kitchen sink and many other things. An odd thing has happened. Lately I have been sleeping better. Perhaps I have much less to worry about.

We can simplify our lives by ridding ourselves of excess things. We can also simplify our lives by reducing the number of events and activities on our personal calendars. We can also simplify our lives by saying, “no” more often. A new buzz word for the 21st century is the term, “Bundling.” Bundling is when a company, like Time Warner for example, offers a service where your telephone, cable and internet access are in one package. You get additional services plus you only have to pay one bill per month. Anytime we can “downsize,” consolidate or minimize red tape we are simplifying our lives.

The second way to be rich toward God is to share. If you notice the man in the story constantly uses the pronoun, “I.” He said, “I have no place to story my crops.” “I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones.” “I will store all my grain and all my goods.” “I will say to my soul, relax, eat, drink and be merry.” The man cared for no one other than himself. It was all about him. Everything was his. He had no sense of community and showed no concern for his neighbors.

There are three kinds of givers: the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. Which kind are you? To get anything from the flint, you must hammer it. Yet, all you get are chips and sparks. The flint gives nothing away if it can help it, and even then only with a great display. To get anything from the sponge, you must squeeze it. It readily yields to pressure and the more it is pressed, the more it gives. Still, one has to squeeze it. To get anything from the honeycomb, however, one must only take what freely flows from it. It gives its sweetness generously, dripping on all without pressure, without begging or badgering. The honeycomb is a renewable resource. Unlike the flint or the sponge, the honeycomb is connected to life; it is the product of the ongoing work and creative energy of bees. If you share like a honeycomb giver your life will be continually replenished and grow as you give.

When we share we freely give and we acknowledge that all we have is on loan and others have as much right to the things of God’s creation as we do.

The third way to be rich toward God is to sacrifice. The man in the story knew nothing about sacrifice. He was hoarding everything for himself. He was not willing to give up anything for anyone. Sacrificial living requires a deep and abiding faith. It means we are willing and committed to denying things for ourselves it order to help others, or for the common good.

Hattie Mae Wyatt was a little girl who came to the Temple Baptist Sunday school in Philadelphia. But the building was crowded and someone carelessly told her, “There’s no room for you.” She returned home and subsequently became ill and died. A well worn, lumpy purse was found under her pillow. It contained fifty-seven pennies and a scrap of paper that said: “To help build Temple Sunday School bigger so more children can go.” The pastor, Rev. Russell Conwell, told the story to his congregation. It sparked a building fund drive and soon the fifty-seven pennies had multiplied to $250,000. From he gift came the great Baptist Temple, seating 3,000 people. Later Temple College and Temple hospital were founded as ministries of the church.

Hattie Mae Wyatt made a sacrifice which resulted in ministry to others for years in the future. Rather than think only of herself, like the man in our story, she was concerned for others. To be rich toward God is to live a life of sacrifice. Remember the three “S’s,” simplify, share and sacrifice and you will be rich toward God.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio