"Insuring Our Faith" - Luke 12:13-21 - August 1, 2004

Recently our son-in-law gave us some antique fish crates. Since we have a number of nautical relics and treasures they were a nice addition to our collection. I put them in the garage and that evening when I went to put the car in the garage I realized the crates were in the way. Not only were they in the way there was no where to put them. Since we have no basement I had a real dilemma. Where was I going to put my new stuff?

Fortunately, my wife had a idea. She had me turn the crates upside down and so they have become end tables on the back porch. At the very least they will make great conversational pieces when we entertain.

But, the reality of having nowhere to store additional things really got me thinking. It must be time to clear out the garage and get rid of some things. There’s a pile of wood in the corner, but then I might need one of those boards some day. The cabinets are full of great things too; there’s a "Barbie" doll house that we might need for the grandchildren. There’s a suitcase that was given to me at my high school graduation. There’s a set of golf clubs although I don’t play golf. There’s all kinds of camping equipment although I haven’t camped out in ten years. Perhaps I am holding on to some fairly useless things.

The man in our story had a crop that produced more than he expected. To compensate for his problem he decided he would build bigger barns. Rather than downsize, he decided to stockpile, thereby making sure he had everything he needed for the future. He didn’t want to be without.

In fact, he was in for the biggest surprise of his life. "You fool…tonight you die." Imagine the shock. He must have been speechless. All that he had saved, all that he had worked for, and all that he had stockpiled was totally useless. They may have given him insurance for this life but they would be totally meaningless in the next.

I believe we all make efforts to keep our lives secure. We buy insurance, we store up supplies. We have many systems that safeguard our homes and lives. We have pension programs, health insurance (that is if you are wealthy enough to afford it) and we have warranties on all our equipment.

One of our daughters had a dishwasher go bad recently. The dishwasher leaked water under the sub flooring in the kitchen and ruined their brand new wood flooring. I addition the adjoining cabinets became warped. Fortunately her home insurance will replace the floor and install all new kitchen cabinets. But, my daughter still complained that she has to buy a new dishwasher.

It’s the American way. We live in a "consumer" society where everyone has major amounts of stuff. If we lose our stuff, we get upset. If something we have needs repaired we replace it and the old one gets shoved into a corner or stuffed in a closet. Our major form of recreation is browsing (not just on the internet) but in the department store aisles.

If and when, like the man in the story, we are faced with the immediate exit from this world, our stuff remains behind. As Jesus said in his parable, "All that stuff you leave behind, whose will it be?" If you have a will it will most likely go to your relatives. One thing for sure, it has absolutely no value to you.

What Jesus is teaching us is that what we really need is a little "soul" insurance. "Take care, be on guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." There is nothing wrong with being ready for the problems of this world. It is a good thing to have what you need and be prepared for an emergency. Jesus, however wants us to "be rich toward God." In other words, he wants us to insure our faith.

The first way to insure our faith is to ‘invest" in our faith. That means a disciplined life of worship, prayer and study. It means participating in church activities and volunteering for ministries. It means supporting the church with our resources, time and talents.

Secondly, we insure our faith by living a simplified life. Recently an NFL player, Ricky Williams, who played for the Miami Dolphins, quit football. He walked away from a $3.5 million salary and celebrity status because his heart just wasn’t in it anymore. The sports world is in shock. Why would a young man walk away from all that success? Williams replied, "There is more to life than football." One of his coaches commented that Williams enjoys working with children. Perhaps he is trying to simplify his life.

The third way to insure our faith is to share what we have. Silas Marner was a miser, a very ill-tempered miser at that. He lived for nothing but the hoarding of his money. As [author George Eliot] described him: "So year after year, Silas Marner had lived in this solitude, his guineas rising in the iron pot, and his life narrowing and hardening itself more and more into a mere pulsation of desire and satisfaction that had no relation to any other being." But, then ... Marner’s money was stolen and the man’s life, as a consequence, was utterly shattered. But when he thought that his life no longer had any purpose or reason to it he found an abandoned little girl and took her in and cared for her. Such a strange combination: this old, solitary, bitter man and this little child.

But over time, as Eliot weaves her wonderful story, the child changes the man and brings happiness to him and a sense of purpose and fulfillment that his gold had never and could never have given him. The climax of the story comes when, 16 years later, Marner’s gold is recovered. But now he looks at it in a completely different light. Now it is not to hoard but to give to his beloved daughter who is about to be married. As Silas says to Eppie: "The money was taken away from me in time; and you see it’s been kept — till it was wanted for you. The money takes no hold of me now, the money doesn’t. I wonder if it ever could again — [but] it might, if I lost you, Eppie. I might come to think I was forsaken again, and lose the feeling that God was good to me [if I lost you]." (Robert Rayburn, "Rich toward God," January 12, 2003, Faith Presbyterian Church, Homiletics, August, 2004)

We insure our faith by investing ourselves in a disciplined life of discipleship. We insure our faith by living simply, shedding our excess resources and "stuff." We insure our faith by sharing what we have with others. Have you taken inventory of your assets lately? Besides carrying life insurance, health insurance, home owner’s insurance, and car insurance, have you considered insuring your faith? Jesus isn’t trying to scare us. He is just trying to make our lives easier.

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