For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Logan Weber. I’m a seminary student at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY. My wife, two little girls, and I moved down to Sarasota this summer so that I could intern here at Church of the Redeemer. As it does, time has flown by, and this is our last Sunday serving here.
I want to tell you all that leaving next week is going to be bittersweet for our family.
This is in large part due to how joyfully you’ve received us
and how well you have loved us in our short time at Redeemer.
I regret that I haven’t connected with all of you, but I am honored to share with you from God’s Word this morning.
So, I’ve got to say I had a laugh a few weeks back when I knew I’d be given the opportunity to preach this morning. I mean, somehow the intern’s first preaching assignment just happens to be on the topic of money. And then somehow it just so happens that the intern is leaving town the next day!
Well, what this means for you guys, is that I can go to town today because tomorrow, I’m outta here! So who’s ready to talk about money?
The Bible is said to reference money and possessions over 2,000 times. Money alone is mentioned more than 800 times. Besides the Kingdom of God, it was Jesus’ most common topic. 11 of his 39 parables are about finances. Today’s Gospel reading is indeed one of these instances.
However, I find it curious that after having so much to say about money and possessions, Jesus basically chastises a guy who asks our Lord to get involved in a money matter and “bid his brother divide their inheritance.” To quote Jesus directly, he said, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?”
Now in all likelihood this is a younger brother petitioning against an older brother. The laws of inheritance of the day stated that the elder brother would be given a double portion of the inheritance. This younger brother appears to have taken umbrage with this legal, but seemingly unjust and unloving, practice. So, in the name of justice and love he wants Jesus to tell his older brother to forget the letter of the law and divide the inheritance evenly.
Before we cast aspersions on this younger brother, though, let’s consider that Jesus, just before this, in Luke 11:37-54, is chastising some Pharisees for neglecting justice and the love of God despite following the letter of the law on tithing.
So, suddenly this young man’s request from the crowd seems more appropriate. Jesus, the extoller of justice and the love of God, would surely make a stand and side with this younger brother.
However, as we’ve seen this is not the case.
It’s fair if we stand a bit confused upon consideration here. What sense does it make for Jesus to dismiss the opportunity to get directly involved into the matters of money & possessions with this younger brother, when in fact money & possessions has been one of the topics he most frequently talks about?
To make this confusion a bit more personal, on one hand we have a younger brother who wants his elder brother to break from the law of inheritance and Jesus calls him out on the carpet. On the other hand, we have Pharisees obeying the law of tithing and Jesus calls them out on the carpet.
What are we to make of all this? Is Jesus just grumpy in this section of Luke?
I don’t think so. You see, Jesus doesn’t chastise the younger brother for wanting to break from the laws of inheritance. Neither does he chastise the Pharisees for keeping the laws of tithing.
The reason for this is that Jesus’ primary concern is not money. The fact is, He takes both to task not based on the letter of the law, or his interest in money itself, but on the condition of their hearts.
Listen to Jesus’ warning, “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness;”
In other words, guard your heart against all covetousness!
Why?
Because “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
You see this is an issue of the heart.
It’s an issue of trust.
And the great temptation Jesus warns of is putting our trust in what we can do, or learn, or earn, or save, or create, or build for ourselves, because in the end it amounts to nothing.
Church, this is not a new problem for us is it?
Recall with me a garden,
Paradise
and a choice
a choice between two Trees
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.
Was our original parents’ decision on that fateful day based on Trust or Distrust? Was it a decision oriented toward God or themselves? Was it one of Godly contentment or one of covetousness?
Can’t you hear the heart of the younger brother here? Instead of being content with the blessing of an inheritance, he finds something to complain about and see’s God’s provision as unjust.
It’s the same heart Jesus reveals in the rich man’s soliloquy. After having land that “brought forth plentifully” we find the guy turning his gaze inward to the point where his entire inner dialogue is about himself. ”’What shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops?…I will do this: I will pull down my barns, there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul.”
You see church, just as our original parents became self centered, focusing on what was wrong, and what they didn’t have, the characters from our story today do too.
Are we beginning to grasp what Jesus getting at here with the younger brother and the crowd in today’s reading? Simply put he is saying “Be careful where you place your trust. Trust Me.”
Can I suggest that God is speaking this same message to Redeemer lately?
Take stock with me for a moment from the past couple of weeks.
Father Charleston shared with us about Martha and Mary. To Martha who was “anxious about many things” Jesus was speaking peace and saying “Trust Me Martha, I love you.” Father Wood just last week shared with us about the Lord’s prayer and what it means to be bold. Bold prayer does not flow from a heart that lacks trust in God’s love.
So again I propose that God’s word for Church of the Redeemer lately is “Trust Me, I love you.”
TRUST ME I LOVE YOU.
We see this, not only in the messages God has spoken through our clergy the past few weeks, but again through our Gospel reading today.
God is indeed posing the question, “Do you trust Me? Do you trust that I love you?” Do you trust that my provision and grace are sufficient for you? Or are you going to run after other Gods?
What does this mean for us sitting here today? What things is God wanting to put His finger on in our lives this morning? How might we examine our own hearts to discover where our trust actually lies?
Have we become preoccupied with possessions? Because in the end it leads to emptiness.
Or have we found our security in our own self sufficiency? Because in the end our righteousness is like filthy rags before God.
Have we put our trust in the idols of comfort, the idols of power, or the idols of approval? Because the approval of the One Holy God is the only thing that ultimately matters and His is the name by which we are saved.
Have we said “I believe in God with my mouth,” while denying His Presence and authority in our lives? Because, I’ll tell you, genuine faith in God will absolutely positively make a difference in the practical matters of our daily lives.
In closing, let me make it clear that the Bible is ultimately a love story. As is this morning’s reading.
It’s a love story that calls us to trust and fidelity with the God who stopped at nothing to make a way for our redemption. There is no length He has not stretched Himself into because of His great love for us. He is the God who has proclaimed that with just one glance of our eye, His heart is ravished & completely undone. And it’s His love that compels us to trust Him.
The degree that we do not trust God in the practical areas of our lives is the degree that we do not yet know Him, because to know him is to love Him. And love doesn’t exist without trust.
I have a mentor who has said over the years about our faith journey that, “We either fall in love with God or we fall away from Him.” So the question I ultimately want to leave before us this morning is, which way are you falling? Whether our hearts are resting in contentment or calling out from the crowd in covetousness is a pretty good indication.
Sermon preached by Logan Weber, Summer Intern
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
11th Sunday after Pentecost
31 July 2016