Riches
Luke 12:13-21
August 1, 2010
Picture if you will, Jesus standing in the midst of a crowd of thousands of people. At one point Jesus is taking time with his disciples, teaching them about how to reach out to the Holy Spirit in times of need. There is a bit of a lull in the conversation, and a stranger calls out, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me!” The stranger wants Jesus to tell his brother that he must divide the inheritance equally between them. During this time in history the first son was entitled to 2/3 of the estate while the younger brother would receive the third that was left. This man was greedy, pushy and rude. Maybe his whole purpose in coming to see Jesus was to ask him to help the man get a bigger chunk of the inheritance left to the brothers. Jesus impatiently replies, “I’m not a judge. I can’t help with your problem. You’re asking the wrong person.
As a result of this encounter Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool. We are introduced to a rich farmer who is only interested in his own security. Jesus pulls no punches, calling the farmer a fool. The farmer is foolish because he does not understand what is really important in life. He has no idea about what can give his life true richness and meaning. The type of richness that God is offering, however, has nothing to do with barns full of grain and living a solitary life. Just as Jesus was unable to help the stranger and pass judgement that the inheritance should be divided down the middle between the two brothers, the farmer is not equipped to judge what will provide him with a truly rich life – a happy and fulfilling life. This man, who believes he is already rich, cares about no one but himself. He has isolated himself, and depends only upon himself. He has nothing to do with his community, and has no known relationship with God.
This man has failed big-time. He has no sense of God in his life – believing that he has to do everything for himself by himself. Not only does he miss seeing God in his life, he fails to see the reminders of God that are around us every day. Those two reminders, other people in community and images of God in our world and environment, can make us richer than we could ever imagine.
This past year, my relationships with others and with God have given my life a great richness. Working as a student intern minister at London Road West United Church in Sarnia, Ontario it was the people in the church community and my supervising minister who confirmed and affirmed for me the gifts – the strengths – I bring to ministry and to those I am committed to serve. Five members of the congregation were my lay support team, and they were instrumental in helping me to understand the congregation better, and what the congregation expected of me. The support team gave me feedback on my weekly participation in services and listened when I was feeling frustrated and tired and needed to talk.
The individuals in this group and my supervising minister both taught me the importance of having a life separate from my life as a minister. A minister who burns out is of no help to their congregation. All of the people I met in Sarnia helped me to learn more about myself as a person and as a future minister. God reached out to me through those individuals and that helped my internship to be the positive learning experience for me that I had hoped it would be.
After my internship in Sarnia was completed, I returned to Halifax to begin an 11-week Clinical Pastoral Education Program. The program is the first level of a hospital chaplaincy training program offered to theology students and clergy. Part of the training takes place on hospital units. It was through interaction with members of the healthcare team on my unit, the hospital chaplains and supervisors, and my peers that I was able to learn about providing spiritual care to patients in the hospital and to those who loved them.
The medical unit to which I was assigned was for individuals with serious medical problems. Many on the 27+ bed ward were living with the diagnosis of terminal cancer. The days I worked on the unit I tried to visit with all of the patients, even if it was just briefly. Every day I spent some time introducing myself to new admissions and saying goodbye and good luck to those who were being discharged. Some days there were patients who wanted me to sit and talk with them because they were afraid of being alone. Sometimes people wanted me to be with them as they cried and talked to me about their fear of dying. Frequently, I spent time with family members who were falling apart inside as they watched their loved one slowly succumb to their disease. I was called to the hospital on more than one occasion to comfort and support individuals as they died and provide support and comfort to their loved ones who were left behind.
All that I saw and all that I experienced during my time as a student chaplain has enriched my life. All of those experiences have helped me to see how important it is to be cared for, and cared about, when we are sad and in pain. Each one of us here is able to offer comfort and support others, in our own way, and the opportunities I have had as a student in ministry are not so unique.
Every day, everywhere, there is someone who just wants to be touched by compassion and love – God`s gift to all creatures. These people in need are just like you and me. Maybe they are you and me. Living in community we can experience the love of God all around us – the richness of life that is here for all of us to enjoy.
I have come to the conclusion that the more room we make for God in our daily lives, the more we will see God in different places in our lives. We will see the face of God in the face of the young person on the street if we take the time to look. We will see the face of God in the face of our neighbour. We will see the face of God in the faces of the poor and the marginalized.
The rich man in the parable today lost sight not only of God, but of God’s children, his community, who were also nearby. The Good News, then and now, is that God is all around us. Reach out and you will surely find God in some form reaching back to you. As you experience the richness that God is offering to you, let others see the face of God in yours. Amen.
Preached by Heather Rogers
Knox-Metropolitan United Church
Regina, Saskatchewan