Building a Bucket List

Luke 12:13-21 and Colossians 3:1-11

If I actually had a bucket list, two items that would be sure to be on it would be taking a hot balloon ride, and going on an African safari – the kind where the only shooting that takes place comes from a camera.

So, when I came across this story, it really appealed to me.

A man named Danny and his wife took a hot air balloon trip early one morning while visiting Africa. Perfect!

As the balloon rose gracefully, they saw a herd of wildebeest running frantically across the vast expanse below. 

          As they watched, the herd suddenly stopped and began looking around as if they were confused. Danny asked their pilot why the herd had stopped so suddenly; what were they looking for?

          The pilot told them that the wildebeest, which migrate by the millions across the grassy African plains, are not good learners.  An entire herd will take flight at the slightest indication of danger. They run wildly for a short time, and then stop, forgetting why they began running in the first place.

          Meanwhile, lions, who are good learners, simply follow the stampeding herd at a leisurely pace and wait for them to stop. When the wildebeest forget why they are running, dinnertime arrives.

So I wonder, are we more like the wildebeest or the lion?

          Can you imagine running and running and running and then forgetting why you are running at all? 

          The truth is we all fall prey to this cycle at times, running here and there and back again, busy in our work or school, busy in our family, busy with our social and financial obligations, busy running to something, busy running away –  eventually overcome with our busy-ness, only to forget what it is we are running after to begin with, and why it was so important to us to be. So. busy.

This forgetting is more than the experience of walking into a room and failing to recall why we went there to begin with.

          Rather, in all our running and chasing after things that ultimately give way to confusion, we forget the things Christ has taught us about trusting in God, and about how we should live.

We forget the ways Jesus showed us about living in community, loving our neighbor, and forgiving those who have trespassed against us. We forget the priorities that God set before us – love me, love neighbor, love yourself.

We sometimes forget that caring for the outcast, the marginalized, and the sinner was at the top of the list of what Jesus taught us to do. Those were the things that were important to Jesus – connecting with, and caring for our neighbor. Sadly, when we forget this core instruction from God, our attention and focus naturally turns inward.

          The parable from our gospel today, shows us what happens when a rich man forgets that it is God who gives us all we need. We see what happens as he is consumed with running, running, running – amassing more than he can possibly use up himself, so that his “running” turns into building, building, building.

So, there is this telling conversation he has with himself, when he realizes that he has run out of storage space for his hoard.

The man thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops? I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” 

It is all “I, I, I, I, I, and my, my, my…..” This is his focus and his mantra – it is all about me, myself, and I.

          The writer of our first reading, from Ecclesiastes, calls this ‘vanity’ –it is “meaningless,” “useless,” and “absurd.”

          In the parable we see the vanity of the rich man who is obsessed with what the epistle to the Colossians refers to as the “things that are on earth”. These are fleeting things that we have a tendency to place importance on—everything from material wealth, to status, to power over others – the writer of the Epistle names the pursuit of all these things idolatry.  

While it is sensible stewardship of the resources God gives us that we save and reasonably plan for our future material needs, a component of stewardship as Jesus teaches it, is to trust that we are given ample resources to share and to use for the betterment of others.

Knowing that God provides for our daily needs, we are freed to trust that God also provides enough for us to share.

This message is at the core of all the stewardship stories in the bible, from manna daily given to the people of God in the wilderness, to Jesus teaching the Lord’s Prayer, which comes just before this text.

God carefully and lovingly gives us all we need. It’s the same message our own stewardship team diligently establishes in their messages to our community throughout the year.

However, there is more to this text than a message for the stewardship of material goods, as important as that is. For if we look at the beginning of the passage, we will see that this entire story begins with someone asking Jesus to settle a property dispute within their family. So this is also a message for the stewardship of human relationships.

Maybe you’ve known or witnessed the pain and turmoil that families sometimes experience when huge battles erupt over the inheritance of property upon the death of a loved one, whether a will had been left or not. Bitter divides form over such arguments, and lifelong scars and estrangements often result. So we can understand someone coming to Jesus and wishing for him to speak with authority on this matter.

But note Jesus’ response; “Be on guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Instead, in Christ we have been granted abundant life to share both now and in a future we cannot yet see.

So, according to Jesus, greed includes not only those things that we yearn for that we do not have, but also those things we already possess but would do just about anything to keep.

Greed is indeed a deep pit into which we fall and cannot, on our own, climb out of.

The epistle lists so-called earthly things that we run after. I wonder what other things we can name? Living in a consumerist world, what are some of the earthly things that we chase after, long for, and amass for ourselves? I suppose such a list would include

·        winning the lottery

·        money

·        food

·        clothes

·        jewelry

·        the latest technology

·        beauty

·        youth

·        travel

·        power

·        land, property

·        ‘toys’

·        popularity

In contrast, Paul’s letter to the Galatians picks up this theme and reminds us of the good gifts or fruits of the Spirit, which God provides; gifts that build human relationships, gifts that are godly. That list looks quite different. It includes things that reflect on the love of God in Christ Jesus and the things he modeled for us, which help us dwell in authentic Christ-like relationship with our neighbors:

·        love

·        joy

·        peace

·        patience

·        kindness

·        generosity

·        faithfulness

·        gentleness

·        self-control

The good news of the gospel is that as life in Christ truly includes a radical reorientation of our values as individuals and even more as community, we are freed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ from the need to run in circles, consumed with worry after the things that are on earth.

We are freed by the grace of God through Jesus Christ to know that as the love of God is limitless, we will always have enough to share, and are already forgiven for the times when we struggle to do so.

As followers of Christ we find joy when we willingly and happily share with our neighbor the material, physical gifts we have – food, clothing, shelter, money for utilities and gas but also of this grand pool of love and welcome that we have been given.

As we are freed to let go of the things and the greed that has previously driven us, we are enabled to reach out to our neighbor in authentic love and invitation.

Let us therefore embrace Jesus’ word, that we might be rich toward God who, by the power of the Spirit promises to give us eyes to see that all we have is a gift from God’s gracious hand.

Let us know the gift of this community of faith that reaches out to share the gifts we have first received – time, talent and treasure, that all may know the abundant life of Christ.

Through the Spirit and in community, undistracted by the vanity of pointless running, let us see and hear the very people Jesus saw and heard; the lonely, the disenfranchised, the weak, the poor, the powerless – our neighbor – all those we are empowered to love and embrace.   

Let gratitude and grace define us and define our lives. May we have ears to hear God’s call to remember that our lives are not rich because of what we have accumulated or done, but because of what God has done for us in Jesus, on the cross, and through the abundant life that begins in our baptism and never, ever, ends.

Let us remember that in this God-given abundant life there are always more people to invite in and to embrace with the love, joy, gentleness, patience, kindness, and generosity and all the rest with which we are gifted.

Let us pray that Jesus will continue to show us the way, for surely Jesus’ own bucket list must include his desire that this abundant life of richness toward God be the single possession and treasure that all people will one day share.

         

Hey! Can You hear Me Now?

Luke 11:1-13

            Earlier this summer, when the temperatures were cooler and a nice refreshing breeze would blow all night, night after night, we were able to keep our windows open, which I love. It was “good sleeping weather,” the kind I really like.

            Our neighborhood is usually pretty quiet, so there was nothing much to mar the peaceful experience of the night air gently blowing through the windows, ruffling the curtains and making even our animals sigh in contentment.

            That is, until one Friday night when, just after we had gone to bed and turned the lights out, I heard a young female voice a near distance – I couldn’t tell how far away- “Hey!”

            My first thought was that someone walking their dog without a leash was trying to call back a wandering canine, because we heard it again – two or three times, a little louder each time, “Hey!”

            The voice and the message changed then. “Hey, Somebody, can you hear me?” A few seconds passed. “Help!”  Then a little louder, “Help me!” This youngish voice didn’t sound terribly distressed, but it was persistent.

            There are several backyards that line up one after another behind ours, and woods behind them, so I began thinking maybe it was kids playing around back there somewhere, in the dark, maybe even playing tricks on us. But then we heard it again, a bit more strident, “Hey, Somebody, help me!”

            I wasn’t sure I was hearing correctly, so I went out onto our deck, and then the two of us shared an encounter in disembodied voices – connecting through the darkness. It is comical in the retelling, but that night it was just – surreal.

“Hello?”

“Hey!”

“Do you need help?”

            “Yes!” came back the voice.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “I’m locked in my bathroom!”

I almost responded, “Is this a joke? You’re locked in your bathroom?”

            “Help me! I need help!”

            It turns out this young lady was indeed imprisoned by a broken doorknob, in the second floor bathroom of her home. To make matters worse she was alone in her house for the entire weekend, as her family was out of town.

            Beginning to panic after spending an hour or more locked away as the night settled in around her, she had tried without success to attract the attention and assistance of the neighbors around her. Her imagination awakened, she thought maybe someone was in her house, playing a trick on her. Someone with unsavory plans.

            My husband and I finally located her, let ourselves into her house, discovered the problem, and then I kept her company while he went back home to get needed tools. We proceeded to affect a rescue there, in the middle of the night, in a total stranger’s home, under the most bizarre of circumstances.

            Had it not been for her persistence, that poor girl would have spent the night – and who knows – maybe even the weekend – locked in her bathroom.

            Persistence in seeking help. Persistence in making contact. Persistence in prayer.

            The Old Testament lesson today shows us an example of pure unadulterated persistence on Abraham’s part. He is relentless in his mediation between God and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, those wicked, sinful people.

Yet, Abraham argued, they are not all wicked. Surely some are righteous, surely, they deserve to be saved, right? So, if Abraham could find “x”-number of righteous people in the city of Sodom, on their behalf, won’t God be merciful and preserve them all? Won’t God relent and back off on their justifiable punishment if 50 righteous people can be found? Yes? Then –  how about 40? 30? 10? Abraham intercedes for all people on the basis of the goodness of God and the faithfulness of just a few.

            In our gospel lesson, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. They’ve seen Jesus pray. They know that sometimes he leaves them to go off by himself to pray. He prayed before choosing his disciples, he prayed when he fed the five thousand, he prayed when breaking bread with his disciples and friends. Jesus prayed the night before he died and on the way to and even from the cross. Persistence in prayer was part of Jesus’ life all the way to his death.

           

            The disciples know Jesus as their teacher, their master, their friend. Jesus has prayed many times for them and with them. They have witnessed his special relationship to God. He has even called God “Abba,” “Father” – a very intimate way of naming the relational bond he shares with God. So now they ask that question we often repeat, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

            On that day, they want to know what magic formula Jesus might want to share with them for praying like he prays. Perhaps they are not confident they know how to do it right – what words should they use? What kinds of things should they say? What should they ask for? What will make God listen best?

            I might ask if you ever feel the same way, but I already know you do. Most if not all of us do, at times. We often fear we don’t get it right when it comes to prayer. We worry we don’t have the right words, can’t assume the proper posture, or aren’t faithful enough, confident enough,worthy enough,  to pray.

            And yet, prayer is the central act in the lives of faithful people.

            So, Jesus offers this little prayer that has been known as the Lord’s Prayer, or the Our Father, and recited by heart by the followers of Jesus Christ for over two thousand years.

Lest we think that Jesus is giving us the magic formula for the perfect prayer, we remember that Jesus himself modeled types of prayer that were far-ranging in style and setting, and contained the thoughts of his heart, his concerns, his care for others, the struggles he was facing, and so many other things. The thing is that Jesus showed us – all of our lives should be about prayer, for there is no part of our lives about which God does not care.

            We know how important communication is in our lives and in our relationships. Nowhere is this more true than in our relationship with God. If we see prayer as simple communication with God, which it is, it may become much easier to carry out this essential gift in the life of faith.

·         So let me ask you, in what ways do we as humans, communicate? Let’s name all of the ways in which we communicate………..:

o   Our spoken words

o   Listening

o   Writing

o   Art

o   Our work

o   Touch

o   Use of our bodies

o   Our actions

o   Playtime

o   Singing

o   Technology

            Are any of these ways inappropriate to prayer? No. We employ all these methods and more when we make our whole lives a prayer to God. Our prayers may consist of many words, for example, a prayer that begins, “O good and gracious God, we pray for the church, the world, and all of your creation…….”. Or, a prayer may consist of a single word – “Help!”; Perhaps a loving embrace, “peace be with you”; or fervent desire, “forgive me”, “protect her,” “strengthen him.”

            When I was in school, we were taught that there are four reasons to pray: to praise God, to thank God, to ask forgiveness, to ask God for what we needed or wanted (even or especially if that need or want was on behalf of someone else). It is the act of praying that is important; it is through the act, that we connect and communicate with a God who loves us as Abba, Father; as one who loves us beyond all reason, and who can use our own prayer to reshape our lives. Ask, Jesus said – ask, search, knock – persistently, constantly, confidently.      

            It’s a pretty tall order when you come to think of it. Today we acknowledge that prayer and the scriptures that we just read may be hard for us right now. Surely, we are pray-ers. The world is full of people who pray. People have been praying for years; for centuries; throughout the millennia, in fact.

            Yet there is no denying that as we look around, as we hear the news, as we look at our own lives, and the world around us, we wonder – does God hear our words? Does God answer prayer? Does God even care?

            I won’t pretend to have the answers for why the world is so very messed up, other than to say that we live in a broken and sinful world, in which the kingdom of God has dawned in Jesus Christ, but has not yet come to its fullness. Therefore, daily assaults have our prayer lives going on in over-drive..

Like Abraham, we, too are called be persistent in prayer. The God we pray to is the same one who sent his son to die for this fallen humanity; God desires deep, authentic relationship with us; weeps when we weep; and hears us when we pray, “Abba, help!”

Help the man lying in blood on the street for no other reason than the color of his skin. Bless the police officer who shows up each day in the face of danger and derision and faithfully does what he or she  is called to do. Comfort those whose friends and loved ones have fallen to the bullets of too many guns, too much violence, too little understanding and peace.

If prayer is "turning ourselves God-ward," as Jesus shows us it is, it requires our whole being not only turned toward God but dedicated to following Jesus’ lead and example.  “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…thy kingdom come, they will be done.” With these words we surrender our own authority. We assume we will find God in whatever answer to our prayer may come.

“Hey God, can you hear me?” “Hello, can you help us?”

We pray for peace and believe God is present in conflict and discord. “We need your help! Please help us!”

Through our prayer, we offer ourselves up to God using us as part of the answer – When we pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” we offer to be part of the solution.

We pray for our daily basic needs, and believe God is present in the same way among the poor, and will use us as well to feed, nourish, walk with, and care for those in need.

In her book, Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott writes that the two best prayers are “help me, help me, help me,” and “thank you, thank you, thank you.” May our entire lives be lived between those pleas, in sweet holy communication and awesome trust.