Trinity 7 (18C) St Wilfrid, Hayward Heath 4.8.19

Today's Gospel is one of many passages in the Bible concerned with misuse of wealth which remind us that Our Lord had much more to say about the misuse of wealth than the misuse of sex. No doubt sexual sin can separate you from God but, as our reading from Luke indicates, so can the greedy use of wealth. St Luke's Gospel is famous for its highlighting Our Lord's engagement with material poverty and criticism of the rich.

The parable of the Rich Fool in Luke Chapter 12 needs little explanation. It speaks of self centredness expressed in material terms with a warning that 'one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions'. 

Pulling down barns to build larger barns the rich man congratulates himself. 'Soul, you have ample goods...eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you....so it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God'.

What does it mean to be rich towards God?

It means seeing a loss of self interest that equips you to see the big picture - God's picture - whereby your gifts are consecrated for the good of all and most notably those on the sharp end of things.

In the Old Testament Joseph built barns for Pharaoh not to serve himself but to serve lean years ahead in Egypt. In building those barns he also profited, if you read Genesis, through a family reconciliation as the world's hungry came to Joseph. Material goods are given by the creator primarily to bless those in his image and to fit them for his glory. 

This is what the priest affirms when he takes bread and wine on our behalf this morning. 'Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, through your goodness we have this bread and wine to offer which earth has given and human hands have prepared. They will become our spiritual food and drink.' In the Eucharist we protest against the selfish use of material things and direct our whole life, including our bank accounts, to God's praise and service. Our standing orders to St Wilfrid’s, or the money we put in the envelopes, is evidence of true worship and God centredness.

Being rich towards God is about using our time, talents and possessions to build relationship with God and neighbour. Of course our immediate family is a main priority - the rich man in the Gospel may have had them in mind - but that priority isn't to the detriment of the people around us awaiting a material blessing from us at home or abroad. The charitable giving we provide to SPCK, Family Support, Christian Aid and so on balances what we give directly to God's work through Christian stewardship at St Wilfrid’s.

Christian work in this place will be eroded unless we pay for a priest.

This morning's Gospel has a challenge far more profound than to our use of money though. It draws attention to our mortality in a vivid wake up call to put people and relationships before the pursuit of material things

I want to end by reading a brief meditation from Fr Anthony De Mello which is a last word in more sense than one. 

Imagine your funeral. See your body in its coffin…in a church for the funeral rites.

Now look at all the people who have come to your funeral …go slowly from one pew to another looking at the faces of these people …to see what they are thinking, what they are feeling.

Now listen to the sermon that is being preached. Who is the preacher? ....What are they saying about you? Can you accept all the good things they are saying about you?

Look again at the faces of your friends who have come to attend your funeral …..Imagine all the good things they will be saying about you when they return home from your funeral …what do you feel now?

Is there something you would like to say to each of them before they go home? .....Some final farewell in response to what they are thinking or feeling about you, a response, which, alas, they will never hear now?  ….Say it all the same, and see what this does to you… 

Imagine that the funeral rites are now over. You stand in imagination above the grave in which your body lies, watching your friends leave the cemetery. What are your feelings now? ....As you stand here now, look back on your life and your experiences ….Was it all worthwhile?

Now become aware of your existence here in church and realise that you are still alive and still have some time at your disposal …Think of these same friends now from your present point of view. Do you see them differently as a result of this exercise?

Think of yourself now …Do you see yourself differently or feel differently about yourself as a result of this exercise?

                Anthony De Mello Sadhana p97-98

Trinity 5 4th July 2010 8am

As you know I spent some time as a priest working in the interior of Guyana, South America and we have the Bishop here with us later on this morning.

There was actually a place called ‘El Dorado’ in my parish, that of the Rupununi.

Goldminers regularly passed through the village from the ‘Gold Shouts’.

My wedding ring has Guyana gold in it from a ‘Gold Shout’.

A ‘Gold Shout’ happens when a miner finds some gold worth shouting about. The only thing is, he doesn’t actually shout. He hides the information about a seam of gold as long as he can.

‘Jesus Christ’ writes the apostle Paul, ‘is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge’

To discover Christ is like a ‘Gold Shout’. It can be a first discovery – what we call evangelism – in which folk speak dramatically of being found after being lost.

It can also be an ongoing discovery as more of Christ’s riches dawn upon us. Either way there’s something about Jesus worth making a noise about.

In a Guyanese ‘Gold Shout’ there is a loss to the discoverer if he shouts too soon.

When we spread our news about Jesus it causes us further gain and not loss.

Love is something that if you give it away, you end up having more…just like a Magic Penny runs the children’s song.

As the seventy appointed in the Gospel went out for Jesus they returned shouting for joy at the blessings that accompanied there evangelistic outing. As we in turn take courage to give out in deed and word for Jesus’ sake we get richer in spirit.

Gold is magic but it can’t rival the magic of Jesus.

A ‘Gold Shout’ is actually quite a dangerous place where the miners readily fight for their coveted discovery.

When we find Jesus we have found something, or rather, someone, we fight not to keep but to give away, to draw people’s attention to, to share or even shout about.

In this Holy Eucharist we welcome afresh the treasure which is Jesus.

With all our heart we should affirm in a moment our Christian faith.

Lord, you are more precious than silver. Lord you are more costly than gold – and nothing I desire compares with you