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“Rich Toward God,” Rev. Melissa St. Clair, 11/23/14

“Rich Toward God”

A sermon preached at

Heart of the Rockies Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Fort Collins, CO

by the Rev. Melissa St. Clair

November 23, 2014

We’ve observed over the past few weeks how much emphasis is put on the table in Luke’s gospel.  There’s another theme that’s also prevalent throughout – wealth.  Specifically, wealth in the form of material possessions.  Hearing your pastor preach about money is probably about as desirable as going to the dentist for a root canal without local anesthetic on a Monday.

So hear me say this: I am grateful and humbled to serve a congregation that is so very generous in a variety of ways.  This week alone, in addition to estimates of giving that were received, the church received a thank you note from a family who is not a part of our congregation who received a gift from someone in this congregation; several of you responded to an emerging need of one of our members; our Tennyson Center Tree has already begun to have presents stacked up underneath; the Property Team began work on some reconfiguration of space around here, most of which will be accomplish through sweat equity…

This in addition to the ways you have no doubt been generous in the pockets of world where you live and move and have your being.  You are a generous lot.  Thank you.  Thanks, God.

So when it comes to wealth, I’ll just let Jesus do the talking.

READ LUKE 12:13-21

The Gospel of Thomas, a sayings gospel that did not make it into the canon of scripture that we know today as the Bible, also has a version of this story. According to the Gospel of Thomas, it is written:

Jesus said, “There was a rich person who had a great deal of money. He said, ‘I shall invest my money so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouses with produce, that I may lack nothing.’ These were the things he was thinking in his heart, but that very night he died. Anyone here with two ears had better listen!” (Saying 63)

It would be easy enough to write off this gem from Jesus.  After all, how many of us consider ourselves rich, at least in the sense of having a lot of money?  Especially after all the talk we’ve heard about “the 1%” – those whose wealth is off the charts compared to the 99% – the rest of us.  Rob Bell offers some eye-opening statistics that shed some light on what it means to be rich.  I share this not because I’ve verified that each of these statistics is precisely accurate; this film was made in 2006.  I share this not to make us feel guilty about what we have.  I share this as a matter of perspective.

Having stuff isn’t inherently bad.  Having money isn’t inherently evil.

When money and stuff start to take the place of real relationship, that’s when it’s time to “take care.” When we ask more often, “What can I get?” than “What can I give?” that’s when it’s time to “be on your guard.”

Do you know Alfred Wild?  He arrived in Larimer County in the early 1880s, settling on a farm at the south end of Devil’s Backbone, which is right off of what is now Highway 34 heading out west out of Loveland.  Alfred began experimenting with crops considered at the time to be difficult or impossible to grow in Colorado. One of these crops was hops.  Thanks, God.  Alfred ended up being successful at growing and processing hops, which he would then sell to the Denver Brewing Company.

Around 1890, during the construction of an irrigation ditch, it was discovered that his land was rich in high-quality gypsum, a key ingredient in making plaster.  Up until that time, having plaster walls in your home was a sign of real wealth.  Alfred started to experiment with this as well, and before long had not only discovered a way to make plaster; he had also started a successful plaster company.

Less than two decades later, Alfred sold his company to United States Gypsum for $100,000. In the meantime, he built himself a $40,000 mansion – an incredibly lavish home, especially in those days.

Alfred was also serving on the board of directors of the First National Bank of Loveland. A decade later, during the Great Depression, Wild used his own assets in an attempt to keep the bank open. Though he was successful at keeping the bank open, most of his own wealth was depleted. Yes, he still died at home in his 26-room mansion.[1]  It was the last of his earthly possessions.  My hunch is, he still died with more wealth than he would have if he’d held on to his every penny instead of protecting the assets of those who banked with him.

My Grandma Russell, my mom’s mom, made a bold decision with her money.  About 10 years ago, she decided against holding on to as much as she could so her five children would have some sort of inheritance.  Instead, she gave each of her children some money to fund a home project or something they’d been wanting to do but couldn’t quite fit into the budget.  With her grandkids, myself included, she decided to invite us to share some sort of experience with her.  And so after my senior year of college, she and I boarded the Amtrak train and got off in Boston.  For a long weekend, we ate delicious food and took bus and boat tours of the city.

Ten years later, my grandma is in the beginning stages of dementia. She’s in a secure 24-hour skilled nursing facility.  When I talked to her on the phone last weekend, I reminded her of that trip.  All she could talk about was how much she wished she could still get on a train and go somewhere, anywhere but that nursing home.  She didn’t remember our trip together.  Going to Boston was a dream, not a memory.  For her.  For me, the memory was as rich as it ever was.

Scott Macaulay’s parents got divorced when he was an adult. He quickly discovered that if you were nice to one, the other one would get mad with you. When October came, he started to think about Thanksgiving.  What would happen?  How would he split his time or would he spend the day all alone?  Neither, he decided. “Surely there were some other people…in the same boat. Why should they have that rotten feeling? Why should they be stuck home alone?”

Scott put an ad in the local paper and offered to cook Thanksgiving dinner for twelve people. People came and they had a good time.  Twenty-five years later, he’s still hosting.  Last year, 84 people showed up.

He transforms the hall at his local church to look as close to home as possible. There’s a fake fireplace. Norman Rockwell’s famous Thanksgiving picture is framed and on display. He gauges “success or failure” by how long people stay.

Last year, there was a family that show up two hours late. The dad had lost his job, and they had heard about the dinner and wanted something to eat.  Scott has discovered that even though some of these people might not have anything, they’re still always able to find something for which they are grateful.

Scott says his goal each year is to have nobody sign up, because he figures that means everybody’s got a place to go and everybody’s okay.[2]

Instead of splitting his most precious resource – himself – Scott figured out a way to make sure that others have enough.

It was another Jewish rabbi, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, who wrote:

Wealth is the highly subjective sensation of having more than enough, so much that there is money to give away.  For this reason, wealth is a function of generosity:  the more you give, the richer you feel.[3]

It’s with that kind of financing that the kingdom of God can be built.

[1] From Fort Collins History Connection.  Available here. Also informed by my own recollections from Ghost Towns, Colorado Style, Northern Region by Kenneth Christian Jessen.

[2] Adapted from http://storycorps.org/listen/scott-macaulay/#.

[3] Posted in Nancy Rockwell’s The Bite in the Apple.  Post: Rich Toward God. http://biteintheapple.com/rich-toward-god/