Proper 13 :: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12 – 14; 2:18 – 23 / Psalm 49:1 – 11 / Colossians 3:1 – 11 / Luke 12:13 – 21
This
is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, July
31, 2022.
“PRAYER: CHANGING GOD OR
CHANGING US?”
(Homily texts: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12 – 14; 2:18 - 23 &
Luke 12:13 - 21)
More
than once, I’ve made the remark that, in times gone by, there was really no
such thing as the self-storage business. Nowadays, however, places to keep
“stuff” are everywhere. And, what’s more, if existing self-storage facilities
have the room, they’ll oftentimes expand, building more space for their
customers.
In
truth, though the self-storage business seems to be a feature of recent times,
the concept itself is, perhaps, as old as human society itself. Though today’s
culture makes use of commercial storage facilities, garages in days gone by and
also today are, oftentimes, chock full of “stuff”, stuff that people might not
use all that often, but stuff they can’t bear to think of getting rid of one
way or another, either.
Having
enough to survive, or even to thrive, is as old a desire and goal as human
experience itself. After all, it’s a good thing to be prepared for things like
droughts, crop failures, and the like. Having a surplus of food represents
security. We could apply that same observation to other things we possess.
They, too, represent security.
Security
is at the heart of our Lord’s Parable of the Rich Fool, heard in today’s Gospel
text. The rich man says to himself, “I’m quite well fixed. I’ll tear down my
existing storage facilities and build larger ones. Then, I’ll sit back and
enjoy all that I have, knowing that I am secure for the future.” (Of course,
that’s my summary of the parable.)
But
another facet of the society in which the Lord came among us is also present in
this parable, for the commonly-held belief was, back then, that if a person was
wealthy and healthy, it was because they were leading an exemplary and
righteous life. That belief connected their manner of living with God’s
blessings, seen in health and in material goods.
The
Lord’s teaching brings the man up short. Instead of enjoying a long and
prosperous, blessed life, Jesus tells us that, that very night, his life will
end. Then, the Lord asks, “Whose will those things he’s accumulated be?”
“Vanity
of vanities” the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “All is vanity”. (At this point,
it might be good to remind ourselves about the writer of
Ecclesiastes…traditionally, this is King Solomon, in his old age, reflecting
back on his own life and also on the human condition in general.) The writer
says that all our work is “vanity”. Then, the writer goes on to say that, once
this life is over, all that a person has worked for will be enjoyed by someone
else.
The
point seems to be that what we possess, no matter if it’s things we have to
prolong and enhance our lives, or if it’s our possessions, aren’t the source of
any sort of security, not in the long term.
The
only thing we will possess once this life is through is our relationship with
God. SIf we think about it, we have this relationship already in our walk with
God in this life. Once this life’s journey is complete, we’ll have that
relationship in all its fullness. It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to
cultivate that relationship, to do those things that will strengthen it and
which will draw us closer to the Lord while we have the time and the ability.
There
are, truly, no U Hauls in heaven. What will carry into the next life won’t
require a U Haul to transport into God’s presence.
AMEN.
