The Rich Fool

Have you noticed when you are out shopping or even on holiday, you don’t see many happy faces I don’t know if this is just an English thing, but there seems to be a cloud of sadness, it may be the weather I don’t know?

I think to my personal past and maybe with rose coloured glasses, I grew up on a rather rough council estate, having said that people where neighbourly most people on the street knew each other and doors were always open.

They used to say in my day the door was left open mainly because there was nothing to steal!

I don’t know how you find things these days, I can only go off my experiences, as people seem to have become more and more self-centred.

Before it seemed, we were happy with what we had but now we have entered a time when having enough is never enough, more want more.

As Christians we are aware that there is more to life, and I am convinced that in all people there is a place where God should be in our lives, and as people move away from God, they feel this emptiness and attempt to fill it with stuff. But it’s never enough.

As we look at this morning’s reading, we find Jesus has been speaking to a crowd of around 1,000 he has been arguing with the Pharisee’s and with a lawyer.

In the midst of Jesu’s teaching a man cut in complaining about his brother, although it was not unusual to bring disputes to a teacher or Rabbi. So, nothing wrong there but just imagine Jesus is speaking about a totally different subject and the man interrupts him!

By tradition the elder brother would be in charge and would have a larger portion of any inheritance and would need to apportion some to the younger brother. Obviously, the younger brother is not happy with the outcome, we are not told about the situation, as Jesus just closes this request down.

He then goes on to give a parable about the rich fool.

As you may know or have actually been in the situation, where the death of a relative has cause rifts in families that can go on for years. Brothers or Sisters falling out, arguments over what in the end have not lasting value.

I must admit as I looked at this, I was forced to look at myself and my attitude to money and possessions.

Lucky in some ways my parents didn’t have a lot to leave and in truth my brother and myself shared everything between us, I’m glad he doesn’t know the scripture about the elder brother receiving two thirds of any inheritance.

I also thought about the time my mother died as my father had died some time ago and as my mother lived in a council house, so, we had to empty the house.

As we did so we looked at anything that may have been of value, the furniture that was suitable for reuse we sent to the heart foundation and the rest we had to breakdown and hired a skip to put it in.

In so many ways it was so sad things that she had kept for years were of no value to either my brother or myself, we had nowhere to keep them, so they had to go. Bags of clothes were donated, and we each took small keepsakes.

I haven’t thought about this for some time until I was researching this morning’s talk.

For each one of us today when you look around your home and see all the things, you have accumulated over the years, how much will be of any value to someone else?

How much will be thrown away, put into a skip, when your gone?

I was talking about this to friend and as we talked, he rightly said, “We are only caretakers of this property, someone lived there before and no doubt someone will live in the home when we are gone”

Nothing is permanent, I actually drove passed and the house that my mother and father had lived in for many years it looked completely different, there was no trace of my parents ever being there.

Has anyone seen the film Labyrinth it had David Bowie in it as the fairy king, in it there is a young girl called Sarah who is annoyed that her little brother has been in her stuff and so call to the fairy king to take him away which he does, She then has three hours to rescue him, or he will be lost forever?

There is a scene in it where she meets an old lady who is carrying lots of stuff on her back and speaking very nicely to Sarah, she begins to load her up with all the things Sarah hold as precious, and slowly but surely, she becomes buried by it all, she eventually breaks free, the moral being there is far more important things than stuff.

It’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? We live in a very consumer driven society, we are bombarded with the idea of the bigger car, the bigger house, the bigger bank balance!

But it’s not bad news in this parable Jesus isn’t condemning the abundance of riches after all it is by God’s hand that provides the wealth in the first place, he provides everything we have and hold.

When we look at the old testament it is full of God’s people being blessed and, in many cases, blessed to abundance.

The question Jesus is raising is how we use the things God has given us.

You may have heard of the preacher and writer Rich Warren, he actually uses reverse tithing in other words he gives 90% of his money to the Church and lives of 10%, I do think this is exceptional, but he could well have used his wealth for his own benefit, but his decision was to give back to God.

He speaks of being inspired by Psalm 72 a psalm of Solomon.

It starts of sounding quite selfish as it begins with “Endow the king (himself) with your Justice O God, the royal son with your righteousness.

But as you read further, he is asking for these things, so he cans save the children of the needy.

The whole psalm speaks about asking for blessing, so, it can be passed on as protection for others.

Not for the benefit of the King although Solomon was famed as being very rich.

So, I guess the question is how do we use the gifts that God has blessed us with, do we take them for granted, do we look with thanks to our God?

He wants us to have good things, he wants to bless us so, there is nothing wrong with planning for the future, I don’t think God wants us to be destitute.

What he wants us to do is to place him above everything we have, to build our treasure in heaven, not allow the trappings of this world to overshadow our service to God.

So, when you arrive home today look around.

What do you need?

I look at my wardrobe full of so many clothes I can’t see what I want.

I have several guitars; I ask myself how many do I really need?

This reading is extremely powerful it is a challenge, we need to ask ourselves do we give thanks to God for all he provides, in the light of day we need to realise what we have is on loan, the important thing is to use the gifts we have been given as God wants us to and build our riches in heaven.

I am going to share a song with you this morning that was to some extent was inspired by this reading:

As we have a choice in life, the song is a question, as we read and try to understand God’s word, he asks us to wake up.

To many times I have waited for you

The words I give are true

but you ignore as I implore

You stop me from coming in

chorus

But sometimes when your dreaming

The truth comes sailing through

Will you wake up

Before it’s to late

And the choice is taken

Safe within your achieving towers

Giving rise to funeral pyres

of all the things I would share

if only you would show that you care

chorus

A man who built his storeroom high

With all of the comforts he could buy found

Rest was longer than he had planned

When fate dealt him the final hand.

chorus

So Take this message to your heart

All the wisdom I impart

not Putting money in your pocket

As you Stash your cash as you safely lock it.

chorus

And your forsaken

Be thou my vision

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