Sermon, Sun 7 August: 'Stuff'

READINGS: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16;  Luke 12:32-40    

SERMON 'Stuff''
Let’s pray:
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts,
be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer, amen.

What is it that you treasure?
Where does your heart automatically turn?
Or perhaps, what are your favourite things?
Life is really a wee bit dull without a quote every now
and then from the blessed St Julie Andrews, also known as ‘Sister Maria’,
and so, this morning, I give you:
‘Raindrops on roses 
and whiskers on kittens...
Bright copper kettles
And warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings...’
And, how does it end again...?
'These are a few of my favorite things.'
Our beloved Sister Maria talks of many things –
there are other favourite things: can you remember some of them from the song?
[some conversation with the congregation on this ensued!]

So many things.
I’m minded of the late American stand-up comedian,
George Carlin – a blunt, outspoken comic known for his biting critique on society.
One of his more well-known routines concerned material culture.
It’s simply called ‘Stuff.’
He begins by apologising for turning up late –
he’s been delayed out the back trying to find a place to put all of his stuff...
And then notes that the whole meaning of life centres on trying to find
a place for all of your stuff.
He says. it’s why you get a house:
a house is basically a place for all of your stuff...
and of course, as life goes on, you seem to need more stuff.
And in order to make sure all of your stuff is safe,
you need to get a bigger house so it can all fit in –
your stuff has to be safe after all,
safe from people who have their own stuff,
but who want to take your stuff as well...
but only the good stuff, never the rubbish.
Sometimes, you end up with so much stuff, that you have to put it into storage –
which is a whole industry that’s dedicated to keeping an eye on your stuff.
And of course, when you go on vacation, to make yourself feel at home,
you take a little of your own stuff with you.
So, in the end:
you have a house full of stuff,
a storage unit full of stuff,
and there you are - in Maui, or Fiji, or somewhere else -
with stuff you’ve brought with you, alongside a whole bunch of stuff
you’ve bought while you’ve been on holiday.
So much stuff... but you need stuff, right?
And you need to put it somewhere...
Carlin’s routine becomes more and more exaggerated and extreme
as he ponders just where he’ll put all the stuff he has
and as he expresses his fears for its safety.
So much stuff in his life, that it utterly consumes him –
and, in a nutshell, that’s his sly political point:
consumerism, as a system, eventually consumes you.

So much stuff.
So many fears stemming from having so much stuff –
that could be stolen, that could perish, or be destroyed.
And yet, here, in the gospel passage from Luke, we find a different take on stuff,
a different way of being:
‘Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased 
to give you the kingdom. Sell all your possessions and give to the poor. 
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, 
a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near 
and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

What is it that you treasure?
Where does your heart automatically turn?

Now, given that I wasn’t here last week, I’m not sure what Sandy was preaching on.
Remember earlier I talked about something called the Revised Common Lectionary –
the 3 year system of bible readings? If Sandy had been using that system,
you may have heard the passage from Luke immediately preceding our text for today.
And it’s interesting, well, to me at least,
that what comes before our text today, is a section in which Jesus is telling a parable -
the one named ‘the parable of the rich fool’...
In that particular story, a farmer has an exceptionally good harvest.
Naturally, he’s jolly pleased...with himself –
not much room for God in his scheme of things.
In fact, in his scheme of things, he’s already mentally ripping down
old barns and putting up bigger and better barns -
after all, he’s got all of this stuff,
stuff he needs to store safely,
stuff he’s needing to keep – all for himself –
so that he can ‘take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry’ –
and yes, that’s exactly where the old saying comes from.
Problem is, having stored all his faith in his stuff,
what he hasn’t reckoned on is his own allotted time span:
and unfortunately, the farmer’s time    is up.
He dies that very evening.

Having told this story, Jesus, gets to the heart of what’s
at the heart of the man in the parable:
we could say smugness, or self-satisfaction; we could say ‘greed’...
but actually, it’s fear –
a fear of lack – of scarcity of ‘stuff’.
He’s hoarding his bountiful harvest.
He’s so obsessed by his stuff to the exclusion of everyone and everything else,
because he’s fearful.  Fearful about:
not having a life of ease...
about not being able to eat, or drink, or be merry.
His whole being is invested in his stuff to ensure his future.
And he’s not going to share his stuff – in fact, to make sure he’ll be alright,
he’s going to hoard more and more.
What is it that he treasures?
Where does his heart automatically turn?
Not to God.
His heart is where his stuff is.

And Jesus follows up this story to his disciples by telling them  
not to worry about their lives,
about what they eat,
about their bodies,
or what they’ll wear.
He tells them to consider the lilies of the field, the birds of the air...
and that God provides.  He tells them:
‘Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.’
He encourages them not to be possessed by their possessions out of a fear of lack –
for they need not fear if they trust in the One whose pleasure it is to give them the kingdom.
He encourages them to reorient their hearts:
to turn away from any hankering after the stuff of the world,
and to turn to the stuff of the kingdom of heaven...
to let God be their treasure –
and where their treasure is, so there will be their heart also.

What is it that you treasure?
Where does your heart automatically turn?
Does fear, or love, determine what you put your trust in...
where you put your heart?
All around us, we’re besieged by a culture of fear:
endless news whipping up horror stories of loss and destruction -
the whisper in our ear telling us
that all will be well if we build stronger, safer places to store our stuff
and to protect ourselves...
and surely several hundred billion pounds to buy a nice piece of weaponry should sort that out?
All around us is endless advertising
whipping up shame and guilt and envy over insecurities and fears
around our bodies, or our social standing -
the whisper in our ear telling us
that all will be well if we just get this or that stuff
which will keep us from being a complete social pariah...
or to get more stuff so that we can show up our neighbours.

What is it that you treasure?
Where does your heart automatically turn?
‘Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.’
We are the counter-cultural ones:
called to show a world living in thrall to fear and to accumulation,
that there is another, better way –
a way in which, while there may be stuff, the focus isn’t on it,
to the exclusion of everything else...
rather, the focus is on the Giver of all good things.
And, as we focus on the One who is the giver,
so we see the love, not the lack, in our lives...
and as we see God’s generous heart,
our own hearts are moved – to give.
The kingdom of God turns our economic understanding on its head.
It’s a wee bit like the old song:
Love is something if you give it away,
Give it away, give it away.
Love is something if you give it away,
You end up having more.

It's just like a magic penny,
Hold it tight and you won't have any. 
Lend it, spend it, and you'll have so many
They'll roll all over the floor.

Money's dandy and we like to use it, 
But love is better if you don't refuse it.
It's a treasure and you'll never lose it
Unless you lock up your door.

So much stuff.
So many fears stemming from having so much stuff –
that could be stolen, that could perish,
or be destroyed...
Fear demands we have stuff – stuff we can smell, touch, see...
Faith is about something entirely other -
as the writer to the Hebrews reminds us:
‘faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’
It’s not about all the stuff,
it’s about love,
about generosity,
about giving away the things that keep us from being the people
God created us to be:
the ones who see beyond the stuff to God’s kingdom...
a kingdom where none miss out
because others take more than they need out of fear that they’ll miss out.

What is it that you treasure?
Where does your heart automatically turn?
As God’s people, we   need   fear   no lack:
‘Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.’ Amen.