Get Rich! (toward God)

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost on August 8, 2010. Sermon text: Luke 12:13-21

Have you ever seen the commercials that talk about working from home? "I made over $100,000 last year working from home, and it was so easy!" "I made $20,000 last month! Working from home was the best choice I ever made! "I was skeptical at first, but since I've started working from home, the money has been pouring in!"

I'm not saying these work-at-home jobs are good or bad. I don't know a thing about them. But I get what the appeal is. Anyone watching that commercial is supposed to think, I want as much money (and the stuff I can buy with money) as possible, this work-from-my-home job gets me money quickly and easily, and so I'll call the number and see if I can get some of that money for myself.

Money isn't a bad thing; we need it. We use it to buy things we need: food, clothing, and shelter. We use it to buy things we want: whatever we can think of, most of it could be ours...for a price. And that stuff, those possessions we have or that we want, they're not bad, either. In fact, they are gifts from God that he has given us to enjoy. We should give thanks for them and not feel bad about having them and enjoying them.

But how quickly those good things can take over our minds and hearts. All it takes is a split-second thought, the slightest desire, and those good things can turn into poison for our relationship with our God.  Those possessions, that stuff, that money -- or the desire to get more stuff or more money -- can take over our minds to such a degree that they become more important than almost anything else in our lives, including the God who created us, loved us, and bought us with his blood.

Jesus makes some strong statements about greed and possessions in our text from Luke's gospel. He gives us all a warning about how greed and the love of "stuff" in our lives can push God -- and our faith -- right out of our hearts. Instead, Jesus encourages us to focus not on our possessions and the greediness of our sinful hearts, but on the God who loved us and sent his one and only Son. So, go ahead, get rich! But not with possessions and money and "stuff." Get rich toward God.