Text Luke 12:13-21; Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-12; Colossians 3:1-11
Theme Soul Talk
Subject Be rich toward God, your treasure
Occasion August 5, 2007 – Lectionary 18 – Zion – Iowa City
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our
living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
Horace Beasley took me to lunch at a side-walk cafe
in Seattle
In
the course of our conversation he said,
“The
problem with a lot of Lutherans is they got no soul”
I remember it like it happened yesterday
Yikes,
it hurt – like there was something wrong with me
Every once in a while I wondered about it
Mark, you got soul?
Frequently when children return from EWALU they talk
about what a great time they had
No
candy or pop; no TV or video games
But an experience living in a
community of unconditional love
This is a soul-full connection
Our
joy at Zion is to week-after-week invite people: children and adults
Ending the week or beginning the week
Remembering who we are and to whom we
belong
Connecting
for soul talk
You
ever talk to your soul?
The rich man in the parable did –
there in verse 19:
And I will say to my soul
This
morning that’s what I’m going to talk about: soul talk
- -
- - - - -
But
first, what or where is your soul?
Early surgeons dissected cadavers
looking for the soul – nothing
Like an early, atheist astronaut back in the 60s who announced that he looked in the heavens but did not see God anywhere
The soul must be something other than
a thing:
beyond the reach of the
scientific method
Not
so long ago I saw a movie about a little boy named Alfredo.
He and his family had been caught in a
awful house fire.
Only
Alfredo survived but he had terrible disfiguring burns
An orphaned, little boy with frightening facial scars
He was taken to an orphanage
The
other children avoided Alfredo – they were scared; he was scarred
His only friend was priest who watched-out for him
One morning the priest suggested to
Alfredo that he could be baptized
Alfredo
was interested and quickly agreed
The priest enthusiastically told the other children that Alfredo would soon be baptized and how wonderful that would be.
The day came for Alfredo’s baptism at the orphanage
chapel
As
Alfredo lifted his head from the baptismal bowl,
He was smiling through the
water dripping down his face
All the children cheered
Many rushed
to welcome him with hugs
Alfredo, through baptism, belonged to
the family of faith
He
was welcomed and loved
Orphaned
Alfredo was given back his soul that he had lost in the fire
Alfredo again belonged to a people.
We
have a soul when we belong to a people
However,
when people live in an individual age,
an age that celebrates autonomy,
they
are in danger of losing their soul
No moorings;,no dock, no harbor, nothing solid to stand on
Many individuals in America today are seeking something
These sense they are incomplete
Though these have plenty of money, they sense emptiness
Maybe going to places their friends suggest
Maybe some books could guide them to fulfillment
Maybe going on a trip and seeing new sites
Maybe doing a project that helps the poor
Maybe going on a spirituality retreat
So often they return to report, “It was great while I was there but I still feel empty.”
Seeking one’s soul without belonging to a people or culture is like fishing on the blacktop.
- - - - - - -
In the parable before us: there’s a rich man
his fields have been bountiful for years: he’s made a lot of money
His grain bins are overflowing
like Iowa in the fall: piles of gold spilling across coop lots
Look there at the beginning of verse 17, And he thought to himself
He wondered, “What am I going to do with all my stuff?”
He
decided, “I’ll build bigger.”
It’s all about him: 1st person singular:
in verses 16-18 the word “I” occurs 6 times; “my” occurs 5 times
Clearly the guy has an “I” problem
Seems
he recognizes his need for a Soul Talk
And I will say
to my soul
(v.19a)
He remembered he once was more than an individual
He once belonged to a people
He needs to explain to the values of his people why he was going to build bigger barns and relax, eat, drink and be merry (v.19b)
But it’s clear, as Jesus tells it,
His decision has been made – this is what is going to happen
The rich man wasn’t going to have a conversation with his soul
Wasn’t going to listen to the values of his people
He was only reporting in
Within our soul, within the teaching of the people who belong to Jesus Christ, is this,
“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of
greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Lk 12:15)
one’s life does not consist in the
abundance of possessions?
It doesn’t?
If we live for ourselves, what else is there but to seek abundance?
abundance of
possessions, experiences, relaxation, eating, drinking, merrymaking
If it’s just about me,
If you can say, “It’s just about me”,
When we have a soul talk, all we need to say to
justify our choices is
“Because
I can.”
“I want what I want when I want it;
and I can have it” is an honest
mission statement for an individual living in an individual age
How does one justify
building or buying a starter-castle or McMansion
“Because I can”
is the answer of this age
When Jesus warns us to be on guard
against all kinds of greed,
He is shaping our souls.
So when we have a soul talk about choices we face,
We’re on guard against greed
In the second lesson from
Colossians 3 Paul reports greed … is idolatry. (Col. 3:5b)
Greed is when our brain gets so twisted that we
put something before God:
We make an idol of whatever it is
Paul is shaping our souls when he tells us,
Put to
death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and greed (v. 5)
In short, don’t
live for yourself.
This
list describes momentary experiences that are not lasting.
Each in its own way is self-serving
greed – idolatry
Where God and everyone else become
insignificant
Where
there is no soul talk
Where no spectators are welcome
- - - - - - -
When Maryn is/was baptized, I believe the Holy
Spirit began working faith in her
Her
baptism is the sacrament of belonging:
Joined to the body of Christ, many will help in
Jesus’ name to shape her soul.
When it’s time
for soul talk, we need to have a
soul to talk to
We
also need a soul that will talk back – a faith culture that teaches and guides
But how does this parable read among us as a
congregation
Is
this Parable of the Rich Fool a
warning for Zion Lutheran Church as we prepare to resolve problems with these
facilities?
Renovating and improving these
facilities?
We’re
going to talk about these matters in 2 weeks: August 19 at 9:30
A time for some soul talk
Where we will wonder together, Is there a need to renovate these facilities?
What are the
values that shape the soul of Zion Lutheran?
Gathered
in Christ’s name to grow in faith, love and obedience to the will of God, sent
by the Holy Spirit to let God’s love shine in word and deed.
Gathered to Grow; Sent to Shine
Zion started as a mission congregation – it is
our lineage: our soul
Always
out there – in the world – teaching, reaching, serving: SHINING
We’re not thinking about storage space
– a bigger barn
The awning is dangerous
The entrances are inaccessible for
many
There’s more – you’ve named many needs
before I got here
Nothing
self-serving; nothing idolatrous
Always the way of the cross: counting
others more important than ourselves
You got soul?
Baptized
people of Zion – oh yes you do!
Amen?
(people respond “Amen”)
We store up … treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys (Mt. 6:20)
It’s our mission – it’s our soul
Amen