Aug 4, 2019                          A Better Way                                     

Once upon a time, there was a woman who lived a full and exciting life. She was not a wealthy woman, although she made a fair living along with her husband. They had a decent home, they had a number of children that they raised and successfully sent off into their careers.

She was a religious woman, who believed in devoting a portion of her life to God. She took her kids to Sunday School, and long after they had left the nest, she continued, during her life to give of her time to the local food pantry, women’s group, and money to the church.

When she reached the age of 65, she decided that it was time to retire, so she bought herself a nice comfortable chair and sat down to watch TV. She stopped her involvements, she stopped giving of her time, she stopped all those social activities that had kept her going, and in less than 5 years she died, her doctor said, of old age.

The point of this story is very much like the point Jesus is making in our gospel lesson this morning. The rich farmer, who has worked hard all his life, is blessed with a great harvest, and decides that it is time to retire, to “eat, drink, and be merry”, for the rest of his life. But instead of this becoming the beginning of a wonderful retirement, it becomes the moment when the rich farmer loses his life, because as I like to think, he has lost his soul.  

         Now in the past when I have preached on this text, I have focused on the dispute between the two brothers over money, and how we are taught by the world to believe that the goal of life is to amass a great fortune, or a loaded 401k, so that we can spend our golden years in comfort, pursuing our hobbies, interests, and pleasures. But this time, I decided to read the gospel lesson more in the light of our reading from Ecclesiastes this morning. Because I think the gospel lesson isn’t just a warning to those who are approaching retirement, it’s a warning to all of us, about believing that the goal of life is to be found in leisure, indulgence, and pleasureable experiences.

         The book of Ecclesiasties, gives a rather dim picture of human life, filled with the pursuit of vanities, and the toil that we endure to seek them out, only to be disappointed in them when we have had our fill, or to lose out on them to others who take what we have so diligently worked for. But over all, I think that the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us, that life is not to be found in the vanities of the world, or to be found for that matter in a fine retirement. No, there is a better way - that life is to be found in the journey. In friendship, in integrity, in faithfulness, in our relationships with one another. It is in the toil, if that toil is done in the correct spirit, that transends the suffering of our toils, and in which life is found. And that spirit is of course, the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

         In the world today, I see plenty of vain pursuits, money, hobbies, indulgences, vacations, foods, even our children. These are all fine things to invest ourselves in, but when we invest ourselves to the point where we become estranged from one another, they take over our lives. If we forget to practice God’s love in our relationships with other, then these investments corrupt us, and we can lose our souls. For life in the Spirit of Jesus Christ is not found in any of these but in the love of God and of one another that gives life to us, and life to all.

If we return to the old woman in our opening story, we find that she found life in the spirit of Christ through caring for others, and she lost that life when she cared only for herself. Hear the good news, and find life in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  It’s the Better Way.