What would you take with you if you had to quickly leave home in the event of an emergency? With hurricanes and wildfires in this country, and earthquakes and unrest internationally, many have had to make these kinds of decisions. Emergency officials can offer us lists of suggestions for what to take: water, food, clothing, food, photographs and important documents. When we have to make these decisions, we are in essence deciding what is of utmost importance to us. We are deciding what matters.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the story of a rich landowner whose crops produced abundantly, so much so that his produce exceeded his capacity to store it. So, this person had a decision to make, and opts to build bigger barns to store the excess grains and goods. This leads to a great deal of complacency and self-satisfaction for the landowner. But, as the story goes, the landowner dies in the middle of the night, and loses any ability to benefit from the wealth. So Jesus adds the tagline, “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.” The story invites us to consider what really matters most to us as people of God.
This season of stewardship at church provides us with a framework for asking some penetrating and spiritually redemptive questions: What matters most to us? What do our possessions mean to us? Which ones are most valuable and why? Do the things we own help us develop a sense of gratitude toward life, and an openness to things of Spirit? Do the things we own help us connect with others in deep community? As Wendell Berry would have it, a real community is a commonwealth, where the values and gifts of the community are commonly shared. The community is a place where deep human needs are honored: practical, social and spiritual needs, chief among them is the need to need one another.
We’ll talk about this in worship on Sunday morning. The sermon is titled, “Take the Next Step: Choosing What Really Matters.” The sermon arises from Luke 12: 13-21, which will be ready by Cissy Mooney. There will also be a stewardship moment from Sheri Walter. The Sanctuary Singers will present the anthem, “The Road Not Taken.” There will also be a children’s moment, as well as prayers and hymns.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the live stream at www.smumc.church at 10:30am this Sunday!