WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.000 So this parable is often preached at harvest time, and it tells us the story of a rich man 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:12.880 who had an abundant harvest that he planned to demolish his barns and build bigger ones 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:18.559 to accommodate all his harvests. And then he gloated over his wealth, intending to enjoy 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:25.780 himself for the rest of his life. But God took his life that very night. The parable 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:33.100 is very useful to us here in the Western world, because it addresses the prevailing trend of our 00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:38.980 society. Even with all the hardship that COVID has brought us, it seems that we're still a society 00:00:38.980 --> 00:00:45.820 that is focused on materialism and getting more stuff. Through advertising, the media and social 00:00:45.820 --> 00:00:52.600 media, the young and old are all encouraged to aspire to own branded items and to want bigger 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:59.060 and better cars, houses, holidays, the list could go on. But we're encouraged to have the best of 00:00:59.060 --> 00:01:05.280 everything. And it can be so easy for us also as Christians to be drawn into this trend. 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:12.280 And so today, as we thank God for our harvest, I think it's good for us to be reminded as Christians 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:19.240 what our values and attitudes are towards not only material wealth, but life in general, 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:26.439 even though this can be a bit uncomfortable. In our reading from Luke, we find Jesus surrounded 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:32.579 by masses of people. And he's teaching and preaching to the crowds when some bloke comes 00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:38.759 up to him and asks him about family inheritance. I wonder if any of you have one of those friends 00:01:38.759 --> 00:01:44.219 who always bangs on about the same issue. You know the type, no matter what you're talking 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:49.819 about, whether it's the latest brilliant cancer treatments or it's Strictly Come Dancing, they 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:55.260 always want to bring the conversation back to their current crisis, whatever it might be. 00:01:56.700 --> 00:02:02.939 Well, I imagine the chap who prompts Jesus' latest parable is one of those people. For he interrupts 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:09.259 Jesus when he's talking about religious hypocrisy, the nature of God, redemption, by basically coming 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:15.739 and trying to make trouble for his brother by telling tales on him. Teacher, he says, tell my 00:02:15.739 --> 00:02:22.299 brother to divide the family inheritance with me. Jesus doesn't answer that direct question, but he 00:02:22.299 --> 00:02:29.340 then just goes on to storytelling mode. The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest, 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:36.599 he says. And there begins the story of a wealthy landowner who had a bumper harvest, built bigger barns, 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:43.319 and seemed to buy, and have bought into the view that consists of planning to eat, drink, and be merry. 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:51.639 But God had other ideas. It's a really short parable, just six sentences, and it seems on the surface to 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:57.479 have a fairly mundane message. You can't take it with you, it seems to be saying. It's a perfectly good 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:05.639 message to give. Only Jesus' parables weren't perfectly good. In our midweek communion services, 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:10.839 we've been studying the parables over the past few months, and we found them often to be shocking, 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:17.559 challenging, and sometimes offensive stories. The parables include tales of generous kings, 00:03:18.039 --> 00:03:23.959 lavish feasts, twists where the Samaritan was a good guy, the mustard seed that grew exponentially, 00:03:24.679 --> 00:03:31.159 and the father who ran to greet his prodigal son. Yet here, with our 21st century glasses on, 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:38.120 the story of the rich fall might sound a bit unimaginative, really. Rich man gets his comeuppance, 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:45.639 hardly world changing. But all of this leads me to think that maybe we're not hearing the story 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:52.439 correctly. That perhaps the story is more shocking than we think, and perhaps the message is more than 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:59.639 you can't take it with you. So we'll have a closer look. Jesus begins, the land of a rich man produced 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:06.120 abundant harvest. So far, so good. We learn that a rich man owns land which yields a good harvest. 00:04:06.359 --> 00:04:13.560 In Jesus' time, a good harvest was generally understood to be a blessing from God, a sign that 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:19.879 you pleased God. So perhaps this chap deserved such a blessing. Perhaps he was a hard-working, 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:24.839 honest, and religiously observant person. Jesus continues, 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:30.600 the man thought to himself, what should I do? For I have no place to store my crops. 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:37.219 And then he said, I will do this. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. And there I will 00:04:37.219 --> 00:04:44.019 store all my grain and goods. Well, he seems to be hard-working, honest, and now seemingly wise. 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:49.579 He couldn't store all the crops he had, and he didn't want his crops to rot. So he planned to build 00:04:49.579 --> 00:04:56.839 bigger barns to store them to use at a later date. It seems quite sensible. Storing food because we 00:04:56.839 --> 00:05:02.879 don't know what's around the corner. And it's slightly reminiscent of Joseph, of the multicolored 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:10.759 coat type from Egypt, who enjoyed a bumper harvest a few centuries previous. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:16.680 dreams, leading them to store up the excess crops and to save thousands from future famine and death. 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:23.220 So what's not to like about this rich man? And I will say to myself, says the rich man, 00:05:23.340 --> 00:05:28.800 you have plenty of grain and goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry. 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:36.000 Throughout the Bible, we see examples of numerous passages that see good harvests as a divine blessing 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:41.439 and an excuse for a party. So on the face of it, he seems to have earned God's favor. 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:49.860 A man who's hardworking and honest and quite business-wise. And he also echoes actions of 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:56.740 other well-respected people in the Bible. However, what does God say to him? God greets him by saying, 00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:02.040 you fool! It's never really the first thing you want to hear when you encounter God. 00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:08.939 So maybe this is quite shocking after all. Is it possible that to the listeners of Jesus' day, 00:06:08.939 --> 00:06:15.680 the rich man who would have been looked upon as a favored child of God was then called an idiot 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:22.720 and his life comes to an end? He was no dodgy tax collector who received his just desserts, 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:30.120 but he seemed to be blessed one minute and rebuked the next. In our current climate, 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:35.339 where suspicion of rich bankers, politicians, and CEO of massive multinational companies, 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:42.459 who shall remain nameless, and satisfaction when the privileged lose face runs rife, 00:06:43.359 --> 00:06:50.419 it would be easy to lose the shock of this parable. To reduce it to, rich man loses all. 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:56.099 But I don't think wealth is actually at the heart of this parable. I don't think this story 00:06:56.099 --> 00:07:03.659 should be used to just simply denounce the uber-rich. I think for, actually, it's a challenge for us all. 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:11.880 Whatever our payslip or our bank balance. For I believe it speaks about something that I like to bang on about quite a lot. 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:14.100 An attitude of gratitude. 00:07:15.780 --> 00:07:19.380 We noted earlier on how the parable is just six sentences long. 00:07:20.340 --> 00:07:25.720 But during that parable, he uses the words I or my more than nine times. 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:29.160 The man is completely self-centred. 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.700 He may be wise and honest. He may be also respectable. 00:07:34.520 --> 00:07:37.520 But his attitude is still one of his own interests. 00:07:38.200 --> 00:07:40.360 He's not thinking about anybody else's needs. 00:07:41.080 --> 00:07:43.560 And this bears fruit in two significant ways. 00:07:45.220 --> 00:07:48.960 Firstly, the rich man speaks only to himself and not with God. 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:52.079 He's doing well financially, thank you very much. 00:07:52.739 --> 00:07:54.680 His land then produces a bumper crop. 00:07:55.479 --> 00:07:59.060 And yet no praise, no word of thanks to God is offered. 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:04.799 He thinks of the consequences of such a harvest, but not of its causes. 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:10.539 He thinks nothing of the generous God whose awesome creation yielded such a harvest. 00:08:11.219 --> 00:08:14.019 But only of how such a harvest will benefit him. 00:08:14.019 --> 00:08:18.659 He's only interested in kicking back and eating and drinking and being merry. 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:22.579 Instead of respecting God and following God's ways. 00:08:23.899 --> 00:08:27.759 And if we're honest, how many of us can fall into that same trap? 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.659 How many here may have been quietly satisfied with our bank balances? 00:08:33.199 --> 00:08:34.879 Or even looked to buy a bigger house? 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.439 Or even just simply enjoyed a lovely meal with friends? 00:08:38.659 --> 00:08:41.100 Without being thankful for all that we have? 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:46.240 As the hymn says, all good gifts around us are sent from heaven above. 00:08:47.340 --> 00:08:49.980 So thank the Lord, I thank the Lord for all his love. 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:53.220 In the midst of our really busy, hectic lives, 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:56.720 harvest offers all of us an opportunity to say thanks. 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:00.200 Thanks for the colours of creation and the wonders of the world. 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:04.139 Thanks for the gifts of education, employment and opportunity. 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:09.279 And thanks for a bountiful harvest, a good meal and an abundance of blessing. 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:14.120 Without pausing to give thanks, we might delude ourselves. 00:09:14.419 --> 00:09:15.919 But we've all earned our blessings. 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:17.699 We're self-reliant and independent. 00:09:18.259 --> 00:09:21.639 When the truth is, we are vulnerable and dependent on God's creation, 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:23.759 blessing and amazing grace. 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:34.100 And secondly, in this story, the rich man makes no mention 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:38.720 or bears no consideration of his fellow sisters and brothers either. 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:42.419 He's only concerned for himself, not for his neighbours, 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:45.879 for those who have no land to produce their own crops, 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:49.220 or for the foreigner, the widow or the orphan, 00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:51.340 or the most vulnerable in society. 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:53.000 It's all about him. 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:58.139 And this all-about-me attitude seems fairly prevalent today. 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:01.580 We have sadly seen it last year with toilet roll gates, 00:10:02.040 --> 00:10:04.720 and now the massive queues for the petrol pumps 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:06.280 and people filling up jerry cans, 00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:09.220 and garages having to close for what seemed to be 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:11.160 a crisis fueled by the media. 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:15.460 That if everyone acted sensibly, could be avoided. 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:20.920 It's also that all-about-me attitude that provokes us to worry about 00:10:20.920 --> 00:10:26.340 what helping Syrian and Afghan refugees might do to our council taxes 00:10:26.340 --> 00:10:29.040 whilst women and men and children drown in the ocean. 00:10:30.540 --> 00:10:32.600 And it's the all-about-me attitude 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:37.300 that makes us often think that we want to have the very best for our family, 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:39.879 but actually we're not that keen on paying our taxes 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:43.220 or giving to charity or paying our tithes to church. 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:46.679 And it's that all-about-me attitude 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:49.720 that encourages us to build bigger barns and fences 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:51.919 and bigger barriers to others, 00:10:52.439 --> 00:10:54.539 for it's often easier and safer 00:10:54.539 --> 00:10:57.519 to be self-reliant and contained. 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:01.199 Now don't get me wrong, 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:04.840 I can be just as guilty of all of this stuff as anyone else, 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:08.179 and it's something for us all to think about seriously, 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:10.939 because it's this all-about-me attitude 00:11:10.939 --> 00:11:14.199 that the Son of God begged us to let go of 00:11:14.199 --> 00:11:16.879 when he told parables to surprise us, 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:19.699 when he reminded us to love friends and neighbours, 00:11:20.319 --> 00:11:21.679 strangers and even enemies, 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:23.939 and when he walked the path of love 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:27.680 to a cross and a hill and a garden of resurrection. 00:11:29.040 --> 00:11:31.440 The parable of the rich man is not, then, 00:11:31.540 --> 00:11:33.020 really about money after all. 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:35.680 It's a call for us all to check out 00:11:35.680 --> 00:11:38.540 our attitude and our sense of gratitude. 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:41.620 And it's a reminder that even the wealthy, 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.460 the wise and the religiously observant 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:47.260 can fall forth to be a me-shaped 00:11:47.260 --> 00:11:49.120 and all-about-me outlook. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:51.820 And it's a challenge to love God 00:11:51.820 --> 00:11:54.220 with all our heart and mind, 00:11:54.500 --> 00:11:55.480 soul and strength, 00:11:56.020 --> 00:11:58.220 and to love our neighbours as ourselves. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:01.340 So let's pray together. 00:12:03.540 --> 00:12:04.379 Dear Lord, 00:12:05.820 --> 00:12:07.740 thank you for this harvest time 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:10.379 and help us to count our many blessings. 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:14.800 Help us to try and let go 00:12:14.800 --> 00:12:16.460 of our me-shaped attitude 00:12:16.460 --> 00:12:18.860 and instead look to God 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:19.840 and to you 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:21.400 to love and serve 00:12:21.400 --> 00:12:22.780 the last and the least. 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:25.259 And may we give thanks 00:12:25.259 --> 00:12:27.259 to the glorious God of the harvest. 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:28.980 You are a creator, 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:30.460 you are a redeemer, 00:12:30.900 --> 00:12:32.220 and you are a sustainer. 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:33.639 Amen. 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:33.740 Amen.