THE KIRK OF KILDAIRE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

CARY, NC

www.kirkofkildaire.org

A sermon preached by Joseph Welker, Jr.

To Be Rich and Responsible

1 Timothy 6:6-19

September 30, 2007

To be rich and responsible, I've learned is no easy thing. Managing your money is no easy thing. The Bible knows this. People of faith who have been wealthy know this. When the subject of riches come up, I remember a saying from a preacher years ago who was the pastor of very wealthy church in New York. He said that when it comes to the subject of riches, the Bible says two things:
It's either dangerous or damnable.

Of course, I know some of us may not consider ourselves rich. Some days I don't feel too rich. This summer when the AC unit went out and we paid a few thousand dollars for a new unit-I wasn't feeling too rich. When the tuition bill came due for Carolina- about the same time my quarterly taxes are due… I wasn't feeling too rich. If I hear the statistics and stories right, many people consider themselves mortgage poor. Others have credit card debt in the thousands of dollars. They don't feel too rich. Perhaps this passage about riches from Timothy doesn't apply to us.

Over time I've learned that being rich is in the eyes of the beholder.

Growing up in a 1700 square foot home on Grand Avenue, I never considered us to be the rich people of Ortega. The rich people lived on the River and had yachts. They belonged to the Timiquana Country Club. My friend Charlie was rich because his dad was a banker and they had a swimming pool. Our swimming pool was the wheelbarrow from my Dad's landscaping business. And my Dad would often say as a landscape architect, "I don't mind people being rich as long as they spread it around!"

Rich is a matter of perspective don't you think. Some people outside of Cary think every one of us who live inside Cary are all living the lavish and luxurious life. Some people in my neighborhood don't consider themselves rich because the rich people live at McGregor Downs or in Prestonwood. Who me, rich? It's kind of a matter of perspective who is rich and who is not.

I'm sure that the people who live in the lower income apartments near our church would look at my house and yard and think I live in a mansion. It's a matter of perspective don't you think?

But may I be so bold to suggest that every one of us in this room is rich. At least by global standards.

Almost every time I turn on the tap water and receive clean water I realize how rich I am. I think of my friends in Mwandi, Zambia who every single day have to hike with water containers on their heads for miles to get dirty and diseased drinking water from the Zambizi river. And you think tap water is bad for you. Annually consumers in the world spend $1billion on bottled water. I wonder how many wells that could drill in the third world.

I think of my friends in Reynosa, Mexico whose homes are made of scrap metal and old signs. Families live in 70-100 square foot homes. Their dream home built by volunteers is made of cement blocks and is about the size of a 1 car garage. Their water? From a community tap.

Yes, I am rich. I am blessed. And I get worried when it comes to being rich and responsible. Do you?

The Bible has a lot to say about money and riches. And it can be sort of confusing. So many of the stories I recall from the Bible are hard on rich people.

There is the story of the rich young ruler who wants to follow Jesus and he tells him to sell all he has and give to the poor. He tells his followers that it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. There is that fearful story about the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus begging at the rich man's table for the scraps that fall from the table. The rich man ignoring him. They both die and the text says, the rich man went to hell and Lazarus went to heaven. Does that make you a little nervous?

There is the story of the rich farmer and business person who is very successful. He wants to build his riches to prepare for retirement… so he builds bigger and bigger barns so he can retire early. Of course, the punch line is that he works for all those things and then dies suddenly one day… and God tells him… "You fool, this very night you will be asked for YOUR SOUL! That is what happens to the person who hoards things for himself and is not rich in the eyes of God."

Those stories make me nervous.

Of course, there are also stories of rich people in the Bible who apparently were not asked to give up all of their riches. In the Old Testament it is clear that Abraham was wealthy. Joseph, becomes very wealthy and powerful. We see David and Solomon prosper. The story of Job is the story of a wealthy man who loses it all… but all is restored and then some at the end of the story. Wealth, by itself, does not appear to be disqualifier from entering the kingdom of God.

Even the New Testament has examples of wealthy people. There is Barnabus who sold some property and gave the proceeds to that young church with an uncertain future. Talk about your risky investment! We read about Philemon last week-he was wealthy enough to own slaves… and he was generous enough to let Christians use his home as a house church. There was Lydia, the successful textile merchant who is led to open her home and her wallet to Paul and the others.

The letter we read today to Timothy is apparently written to church containing many wealthy Christians. It could have been the church in Cary, in Apex, in Raleigh-almost anywhere in America. Many think it was the people who lived in the prosperous city of Ephesus.

Perhaps they too have struggled with how to be rich and responsible as Christians. Perhaps Timothy has asked Paul for some advice on how to manage money and faith. Perhaps Timothy is concerned how their wealth is affecting their faith and souls. Perhaps Timothy has looked to Paul, the wise apostle for advice.

Here is what Paul said:
"Of course there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that you can take nothing out of it… (you can't take it with you… you can't attach a U Haul to the hearse)…
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and useless desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction (and this was before credit cards and the mortgage crisis!) For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love endurance, gentleness… As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up (note the language) for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future (this is your retirement plan), so that they may take hold of the life that really is life."

If I hear Paul right, I hear Paul saying three things.

First, It's not riches but the pursuit of riches as one's main purpose in life that does harm to a person's soul. Be careful of betting your life on the pursuit of riches. The problem with the farmer Jesus told us about was not that he was rich, but that his only goal in life was to become rich in things…. rather than in God.

I think of a parody of the "I have a dream" speech someone described as the American dream:

I have a dream. I have a dream of a new car in every garage, a Pentium duo core computer in every bedroom, broadband internet connection in every house and home ownership for every family. I have a dream of a n IRA for every wage earner and a college investment fund for every child. I have a dream… of a microwave in every kitchen, A DVD and big screen TV in every family room, a hot tub on every patio, and a pool in every yard…I have a dream… of 7 credit cards in every wallet. I have a dream of a condo on the ocean and a cottage in the mountains. I have a dream of Summer in Europe, Christmas in Jamaica or Vail, or Spring in Mexico
I have a dream of unlimited prosperity… I have a dream.

I know that dream…don't you. I have those dreams do you? I have pursued those dreams, have you?

The dream, the author of that said, is to serve the god of more. But the god of more, she said, is a lousy god. He is demanding and controlling. He never ever is satisfied. He keeps us awake at night. He keeps us from ever being satisfied or happy. He deprives us of finding deep and lasting pleasure in his gifts. He out shouts and out advertises the one only true God. It is very hard to hear what God is saying when the god of more is around.

I think Paul knew about this god of more and knew that it is a god that ends up owning our souls when we devote our life to serving this god. Have you ever heard someone say that they don't own their stuff, their stuff owns them? For Paul it's not money that is the problem… it is the love of money.

Second, Paul is echoing Jesus, isn't he when he says, if you want to be rich in something be rich towards God… be rich spiritually. Divest yourself of envy, ego, arrogance, suspicions, slander, stirring up controversy, and invest yourself in developing the life of your Spirit which leads to a life of goodness, grace and love. Again, the story of the Rich man and Lazarus it was not the riches that was the problem, it was his attitude that evolved from his riches. He could care less about the plight of the poor. He had his, let them get theirs. If only he had spent time and energy in becoming rich in his spiritual life.

Third, if you want to be rich and responsible… be rich in good works, generosity, ready to share… I think Paul would say rich people have been blessed for a purpose… and that is to be a blessing.

One of the blessings of being a pastor is to occasionally meet people of wealth who want to share. Usually the conversations are confidential for many reasons but usually the conversation goes something like this: "Jody, I have been so blessed and I want to share what I've been given. I'd like to give to … (and the causes vary as much as the passion God puts in our hearts)…. "

I remember before I left my former congregation, a member of the church came to me. He said that he had not planned to come to me so soon, but that since I announced my leaving Newton, he wanted to talk about a gift he wanted to make. Again, he talked about being very blessed in his life. And then he said, "You know, we have built this beautiful building and I have been blessed… and I'd like to make an $800,000 gift to help reduce the debt. I want to give it in such a way that encourages others to give." I didn't show it, but I was stunned. I knew him to be wealthy but not that wealthy. His home was modest and he never flaunted his wealth in the community. He was just someone who loved God, loved his church and wanted to share. Think of all he could have done with $800,000. What he could have bought for himself. But he wanted to share. And while I'm not as rich as he is, he humbled me. He was teaching me how to be rich and responsible.

One more story from the book we read this summer - Mountains beyond Mountains which tells the story of Dr. Paul Farmer-who has done amazing things in Haiti and around the third world in the area of health. He did groundbreaking work in fighting many diseases. It's an amazing story.

But the unsung hero behind the story of Paul is the story of Tom White-a rich businessman from Boston who has helped finance and support much of Paul's work. Tom made his money in the construction business. Tom White went to Haiti and was concerned by what he saw there. He gave money to help Paul in his work. When Paul would come home to Boston, Tom would bring sandwiches to him at lunch and they'd eat in his car. One day, Tom told Paul that sometimes he'd like to give up his business and wealth and work as a missionary to Haiti. To that, Paul replied, "In your particular case that would be a sin."

Even Paul Farmer, whose passion to the poor is unquestioned, knew what Paul the apostle knew… that being rich when being responsible and faithful can be a great blessing.

It's still true of course that riches can be dangerous or damnable… but in the hands of people of faith… they can be blessings beyond measure that further the work of the kingdom of God.

Amen.