Rev. Dr. Bary R. Fleet - Pastor
June 17, 2007 - 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
1st Kings 21:1-21a 
Galatians 2:15-21
Luke 7:36-8:3

The Greed Game

I thought about brining a brief case into the pulpit with me this morning, and telling you that I had a sum of money -- between $1 and $1,000 -- and, if you are willing to give me $500, you can have whatever is in the brief case.  This is sort of the "Deal or No Deal" game on TV with Howie Mandell.  I've never watched an entire show, but I've seen enough to see people allow greed to overcome good sense.

You've probably seen the show.  There are 100 attractive women holding suitcases, each with varying amounts of money between $1 and $1Million dollars.  The contestant keeps picking cases, hoping that the "big money" case is the last one left on the board.  Meanwhile, the "banker" -- knowing what is left, and knowing the odds - periodically offers a "deal."  The contestant can take the deal and walk away with the money ... or continue to pick cases.  There are 3 "advisors" on the sidelines ... coaching the contestant. 

What is amazing to me is the number of times people pass up amazing offers that are "sure things" in favor of the chance to have more.  It is called "greed!"

The chance to get something more often so clouds our thinking that we end up losing what we had in the first place. 

That gets us to the story of Naboth and King Ahab.  The Reader's Digest version is that Naboth had a nice vegetable garden, adjacent to some royal property.  The king wanted the garden and offered to either buy it out right or swap land and give Naboth more in exchange. 

Naboth was a Jew, and had a different value system.  He understood that his land was given by God, and was not to be bought or sold.  It was to be treated as "God's property." 

He chose to live by a higher value.  It wasn't about money or possessions for him.  It was about being true to who he was as a man of God.

The sad end is that it cost him his life ... but our passage ends with the prophet Elijah promising that both Ahab and his wife will come to an untimely death ... which happens!

The moral of the story is two-fold:  (1) Sometimes living by principle is costly ... but we at least have our integrity.  (2) When we allow greed to control us, we often come to a bad end. 

What I want us to remember today -- on Father's Day -- is that all of us are called to be a people who are set apart, who are holy.  We are called to live by a set of standards that the rest of the world doesn't understand -- or value.

We are called to remember that life isn't about getting more.  Life isn't about money or things.  Life is about relationships -- with our Creator and with each other.  I can't begin to tell you about the number of women I've seen- both in my counseling practice and as a pastor -- who tell me that they would be willing to live in a hut with a dirt floor if they and their children could just have time with their husband.  But dad is under the mistaken impression that he is doing the family a favor by working harder to make more money.

There is a story of a man who was determined to take his wealth with him into the next life.  The Lord finally gave into his fervent prayer, with one condition:  He could bring only one suitcase with him.  The rich man decided to fill his suitcase with gold bullion.

     The day the Lord called him, St. Peter greeted him at the door and told him that he couldn't come in with his suitcase.

     "Oh, but I have an agreement with God," the man explained. 

     "That's unusual," said St. Peter.  "Mind if I have a look?"

     The man opened his suitcase to reveal the shining gold bullion.

     St. Peter looked at him amazed.  "Why in the world would you want to bring pavement?"

On this day, we need to be sure that we aren't exchanging our lives for pavement!

NOTE:  The last story is credited to Homiletics (May / June), Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 60.

SERMON IN A SACK:  A watch, a measuring cup, a tape measure, a scale.  We can use each of these to measure various things:  time, amounts, distance and weight.  What is there to measure God's love?  Nothing ... it is too great ... immeasurable!