CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Rev. Fred Weimert April 19, 2009
“This is No Time to Talk of Money”
Last
Wednesday evening
in the Bible Study
we looked at the end of the 4th
chapter of Acts…
And
surprisingly a portion of the reading
we used on Wednesday
has
been assigned for us to read today.
The central theme of the passage
is that the early Church
lived communally…
they sold
their possessions…
and
held all things in common.
Such behavior is not uncommon among
people
who expect the end of time to
come soon…
Still it is
surprising that Luke,
the author
of the Gospel of Luke
and
the Acts of the Apostles,
is so caught up
with this idea…
He doesn’t
just speak of this communal living
here
in chapter 4…
Luke ends
the second chapter
with
almost the same words.
And what was even more surprising to
me
was something I found
studying Willamon’s
commentary on Acts,
that is that a number of stories,
which Luke’s Gospel only,
tells,
are stories about the dangers of
wealth…
Luke tells with other gospel
writers the stories
of the Rich Young
Ruler…
the
parable of the Pounds…
He also uses
debtors in the Lord’s prayer.
But then he alone tells
The story of the
Good Samaritan (10: 29-37)
the Parable of the
Rich Fool (12:13-21)
The story of the
Unjust Steward (16: 1-8)
The story of the Rich
Man and Lazarus (16:19-31)
The story of
Zacchaeus (19: 1-10)
and then with the
story of the woman anointing Jesus’ feet
Luke adds
an explanation of the woman’s love
that
involves the comparison
of
one forgiven a great debt…
and
one forgiven a small one. (7:40-50)
Luke
was very concerned
here in Acts, and in his Gospel,
with the dangers that wealth
and possessions bring.
Acts 4: 32-35
Now the whole
group of those who believed
were of one heart
and soul,
and no one claimed private ownership of any
possessions,
but everything they owned
was held in common.
With great power
the apostles gave
their testimony
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great grace
was upon them all.
There was not a
needy person among them,
for as many as owned lands or houses
sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.
They laid it at
the apostles' feet,
and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Here
ends the reading
I
love a remark that Willamon
makes about this passage…
in light of it appearing in
the Churches scheduled readings,
the lectionary,
on this Sunday after Easter…
“After a
congregation’s exuberant celebration of the resurrection on Easter, it may seem
a bit crude to revert to such mundane concerns as possessions, money, the sale
of property, and how to get things done within the church on the Low Sunday
after Easter.”
pg. 51
I
don’t like talking about money
with you…
or with my wife…
even though I was an
economics major in undergraduate school
money is not my favorite subject.
I’m not
good with it.
Years ago,
when ACTC
was just beginning
I
was put on the ballot as treasurer
I
told them “I’m lousy with money.”
but
they still voted me in…
Larry
Cameron from Grace Lutheran,
said,
after seeing my first report
on
the back of an envelope…
“When
you used that “I’m lousy with money”
as
your campaign slogan…
I
figured you were lying
because
all politicians lie…
But,
you were telling the truth.
You
are lousy with money.”
Still,
even though I am lousy with money,
I think I understand Luke’s concern
with possessions and wealth,
and I may even be able to
understand why this reading
might be used,
right on
the heels of Easter.
To
help you understand
I want to use a poem.
Garrison Keeler had an
editorial last week
about April being
poetry month…
so here is
a poem
It
is on a white sheet of paper in your bulletin:
“The
Price of Gold”
From:
Tales From a Child of the Enemy,
pgs. 82-85
by
Ursula Duba
one year after her liberation from
after an entire year spent in a
hospital in
still dangerously thin
the doctor tells her
about a benefactor and his family
who have invited her for Passover
a month from now
provided
the doctor adds
that she will gain enough weight by
then
the sixteen-year-old
who spent two years in
and has been confined to the hospital
since her release
desperately wants to spend Passover
with the family of the benefactor
she tries to eat as much as possible
but her intestines are still
compromised
from the two years of severe
starvation
and nothing seems to stick to her
every day
the nurse weighs her
but she doesn’t achieve the required
weight
until one day before Passover
and the doctor says
you may go
hurriedly someone sews her a dress
ill fitting
because of the haste
but a new dress nevertheless
and she goes to the house
of the benefactor and his family
they live in an elegant apartment
building
with an elevator
but the elevator scares her
instead she walks up five flights
stands in front of the door
looks at the door bell
realizes she is empty handed
turns abruptly
descends the stairs
leaves the building
walks the streets
to find a flower shop
and buys a bouquet of flowers
for the benefactor
and his family
back she goes
again shies away from the elevator
despite feeling faint
but cannot overcome her panic
of being confined in a small space
in unknown territory
reaches the firth floor
rings the doorbell
a maid opens the door
takes the flowers
and shows her into a room so she can
change
she stands in the room
looks around
and doesn’t know what to do—
the ill-fitting dress
is all she has
finally
she meets the benefactor
and his family
and is invited to sit down at the
table
beautifully set
to celebrate her first Seder
since her deportation
to
soon
the talk turns to gold
the price of gold on the world market
to be exact
and the sixteen-year-old
who was liberated from
twelve months ago
near death
whose parents and most of her family
were murdered
who had been confined to a hospital
ever since
who has looked forward to this day
for months
who has dreamed of being in the
outside world
with normal people
for so long
and participating in this familiar
religious ceremony
among her people
is shocked that
the topic of conversation
quickly turned to matters so mundane
there is nothing she can contribute
to a conversation
about the price of gold
she gets up
goes to the door
opens it
steps outside
quietly closed the door behind her
avoids the elevator
walks down the five flights of stairs
leaves the building
and walks the streets of
a foreign city to her
on this first day of real freedom
in three years
on Passover 1946
This is a fitting poem
because
today is the day
when many will pause remember the Holocaust .
But it is also a fitting poem
because
it helps us see how wealth and possessions
can
serve to obscure
what
might be a significant religious celebration.
The first question asked by the
children
at
Passover celebrations is:
“Why
is this night different than other nights?”
and
the answer to be given is:
“If
it were not for this night, we might still be slaves in
Can you imagine what powerful insights
that
this 16 year old woman
could
have brought to this wealthy family
about
the issues of slavery and deliverance?
What
a profound religious experience that could have been…
but
it was missed
because
of wealth and possessions…
and
her lack of them.
What
could this poor girl
possibly
have to give this family.
At the time the Acts of the Apostles
were
actually going on…
the
followers of Jesus
were
regarded by the religious leaders
by the people of wealth and power in that day,
as commoners…
simple
fishermen…
Galileans.
Good
heavens
what could these people
have to add to our understanding of God.
In our day
we
can become equally smug and self possessed,
and
our possessions and wealth,
can
close our ears to the message of God’s…
deliverance/salvation…
on
the lips of those who our society
would devalue, deride and demean.
God may well speak again today
in
a still small voice.
may
we be open to listen.
amen.