Dear Friends,
Greetings! I do hope that you and yours are well.
Here you will find a weekly column called "Focus" that I write for the church and wider community. Enjoy!
Your feedback and insights are more than welcome.
You may contact me directly at either citykid4evr@gmail.com or 404/378-3621.
James Brewer-Calvert, Pastor
Focus
Leave a Living Legacy
Some of us may have had the opportunity to see or read about the exhibition of
King Tutankham’s treasures. The body of the Egyptian king was sealed in a large tomb
with his riches for over 30 centuries. From 1324 BCE until 1922 AD, King Tut’s body
and wealth was in the dark in an airless chamber. When his tomb was discovered and
opened, King Tutankhamen’s body had decomposed, but the gold and alabaster had kept
their substance and form. They glitter and please the human eye as well as ever. It was
the objects and not the man that rose again.
Is this not an image for us? What is to be our legacy? What legacy does the Holy
Spirit envision for you?
Jesus gifted us with a parable, saying: “The land of a rich man produced
abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my
crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones,
and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you
have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to
him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you
have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for
themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12: 16-21)
The farmer in Jesus’ parable had the blessed problem of a bumper crop, of an
unexpected abundance, and when he discovers it the only soul he consults is his own.
He asks himself, “What should I do?” Surprise, surprise, the same source provides an
answer: keep the surplus for the self-centered trinity of me, myself, and I.
Now, let us be fair: there is no indication that the farmer in the parable earned his
goods in an unjust way or with unfair practices. The challenge before him – and us -- is
not in how he grew extra crops on his land, but in his lack of concern for those in need in
his midst. His long term vision went no further than his hands could grasp.
Ancient wisdom teaches that wealth must be shared with those in need because
the resources of the land and the community are limited. Ancient wisdom, the kind of
wise teachings that influenced prophets, shamans, priests, and elders, says that if goods
are limited, one person’s hoarding sets in motion a relational dynamic that takes away
from others. This parable is about the misuse of goods and property, the hoarding of
wealth and resources, the idolatrous worship of things and possessions we call greed.
Paul wrote in 1 Timothy that the “love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
Jesus the Christ spoke to the people of God, saying: “Take care! Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of
possessions.” In the comic strip The Wizard of Id, the priest asks the king, “Sire, of all
the major sins, which do you consider to be number one?” “Well, said the king, “they
are all bad, but I like greed the best.”
This famous truth is found not only in comics but also in the Holy Scriptures.
Greed has been a sin of choice from biblical times to today. As Jesus tells the parable,
God addresses the content, happy farmer. “You fool! This night your soul is required of
you, and all these extra goods and grains you have stored, whose will they be?” When it
comes to human greed, God intervenes. God cares about those in need in our midst, and
has the blessed audacity to expect us to care, as well.
King Tut blew it. We don’t have to repeat his history. Every single day and night
we have opportunities to prepare a living legacy. The Scriptures point us toward being
rich in the ways of God. Consult the Word for guidance in your life. Consider the needs
of your brothers and sisters in your midst. Commit your treasure and time and talent to
building up the community. Remember the church in your will. Remember that “where
your treasure is, your heart will be there as well.” (Matthew 6: 21) Leave a fabulous
legacy that gives glory to God and far exceeds the reach of your outstretched hands.
As always, First Christian Church of Decatur, I am delighted to be your pastor.
Shalom, James L. Brewer-Calvert