In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

A certain man knew that he was dying. He asked his wife to take out a stone from the fireplace where she would find a jar of money. He asked her to place it on the sill of the attic window so that as he left his earthly home he could grab it on his way up to heaven. She did as she had been instructed and she found a large jar containing a roll of one hundred dollar bills which obviously she didn’t know he had.

A few day after the funeral she went to check to see if the jar had been taken by her husband on the way by to his heavenly home. She found the jar of money still where she put it and then she remarked, “I knew all along that I should have put that money on the sill of the basement window.

Now there is an old saying that declares “you can’t take it with you.” And this story aptly captures this bit of folk wisdom. But it seems that no matter how often we hear these words they don’t seem to sink in. Through the centuries we have made elaborate efforts in order to take earthly wealth to the great beyond.

The tombs of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs are probably the most popular example. I am sure most of us are familiar with the treasures of King Tutankamen that were buried with him in his tomb. And in the end these riches were discovered just as they had been placed centuries before by the archaeologist Howard Carter. Now they are housed in museums for all to enjoy.
In our reading from 1 Timothy, we read, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap… that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”

The Apostle Paul speaks the truth. And yet what is it about this desire for riches that drives us human beings to such extremes? It has such a strong hold on our society. Almost a seductive pull. On CBC radio on Friday morning there was an interview with an author by the name of Daniel Brook who has written a book entitled “The Trap”. 

The author’s argument is that young people graduating from university are selling their ideals and principles to make the world a better place for the sake of a bigger paycheque and the good things in life.

In the book, he cites the example of “Matt”, a young university graduate, who worked for health care reform in the United States when Bill Clinton was president. An idea that we as Canadians have long taken for granted. Matt now no longer works for health care reform. He now works as an advocate for the big pharmaceutical companies in the United States who do not want the ideal of universal health care to ever see the light of day.

Now this is not meant to be a “Rick Mercer rant” against big pharma, the lifestyle choices of young Americans or the issue of money in general. Money is in itself neutral. It is a medium, a vehicle for the purchasing of products or services. And in our Presbyterian tradition we have never viewed money as something that is evil, something that should be avoided, because we believe that money is a gift from God and much good can be accomplished through its use. It is the love of money that is the root of evil.

But I think if we are honest with ourselves there is always that tension that exists in our desire to follow the Christ and the place of money in our lives. It has been there from the very beginning, even during Christ’s earthly ministry, that is why he spent so much time talking about our attitude towards money.

All of us struggle with the temptation that is mentioned in our reading because we hear over and over again in our society the mantra that if we have more money we will be happy, we will be secure and we will be satisfied. And yet the pursuit of wealth for wealth’s sake ultimately takes a toll on the other relationships that are present in one’s life. It then becomes a form of idolatry where wealth becomes the center rather than God. It is a god that brings no peace because the question how much? is elusive and difficult to answer.

The author Kurt Vonnegut told a story of a conversation that he had with another author who had attended a party given by a multi billionaire. Vonnegut asked the author if it bothered him that his host had probably made more money the day before than his most popular novel had grossed in forty years. The author replied, “I have something he can never have…the knowledge that I have enough.” The wealthiest person is a pauper at times compared to the man with a satisfied mind.

It is this knowledge that God offers each of us, that sense of satisfaction, of having enough. “But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that.” Really, what more do we need? Over and over again in scripture we hear the words, don’t be afraid. You have enough. Trust God, trust in the Christ. There is a sense of peace and security that we can find with God and no where else. It is a product of grace.

And it is in response to this grace and this knowledge that we have enough that we share our abundance and ourselves with those who are in need. We believe and put our trust in God for our daily bread because God grabs us in the deepest depths of our lives and will not let us go. God keeps coming after us and when we most want to leave God overpowers us with love and peace. It is there in that moment that we know we have enough. We have found peace so that we can then share our abundance with others in need.
THANKS BE TO GOD, AMEN.