Sermon - 9/21/14 15th Sunday after Pentecost Argument: 1) Give me that 2) I need it. 1) You already have a blue and green 2) This is mine. 1) You have to make it even. 2) Give it to me. 1) MOM Is this the sound of children fighting? Let me remind you of what we just heard in our Gospel reading: Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, These last, worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. What makes us think that any of us have grown up? Be honest. You are in church, after all - and the gospel is an opportunity to examine our conscience. Don t we often think: It isn t fair if my brother or sister has more than me, or something different than me. I am not happy unless I have it too. I might be missing something. What I have is not enough. Today s Gospel is addressing Scarcity and Abundance. Stephen Covey in his book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - described this mindset well. He says: 1 of 7
Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit even with those who help in the production. They also have a a very hard time being genuinely happy for the success of other people. Most of us reside in this world of scarcity thinking. The vineyard laborers certainly did. But to give some perspective to the gospel story, that is how people in that era and part of the world viewed life. Not only was there a limited amount of wheat in a crop, but also there was a limited amount of intangibles; like happiness, blessing, love. For example: God only had so much blessing. If God blessed you, there might not be enough for me. Today s parable was one of the ways Jesus taught that this wasn t so. God s love and blessing is boundless and God wants us to live in that trust and abundance. What does abundance mean? Going back to Stephen Covey again, he gives us a definition: The Abundance Mentality, on the other hand, flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity. Warning: 2 of 7
God s economy of abundance does not look like our economy. For example. I came across a blog on line that popped up when I put in the words Scarcity and Abundance: This blogger said he was a Network marketer. Then goes on to say, If I told you with 100% confidence that if you handed me $1,000 today, I d hand you back $100,000 in a month, you d jump on it. Wouldn t you. What if I told you to work for me 10 hours a week, year after year, and I d pay you for 40 hours a week for the rest of your life? You d do that wouldn t you? I could practically see the watermark mark of Pyramid Scheme imprinted on the back of his site. This blogger had figured out a way to tap into our very human scarcity mind-set, by making us feel guilty if we didn t jump on his idea of abundance. He isn t inviting us to work with him out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. He is bullying us into making money for him. He is taking advantage of our scarcity mentality by thinly smearing around terms of abundance. I have an idea you are thinking; I can have the best abundance mentality in the world, but I still am confronted daily with scarcity. For example, the Oregon Center for Public Policy, 2014 Federal Poverty Guidelines state that for a Family of 2, earnings of anything under $15,730.00/ yr considered poverty level. 3 of 7
The cheapest apts to rent in Portland are in the area I live in. Their average range is $1,200/month for a one bedroom. That s $14,400/ yr. That leaves me $1,330.00/year for food, health insurance (even if my employer offers health insurance, doesn't pay everything), transportation, clothes, etc. If I was forced to live in this reality, I doubt I could live with a mentality of abundance. Then I thought about Joe Hansen. Joe was guy who used to do cleaning jobs for my grandmother and dad and other Portland families, when I was little. Joe lived somewhere on Burnside, Skid Row as it was called in those days. He was an alcoholic. But when he was sober, he was the best cleaning guy in Portland. And he knew antiques. He always had a huge grin on his face that highlighted the lack of front teeth. Everyone said, Old Joe is as honest as the day is long. He was raised in a Catholic orphanage, and despite his bouts with alcohol, he remained a devout Catholic all his life. He fascinated me as a child. When he was cleaning the basement at our house, mom would bring him into the kitchen for lunch. My sister, mom and I would eat with him at the table. Joe would tuck his napkin into his Hawaiian shirt. (He always wore Hawaiian shirts) and waited as my mom served him. Now, my mom made every meal like it was destined to be high tea for her lady friends at the Empress Hotel. All the china bowls had plates under them, and their own serving spoons. The sandwiches were cut in quarters with the crusts taken off. So, there we were, 2 little girls and one mom, in our dresses, with napkins laid out in our laps, and Joe in his Hawaiian shirt and baggy black pants and big grin. 4 of 7
I always sat next to him and was enthralled by the way he drank coffee. Mom would pour the coffee in one of her china cups, with a china saucer underneath. Joe would carefully stir in sugar and cream. When it was just right, he would dump it into the saucer and slurp it out of there. I remember the first time he did it, I whipped my eyes to mom. After all, he was breaking a big rule on table manners. Then I saw that look in my mom s eyes - the one that said. Don t you dare say one thing. I will talk to you later. Joe always thanked mom profusely for the lunch. One day dad told us Joe had been walking across Burnside, very drunk, and was hit by a semi truck. The semi was totaled. Joe came away with a few broken ribs but wouldn t be able to work for a while. Years later Joe died from old age and had a Catholic funeral. The only ones who came to that funeral were my mom, sister, me - and my dad and uncle who served as pall bearers. He was buried in a coffin that looked like it was chewed up cardboard that had been dried, molded and glued back into a coffin shape. It made me sad, but Joe would have been ok with it. Joe had nothing. He lived in scarcity by all human terms, but he viewed his life as abundant. He drank his coffee with relish. He admired and polished antiques lovingly, although he would never own one. He was grateful for cigarettes, and lunch, for work and booze and Hawaiian shirts and for my grandmother and then dad who watched over and cared for him. He trusted in God. To those who might notice Joe sitting on Burnside after a night of drinking, it probably looked as if God had abandoned him. 5 of 7
But Joe didn t think that way. He believed that every morning God would provide manna. To Joe, God provided simply, but abundantly all his life. How can we live from a place of Abundance? Make room for another car to move in front of you. Create abundant space for them. Smile at someone for no reason. Let the guy who pumps your gas keep the change. Vote. Donate generously to your Church. Come to this altar and participate in the greatest abundance of grace and strength that Jesus has prepared for you. And since today is the International Day of Peace - help to create that abundance of connection that the humanity needs to heal the world s many wounds. Join the EcoFaith delegation from All Saints, who will be gathering with many others at Waterfront Park today. Pray for someone you don t like, don t understand, or who has hurt you. All of us, no exceptions, are bathed in God s abundant love and grace every day. There will always be enough for everyone. But we are the hands and feet of God in this world. Help God out. Act from God s abundance. Give someone who is last, the chance to be first. 6 of 7
Rev. Mary Anne Gard Sunday, 9/21/14 7 of 7