Introduction. Lawrence Wood, reflecting on his experiences in rural

Michigan, told the following story about Edna Furbelow, whose cupboards,

bureaus, cabinets, garage, attic and spare bedroom were crammed full of

things that defined her. "Oh, you know Edna Furbelow," said her neighbor.

"She collected ‘Hummels,’" those decorative, porcelain figurines. Every

once in awhile, Edna took some of the clutter from her home out to the front yard and sold it, although no one stepping inside the house ever knew the difference. Then, she died.

People came to the estate sale. They were able to purchase things for low prices: books for 50 cents, a big set of plates for a few bucks, a once-prized lamp that now seemed hideous for practically nothing. Then, they heard the auctioneer call out Lot 152, a collection of 400 ‘Hummels.’ The crowd, some with knowing smiles and rolling eyes, watched as the auctioneer and Edna’s oldest daughter looked for a bid, but none was forthcoming. The crowd was a witness of a lifetime’s hobby and a person’s identity come to this. Could they almost hear Jesus asking, "And these things you have prepared, these ‘Hummels,’ whose will they be?"

(Lawrence Wood, "Living by the Word," Christian Century, July 27, 2004, p. 20)

Move 1. We hear Jesus say, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will

be also." We put great stock in our treasure. We give it great importance.

We are often told to put our money where our mouth is. Usually, we do put our money where our hearts are, and our hearts where our money is.

Sometimes, we find that such heart and money connections create an obvious poverty of the spirit, as in the case of the wealthy but lonely man on his death-bed. Yet sometimes we find that such connections are almost inevitable. We purchase homes, cars, computers, and partly because of our financial investments seem to develop emotional investments as well in the products. Likewise, we usually don’t give our money to people or to causes that we don’t care about. Instead, we give treasure as an indication of how much we care, and as a way of helping those people or causes to advance.

We also hear Jesus say, "Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Well, we may not know exactly what these purses that don’t wear out are, but we get the sense that Jesus here is talking about those aspects of our lives that have nothing to do with money. We get the sense that "unfailing treasures in heaven" are our time, our energies, our prayers–those parts of our lives that have no physical substance and therefore can’t be stolen or wear out.

When we think about it, when Jesus says "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," he might mean that where we spend our time and energies and prayers, we will also find our hearts; and where our hearts are, there we will spend our time and give our energies and lift up our prayers. Whether treasures mean physical things or the intangibles, we find our hearts tied up with our treasures, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

Move 2. Is wealth the problem? Does wealth breed attachment to things and weed people away from "unfailing treasure in heaven" and from God?

Riches are the subject of a parable told by Jesus from today’s gospel lesson. Abundance--more than enough food--comes out of the ground owned by a rich man. It causes him to think… "What should I do? I have outgrown my barns, and have nowhere to store this abundance." It creates the need for a decision, and the decision is to build bigger barns for the grain, not only as an insurance against possible future years of drought, but also as a way to relax and keep from having to work. But such insurance and abundance does not prevent the rich man from losing his life. And the things he prepares for himself, builds for himself, the things he owns…just like that, they are no longer his. They are like the "Hummels" that no one really cares about once they are separated from their owner.

Money is the root of all evil by some accounts. And money can make things difficult, as, according to Jesus elsewhere in the Bible, it makes it hard for its owner to enter the kingdom of heaven. But greed and foolishness seem to be the problems for Jesus. Beliefs such as, "I am wealthy. I must be doing something right, and therefore God is on my side," or, on the other hand, "I am not fortunate by the world’s standards. I must be doing something wrong. God is not on my side."…both beliefs are rooted in greed. They are testaments to foolishness.

Numbers on W-2 forms don't matter. Trinkets and toys, stuff and possessions, are not fit subjects for worship, not fit subjects for peoples’ devoted attentions. Real estate is not a proper focus for the fullness of human hearts. Money, or the lack thereof, has its place, but only God is God, and only God is to be worshiped. Savings accounts are swell, so long as they don’t foster a belief that security rests in a bank. Rent may be three months behind, but it should not create the illusion that such difficulty defines peoples’ souls, or God. (from Mary Cartledge-Hayes, The Lectionary Preaching Planner on CD-ROM, Abingdon Software)

Wealth or the absence of it is not the problem per se. Greed and foolishness are the problems. These come out the belief that true treasure is the money and things of this world, and the disbelief that treasure is, instead, time spent with children, energies on behalf of the elderly, prayers for friends and enemies alike–those "unfailing treasures of heaven."

Move 3. In light of the parable told by Jesus, you and I are in need of some good news, and to hear about the REAL estate.

If you and I are on the same page this morning, if you have some of the thoughts I had as I read the very challenging gospel and prepared the message, then you might identify yourself as, at times, being a person of greed and foolishness. Like me, you may know that your treasure and your heart are tied up in this world. You may sometimes think that wealth and abundance provide insurance in this world. And yet you also know that, like the rich man, your life might end at any moment. You don’t want to believe it, but know it’s true.

You come to church, if you are like me, to get some good news. You come to be with God and be reminded of God’s steadfast love. Though you and I can be greedy and foolish, you nevertheless don’t come here this morning seeking advice on shrewd investments or real estate purchases. You do not come thinking that here you will receive a program on how to make yourself healthy, wealthy and worldly-wise. You might know people who do this sort of thing, but you know from the gospel reading today, from the man who wants Jesus to settle his question about the family inheritance, that Jesus doesn’t play that game. But you do need some good news.

You and I need, not real estate, but the REAL estate. You and I come not primarily to get something out of God, but rather because you love God and hope that beyond the fickleness of human minds and hearts, beyond greed and foolishness, God’s love is steadfast. You know many people who sleep in Sunday mornings, who go play golf, who are already out on their boats. You are here. You are the sort who risks hearing what Jesus has to say, even when his words are tough. You are willing to listen to him, to examine the truth about your life, to experience the real deal. You and I understand how the message on foolishness and greed applies to us. You now need to hear the good news.

So hear again from Psalm 107: the Lord is good… "his steadfast love endures forever." And hear one more time from Jesus in the gospel of Luke, chapter 12: "…it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." In other words, it is God’s desire to give you the REAL estate. You are loved by God, not because of how much or how little you have in worldly treasure, not even by how greedy or generous you are…but, just because. There you have it…good news.

Conclusion. We have a chance now to come together around the communion table. At this table, we are asked to give our hearts, because here there is treasure that is priceless. Through bread and the fruit of the vine, we participate in God’s forgiveness, we remember who Jesus is and what he calls us to be, and we join, through the Spirit, in the bonds of Christian fellowship where no one is more privileged or any better than anyone else. We get a glimpse, at the Lord’s Supper, of the kingdom of heaven, of the REAL estate that is our true home. The table is set, and we are invited.