“Self-Interest Has Many Disguises”

Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – July 31, 2016

Centenary United Methodist Church

Psalm 107:1-9; Luke 12:13-21

    One day I was having lunch with a colleague who was working on his doctorate. I asked him what the Ph.D. symbolized to him. He said, "I am young and I want to get all my education out of the way before I have the responsibilities of a family."  When I learned that the topic of his research had nothing to do with his ministry, I pushed him a little further to explain himself.  I asked, "Why not go for a Doctor of Ministry degree?"  He said, "To me, a Ph.D. looks a little nicer on my resume."

    Eventually he admitted that having a Ph.D. would give him a deeper sense of confidence.  He disclosed that he wanted the letters after his name.  He also wanted his title listed on his business card and professional stationery.  Finally, he looked forward to the time when he would be addressed as Dr. Snyder. 

    I burst into laughter and said, "Are you kidding me?" He just looked at me with a serious glare. I knew I was treading on thin ice with my laughter.  My response was so spontaneous that it became one of the numerous times when I was insensitive to someone's need.

    An interesting thing happened to Eric.  Many years later, we had lunch again and during our time together he remembered our earlier conversation when I questioned his motivation for getting his doctorate.   He said, "Your curiosity about my motivation really bothered me for a long time and then you laughed when I told you what it was.  I now realize where you are coming from."  His new business card read Eric Snyder, Pastor of . . . . .  I applauded his break-through.  He was also comfortable when members of his congregation called him Eric rather than Dr. or even Reverend Snyder.

    This experience relates to the story Jesus told of the man who built bigger barns.  Such structures would symbolize that he had arrived.  He could take life easy by eating, drinking and enjoying himself.  Jesus concluded his story by telling his listeners that the wealthy landowner would not live long enough to enjoy his bigger barns.  (Luke 12:19) Today we are going to discuss the lesson Jesus was teaching.

    Earlier, Eric had entered a phase of his life where he encountered a disguised form of self-interest.  He turned to an icon of the material world to support the level of confidence that he wanted to experience.  Later on, he discovered that he did not need bigger barns to have confidence.  His warm, charming spirit as a loving, compassionate human being brought to him all the satisfaction with his career and his various congregations that he wanted and needed.

    The lesson Jesus was giving to his listeners can be found in this one verse:  "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of self-interest; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be."  (Luke 12:15)

    One of the great composers and pianists of the 19th Century was Franz Liszt.  This great Hungarian musician had accomplished everything that meant success in the world of music.  He wrote music, conducted orchestras and entertained vast audiences with his remarkable skill as a pianist.  Rich and famous people would crowd into various auditoriums all over Europe to experience his performances.  He enjoyed standing ovations at every event.

    What was interesting about Liszt is that frequently, at the close of his afternoon concerts, he would have his attendants carry his piano outside.  There he would play for hours for people who did not have the money to come to his concerts.  He never became stuck by allowing his fame and fortune to become a barrier to his ability to give himself away to others. 

    There was a time when he made room in his schedule to teach others how to play the piano.  Many of his students had a strong desire to play this remarkable instrument but they did not have the financial resources to pay for lessons.  He became the personal tutor to numerous students without needing a fee for doing so.  Liszt had graduated, as did my colleague, to finding enormous satisfaction from giving rather than accumulating.  

    Not everyone has made this discovery.  Others have learned to define themselves by the accumulation of various symbols of success.  This neediness surfaces when an opportunity presents itself to realize that more is always better.

    Earlier in my career, I frequently rode in the hearse with funeral directors following my memorial services as we traveled to the cemetery.  You would not believe the number of stories they told me about their clients.  When there was a sudden death and the deceased had not prepared a will, once cordial family members fought with each other over inheritance issues.  On numerous occasions, directors had to excuse themselves from further planning until family members could sort out their differences.

    Episodes like this always brought to mind a scene in the movie years ago entitled Zorba, the Greek.  Close friends and family members came to the home of a wealthy widow.  They did everything they could to make her last days comfortable, however, at the moment of her death, they went on a rampage looting everything they could carry away, e.g., her wardrobe, jewelry and home furnishings. 

    The people in the theater burst into laughter because most of them understood that lurking under the skin of many people is a disguised form of self-interest that kneels at the altar of more is better.

    Because people can so easily become captured by the tentacles of the material world Jesus said, "This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight."  Self-interest can put blinders on us.  We can be lulled into believing that having bigger barns is better.  Our amnesia causes us to forget that when we leave our bodies, we leave behind the possessions we once treasured.  

    Jesus was teaching something that is not immediately apparent in his story of the wealthy man's need to build bigger barns. We do not need to read too many of Jesus' teachings before we realize the point he was making. He was not criticizing the rich land owner for his skill as a businessman.  He was pointing out that he was much more than the sum of his wealth and he had not realized that.

    One of my favorite experiences occurred when my Volkswagen Beetle instantly lost power.  The engine had stopped running forcing me to pull on to the shoulder of the Washington-Virginia Beltway.

    It was rush hour and this episode occurred when there were no such things as cell phones. I was headed home after making a hospital visit and now I found myself very much alone. I lifted the hood and discovered that my fan belt had broken.  Other drivers that were also anxious to get home were speeding past at 70 miles an hour.

    Volkswagen Bugs always came with an extra fan belt near the spare tire housed in the front of the car.  After retrieving it, I found that installing it was not an easy task.  I could not get the belt over the engine pulley.  After about twenty minutes of trying various methods to install the belt, I heard the sound of a car pulling up behind me.  The driver was a woman dressed in business attire.  She introduced herself as Emily and proceeded to give me a tutorial on how to change a fan belt.  The VW Bug had been her first car.

    She told me to jam the pulley mechanism with my screwdriver preventing its rotation.  She instructed me to remove the bolt on the pulley with the lug wrench.  As I did so the pulley split into two sections.  This made the task of installing a new belt a simple process.  I thanked her profusely.  We both got into our cars and were on our way to our respective destinations.

    What made this woman different from the hundreds of drivers whizzing by me?   What affected my life BIG TIME causing this experience to become a major bookmark in my memory-archive was her kindness.  She had initially whizzed by me like the other drivers.  However, she got off at the next exit and circled back to help me.  Her kindness was unforgettable. 

      There were many times when Jesus found himself comparing his followers with others.  His followers were encouraged to exhibit qualities that went beyond the need to build bigger barns. 

    He said, "My sheep recognize my voice." (John 10:27)  "Not every one who refers to me as the Lord of their life, will have the ability to radiate the likeness of my Father in heaven."  (Matthew 7:21) When Jesus was discussing the separation of the sheep from the goats, this was not a heaven and hell comparison.  He was distinguishing between people like the Good Samaritan from those who passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:36f)

    Self-interest is something all of us experience everyday in all our relationships.  There is nothing wrong with loving yourselves as we love our neighbors.  Everyone wants to have a healthy, enthusiastic life filled with many memorable experiences. 

    The rich man had land that bore good crops.  He wanted to take life easy, eat, drink and enjoy himself.  This is what many people look forward to when they retire.  However, many of us go through life without developing the navigational tools for thriving when we eventually shed our bodies.

    What Jesus wanted his listeners to understand is their need to achieve a balance between their assets in the material world and their assets that have grown in the world of spirit. 

          The lesson that we can take home with us today is this:  "Your true value is not made up of the things that you own, but by the skills of spirit that will make you wealthy in the sight of God."  

    Attitudes of spirit are the only qualities that we take with us when our train eventually stops at our station in order to take us home.  When our attitudes are created from a loving spirit, we have all that we need to thrive wherever our train takes us.