Crescent Hill Baptist Church
Crescent Hill Baptist Church
Louisville, Kentucky
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
April 2, 2006
W. Gregory Pope
WALKING IN THE WAY OF JESUS:
THE WAY OF SIMPLICITY AND GENEROSITY
Matthew 6:19-34
A couple of years ago I traveled with my daughter Kristen’s fifth grade class to Washington DC. As part of that trip we spent a day in Amish country in Pennsylvania. The peace and simplicity of the Amish people was so attractive, especially when I considered the madness of what we in the technological, materialistic culture call normal.
I was reminded of that trip this past week when I read the story about a busload of tourists from many religious denominations who visited an Amish farmer. One of them said, “We already know all about Jesus Christ, but what does it mean to be Amish?” The Amish fellow thought for a moment, and then asked for a show of hands for how many in the tour group had televisions. Every hand went up. Then he asked how many thought that maybe having a television contributed to a lot of social and spiritual problems in society. Again, every hand went up. In light of this, he asked, how many would be willing to give up having television. This time, no hands went up. He went on to explain that this was the essence of being Amish: a willingness to do without something if that thing is not good for you spiritually. (Scott Savage, ed., The Plain Reader: Essays on Making a Simple Life, The Ballentine Publishing Group, 1998, 119)
It is also, I would add, a faithful act of Christian discipleship: to do without something if that thing is not good for you spiritually or physically, or good for the earth or the community.
To help us live in such faithfulness, we are offered the gifts of simplicity and generosity as we walk in the way of Jesus.
Simplicity is not just about our possessions. It is about bringing order to the multiple demands of nurturing our families and doing good work and offering ourselves in service to our community.
It may be that some of us need to simplify our lives in order to engage the world in service and work for justice and peace. When we don’t have time to offer ourselves in some form of service, that’s a sure sign we’re too busy.
The anthem just sung by the choir is an old Shaker hymn. It reveals simplicity as both a grace and a discipline. “‘Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free” - that is simplicity’s grace. Simplicity’s discipline, reminding us of our need for continual repentance, which is itself joy, is proclaimed in the lyric “to turn, turn will be our delight, till by turning, turning we come ‘round right.” Simplicity is a grace because only God can enable us to take the path. It is a discipline because we have to choose to take the path.
In his helpful book, Freedom of Simplicity, Richard Foster writes: “Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess.” (Revised and updated, Harper San Francisco, 2005, 3)
It’s a passion as old as Moses, even older. The tenth commandment prohibits covetousness, which is the inner lust to have. Covetousness is the idolatrous worship of things.
Advertisement feeds on that passion and lust. The goal of much advertisement is to increase desire, to move us from saying “That’s too extravagant” to “That would be nice to have” to “I really need that” to finally “I’ve got to have that.” (Foster, 136)
Many Americans today learn who they want to be and how they will live their lives not by reading scripture or listening to a minister or a teacher but by watching advertisements for Lexus or Abercrombie and Fitch.
Glenn Hinson recently published an article, “Discovering a Philosophy of Enough,” based on Paul’s confession to the Philippians that he has learned to be content in any and all circumstances, with little or with much.
Dr. Hinson gives voice to what he calls “one of Western culture’s chief puzzles” - how there can be so much “unhappiness and discontent despite possessing virtually all the material goods we could wish and then some.” How can it be the that so many have not discovered a true sufficiency?
He writes: “The more we have, the more we want. The more we want, the farther we get from the One who is needful. . . And the farther we get from the One [who is needful] the more dissatisfied and discontented we feel.”
He goes on to say that “a culture dominated by a market economy, which is what ours is today, adds to our dilemma.” Referencing John Kenneth Galbraith from his Economics and the Public Purpose, he writes how the American economy no longer operates on the principle of supply and demand. Instead, corporations manufacture a produce, then market and advertise to convince the public that they need this product and just can’t do without it. (E. Glenn Hinson, “Discovering a Philosophy of Enough” Weavings, Nov/Dec 2005, 40-41)
That’s a sick society of Pavlovian dogs. The philosopher Ivan Illich (1926-2002) once said: In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.” Those who have not given themselves to the way of simplicity and generosity will find themselves prisoners of one or both material addiction and envy.
You have perhaps felt, as I did visiting that Amish village, that simplicity would be “so nice.” But I would impress upon us all that simplicity is no longer just a “nice option” for those of us up to our necks in possessions. To choose the way of simplicity is now a necessary response to the massive problems of our world.
Our planet simply cannot sustain our gluttonous consumption, especially those of us in the West. We need to careful about our desire to create our culture in other parts of the world, even among the poor, because the earth truly cannot afford our lifestyle. In our efforts to create more wealth, we are exhausting the world’s resources and bringing harm to God’s creation.
Our restless gnawing greed leads us grasping and grabbing and we never have enough. And most destructive of all, our possessions have a way of crowding out much interest in civil rights or inner city poverty or the starving masses of Africa. “Greed has a way of severing the cords of compassion.” (Foster, 104)
The imperatives of simplicity and generosity are calls to justice and peace. When we give ourselves to simplicity, there is a peace that comes from no longer being anxious about all our possessions. And when we no longer accumulate for ourselves what others need, but rather take what we’ve been given and share it with those in need, we begin to walk the path of justice.
The question of simplicity and the rightful use of our money requires that we ask: How much is too much to spend for a certain item? How much is too much to spend for a shirt, a dress, a suit? How much is too much to spend for jewelry, for a car, for a house? No easy answers, but they are necessary questions if we are to walk in the way of Jesus. Don’t you think?
But the issue of simplicity runs deeper than seeking to buy what is least expensive. We are again brought back to the justice question: Why is it so cheap? Who made it? Were the workers paid fairly? We need to know where our clothes and other items come from before we purchase them. Because low prices are often designed by larger stores and corporations to put a smaller store or farmer with more realistic prices out of business. Justice requires that we look beyond the cheapest price tag. In fact, justice may require that we pay more in order to make sure that those who made it were paid a fair wage.
The vision of shalom - wholeness and peace for all creation - calls for simplicity and generosity. “Economically and socially, the vision of shalom is captured in what Bishop John Taylor calls “‘the theology of enough.’” (Foster, 35-36)
So how do we move from “the passion to possess” into “a theology of enough”?
We begin with the realization that simplicity is an inward reality before it can truly be seen in an outward lifestyle. “Exterior simplicity,” says Foster, “flows from true interior simplicity.” (Foster, 9, 84). So we must nurture the inward self before we are able to faithfully live a life of simplicity.
We nurture the inward self by listening to Jesus. Jesus calls us to simplicity and generosity with this wisdom: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth (the call to simplicity) . . . but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven (the call to generosity). (Matthew 6:19, 20)
Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth because thieves can break in and steal (6:20). How anxious we become about our possessions. We spend lots of money to secure them, when there can never be a guarantee of security. Just ask the people of New Orleans. Nature can sometimes be a thief.
Jesus also warns us against storing earthly treasures because they will take over our lives. Jesus says very clearly that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be (6:21). And then he uses the image of “the single eye,” that if your eye is singular, then your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is not singular, then your whole body will be full of darkness. (6:22)
The single eye “refers to both a single aim in life and to a generous, unselfish spirit. . . Singleness of purpose toward God and generosity of spirit are twins. The single eye is contrasted with the ‘evil eye,’ which is a Semitic expression for a covetous nature.” (Foster, 42)
Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of one’s possessions” (Luke 12:15). James connects covetousness to war: “You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war” (James 4:1-2).
To have a single eye is to seek first the kingdom of God (6:33). The desire to get out of the rat race, even the desire for simplicity cannot be central. Only one thing can be central: the kingdom of God. Jesus said when we seek first the kingdom of God all other things find their rightful place.
One way we can seek first God’s kingdom in regards to possessions is to follow the wisdom of James Huskins who suggests we ask: “Will the kingdom of God be any closer to existing on earth as it is in heaven if I make this purchase?” (Huskins in The Plain Reader, 121) That’s pretty radical, isn’t it?
But if everything within us were honed down to the single treasure of Christ and the kingdom, if with a single eye we were focused on Christ as the Center, we would then be living in the light of simplicity with glad and generous hearts.
We can do this, Jesus said, because there’s no need to be anxious. Provision has already been made. The lilies of the field are not anxious, and yet they are clothed in beauty more glorious than a king’s wardrobe. And the birds of the air, they have what they need. Walking from the parking lot to the church this morning, I heard a chorus of birds singing praise to God. It sounded for all the world like the hymn, “All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.” It coincided beautifully with the brief excerpt from an opera I heard on NPR riding in to church this morning. The one line was translated, “I have no money; I’m as free as a bird.”
God has provided this earth with everything we need. Our task is to make sure it is distributed properly and that no one takes too much for themselves. It is a matter of justice.
It is also a matter of learning to desire less. G. K. Chesterton wrote: “There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.” The contentment of which Paul wrote implies a certain amount of detachment or freedom from things. It is not an issue of matter being evil and only spirit being good. Everything God created is good and is to be received with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:3-4). The central issue is how we use what God has put at our disposal. (Hinson, 38)
So along the path of simplicity and generosity, we can always be looking for ways to share what we have or give stuff away. In sharing what we have with those in need we store up treasures in heaven because we are engaging in generosity.
Simplicity always calls us to a simple lifestyle, but it does not always call us to a reduction in income. (Just in case you are thinking of cutting my salary to help me live more simply!) As long as you are not harming others or creation, God may call you to increase your income in order to use it for the good of all. The ability to surrender our rights and possessions for the good of others is central to everything about simplicity. (Foster, 55, 153)
The life of Christian simplicity is knit together with a concern for the poor and the need to be generous. Paul counseled the wealthy not to trust in their wealth but in God, and to share generously with others (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
And it’s not just an individual endeavor. It is a community endeavor. Luke wrote of the early church saying, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:44-45). They would share their resources “as any had need” until the need was met. More radical stuff!
Foster makes the point that “none of the NT writers ever made the tithe the basis of Christian giving. . . . The tithe simply is not a sufficiently radical concept to embody the carefree unconcern for possessions that marks life in the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the Lord of all our goods, not just 10 percent. It is quite possible to obey the law of the tithe without ever dealing with our mammon lust . . . It is quite possible to tithe and at the same time oppress the poor and needy. . . Jesus did not condemn the tithe. But it fails to dethrone the god of materialism.” (Foster, 58-59)
We must first give ourselves to Christ. In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul writes that the churches of Macedonia gave not only within but beyond their means. And that they first gave themselves to Christ and then they gave their money. To give ourselves to Christ is to walk in his way of simplicity in order that we may be generous.
The story is told of two brothers who shared a farm together. Each night they divided equally the grain they had ground together during the day. One brother lived alone; the other had a wife and several children.
The single brother thought to himself, “You know, it really isn’t fair that we divide the grain evenly. I have only myself to care for, and my brother has many mouths to feed.” So each night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother’s barn and stored it there.
But the married brother said to himself, “You know, it really isn’t fair that we divide the grain evenly. I have children to care for me in my old age, but my brother will have no one.” So every night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother’s barn and stored it there.
As you may have guessed, both brothers found their supply of grain mysteriously replenished every morning. Then one night they finally met each other halfway between the two houses and suddenly realized what had been happening all these years.
(As told by Joan Chittister, “Blessed Are You: Overcoming Evil With Good,” Lent 2006, Week Five, Benetvision, 2006)
Two brothers saw what they had and saw the other’s need and opened their hearts to generosity. These two brothers realized that the path to joy is not in accumulating as much as you can for yourself, but in taking what you’ve been given and making it a gift to someone else.
The way of simplicity and generosity is the way of Jesus. It is the way to freedom and joy. As the anthem sang, “When we find ourselves in a place just right, ‘twill be in the valley of love and delight.”
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CRESCENT HILL BAPTIST CHURCH
2800 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40206
(502) 896-4425
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