Theological Truth: Greed is idolatry—the replacing of God with material things. It destroys our relationship with God and one another.
In New Orleans, one of the city’s largest cemeteries lies right alongside the interstate. While driving by it one afternoon, an ostentatious and incongruent collection of things almost caused me to drive off the road. There, at the very edge of a recently prepared grave, stood a collection of gleaming motorcycles, enormous speedboats, and expensive sportscars. I remembered that Al Copeland, the flamboyant and wealthy founder of Popeye’s Fried Chicken fame had recently died. It was his grave, surrounded by his toys. No people were present. No grieving family or tearful friends. Only Al’s things were —close to their previous owner—but clearly not going with him. The roadside tableaux proved for everyone passing by that the adage is true: You can’t take it with you.
And while we all know that we “can’t take it with us,” that thought alone is not enough to inoculate us from the temptations of this broken world and our materialistic society. We all face the temptation of wanting more things. I know I do.
I just got back from two weeks of seeing lovely scenery, eating delicious food, curating fabulous experiences, walking through leafy neighborhoods, and browsing through endless stores filled with beautiful things. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I wanted them ALL, and I’m sure that even if I had gotten them all somehow, that still wouldn’t have been enough, because that’s what greed is—the endless, insatiable desire to accumulate and possess material things.
It’s not that material things are bad. Take humans for example. We are made of matter. God made it all and proclaimed it to be “good.” But humans are also inspired by the breath of God. Having been created in God’s image, we are also capable of taking matter and shaping it into something else—items of beauty, goodness, usefulness. Whether it’s clay into pottery, canvas and paint into art, or chrome and steel into one of those breathtaking Harley Davidsons, “things” aren’t necessarily bad. But when we go from appreciating them to possessing, accumulating, coveting, and endlessly acquiring more than we need despite the effect on others and the earth, then an appropriate love of things becomes disordered, disrupting healthy relationships with not only material things, but also our relationships with others, and even our God.
No wonder Jesus warns us, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” (Luke 12:15a) Jesus recognizes the corrosive effects of greed on the sibling demanding his share of his inheritance. His need for “more and now” jeopardizes his relationship with his brother.
But greed also ultimately destroys our relationship with God, too. Paul succinctly states the danger: “Greed is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5b) How?
Richard Rohr’s way of understanding idolatry is helpful. He says, “Our god is whatever we can’t get enough of.” Since greed, by definition, is the endless desire to acquire and possess more material things, when we can’t get enough “stuff” and all we think about is getting or keeping that stuff (mammon, wealth, possessions, toys, etc.), then that stuff has become our god, corrupting our relationship with things, with each other, and with God.
The parable of the rich fool brilliantly illustrates the corrupting effects of greed on relationships. First, notice the problem the rich fool has with things. The parable starts by saying the land of the rich man produced abundantly, but he immediately moves to, “What should I do with all my abundant crops?” He doesn’t see the crops as a gift from the earth or a reward for his collaboration with it. He has taken full possession and lost sight of the gift. The accumulation of things blinds him to the blessings he’s received.
Next, listen to all of the first person language: “He thought to himself, ‘What will I do, for I have no place to store my crops. I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul you have ample goods laid up.’”
Exhausting, isn’t it? No room for anyone else in that conversation. There’s no “I” in team but there is plenty of I when greed takes over our life. All the consuming consumes us and our attention, ever-constricting our circle of friends and our awareness of others. How can we be in relationship with others, aware of and responsive to their needs, if greed has led to the point where our possessions possess us?
Ultimately, greed also destroys our relationship with God. Notice in the parable that God doesn’t call him evil or malicious, but foolish. There’s nothing wrong with having material things or enjoying them. Absolutely nothing inappropriate about working hard and being productive with the gifts he had been given. But greed causes the rich fool to store up those treasures only for himself. His focus curves more and more inward until there’s not even awareness of heavenly treasures. And like Jesus said, “where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The rich fool’s treasures and heart were far from God. He has barns and garages full of stuff, but no relationship with God or his neighbor.
So how can we curtail greed and maintain a proper and healthy relationship with our God and the things of this world? Honestly, it’s difficult. Especially given the state of our economy and the understandably concerning effects it has on our retirement plans. But even if we don’t think of ourselves as wealthy, compared to the other 8 billion people on Earth, we are. Our country is and our Church is. To prevent our relationship with this abundance from corrupting our relationship with our community, our world, and our Lord, we must intentionally practice giving rather than getting. We must focus on stewardship rather than ownership.
What are we doing with the things God has given to us to bring about God’s kingdom? As a congregation, Trinity does that in many ways. Our buildings aren’t treasures to be hidden away, available only to us on Sundays. They are open to tourists and music lovers, for weddings and funerals, for organ concerts and Harry Potter feasts (more about that soon!) Through the Trinity Gives program we distribute approximately five percent of our pledge income ($20,000) in grants to nonprofits. We send our full asking to the diocese who in turn sends a portion of our diocesan budget to the national Episcopal Church.
Our vestry will continue to prayerfully ask God for the courage and wisdom to be good stewards of our endowment fund. We’ll resist the urge to hoard it for ourselves and instead seek first the kingdom of God and how we can be instruments of it—collaborating with the Spirit of Christ, connecting with all of God’s people, especially those in need in our community.
But there is individual work to be done, too. How can we, as individuals, combat greed in our own personal lives? Are there ways we can focus on giving, rather than getting? On abundance, rather than scarcity? On what we need, rather than what we want? On what we have, rather than what we lack? It’s not easy, especially given the incessant parade of pretty things the advertisers and the algorithms present to us.
Episcopal priest and author, William Stafford, says, “The first thing we can do [as a remedy to greed] is to accept God’s act of liberation in Jesus Christ and to trust him to save us from a trap from which we cannot save ourselves.” (Disordered Loves, p. 69) We are in a system not of our making that won’t end today. Guilt won’t save us. Shaming others won’t save us. The love of God in Christ saves us, has saved us, and is saving us. We can choose, day by day, moment by moment, to trust in God rather than wealth, in Grace rather than greed.
Stewardship is the second practice Stafford offers as a remedy for greed. It’s a spiritual discipline available to all Christians, a way of understanding that we have use of and responsibility for the gifts God has given us—our time, our talent, AND our treasure. He says, “We urgently need Christians who deliberately choose to live in the midst of this world as if God really were the Lord and creator of it all. We are not the owners and makers of all things: God is. What one has, one holds in trust from him and on behalf of others. Our creativity is to mirror his, our generosity his own.” (p. 72)
All that we have, from the good news of God’s unending love for us in Christ, to this beautiful church and supportive community, to the food we eat and the homes we live in, have been given to us to hold in trust on behalf of others. When we are grateful and generous with all our things, we preserve the health of our relationships, and we keep our eyes focused on heavenly treasures. We’d be foolish to do otherwise.
— Fr. AJ Heine, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church of Staunton
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost, Year C, July 31, 2022
Readings: Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9,43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21
