Vanity, Vanity

Pentecost 8C

July 31, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

Luke 12.13-21; Ecclesiastes 1.2, 12-14; 2.18-23

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that a characteristic of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel is that he is provocative. In other words, Jesus provokes us out of our comfort zones and pushes us to understand what it means to follow the way of Jesus. Nowhere is Jesus more provocative than when he talks about money, which Jesus does more in Luke than any other Gospel. It might be more accurate to say that Jesus provokes us about our attitudes toward money and possessions than money itself. That’s certainly the case today as Jesus responds to a man’s request for help with an inheritance by telling the parable of the rich fool. And in case you miss the thrust of the parable, the lectionary folk have paired a reading from Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities.”

The translation that yields the word “vanity” is an unfortunate one in our day. In the word vanity we think of this as an unhealthy attitude of pride, and there is that nuance in Ecclesiastes. But the Hebrew word more accurately refers to something fleeting and transitory, like a mist that hangs above the grass in the early morning and burns off at first light. “The Teacher,” as he is called in Ecclesiastes, provokes us with brutal honesty that everything is fleeting. As the pastor’s son reminds his father, who was upset over the first ding in his new car, “It’s all going to burn, Dad.” He listened more closely to his father’s sermons than the father thought.

These reminders are important because our pride over our accomplishments can be subtle. Years ago, when I worked as a store manager for Minnesota Fabrics, Bob, one of the other managers, remarked how he was looking forward to getting on the “gravy train.” At Minnesota Fabrics, our first store as a manager would be smaller, underperforming ones. Because our compensation included a percentage of the profits of the store, it was customary to bid on larger, more profitable stores to increase our earnings. The “gravy train” in Bob’s mind would be one of the large stores that consistently earned large profits and thus handsome earnings for the manager.

When I thought about Bob’s desire, I resisted that idea even though I bid on larger stores and increased my earnings. Even so, I did so as a way of working up the corporate ladder with the hope of larger positions with more responsibilities. I didn’t want to be a store manager for my entire career. If I recall correctly, Bob got on the “gravy train” or very close to it. (I had moved on to a different city.) But the ironic thing is that Minnesota Fabrics no longer exists. Vanity of vanities. I don’t know what happened to Bob, but he was a good manager, so he probably landed on his feet. Even so, as I think about my attitude, I don’t think it was any better than Bob’s for the same reason. My journey up the corporate ladder ended similarly.

What is missing from the schemes of the rich fool, Bob, me, and I daresay many of us is a consideration of other people. Did you notice that the rich fool talked about no one else but himself? He claims credit for all his success even though he must have people working for him. Nor does he consider a family in any way. And what good is grain that is stored up in barns and not shared? More to the point, the rich fool forgets about the God who gave him the ability to grow grain in the first place. He eats and drinks alone. Ultimately, that’s not very merry. And when his soul is called for a night, there is no one to either receive his goods or grieve for him.

I think that’s the real tragedy in the parable and why Jesus seems to go out of his way to provoke us. He wants us to know that our attitude toward possessions cuts us off from our most important relationships. And even though those relationships are fleeting just like our possessions, it doesn’t make them any less valuable. In fact, that’s why we value those relationships all the more, especially our relationship with God. And when everything fades away, it’s the relationships that persist through all eternity. This message of God’s love and care for us is so important that Jesus went all the way to the cross to secure it. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My written sermons often preach differently "live." To watch the video, click here.