Greed Leads To Destruction
Sermon
Cross, Resurrection, And Ascension
First Lesson Sermons For Lent/Easter
Once there was a man who owned a little plot of land. It wasn't much by the world's standards, but it was enough for him. He was a busy man who worked very hard, and for enjoyment he decided to plant a garden on his plot of land. First he grew flowers with vibrant colors which gave promise of spring and later fragrant flowers which graced the warm summer days. Still later he planted evergreens that spoke of life in the midst of a winter snow. Over the years the man continued to embellish his special little garden, at one time planting trees that offered shade and beauty and at another digging a small pond where his children could play. Finally, on the little land that was left he built a gazebo where he and his wife could relax on the warm summer evenings. It was not much, but it was his special little garden.
One day the man's next-door neighbor died and left him his property. It was a plot much larger than his own and he began to dream of all the possibilities that this new land might afford him. He made big plans which included hedgegrows and groves, arbor trees, and vine-covered trellises. He would build a huge pond for swimming in the summer and ice skating in the winter. His dreams became extravagant, but he set himself to the task with full resolve. The little garden continued to grow, which took time to manage, time that was very precious now with all the work and plans for the development of his newly-acquired land. He had less and less time to enjoy the garden with his family, but he consoled himself by thinking that there would be time enough when the new project was finished. Yet, if he was going to do it, he was determined to do it right. Thus, he figured he needed a winding cobblestone road and a special fieldstone wall around the new plot of land. A simple pond would no longer suffice; nothing short of a large lake would be sufficient. This would require additional land, so he bought more.
His new investment in land necessitated that he build a larger and more fitting residence, a manor house for his growing estate. There must be a carriage house for cars and a gate house for decor. All of this work was too much for him so he hired a team of laborers to assist him in his grand project. In order to pay the workers, he was required to work even harder and longer.
Unfortunately the man overextended himself. With his energy drained and resources exceeded, the work stopped. The fence was left unfinished; the lake became a swamp; the garden was soon overgrown. In his waning years the man sat alone in his broken-down gazebo and dreamed of a little plot of land. He didn't need very much, just enough for him to plant a special little garden.1
The man was not satisfied with the garden he possessed. It was beautiful and sufficient for his needs, but he continued to want more. His greed caused him to overextend himself, and in the end he lost everything and longed for the simple garden which he originally had. On this the first Sunday in Lent we hear a familiar story in our Old Testament lesson which gives us a challenge to avoid greed at all costs.
God created the Garden of Eden to be the perfect environment for His greatest creation, the human race. Nothing was left out of God's plan; everything that the man and woman would need was there and available to them. God gave the couple instructions on how they were to live in this idyllic paradise. Satan, in the form of a serpent, however, convinced the woman that she needed more than she already possessed. Her sin appears at our first reading to be disobedience to God's command. She ate the fruit from the tree of which God had forbidden her, and convinced her mate to do likewise. The woman disobeyed God, but her downfall was greed; she wanted something that she didn't have, a fruit which had been denied her. She did not need the fruit; there was plenty of other food all around. Yet we read, "The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise" (3:6a). She wanted to become like God. In the process, however, she lost everything and the man as well. The knowledge that they gained was not the wisdom of God as they had been told; they learned only of their nakedness and loss of innocence.
The man and woman, Adam and Eve as Genesis later calls them, like the man with the garden, were greedy, extended their holdings too far, and lost everything in the process. Certainly their fault has been and continues to be realized in our world. Napoleon in the nineteenth century and Adolf Hitler in the twentieth were not content to rule their own domains of France and Germany respectively; they could only be content with conquest of vast regions, a decision which led to their demise as well. How often today we hear of businesses that expand, diversify, and purchase smaller establishments only to have the economy shift, which leads to failure to the chagrin of management and workers alike. The gambler too is seldom content with winning one sum; greed enters, the person risks what was won and in the end loses all that was gained.
Power, wealth, and prestige, the three great temptations of our world, can corrupt us if we place our emphasis on them and not on the greater gifts of God. The woman was tempted in this way. The serpent offered her the wealth of a good tree with delectable fruit and the power and prestige of being like God. The temptation was too great and she faltered. We too are almost daily tempted, sometimes in subtle and other times in more obvious ways, with the allure of power, wealth, and prestige. We have the daily challenge to use our God-given multiple and varied gifts for constructive purposes to aid others and build the Kingdom of God in our world. Greed and selfishness lead to abuse of these gifts and enslavement to power, wealth, and prestige. If we become self-centered and, like the man in the story, through greed build our garden without thought of others or what is necessary for the task, then most assuredly we will lose what we have gained. God is the one who casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. Jesus in the Scriptures challenges us to be satisfied with what we need and refuse the allure of our many desires. God will give us all that we need; it will never be denied us. As we begin in earnest our Lenten journey this first Sunday, let us pray that God will strengthen us to avoid greed and the allurements of the world experienced in power, wealth, and prestige. Let us use wisely the gifts and talents we have been given to bring praise and glory to God -- the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
____________
1. Paraphrased from "A Special Little Garden," in John Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1993), pp. 150-151.
One day the man's next-door neighbor died and left him his property. It was a plot much larger than his own and he began to dream of all the possibilities that this new land might afford him. He made big plans which included hedgegrows and groves, arbor trees, and vine-covered trellises. He would build a huge pond for swimming in the summer and ice skating in the winter. His dreams became extravagant, but he set himself to the task with full resolve. The little garden continued to grow, which took time to manage, time that was very precious now with all the work and plans for the development of his newly-acquired land. He had less and less time to enjoy the garden with his family, but he consoled himself by thinking that there would be time enough when the new project was finished. Yet, if he was going to do it, he was determined to do it right. Thus, he figured he needed a winding cobblestone road and a special fieldstone wall around the new plot of land. A simple pond would no longer suffice; nothing short of a large lake would be sufficient. This would require additional land, so he bought more.
His new investment in land necessitated that he build a larger and more fitting residence, a manor house for his growing estate. There must be a carriage house for cars and a gate house for decor. All of this work was too much for him so he hired a team of laborers to assist him in his grand project. In order to pay the workers, he was required to work even harder and longer.
Unfortunately the man overextended himself. With his energy drained and resources exceeded, the work stopped. The fence was left unfinished; the lake became a swamp; the garden was soon overgrown. In his waning years the man sat alone in his broken-down gazebo and dreamed of a little plot of land. He didn't need very much, just enough for him to plant a special little garden.1
The man was not satisfied with the garden he possessed. It was beautiful and sufficient for his needs, but he continued to want more. His greed caused him to overextend himself, and in the end he lost everything and longed for the simple garden which he originally had. On this the first Sunday in Lent we hear a familiar story in our Old Testament lesson which gives us a challenge to avoid greed at all costs.
God created the Garden of Eden to be the perfect environment for His greatest creation, the human race. Nothing was left out of God's plan; everything that the man and woman would need was there and available to them. God gave the couple instructions on how they were to live in this idyllic paradise. Satan, in the form of a serpent, however, convinced the woman that she needed more than she already possessed. Her sin appears at our first reading to be disobedience to God's command. She ate the fruit from the tree of which God had forbidden her, and convinced her mate to do likewise. The woman disobeyed God, but her downfall was greed; she wanted something that she didn't have, a fruit which had been denied her. She did not need the fruit; there was plenty of other food all around. Yet we read, "The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise" (3:6a). She wanted to become like God. In the process, however, she lost everything and the man as well. The knowledge that they gained was not the wisdom of God as they had been told; they learned only of their nakedness and loss of innocence.
The man and woman, Adam and Eve as Genesis later calls them, like the man with the garden, were greedy, extended their holdings too far, and lost everything in the process. Certainly their fault has been and continues to be realized in our world. Napoleon in the nineteenth century and Adolf Hitler in the twentieth were not content to rule their own domains of France and Germany respectively; they could only be content with conquest of vast regions, a decision which led to their demise as well. How often today we hear of businesses that expand, diversify, and purchase smaller establishments only to have the economy shift, which leads to failure to the chagrin of management and workers alike. The gambler too is seldom content with winning one sum; greed enters, the person risks what was won and in the end loses all that was gained.
Power, wealth, and prestige, the three great temptations of our world, can corrupt us if we place our emphasis on them and not on the greater gifts of God. The woman was tempted in this way. The serpent offered her the wealth of a good tree with delectable fruit and the power and prestige of being like God. The temptation was too great and she faltered. We too are almost daily tempted, sometimes in subtle and other times in more obvious ways, with the allure of power, wealth, and prestige. We have the daily challenge to use our God-given multiple and varied gifts for constructive purposes to aid others and build the Kingdom of God in our world. Greed and selfishness lead to abuse of these gifts and enslavement to power, wealth, and prestige. If we become self-centered and, like the man in the story, through greed build our garden without thought of others or what is necessary for the task, then most assuredly we will lose what we have gained. God is the one who casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. Jesus in the Scriptures challenges us to be satisfied with what we need and refuse the allure of our many desires. God will give us all that we need; it will never be denied us. As we begin in earnest our Lenten journey this first Sunday, let us pray that God will strengthen us to avoid greed and the allurements of the world experienced in power, wealth, and prestige. Let us use wisely the gifts and talents we have been given to bring praise and glory to God -- the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
____________
1. Paraphrased from "A Special Little Garden," in John Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1993), pp. 150-151.
