Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Greenwood, Virginia
Proper 13, Year C
July 31, 2022
 
It is hard for me to think about greed without thinking of the character, Gordon Gecko,, and the mid 90s movie, Wall Street.  The role won Michael Douglas an academy award.  The classic scene shows Gecko at a shareholder meeting for a company he intends to grab in a hostile takeover.  Here is a transcript of what he says:
 
“The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good.
Greed is right.  Greed works.  Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.  Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.”
 
“And greed -- you mark my words -- will not only save [you], but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.”
 
Gecko goes on to “succeed” through insider trading, acquisition of all manner of things, using up people and bankrupting others, and leveraging his wealth power to stand above all in his wake, including his protégé Buddy Fox.  In the Hollywood ending, greed does not save him.  His buddy, Fox, slyly flips on him and the system brings him to justice, exposing Gecko’s not so subtle mirage.
 
In 2010, there is a sequel, Money Never Sleeps, the trailer has Gecko getting out of prison and back to his old tricks.  The tag line is this: “Someone reminded me I once said that greed is good.  Now it’s seems it’s legal.”
 
Charlatans of all kinds never go away for good, rather they resurface with new angles, new promises, and the same old grift.  History is full of cautionary tales, but repackaged get rich quick schemes remain sly and enticing.  If the rules do not serve the huckster, the huckster gets in the pockets of those who can change the rules.
 
The Bible is not soft on this topic.  It is loaded with poems, stories, and all kinds of entreaties that expose that deep and destructive desire of our inmost parts to acquire, to have, and to achieve more without limits. 
 
I will admit here and now that, as remembered by my family, my first word was “more.”  In context, I was requesting for more green beans.  We all struggle with a need for security and survival over against the reality of empty and soul crushing material want.  If we cannot admit this tension, we need only to examine our bank statements to map our behavior and chronicle our choices.
 
When Jesus is asked to settle a family matter, a brother seeking an equal division of inherited assets, Jesus sees the question behind the question.  The backstory is that this must be a younger brother, because by right of custom, the older brother gets it all.  This man was not entitled to anything, and yet, he seizes on what he knows of Jesus community minded teaching, to suggest a rule change.  Really, with the human God right in front of him, this man plays the angle to his advantage.  He is so human it hurts.
 
Jesus does not play ball.  Instead, he tells of a rich person who is so good at his business that he builds bigger storage units to hold onto all of his stuff.  Having done so, the man says to himself that he can finally relax, and enjoy his insulation and isolation from need.  Time to party.  Sure, there will be people who see his large storage units, and come begging.  As they say when someone wins the lottery, they tend to find long lost family members.  But wealth brings power of choice, and with a fence, a gate, and a guard, the man can limit his exposure.  
 
Jesus plays it out with God saying to the man, well, this is the last day of your life, your preparation will only become the source of litigation for your heirs. The Brinks truck does not follow the hearse.  Might be good to have thought about richness toward God.  The phrase translated “rich toward God” is not a spiritual philosophy of more frequent meditation, it is a practical practice of seeing the suffering of God’s people and helping.
 
Jesus reminds us time and time again, the we are in this together in whatever time we have, with whatever abilities we have, and with whatever stuff we have.  None of what we claim to have, is not had at all, not ours for keeps.  Stuff is all fluff.  Rich toward God is rich toward needs of the suffering.
 
As a reader of obituaries, I follow stories of lives.  They are partial, with all of the messiness edited out, enumerating family members, achievements, memberships, and leadership positions.  And yet, I have never read about someone whose storage units are praised for their size, or their capacity to relax because they are all set.  In contrast, memorial gift opportunities point to some passion or interest ranging from pet rescue to disease research.  The last words tend to point to what matters.
 
What Gordon Gecko proclaims is that greed works.  Kudos to him for saying it, even if it is wrong, because all of us need to expose its folly.  It is not greed that works, is love that clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the human and Holy Spirit at work.  Our net worth was established at the cross.
 
So, do we need to go away feeling guilty?  Hardly.  The fact is we are all capable philanthropists.  Philanthropy is not a word that only applies to those with foundations and grant making cycles.  Philanthropy is our holy handling of stuff, meaning literally giving out of love for… Love has no need of storage space, has no expiration date, and infinite rate of return.  Getting may be fun, but giving is more fun, more generative, and more joy inducing.  Ask any kid who has made a “Best Dad Ever” mug and cannot wait until Father’s Day.
 
As one who has made buckets of money telling stories that scare us to death, the author Stephen King says it better, “All that lasts is what you pass on.  The rest is smoke and mirrors.”
 
Greed?  Love?  Go all in on Love and get rich.

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Lately, I have been experimenting with outlining sermons and focusing on the speaking of the sermon more than the written craft.  For this writer, this is a stretch, but it has been informative.  

When I have a mostly complete manuscript.  I will include it here.  I am happy for forward my outlines and notes of you so desire.  I may be reached at:
jthomas(at)emmanuelgreenwood.org