Save All You Can, Nov. 15, 2009
The text for today is from Leviticus which is one of the first five books of the Old Testament. Jews call those five books the Torah. Leviticus contains many of the laws from God given to the Israelites through Moses. These laws were to guide them in faithful living and holiness. Chapter 19 in particular deals with social aspects of life, namely, family relations, treatment of the poor, fair wages, slander, sexual exploitation, neighborly responsibility, and proper land management. In other words, the Israelites - and we - learn here that holiness is not only about ceremony. It is also about how we live together, how we treat one another. Hear Leviticus 19: 9-10:
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God.
The message, of course, was simple. The land, your wealth, your good fortune, the work of your labor is not for you alone. It is meant to be shared. Gleanings, you see, were what was left on the field after a harvest. So, this was a call that the Israelites were to always leave something for others. It is the biblical rule of sharing what one has with those who have little because the Lord our God has given it all in the first place and it is given to share. A simple rule - to live simply that all might simply live.
Today’s theme is ‘living simply in God’s grace.’ John Wesley put it this way: save all you can. It is the second of his ‘formula’ for Christian living but, as I said last week, his words are not what they might seem to our American ears. For us, to ‘save all we can,’ generally means maximizing our savings accounts and putting away as much as we can in our 401K’s. But, for Wesley, to ‘save all one could’ was a call to a simplified lifestyle. It was a warning against extravagance, opulence, self-gratification, hoarding. It was a warning that we dare not act as if the vineyard is only for me.
I am going to interrupt this sermon now and invite us to simply sit back and listen to one of my favorite pieces of music. Sometimes music can carry a power the spoken word cannot convey. This is a signature piece from Leonard Bernstein’s Mass. As you listen, remember that the Mass was composed almost 40 years ago for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. It was written at the request of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Listen as Jody Mattson sings Simple Song. (For those reading this sermon, you can hear the song on youtube at )
Praise God. Bless the Lord. Thank God - for God is the simplest of all. ‘Simple Song’ was composed as a simple, direct prayer of praise in the midst of an incredibly complex work. Bernstein’s Mass is about faith and love in the midst of the tragedy and complexity of human living. To quote Nina Bernstein, Leonard’s granddaughter, ‘Mass is an enormous piece. It calls for a large pit orchestra, two choruses plus a boy’s choir, a Broadway-sized cast (with ballet company), marching band and a rock band. It may sound ironic that such multitudes are marshaled for a work that celebrates a man’s Simple Song: his love and faith in God. But, in the end, that simplicity is shown to be all the more powerful because of it." I think she is right. Simple Song reminds us that the most important things are often the simplest - like leaving gleanings in a field so others can live. Like remembering God’s abundant gifts. God makes it simple - I give. You share.
Did you know that, when the Mass was first performed on September 8, 1971, President Nixon did not attend? He was apparently suspicious of Bernstein who had ‘leftist’ views. Nixon had sent staff to rehearsals and they reported back that there were possibly "coded messages" in the Latin text. They were concerned that, if Nixon attended and politely applauded at the end, it might be embarrassing. And, as is stated on the Bernstein website, ‘while the work is certainly anti-war and calls on "people of power" to do what is right, it is not overtly political (though it) is unquestionably religious." I didn’t know that bit of background until I did some research so I could give an introduction. And the more I have thought about it, the more I think this song is perfect juxtaposed with Wesley’s call to simplify. There were no coded messages but any time ‘people of power’ are challenged to do what is right in the world, things can get ‘dicey.’ Bernstein challenged people of power to work for peace, to address war, even as he gave us that Simple Song of Prayer. It is an ongoing challenge for all of us ‘people of power’ for, the fact is that most of us who are blessed to live in the US are ‘people of power.’ We have been blessed but our blessings are not for ourselves alone. We have been blessed to be a blessing. It is that simple and, to some, that threatening.
Last week, I talked about the first leg of Wesley’s formula. Earn all you can. It may surprise you to know that John Wesley did exactly that. He was one of the highest earning preachers of all time! In today’s dollars, he earned the equivalent of 1.4 million dollars in his best year. And that was without selling DVDs or videos! He earned his money from donations, speaking, books and what he called ‘penny tracts.’ Though he grew up in poverty and even saw his father, Samuel, thrown into a debtor’s prison, John himself did quite well. When he was elected a fellow at Lincoln College in Oxford, his position paid him 30 pounds a year which was more than enough money for a single man to live on. By all accounts he enjoyed it . . . spending money on cards, tobacco and brandy. And then something happened that changed everything.
"He had just finished paying for some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was a cold sinter day, and he noticed she had nothing to protect her except a thin linen gown. He reached into his pocket to give her some money to buy a coat but found he had too little left. Immediately the thought struck him that the Lord was not pleased with the way he spent his money. He asked himself, Will thy Master say, ‘Well done, good and faithful steward?’ Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold! O justice, O mercy! Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid?"
Quite a graphic description and life changing. From all accounts, from then on, he began to save all he could which meant limiting his expenses so that he had more money to give away. For example, he figured out that he needed 28 pounds a year to live. Whatever he had in addition to that, he gave away. At first, he made about 30 pounds a year and gave 2 away. When he made 90 pounds, he gave 62 away. That custom continued throughout his life. And that custom was as strange then as it is now. In fact, Wesley was even audited by the IRS of his time. They couldn’t believe - given how well known he was - that he didn’t have more ‘plate’ which meant silver. So he was accused of not paying adequate excise tax. Wesley responded I have two silver spoons at London and two at Bristol. This is all the plate I have at present, and I shall not buy any more while so many round me want bread. Wesley was single most of his life and he never had children - so he didn’t need what another might need. His challenge, however, was that each Christian figure out what was needed, use that and no more and then be generous with the remainder. As Charles White states:
Wesley felt that the Christian should not merely tithe but give away all extra income once the family and creditors were taken care of. He believed that with increasing income, what should rise is not the Christian’s standard of living but the standard of giving.
Admittedly, our lives and financial commitments are more complex than they were in Wesley’s day. Still, the principle of learning to live simply so others may simply live has found resonance in many circles these days. Fundamentally, we all know that the unbridled greed of financial institutions, health insurance companies and big business is not right. We know that the earth cannot sustain our constant misuse and overuse of resources. We know that buying things we want but cannot afford has gotten us into trouble. We know something must change. Wesley’s second leg of the formula save all you can reminds us that change really begins with us and the choices we make every day. It is a matter of differentiating between need and want as a first step. It is a matter of remembering that God’s abundant gifts are for everyone. It’s about worrying less about secret codes embedded in Latin texts and more about an economic system that punishes the poor and rewards greed.
As you and I consider our pledge to God’s work through the church next year, Wesley’s formula challenges us to come at the whole thing in what may be a new way. First, we recognize our blessings and give thanks. Everything begins with gratitude. Then we earn all we can so that we can provide adequately for ourselves and our families. That includes lodging, food, clothes, education, security for the future, healthcare. We have obligations and we must meet them. But, for the Christian, the step after considering our needs is the counter-cultural choice to not dive into fulfilling every want or desire we have. Instead, we save all we can, so that there are ‘gleanings’ for others in our lives. How we earn and save matters because it enables us to fulfill the third part of the formula which is to give - generously, abundantly, joyfully. I’ll unpack that more next week.
I want to end today with two short prayers, both written by Lucy Kitch-Peck, age 8, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. As is so often true, the youngest among us sometimes understand better than anyone else just what is at stake in this call to simple living.
Food on My Plate
Dear God,
Every evening I have food on my plate I can eat,
but not everyone does.
Sometimes, I just want to walk up to them
and give them everything I have.
Could you please help me
make a difference right here
and all over the world?
Amen.
Help the Children Get to School
Dear God,
Could you please help all the children get to school
so they can grow up to be smarter and get a good job?
Then they can afford the things they need
and will have a better life,
So could you help them please? Amen.
In the end, the answer to these prayers will be through the likes of you and me doing what God has called us to do. Saving all we can and living simply so that others may simply live.
