Eat Drink And Be Mary
Scripture References
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-26
All Is Vanity
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
The Vanity of Wisdom
12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
The Vanity of Toil
18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him[4] who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Colossians 3:1-11
Put On the New Self
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Luke 12:13-21
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Sermon Script
Eat Drink and be Merry
How would you define “eat, drink, and be merry?” For some, it might echo the carefree motto of “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” While for others, it could mean enjoying a classic Lutheran potluck. Regardless of which scenario, it points to living the good life with food, drink, and happiness. Martin Luther gives his own interesting twist of the good life by stating, “Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!” While his comments appear to focus more on drink than food, they illustrate the wide brush with which the notion of living the good life can be painted.
That is the canvas I was viewing as I looked at our readings for today. In the Gospel lesson in Luke 12, the rich fool finds security in his stored treasures so he can “relax, eat, drink, and be merry.” Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 2 verse 24 that life is good, for “there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.” If we take these verses out of context, then we can surmise that the Bible thus approves for us to eat, drink, and be merry. But then again… Solomon would be quick to remind us that this too… could be vanity.
The Good Life
With that spoiler alert. On this 8th Sunday after Pentecost, we must ask ourselves… What does the good life look like? How can we live our best life now? Is there wisdom “under the sun” that will guide us to sleep longer and sin less? Without drinking beer.
So, as I looked deeper into the readings for the day, I begun to explore what Jesus was teaching in Luke about the rich fool… Then, turned to what Solomon was describing in Ecclesiastes about the vanity of wisdom… and finally, examined the stamp that Paul put on his letter to the Colossians, where he says once again, “put on a new self” … What I found … you might have guessed, was all these readings give insights on what is involved with living the good life.
However, as I pointed out earlier, this picture can be painted with a wide brush. Therefore, as I begun to tie the readings together… I become aware that the hand of the law could be quite heavy as we try to keep pace with a world bursting at the seams with a modern version of the good life. To put this into perspective, I would like to share a quote from John Wimber that makes a valid point for us to consider with these texts given to us this day. He says, “Show me where you spend your time, money and energy and I’ll tell you what you worship.”
Rich Fool
This statement aligns with what seems to be very prevalent in our self-focused society these days. In fact, this is what Jesus addresses in the Gospel of Luke 12. This reading begins with a conversation initiated by someone concerned about inheritance; thus, Jesus was led to speak about coveting through a parable.
He goes on to say there was a wealthy farmer with an abondance of crops. Overwhelmed by his surplus, he decides to tear down his existing barns to build larger ones to store his wealth. Thus, setting himself up to live the good life. However, he didn’t live to see the next day.
With that being said… as we analyze this parable, the farmer proclaims these are my crops… my barns… my grain… my goods… my soul… my, my, my… then God, towards the end of our reading asks him, “who do these possessions really belong?” God already knew the answer to this question, but He wanted this man to think about where he spent his time, money, and energy. And then ultimately give credit where credit is due.
Serving Priorities
This reminds me of a devotion I read not long ago, and you might recall it as well. It is about a pie. If you take a pie… and slice it as you see fit… you are then challenged to serve your priorities one slice at a time. You are asked to dish up one piece of pie for each thing that consumes your time, money and energy during your week… Let’s just say we serve one slice of pie for coffee in the morning, one slice for work, one for the nice vehicle in the garage, one slice for Fox News, one slice for playing pool on Monday night, maybe a slice for golf, and one slice for that beloved cell phone…
As you are probably aware… that pie was gone in a New York minute. But, keep in mind, the focus is not to think about how quickly that pie disappeared… but to the question that remains… how can I serve my wants and needs and still have a slice for something of greater value? Like the rich fool, none of the pieces of pie he dished out for himself included God.
Of all the things we hold on to so closely that daily consume our time and energy… those pieces of pie we dished out so quickly… Solomon would say, becomes “vanities of vanities and a striving after wind.” You cannot take any of those things with you when you go. Don’t get me wrong, wanting and having stuff is not a bad thing and God wants us to enjoy those pieces of pie… but if we refuse to acknowledge where all good things come… fail to put God first in our wants and needs… it can affect where we direct our worship. Striving after wind Solomon would say.
Who Does All Things Belong?
Once again, that is why God asked the man in the parable, and of course us as well, “who do all these things belong?” Yes, God asks… but then again provides the answer. The Psalmist says in chapter 24 verse 1, “The earth is the Lords and everything in it.” God created all things, even you and I. As we read in our Psalm of the day, chapter 100, we find comfort in verse 3, “Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” We are part of Jesus’ flock. We belong to Him as He lovingly calls us back when we stray. Even when we start painting outside of the lines through our choices of good life and celebration.
This gives us opportunity to learn from Solomon. Even as crusty and cynical as he is, he provides us with wisdom… he says that all the pursuit of money, pleasure, power, and fame are simply empty. Under the sun, in this mortal picture we paint of the good life, which is contorted by sin… None of these things have any real meaning.
But God, who is above the sun, beyond the sun, gives us something which makes our toil and our striving after things transform into a new meaning. It means we will be fulfilled, no longer willing to secure our fortunes though wicked means. With Christ, we become content with how much or how little God has given us and can give praise to Him who made it all possible.
Rich In God
This is why Paul continues to talk about being under new management in the Epistle lesson. He says in verse 2, “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In this “don’t worry be happy” world, it is tempting to forget who’s these things on earth belong. Like the farmer in the parable, the bumper crop, our goods, talents, skills, and nice bank account becomes self-gratification that is all too tempting to be our center of worship. We call that, obstacles to grace.
The farmers barrier to grace was the perception of happiness aligning with all the “my, my, my” things. All that stuff was never his, it was a gift from God from the time when he had little to when he had much. If he had his way, he would have taken it with him when he left this earth, but he couldn’t. And he runs out of time to figure these things out.
The investments to which he dedicated his life would ultimately be inherited by others now upon his death. That is what made him a fool in our Lord’s eyes.
But Christ has made us rich in God. He has died for our sins and rose again for our justification. Our greatest enemies of sin, death, and the devil have been overcome. Jesus is the answer of how to live the good life. Yes, without drinking beer.
All Is Vanity
This is where Paul joins in to help us see where our priorities must align to enjoy this good life. He goes on to say in verse 4… “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Christ is your life, your true inheritance. Solomon then goes on to remind us that a life apart from God will not last. We will come up empty. “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” The things set before God will not give us eternally good life.
That is why Jesus teaches us these lessons through parables. Whether that man was rich or poor before God depended on his priorities. Whatever slice of pie that gets put before God is not where the good life is found. These are the things that Paul wants us to put to death, as he says in verse 5, “passions, desires, covetousness, all which is idolatry.” The things we make our idols is not where our inheritance will be found.
Sit At Jesus’ Feet
That is why Jesus wants us to sit at His feet and stop focusing on our wants. When we sit at His feet, that will be the moment the things we need will be found. A life with Christ is when we will find enjoyment in our toil.
My friends, we are Jesus’ canvas until He completes the priceless portrait that makes us into the perfect image of Him. Christ is in us, and we are in Him… that is living the good life… no matter how poor or how rich we are. Indeed, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” By the world’s standards, it may not look like much. However, your true riches are hidden from those eyes.
Be Mary
From Him, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is who we must eat, drink, and be Mary. You remember Mary… she sat at Jesus feet while her sister Martha was busy in the kitchen. If we follow Mary’s example, we will find her priorities were set on Jesus. There is great treasure in that relationship with Christ if we just be Mary.
With these riches… let’s give a toast, dance a jig, or shout from the mountaintops as we celebrate a new life that comes with that energy channeled towards Jesus. Rejoicing in the heavenly things we now enjoy with a new self, created in the image of our creator. Putting to death the worldly things so we can dwell in those relationships and possessions differently. That is the “wisdom found under the sun” knowing our life is no longer measured by the things we have but by the valuation which God has placed upon us in Christ.
Treasure In Christ
The One who emptied Himself of outward glory, laid aside earthly wealth, and carried our transgressions to Mt Calvary. Yes, with His precious blood shed for you, Jesus purchased your salvation.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, that forgiveness through His work on the cross is the biggest treasure you will ever find. That is what we can take with us when we go.
So, as you leave this place, I encourage you to eat, drink, and be Mary. This banquet is an invitation from Jesus To eat the bread of life, drink from the cup of salvation, and kneel before the Lord and be Mary. That is the better portion and where our riches will be. For in Christ, that life will be eternally living the Good life.
Amen