Morning Prayer: Eula Hledik Hymn of Trust *If You Will Trust in God to Guide You* Witness of Scripture: Luke 12: 13-21 Solo *Down to the River to Pray* Christine Hrubik Sermon *A Life Rich Toward God!* Steve Graham
Recorded on August 3, 2025
A Life Rich toward God!
A Celebration of the Good News Shared with the Beloved Community, First Christian Church, Norman, Oklahoma Rev. Dr. Stephen D. Graham August 3, 2025 Luke 12:13-21
You fool! Strong language—usually reserved for hurling an invective against an adversary with whom all hope of reasoned discourse has broken down. These words sound even more dismissive. God utters the ultimate put-down, “You fool, this very night you will be asked for your soul! Then who is going to possess all the things you have kept for yourself?” (Luke 12:20) We understand the anxiety that fosters competitiveness between brothers. We only want enough, but no one knows how much is enough, but anxiety cannot add one whit (18 inches) to one’s life.. Anxious grasping does not know that God is aware of their needs. Birds and flowers model what it means to depend on God. Seek the kingdom that God desires to give it to you. This is a story a healthy inventory for assessing our readiness to be “rich toward God.” I witnessed this quality in my nephew, Jay Rudd, a remarkably gifted soul who lived with Down Syndrome. He was highly defined. Easy to relate to. He knew clearly what he most wanted to do. I loved the way my sister, Kay Ann, and her husband, Jack, helped Jay pursue his many wishes in life. Jay was accomplished, persistent, and charming. It was the day after he died, at the age of 37, that we gathered in his family’s home, and I first saw this painting. He had completed it only a
few weeks before. I was curious about what had shaped this vision for him. I was unfamiliar with the shape of this cross. I messaged my peers. Almost immediately, I received these reactions: “This is the tau cross. The last consonant in the Greek alphabet. The image most often used to illustrate the verse, ‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up.’ The cross of poverty. The cross of St. Francis. This is Jay’s cross! One friend said, “Look at Jay’s signature written in the same font. His J is much like the cross. He embraced the cross. He lived a cruciform life. Look at the large Y. It is as if he is saying, ‘Yes to Christ! Yes, to life!’ Now, that’s Jay!” I borrow Jay’s painting and his life as my case in point: a life “rich toward God.” A life well-lived! A life rich toward God is the prerequisite for excellence in ministry? Allow these keys to speak about your minister who is on the horizon as well as to you as a minister! 1. Jay knew a flourishing Christian way of life – A life rich toward God is grounded in all things in Christ’s way of being. As Disciples of Christ, we claim that every member is a minister; a minister of peace, hope, joy. Think of it like this: First Christian is only as strong as your ministry. Be on the guard against all kinds of greed or stinginess! Verse 13. Say yes to your calling because God calls us all. As ministers together, we are most able to serve when we are rich toward God. “A person’s life consists not in the abundance of things which a person possesses; for even when one has more than enough, that person’s wealth does not give that person life.” 2. Jay invested in relationships – A common element I hear repeatedly is that ministers feel a growing sense of isolation. Thus, a heightened sense of competitiveness emerges. Ministers get lonely. But so do churches, especially when they begin to think they are in it alone. We
really do need each other. We do not go it alone, but together. Therefore, we are at our best when we know and are known. God’s work in the world is always about building community. I cannot conceive of doing ministry alone. Nor should First Christian. That is why it is important for us to nurture relationships with other churches around the world. Keep a chair at the table for Elijah! Invite others and make room for them. 3. Jay knew love was embodied or incarnational – “The physical presence of others is a source of joy.” (Bonhoeffer). It’s visible, human, flesh, and bone. We have somehow disembodied ministry – ministers only “seem” human. “Humanness deserves to live in well-being” – the well-being of your minister is crucial to the well-being of your community. Ministers are a renewable resource, not an expendable commodity – not throw-away. Pastors and people are subjects not objects. Lana Bolhouse, a professor of nursing, came over to me in a tense church meeting.. She said, “Pastor, you’re turning a bit red. It might be good for you to take a walk outside and get some fresh air.” She let me be human. Be real with each other. Jesus refused to deny either brother a place in the discussion. “Who made me a divider or arbiter between you?” (12:14). Let grace be embodied. It is okay to ask for what you need. 4. Jay sought a balance of agency and accountability – agency is the sense of stability that you feel, your capacity to influence your thoughts and behavior. Your ability to handle a wide range of tasks and situations. We have the agency to live the Gospel. I was once asked by a strong-headed committee to publicize something before it was fully baked. When asked if I had indeed done what they had asked. I breathed deeply and said I had not. The Old Testament Professor on the committee barked out, “Well, who do you work for, boy?” His question led me to find my agency. “Thank you, professor, for helping me find clarity. I may work with you, beside you, and serve you, but I do not work for you.”
He responded, “Thank you. Well put and helpful!” Encourage your ministers to find his or her strength. The goal of agency is that both pastor and people share their power in becoming all that God has called them to be. 5. Jay appreciated that he was properly resourced – Together, we resource our ministries because we are rich in God. Resource comes from the word resurrection – Re-sourcing is returning to the source, unleashing the power of the resurrection in our lives! Being properly resourced is based on a theology of abundance – not a theology of scarcity. Verse 21 shares this conclusion. “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with self and not with God!” Those rich in God discover they have tremendous resources within themselves! The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We do not have what we have for ourselves alone. We have all that we need to make known God’s love. My friend, songwriter Kyle Matthews, describes excellence in ministry as, “Waking Up to the World!” “I’m waking up to the world around me I’m coming out of the deepest sleep And the more I’m aware The more I’m surprised how much I care And the miracle of someone else Is rousing me out of myself Rousing me out of myself!” The cruciform life is not about barns. It is busy for others. The church is most excellent when the Spirit of God is rousing us out of ourselves. Excellence in ministry is found in Christ, whose life embodies the love of God, the one who knew the miracle of someone else, who brings us together.