Sermon 7/26/2020 “Our priorities”
Preacher: Jo J. Belser
Location: Church of the Resurrection at VTS in Alexandria, VA
Text: 1 Kings 3:5-23
Day: 8Pentecost, Proper 12, Year A, during a pandemic
I was in a church once where the Rector asked people to bring their checkbooks to Forum with them the next Sunday. He told us he was going to help us discover our priorities in life.
So, we brought our checkbooks—this was back when people still used checkbooks, and when we still wrote checks for most things. He had us categorize every check for the past month. The categories were things like food, housing, eating out, movies, drinking, sports, coffee, child care, exercise, gifts, cable tv, computer things, gas, insurance, medical and dental costs, software, smoking, books, our church donations, and other charitable giving.
Then, he had us eliminate housing and food costs, and non-discretionary items crucial to life, like medical and dental costs, child-care, and the like. He wanted us to see what we had used our discretionary spending on.
There was no hidden point to this, no push to give more to the church, to give more of what we had been given back to God. Instead, the goal was for each person to discover what their priorities were in life. For some, it was exercise or vacation or their family. Others had prioritized a hobby or entertaining or just eating out.
I wonder, if each of us were to do this exercise, what would we discover about our priorities? I know that some of us do not have enough money for discretionary spending. For some, all their money goes to necessities. If you are in this situation, imagine what you would spend money on first if you had some money to spend.
Our first lesson today has this same kind of exercise. Well, it has a shorter version of the “discovering our priorities from our spending” exercise. God came to the newly crowned King Solomon in a ream and said, “Ask what I should give you.” Now, there’s an invitation to take a priority inventory. If God told you today to ask him for something, anything, what would YOU ask for?
What ONE thing would you ask of “genie God?” Long life? Serenity? Health? Wealth? Youth? Power? A perfect bowling game or a hole-in-one? Something a family member needs? Three more wishes? Or maybe you would be altruistic and not ask for yourself. What about world peace? Universal health care? An end to hunger? For everyone to recognize and respect the dignity of every human being?
There are two kinds of “asks” on my list of examples, things we ask for ourselves or for those we love, and things we ask for others outside out “tribe.” We humans seem to be programmed to look after our own self-interests first and then for those most like us. After us and ours, me and mine, the “scarcity model” kicks in, where we fear whatever we want is in limited supply, so we work to keep whatever supply there is in the family.
But God teaches us that everyone is in our “group.” Following the example and instructions of Christ Jesus, we recognize and begin to see that everyone is in our group, in our tribe, in our family We learn to respect the dignity of every human being. We learn to love our neighbor as ourselves, as we love God and God loves us.
This is what King Solomon did by asking for “an understanding mind.” Actually, I’m told the Hebrew literally says, “a listening heart.” This is the root of discernment, to know the difference between good and evil, to know what God wants versus what masquerades as God’s will. Solomon said he was asking for a listening heart so he could rule his people wisely.
Our lesson says this pleased God and God therefore granted Solomon’s request. Notice God hadn’t promised to grant Solomon’s request. Instead, he heard Solomon out, heard his request and granted it because the request pleased God. The lesson suggests God might not have granted Solomon’s request had he asked for something for himself, the usual things apparently being “long life” or “riches” or even “death to my enemy.”
Did you notice all this happened in a dream? Solomon had been deciding, in the inmost core of his being, what kind of king he would be. He was already wise, having beaten out his half-brother for the throne. Solomon had already solidified his power and had even married an Egyptian princess so her father the Pharaoh wouldn’t invade Solomon’s kingdom. Solomon called himself a mere child in our lesson, but that mere child had a wife—a pagan wife, at that.
This same chapter of First Kings says Solomon loved God and was building himself and his wife a home, as well as building God’s Temple and a wall around Jerusalem. But Solomon worshiped God in Gibeon, a “high place,” a place where the people worshiped while there was no Temple. “High places” are where pagan worship occurred, and Solomon was there with his pagan wife. If this were a movie, there would be “impending danger” music playing.
All this makes me wonder whether Solomon was deciding, in his innermost self, whether he would use his new powers of his kingship for himself, or for others. If so, scripture makes clear Solomon chose to live for others. And God gave Solomon both what he asked for, and what he had not: a discerning heart as well as riches and honor all his life, and, if Solomon were faithful to God, long life as well.
Solomon’s experience is a cautionary tale. What we learn is when God invites you to ask him for something, “choose wisely.” And, hasn’t God told us to ask? “Ask and it shall be given you,” Jesus said, “seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.”
We all must make Solomon’s choice. What do you ask of God? How do you use what God has given you? Do you reserve what you’ve been given only for you and yours, or for others?
