The Community Fridge
Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
__________
On a particularly lovely day, I visited a cafe in Strathaven, Scotland, and afterward went to pay until my server said, "I'm sorry, our card machine is broken; there's an ATM right across the street, though." So I crossed, inserted my card (which had a cash feature), and then disaster. "We're sorry, we can't complete this transaction; please take your card." I looked down, and the card didn't appear. Again, the ATM displayed, "Please take your card, or else it will be collected by the bank," with a little more urgency. I look down once more, and still no card. Finally, I heard a "clink," and a message popped up telling me my card would need to be replaced. Scrambling now, I went back to the cafe to let them know what happened, and they directed me to a place where I could exchange some US greenbacks I had in my pocket.
As I made my way to the post office, what started as a pleasant day seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. Opening the doors to the post office, I quickly discovered it wasn't an ordinary post office. Inside, this post office housed a program that distributed and repaired second-hand bicycles. However, that was not the only thing tucked within; there was also a fridge, a freezer, and stocked food shelves and above read a sign "Welcome to the Community Fridge." Food from small businesses, grocery stores, and some homemade goods were a part of the offering this community fridge provided to those regardless of their status. Waiting in the queue, I pondered, "A community fridge, what a wonderful metaphor for the kin-dom of God." The thoughtfulness of such an initiative and its simplicity was enough to take me out of my frazzled mindset as I handed the clerk a $20 bill.
Yes, the kin-dom of God is like a community fridge, one that is accessible to all, and its contents belong not to any one person but the collective whole. We have a habit of fighting about what is and isn't ours. In the reading from Luke's gospel, we find a younger brother asking Jesus to arbitrate an inheritance dispute. Instead of getting into a family argument, Jesus tells them a parable about greed that features a wealthy landowner. In his book "A Theology of Liberation," Gustavo Gutierrez reflects on Christian charity, a charity that runs counter to the greed of the wealthy landowner:
The Christian community professes a “faith which works through charity.” It is—at least ought to be—real charity, action, and commitment to the service of others. The pastoral activity of the Church does not flow as a conclusion from theological premises… Theology does not produce pastoral activity; rather it reflects upon it. Theology must be able to find in pastoral activity the presence of the Spirit inspiring the action of the Christian community. (Gutierrez, 9)
If our actions as a Christian community do not produce works worthy of theological reflection, a reflection that deepens our souls, what are we doing? We see the rich landowner who tears down their barns to build bigger ones for their surplus, and instead of letting the grain flow back into the economy, creates scarcity driving up the price of his product. The wealthy man's greed meant he secured himself economic and social power at the cost of morally bankrupting his soul by neglecting God and his neighbors. And in a flash, just as the rich man is enjoying his treasure, God summons his soul and asks, "And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" Will our pastoral activity, our Christian activity, produce works worthy of reflection or questions of why our works are self-centered?
We all like the idea of a community fridge, but it's challenging to adhere to and follow in practice. In many ways, our expressions of sharing relate more to a communication office fridge lined with post-it notes of "hands off" and "to whoever ate my food." But, of course, the metaphor of a communal fridge extends beyond the practice of freely sharing food. It is about a willingness to give without asking for anything in return and taking without fear of strings attached to a gift. In today's reading, we find a call to practice fearless and self-giving stewardship. What is there to gain by hoarding our time, talents, and resources? In the end, God will greet us and ask, "And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" The call to live out and embody this fearless and self-giving stewardship is extended to politicians, churches, communities, and us as individuals who practice a giving and loving faith.
Not for lack of trying, we try to penny-pinch, attach requirements to our charity offerings, and maximize our wealth while handing scraps to the poor. And then you have businesses that raise prices when they see opportunities to profit off of global or national disasters; the list of grievances we have committed as the people of God could go on and on. The acquisition of wealth based on greed is antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, in our attempt to build up wealth for ourselves, we should heed the words of Proverbs 11:24-25, which draws us back to the place where we should place our trust:
“Some give freely yet grow all the richer;
others withhold what is due and only suffer want.
A generous person will be enriched,
and one who gives water will get water.”
Jesus reminds the listeners of today's reading that the rich man sold his soul in the pursuit of earthly treasures that would do him no good in the afterlife. The rich man is a fool, while the wise man is the one who dedicates his life to God. And what does God desire of us? God desires that we open our hearts to the innumerable opportunities that await when we give with open hands. God desires that we abandon the ethos that tells us the collection of personal capital wealth is more important than our moral obligation to help our neighbors. The future of churches across the US, our future, will depend on whether we embrace such a spirit of generosity that runs counter to a culture of greed. So let us not be shackled by our desire to withhold, but to bless to be a blessing. Our existence depends on whether we freely give of ourselves, knowing that when it is our turn to receive, it will be in abundance.