Money, Money, Money!
Preacher: Revd Samantha Ferguson, Assistant Chaplain
Readings: Amos 6: 1a, 4-7; Luke 16: 19-31
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Please sit.
There are times in a priest’s life when the hours of prep we do in to create a theologically sound and reflective sermon simply go out in window with an email from the principal.
But, I along with many of our University community were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Ming Cambell our Chancellor.
I had the privilege of getting to know him and his formidable wife Lady Elspeth Campbell over the past 7 years since I became your assistant chaplain.
But I also knew him as the man who capped me for my graduation here back in 2006!
The words that have flooded our Xfeeds, Instagram pages and news media, all speak kindly and fondly of a man who worked hard, loved his family deeply and, with his strong sense of social justice, committed his life to duty and service.
Ming was, quite simply, a great leader of our time in his political life and a decent compassionate man throughout.
Ming may have been the fastest man on this planet for a period of 7 years, but after his career as an Olympic Athlete, he committed the rest of his long life in service of the nation through his work as a lawyer, politician and life peer.
A diligent man with strong personal resilience, Ming was a significant son of Scotland and our public life, especially in his role as ambassador for this university, is much the poorer for his loss.
Ming was an outgoing, caring and compassionate man who always had time for students, staff and especially us new graduates.
He would be happy to chat with any and all about anything with humour and grace. A truly great man and it was an honour to have known him.
There will be time later to memorialise and speak of all Lord Campbells many achievements in this life, and I am not here today to do that.
Today, we honour the man and remember the grief Ming’s family and friends will be feeling right now.
And if the public nature of a private grief has brought up memories of your own past losses, then please remember that you do not have to grieve alone at this university, come and talk to one of your chaplains any time and you would be most welcome to join us at our Grief Groups.
Our Friend Ming’s earthly race may have now finished, but for us, as Christians, we belief that the race carries on after death as we learn from our readings for today.
My sermon for this morning was cunningly titled ‘Money Money Money’ and, no, believe me I was not going to ‘do a Donald’ and launch into singing Abba here in chapel!
It was to be a reflection on how dealing with having money or with not having money, shows our true nature towards ourselves, others we interact with and with God.
The reading from Luke, saliently backed up by the passage from Amos, comes with a warning for those who live the high life in the now.
Luke’s story is about a poor sick man, (whom Jesus names after his close friend Lazarus) and a rich man separated in life by a simple gate.
Unlike Jesus’ best friend Lazarus, whom he was to bring back from the dead and have a second chance at life, this Lazarus was living life on the wrong side of the gate, but won the after death lottery and went straight to heaven to be comforted by God and Abraham no less!
This is then seen in a vision by the rich man living on the other side of that gate, who had lived a very lovely life but on dying discovered that it has been an illusion and he face an eternity of suffering in Hades.
The Rich Man pleads for Abraham to warn his brothers, but Abraham is not falling for that, and makes it clear that if the rich man’s relatives do not realise the responsibility they hold to help others in this life, in other words recognise the blessings they have for being born on one side of that gate, then even Abraham turning up with Moses is not going to convince them.
So does this story mean that the rich will end up in hell and the poor in heaven?
Does it simply matter which side of the metaphorical gate we are born on?
No, not even my politics are that simple.
Today’s gospel is not about sides but about how we live our lives, today.
Jesus is asking us to remember that how we live today has consequences for ourselves and our world.
Regardless of our income, Jesus is asking us to face poverty with the eyes of Lazarus and respond as if we have the wallet of that Rich Man.
Our friend Ming was a man who began life in a humble Glasgow tenement, but with determination and hard work over many years became a knight of the realm.
Lord Campbell never forgot which side of the gate he was on and that with privilege comes a duty to help all in need.
Reflected in Ming’s long life of service, he understood what Jesus tries to tell us today that we should always be outrageous in our generosity of our time, talents and prayer to make the world a better place for everyone.
But first we have to truly open our eyes and see them as human beings lovingly made by God.
Not to just walk past and think they are someone else’s problem.
But to truly see those around us as human beings, of worth and of value to this world and its maker.
To be a slave to money is to be trapped in poverty towards God and others. And it is up to us to choose.
We have to choose which side of the gate we are on.
And it is a gift to realise that we can continue to do so throughout our lives right up until the day we die.
And so in the week when we grieve the loss of our Chancellor and reflect on his long life, may we honour that life of service and duty by also actively living each day the message of our gospel of good news with hope and love.
Amen