Investing of a Different Order

Investing of a Different Order        

A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Randy K. Hammer, March 14, 2021

Lenten Sermon Series – Practices for Better Living, 5 Job 29:7-17; Matthew 6:19-21, 24

A few years ago, we decided it was high time that we take a serious look at and make some changes regarding our financial investments that we had been putting aside to fund our retirement years.  So, we established a relationship with a financial advisor, and together we made changes that we felt were right for us, in light of our retirement financial goals.  Indeed, there come those junctures in life when all of us need to take serious stock of our investments.

But lest you be wondering, I am not going to counsel you today about your financial investments, even if I were qualified to do so.  My aim today is to talk with you a few minutes about investing of a different order.  And it just may be that the type of investment we will look at today is more important in the larger scope of things than speaking with a financial advisor about your retirement funds, as important as that is.

Both of our scripture readings today speak of this investment of a different sort.  In case you haven’t already figured it out, I am talking about investing in life. Jesus cautioned against focusing solely upon financial investments to the exclusion of spiritual or life investments.  Jesus warned against putting all your investment energy and eggs in the one basket of financial gain and making love of financial investments – the love of money – your sole or primary focus in life. 

In other places throughout the gospel of Matthew, Jesus’s teachings elaborate on how to successfully invest in life - acts of mercy, making for peace, acts of charity (i.e., sharing food and clothing with those in need), compassion, love, forgiveness, understanding, social justice, and so on.  These practices constitute life investments.

And in the passage from Job, Job contends that he had spent his years investing in life by helping the poor, orphaned, and widows; by his example of fairness and justice; and by opposing the power of those who oppressed the helpless.  Such was the way that Job says he had invested in life.

Are you starting to get a clear picture of what I am talking about?  Each of us has the opportunity – and can we also say responsibility – to make an investment in life through the ways we choose to spend our time, utilize our talents and abilities, share our wealth, stand up for the right and oppose the wrong, act upon our passion for what we know deep in our heart is right, etc.

A stellar example of someone who invested well in life was the late Congressman John Robert Lewis.  From the time that he was a young man to the day he died of cancer last year, John Lewis spent all of his years, energies, passion, and self-sacrifice investing in life and things of a spiritual nature, as he worked for justice, equality, truth, fairness, and as he stood up for the rights of the poor and oppressed.  John Robert Lewis knew how to invest in life! 

But the John Robert Lewises of the world are few and far between.  He was a unique individual, I think we would all agree.  But we have had “investment heroes” here in Oak Ridge as well – people who invested their lives for the good of others, volunteering to improve the lot of the poor, disadvantaged, ill-clothed, homeless, abused and so on – through social service agencies such as ADFAC, Habitat for Humanity, TORCH, the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, Ecumenical Storehouse, and other organizations.  Many of us could call the name of a local hometown hero who knew the importance of investing in life.  Some of them have passed from us.  And when they passed, one of the fondest and proudest memories of their loved ones was how they invested of themselves in their community and for the betterment of humanity and the world at large.

American naturalist and essayist Henry David Thoreau said, “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”  And Eleanor Roosevelt said, “For our own success to be real, it must contribute to the success of others.”

When we reach the end of our days, the investment that will really matter will be our investment in life – how we have lived our lives according to spiritual and ethical principles; how we have related to and served others; and how we have used the lives we have been given to positively affect the lives of others and to make a positive difference in the world. 

So, what are some practical ways we can invest in life?  If we are physically able, we can volunteer at one of the community agencies I mentioned earlier. If we have the financial means, we can contribute to a worthy cause.  We can be a good neighbor to those around us through acts of kindness and helpfulness. We can write a letter to the editor of the newspaper regarding an issue that affects our community.

Yes, there come those times when all of us need to stop and take serious stock of our investments.  And it seems to me that there is no better time than the season of Lent to seriously consider how we are investing in life so as to improve the lives of others and help change the world for the better.  Because in the end, that’s the type of investment that will matter most.  Amen.