Halloween is still more than a month away, but already I've noticed decorations on our neighbors' yards and houses. Blow up ghosts in front yards, witches seemingly smashed into front doors, pumpkin lights strewn above doorways and even in my own home, a pumpkin on the mantle that, when lit up, casts bat shadows on the wall behind it.
     I've been surprised in the last several years about how big Halloween has become - not just with kids, but with adults as well. When I was in my 20's, the weekend that fell closest to Halloween was one of the biggest party weekends of the year. All through my seminary years, I ran the Gray Ghost Halloween Run in Anoka, MN - the self-proclaimed Halloween Capital of the World. These were fun times, but nothing compares to the Halloweens of my childhood when we would get hauls of candy so huge that our dentist was bound to be in business for yet another year.
     Every family has stories that are told over and over again. Stories that become family folklore. One of ours is a story centered on Halloween. I'm the oldest child in my family of origin and, although my little sister, Kim, is my dearest friend today, that wasn't the case growing up. The truth is, I used to torment her every Halloween.
     Dad would take us out together around our neighborhood and we would get ridiculous amounts of candy. When we got home, we'd pour out our bags onto the floor in our own separate piles and make trades. My Butterfingers for her Kitkat. Her green sucker for my red one. Dad would get his hands in there, too. A Snicker bar from each of us for taking us out. That part was easy. I had no problem being generous in even trades.
     It was the days and weeks that followed that gave me opportunities to torment Kim. You see, there is a fundamental difference between us. I am a saver and Kim is not. So, it didn't take long before Kim's candy was much depleted or gone while I still had quite a bit of candy left. Of course, being the younger sister, every year once she ran out, she would ask me to share. There were days she would even beg, but I don't ever recall saying, "Yes" to her. And even worse, when I knew all her candy was gone, I would purposefully eat mine in front of her and let her know just how much I was enjoying myself. I took delight in taunting my wealth of candy in front of her to the point of making her cry.
     As I said, this Halloween ritual has become family folklore and Kim still brings it up today. Thank God, we can laugh about it now. No lasting harm was done. And, thank God, I've learned to be a better sharer as I've grown older than I was when I was 11. Somewhere along the way I learned my lesson before it was too late. I won't have to face lasting consequences for my childhood greed.
     For the rich man in today's Gospel, however, this is not the case. The everlasting consequences he must endure are very plainly laid out for us. We might mistakenly think that it was his wealth that landed him in Hades, tormented and in flames. That his money, in and of itself, did him in. But, in fact, as we are reminded in the lesson from Timothy for today, it was his love of money that ended up piercing him with many pains. It was his greediness and unwillingness to share his wealth that got him in trouble.
     Dressed in finery fit for a king, he looked past Lazarus laying at his gate covered in sores. Feasting sumptuously every day, he wouldn't even give Lazarus his leftovers. In his earthly life, the rich man wanted for nothing. But, not so in his death. In death, the roles become reversed and while Lazarus is comforted, the rich man finds himself in agony with no chance for even a tiny drop of water.
     In this life, it's so easy to get our priorities mixed up. It's so easy to put our focus on things that are temporary instead of things that are eternal or more lasting. It's so easy to put our energy into things that are of this world instead of things that are of God. It's so easy to put importance on a candy bar instead of our relationship with our sister.
     Marketing, commercials, billboards, the whole attitude of "keeping up with the Jones'" can serve to fuel our greed and distort our focus. They make us think that we need stuff, a perfect body, several homes, a nice car or whatever it is that catches your eye to live - to be happy, be satisfied. What they don't tell us is that we can chase these things forever and it will never be enough - in this life or the next.
     It is in sharing what we have been given that makes us feel really alive - happy and satisfied. That is what Jesus is teaching us in the parable for today. It's what Paul is talking about in his letter to Timothy. It's what you know from your own life's experiences. Who hasn't felt better - more alive, more satisfied - after helping someone you knew was truly in need, giving money to someone you believed really needed it or sharing your time with someone who truly benefited from your skills and attention?
     Giving of ourselves to another gives us something that a new car or the latest hairstyle never can. A new car depreciates the second you drive it off the lot and you can bet that a new version is just around the corner. A hairstyle grows out within weeks - just a temporary look. But giving never goes out of style. Giving tends to reap beauty beyond what most of us ever see or can even imagine.
      Do you remember the story of Oseola McCarty? In 1995, she gave away $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi to endow a scholarship for African American students. It was a large gift, by any standard, but received national attention because this was her entire savings after making a living by washing and ironing her whole life after getting an education only up until the 6th grade. She literally gave almost all that she had. And her giving had great effect.
     Business leaders in her area matched her gift, making it $300,000. You see sharing tends to be contagious. And the first student to receive a scholarship from this money, Stephanie Bullock, ended up being able to go to college after all because of this gift. Sharing makes the impossible possible. Who knows what other beauty has sprung forth from Oseola McCarty's generosity over the past 12 years. No doubt, it is more than can be captured by stories one can find on the Internet.
     You've all heard it said regarding your possessions that "You can't take it with you." There's also a joke about never seeing a U-Haul trailer behind a hearse. So, what is lasting? The things that are of God. Things like the fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Things like sharing what you have been given.
     In our lives today, as we focus on things that are lasting, things that are of God, we build up the kingdom of God on earth. We give space for God's presence to be known not just in our death, but in our early lives as well. For God's presence in our lives, God's presence that continually calls us out of our greed and into sharing - sharing our Halloween candy and all in this life that we have enough of, we say, thanks be to God. Amen.


Sunday School Teachers Commissioning
Penni & Paul N.
Stacy A.
Kim and John P.
Mary G.
Joel S.