Luke 12.13-21, Pentecost 8C
Theme: Greed
This Sunday’s scripture text starts out with a person coming to Jesus complaining about his brother unfairly dividing the family’s inheritance with him. It was not uncommon for people to appeal to a rabbi to settle a family dispute.
Jesus answers in an unexpected way. He says, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
The man was probably not the looking for this type of response. He was most likely expecting Jesus to ask him several questions to determine if his brother was breaking any laws.
Instead, Jesus seizes a teaching moment. He takes the opportunity to tell a parable about a farmer who had a bumper crop. He harvested so much produce he ran out of storage space. In the parable, instead of getting down on his knees to give thanks to God for his good fortune, he worried about barns.
He built bigger barns and expanded his farm. After looking over his wonderful expansion, he celebrated with a big party – still failing to give thanks to God.
Well, the end of this story was not exactly what the farmer planned. He died.
Almost everything in this account (in the Gospel of Luke) seems unfair. First, Jesus seems to ignore the concerns of the man complaining about his inheritance. Second, Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who has received a bountiful harvest only to die before he can benefit from it.
Because we have so much more than worldly riches to look forward to we need to set our priorities on what God has in store for us.
So….
If your life seems to be unfair you might try looking at what God gives you in a different perspective.
Perhaps you think to yourself, “Why did I get passed by for that promotion when someone else got it who has only worked a few months?”
You think, “It’s not fair!”
Or, you worry about how you are going to pay the bills while the prices in the grocery stores soar.
1. Take a few moments to relax. Take a walk, or just go sit under a tree.
2. Think about all the good things going on in your life. This might be difficult if you are stressed about things.
3. Take time to thank God in prayer for every good fortune.
4. After you have expressed your gratitude for the good things in your life, talk to God about the struggles you are having.
Be aware that God offers you a life far beyond you present existence.
Worship with us in person at 10:30 AM as we will be meditating on as we meditate on how we can make more time for Jesus and the blessings we have. The service will also be streamed live on the internet -- (https://fccmaryvillemo.com) or on the church’s home Facebook page. If you miss the live stream, a recorded session is also available to view at your convenience. Want to make a comment on my blog? Click on https://fccmaryvillemosanc.wixsite.com/ftdo