A family financial squabble is where we find ourselves at the beginning of this week’s Gospel reading (Luke 12:13-21). Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." Sounds a little like kindergarten: “Teacher, Billy’s not sharing his cookie!” Bigger stakes to the disinherited brother, of course.
Jesus refuses to get hooked into this family drama: “Who set me up to arbitrate your quarrels?” Jesus knows what he’s here for, and stays admirably on mission. He is not one, however, to miss a “teachable moment.” He says, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
And being the good teacher that he is, he tells them a story to illustrate this truth. He tells about a rich farmer whose lands produce a lot, more than he can use, more than he can store. He decides to tear down his old barns and build BIGGER barns where he can store all his grain and his goods. This is where his security lies – we know this because of what he says: “And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'”
We know Jesus had no aversion to being merry – he was often in trouble for hanging around people who enjoyed eating and drinking. But his story is going somewhere else: God says, “You fool! You’re going to die tonight – and then who gets all your stuff?” “So it is,” Jesus tells the crowd, “With those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
We could say, “Well, that’s a clear message: give more to the church. Give more to God’s work.” And that’s definitely part of it. I am more interested, though, in exploring why we are so apt to put our security in storing up things, in amassing bank accounts and insurance policies, or home security systems, or self-defense weaponry and skills?
More to the point ,why is it so hard for us to put our security in God?
How do we give thanks for all that we have, and take care of it – but hold it lightly, not leaning on it? How do we move into greater trust in God? That’s what we’ll think about this week.
Today, let’s start on where we locate our security.
Take a moment, maybe write a list:
What is it in your life that makes your feel scared?
What is it in your life that makes you feel safe?
Look at your lists.
Can you invite God into the things that raise your anxiety? Try it.
Are the things that make you feel safe really reliable? Can you invite God into that?
What can you thank God for today? That’s prayer enough.
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