You
can’t take it with you. That’s a saying we’ve all heard at one time or another.
That’s the justification we give when we spend a little more of our savings
than we think is wise. Sometimes we say the same thing when we notice our
neighbors buying the fancy car or the newer house that we’re jealous of them
having.
Today’s
lesson from the gospel of Luke sounds a little bit like something Solomon
wrote, “There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find
enjoyment in their toil.” When we read
Ecclesiastes we get the idea that life is fickle and not long lasting,
therefore saving for the future isn’t such a bad idea.
Jesus
suggests just the opposite. He’s saying that saving things, money, assets, is
what’s fickle and Life is what we should invest in, life in Him.
The
landowner seemed to have it made. A bumper crop that needed new barns, a bumper
crop that, he thought, was insurance against his retirement. But just as he’s fixing to settle back and
take it easy, he dies and all that wealth does him no good what so ever.
So,
is hard work for nothing? All our lives we’ve been taught that we should save
for the future. Save for our retirement.
Wouldn’t we all like to have the rich landowner’s problem of a plentiful
harvest, a good nest egg to ensure us our comfort clear to the end of our life?
What
should be the focus of our lives if it’s not hard work and saving for our
future? Maybe this parable is telling us that we should pay attention to what’s
happening in our lives now and how we’re living them. The fullness of our lives
is available to us now. That doesn’t mean partying every night and spending
whatever we have on whatever we want.
Living
life to the fullest, in the Bible, is talking about living a life of justice,
peace, truth, and honesty. It’s taking all those values we read about in God’s
Word to heart and living them completely in every action, in every decision we
make. This is living life fully. This is making an investment in the kingdom of
God.
In
order to do this we must re-prioritize our lives by getting rid of the clutter,
the things we don’t really need and then to fill them with the things of
God. Things that prioritizes people, the
values of heaven, life-in-community.
As
we contemplate our lives and our community what are the things that bring us
closer to the kingdom of God? Are there examples for us of people who use their
richness towards people, a richness that isn’t just material wealth but a
richness of love, truth, and justice? What is our plan for the future?
May
we lead by God’s Holy Spirit to consider these things as we go into this next
week. Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.
