Greed

Luke 12:13-21 (The Message)

Someone out of the crowd said, "Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance."

He replied, "Mister, what makes you think it's any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?"

Speaking to the people, he went on, "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot."

Then he told them this story: "The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop.

He talked to himself: 'What can I do? My barn isn't big enough for this harvest.'

Then he said, 'Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods, and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!'

"Just then God showed up and said, 'Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?'

"That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God."

One day, this life will be over.

Usually, if you say something like that, you'll get "shushed."

Such thoughts are considered morbid, taboo, depressing. Don't talk about "the end."

Please don't get me wrong...I'm not encouraging anyone to fixate on their own demise. But, I am encouraging you to spend some time in this life making peace with your own mortality.

Because knowing that all things are passing away...that's a big part of the path to freedom.

What do we really need? What is Jesus trying to teach us about our relationship to "grain and goods?"

What will we take with us from this life and what will we leave behind?

We'll take our souls. We can take God's grace. We will leave our relationships, and a trail of decisions.

This teaching isn't easy, is it? Most of us have retirement funds, or wish we did. Most of us put some portion of our incomes away for retirement, or wish that we could put more.

Is that wrong? Wouldn't it be worse to saddle our children with the financial burden of caring for us when we're older? What is Jesus asking us to do?

Look closely at the scripture: "protect yourself against the least bit of greed."

There's the answer.

Where are we greedy? Where are we tempted to build bigger barns? Where are we more full of self than God?

Prayer: We invite you to shine your searchlight into our souls. Show us those places where we could empty ourselves, to be filled with you. Show us our greed, and teach us how you can take it away.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.