Rich Towards God
Luke 12:13-21
Pentecost 8 (Proper 13)
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the eighth Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel reading Luke 12. Most of us spend a great deal of time collecting things and buying stuff. It’s true. All we have to do is look at all the things we have in our house – in our rooms, closets and garage – and we will see a lot of stuff. People do indeed like to collect things and buy stuff.
Yet when we look at our Gospel reading for today, we hear the words of Jesus very clearly. “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” To illustrate this point our Lord told a parable. The story is about a rich man who had a great crop. He had so much he couldn’t even store it all. So the man decides to tear down his old barns and build new bigger ones to store all his grain and goods. He then goes on to tell himself that he can relax and be merry because of all the stuff that He had stored up.
The Lord concludes the story by calling the rich man a fool. Why? What did the man do wrong? Is it because he had an abundant crop? No. There is nothing wrong with having an abundant crop. We pray that the crops would produce well. We all want to have a fair wage for our work. To have an abundant crop or to be paid a fair wage is not a sin but a blessing. Maybe the man’s fault was that he tore down His old barns and built new ones in order to store his goods. No, that is not a sin either. We are reminded of Joseph in the Old Testament, who while in Egypt took a similar approach. When the crops were good he stored them so that the people could have food during the lean years of drought. The rich man acted in a similar way. It would be unimaginable for a country, business or family not to manage and plan in such a way to meet the potential strains of future times. It was perfectly fine that the man had an abundant crop and it was perfectly fine that he built new barns to store it. So why did the Lord call him a fool?
He was a fool because he lived in false security. He thought that he could relax, eat, drink and be merry because of all the grain that he collected. He put His trust in his money and property. He thought he was secure because of his possessions. He is a fool because he forgot about God. He does not understand that God is the one who gave to him the abundant crop as a gift. The rich man is a fool because he does not see that his life and everything in his life is a gift from the Lord. He does not understand that true security can only come from God. Not only that but he does not have any expectations for a life after death. He lives as if the pleasures of this life is all that matter. He has forgotten about the eternal Kingdom of God. The rich man put his trust in his money, property and possessions and had no concern for the heavenly kingdom. When the Lord finished his story about the rich man he called him a fool.
It is a warning to us. We can also get caught up in the same kind of thinking as the rich man. We strive for more land, bigger equipment, nicer house, newer cars, more toys, more stuff. We are tempted to think that collecting things is what life is all about. We are tempted to think that we gain security and happiness from our money, property, and possessions. But let us remember what the Lord said to the rich man at the end of our text. “But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Jesus teaches us to be rich toward God. But what does that mean? Does it mean that we should sell all of our possessions and go to a monastery? The answer to that question is no. Jesus is not saying that in this parable. To be rich toward God means that we understand that all good things come to us from the Lord as gifts. The Lord is the one who gave us life. He is the one who preserves us and everything around us. He is the one who has given us our land, money, house and all that we have. The Lord works through the means of workers and what He supplies them with. Sunshine, soil, rain, stone, metal, and wood all come from God. Our Lord works through these means to sustain us. As Christians our security does not come from the gifts but from the one who gives the gifts. In all things we turn to the Lord. In times of plenty we rejoice in the Lord for all that He has done. When times are lean we turn to the Lord knowing that He will provide for what we need. So regardless of how much stuff we have little or a lot we turn to God knowing that He is the true source of security, comfort, hope and joy.
To be rich toward God means that we are generous with what God has given us. We understand that everything we have comes from the Lord and that it is His desire that we share what we have with others. As Christians we give to the church so that ministry can continue. We give to those who are in need. We are already secure in the Lord and so that frees us up to care for and serve our fellow human beings.
To be rich toward God means that we look beyond the land, house, cars, and all the material stuff that we have and see the eternal gifts that the Lord has given to us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we see what is most important. We see Jesus Christ and know that He is our Savior. Because of our Lord’s death and resurrection we have been forgiven and given the gift of eternal life. Through faith in Christ we have been made citizens of God’s eternal kingdom.
The message of Jesus in our text is important for us to hear. Our earthly possessions become meaningless in death. Our material possessions will eventually belong to someone else and in time fade away. I have visited many people in the nursing home over the years. Very rarely do the people I visit concern themselves with their earthy things. In most cases their family will sell most of their things in an auction after they pass away. The people that I visit know that Christ and what He has won for them on the cross is what is most important and so they trust in the Lord. Life is not built upon food and drink, house and home, land, cars or all the other things that we have collected. Life is built upon the grace of our Heavenly Father.
Being rich toward God means we recognize God as the provider of all our possessions and all our needs. Being rich toward God means to turn to Him in wealth and in need. Being rich toward God means that we are so secure in the Lord that we are freed up to care for others. To be rich toward God is to know that in him we find mercy through the death and resurrection of His Son. To think that one does not need God is to be very poor in God. But to be rich toward God means a life of praise and thanksgiving, true hope and eternal security. This parable invites us to call upon the Lord in a sincere prayer of thanksgiving. I thank you, my heavenly Father, that you have kept me this day, and I thank you for what I have received daily from you, through which you keep and preserve my life. Teach me to keep my heart on you, that I may thank and worship you daily. Amen.