Lectionary for Pentecost 8
Jesus says: ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for life does not consist in abundant possessions.’ Luke 12:15
Collect. Father, you call your children to walk in the light of Christ. Free us from darkness, that we may be illumined by the radiance of your truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Hosea 11:1-11. Not a lot is known about Hosea but it is thought that that he was the son of a prophet. His prophetic word is mainly directed at the Northern Kingdom of Israel which has led some to suggest that he may have been a son of Elisha. He lived through a time of great prosperity but sadly the prosperity resulted in a society which was divided between the “haves and have-nots’. It was also a time of significant moral decline, away from the society laws of Moses which encouraged a more caring and faithful community under God. Our Reading for today covers over a thousand years of the nation’s history. The time frame runs from the covenant with Abraham, through the slavery in Egypt and finally ending with the tribes settled into the Promised Land. We read of the how great the unfailing love of God is for his people while at the same time his deep and abiding sorrow for their failure to love and obey him. The outcome of their disobedience will be a return to slavery and the subjugation by the Assyrians. Historically this signalled the ultimate end of the Northern Kingdom. For them it was a catastrophe. Despite the catastrophic outcome of their disobedience Hosea’s prophecy also portrays a hope, a hope of return. It will not be the return of a proud and dominant people but of a subdued and humbled people who come “trembling like birds to their homes”.
The passage reminds us of the ongoing love and mercy of God. However it reminds us also that despite God’s great compassion for his people failure to follow his commands will inevitably lead to disaster.
Prayer. Holy God, full of compassion and mercy, before you we bow to give thanks and praise. As the psalmist says your mercy lasts forever. Guide us and keep us that we may never stray from the good paths that you have planned for us. Help us to keep our eye on you always and walk in obedience to your will and way. May we never presume upon your mercy and grace but at all times give you the honour and respect that is yours by right. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords and we give to you all the reverence due. We humbly offer this prayer through Jesus Christ our Saviour; in whose name we pray. Amen
Reading. Luke 12:13-21 This is both a humorous as well as a serious parable that Jesus chose to use as a teaching moment. In asking Jesus to share out the inheritance the unnamed questioner was asking Jesus to secure the future for him and by implication a secure future which was based on material wealth. Jesus is reminding the enquirer that a material inheritance is not a guarantee of lasting security.
One of the things we need always to keep in mind is that God is always faithful and treats us with love and mercy. The story of a rich man building a bigger barn to house his wealth is very easy to picture. By being easy to picture perhaps that should warn us that it might be more pertinent than we suspect! One of the big mistakes that the rich man made was to assume that the wealth he had acquired belonged to him. Paul reminds us of this mistake when in 1 Corinthians 4:7, he writes. What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? In one sense everything in life comes to us as a gift. “for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it”. 1 Timothy 6:7.
Like the rich man in the story we live in a land of abundance. We could easily be the rich man with barns overflowing. As such it is easy to forget that the good things of God are not ours by right they come to us through God’s love and mercy. God does not depend upon us but we are dependent upon him, for as one aspect of the story reminds us, our very life is a gift from God. There is a fascinating insight in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 which reminds us that along with having the ability to gain wealth is also the ability to enjoy what you have. If you are not able to enjoy what has been given to you, God will give it to someone else!
The rich man was trying to provide for his “soul”. The soul is the very essence of the self. It contains the past and all that I have been; the present and who and what I am now and it also has a future component, what I hope to become. The rich man was trying to bring an ultimate security to who he was, not simply “putting his feet up”! The thing the rich man had omitted was to make provision for things of lasting value by recognising and enjoying the things that God had given to him rather than storing up more and more.
From this reading which could be directed at a society like ours we ask the question, what might Jesus be saying to us? Here are three possibilities:-
1]. Involve God in the direction to take in all the aspects of our lives. If we include seeking God’s direction he will lead us ever closer to him. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.” Jeremiah 29:11–12.
2]. Trust God to supply all that we will need for life’s journey. There is no need to strive for greater and greater wealth. Manna had to be gathered every day, except on the Sabbath, so God is not against gathering as long as it is according to his will.
3]. Above all we are to love God, recognising all the blessings that we have received. When we maintain a close relationship with God it is easier to understand what he is calling us to do. He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8.
Prayer. Almighty and everlasting God, who for the well-being of our earthly life has put into our hearts wholesome desires of body and spirit; Mercifully increase and establish in us, we pray, the grace of holy discipline and healthy self control; that we may fulfil our desire to love and serve you and accomplish the works that you decree. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Adapted from Euchologium Anglicanum) We thank you Father for all the blessings that you have given to us; now help us to share our abundance in ways that meet in every way with your approval; Give us a keen understand of you will and way that we may do justice love kindness and walk humbly with you. Amen
Collect. Generous God, may we find true life in you, not in striving after power, or status, or possessions; enlarge our hearts, that they may be storehouses of the Holy Spirit; this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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