Luke 12:13-21 (NRSV)
Read Luke 12:13-21 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." Verse 14But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" Verse 15And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Verse 16Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. Verse 17And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Verse 18Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. Verse 19And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' Verse 20But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' Verse 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Devotion
In a time of ecological crisis, it's increasingly important to discern the line between sustainable consumption and consumerism. This week's gospel reading contrasts living out of abundance and living out of greed — and calls on us to discern the difference. Are we stewarding the abundance in our lives for the good of others? Or are we seeking more than we need so that we might perpetually eat, drink, and be merry, without regard for the sustainability of creation?
Our gospel reading is not about asceticism, minimalism, or renunciation — though such practices might be meaningful at certain times to specific people. At the core, Jesus' words call us to the question of what we do with our God-given abundance. Do we take what God has given and use it exclusively for our own gain? Or do we prayerfully consider how God is calling each of us into service based on a land that produces abundantly?
Prayer
God of food and drink, of work and celebration, your creation is an ever-flowing stream of abundance. Help us to drink deeply from these clear, blue waters, and to use this nourishment in service to children of God everywhere. Amen.