The parable in our Gospel this week is tricky. When Jesus is asked to get in the middle of a property settlement, he asks, “Friend, who sent me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And then Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Fool. It’s a parable that leaves us sitting in tension, wondering about what to do with the abundance we receive from God.
What are we to make of this man who saves and stores all his grain and goods for himself? What are the implications of his actions? What does God teach us about abundance? These are all good questions.
Raised by parents who were children of the Great Depression, I was taught early about the essential need for a savings account. I realize now, that saving money involved both privilege and sacrifice. I understand now how fortunate we were to have enough to save. At the same time, saving money meant that we lived without things.
Equally as important as saving, however, was the essential need to be generous with our church. Each week, my brother and I were given a little money to put into a savings account and a little more to give as offering in Sunday school. We were taught that ‘crumbs make loaves’, and if each of us did our part, there would be enough for us and for others.
It is the tension in the story of the Rich Fool that makes it so poignant. God gives us gifts and abilities to care for ourselves. At the same time, God asks that we share those gifts and abilities with others for the good of all creation. This is the essence of the Lutheran dynamic we call “both/and,” in which we are called to care for both ourselves, our neighbors, and God’s good creation.
Looking forward to wrestling through this story with you.
See you in church,
Pastor Stephanie