A WORD FOR TODAY, November 16, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, November 16, 2021
“One of the multitude said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?’ He said to them, ‘Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.’ He spoke a parable to them, saying, ‘The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, “What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?” He said, “This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’” But God said to him, “You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared - whose will they be?” So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’” Luke 12:13-21, WEB
The holidays are approaching quickly, and families are making plans to get together. This is especially important since so many families have not seen one another for a long time. Next week there will be a mass movement of people in cars, buses, and airplanes as they go home for Thanksgiving. In the weeks to follow, there will be reunions and parties, intimate gatherings where brothers and sisters, parents and children, aunts, uncles and third cousins will eat, drink and talk about their lives. Though most of those gatherings will be happy celebrations, too many will include people who are there out of a sense of sense of duty rather than love. Underlying problems are amplified. The holidays bring out anger and depression for many people.
Jesus taught the people about living in relationships during His ministry. It begins with the Love of God and love for God, but He showed them what life was like for those who put God first, above all else. Faithfulness to God means that we will live in loving relationships with our families, friends and even our enemies. Unfortunately, many families face conflict, not only during the holidays. There are battles about past hurts, arguments over money, and clashes of personalities. Families are destroyed over inheritance.
It was common practice for rabbis of the day to settle disputes such as this one, so a brother came to Him to judge his situation. According to the laws of Moses, the oldest son got twice as much as any of his brothers. But this man did not think it was fair and wanted more inheritance. He had not been listening to the things Jesus was teaching about love, trust and faith. We don’t need more things; we need a stronger relationship with God. We could pass at any moment, either from disease or a car accident. We could fall prey to a criminal or simply die in our sleep. At that point, nothing matters at all, not our money, our homes or our stuff. However, at that moment, our relationship with God in Christ Jesus is of utmost importance.
In the weeks to come, how will your family gatherings play out? Will there be battles over who got the most toys under the Christmas tree or who did more for Mom and Dad this year? Do you dread going home for Thanksgiving dinner knowing that the inevitable fight will just bring more anger and hostility? Go with peace in your own heart, with a deep and committed relationship with God. Do not seek to gain something from the relationship but rather share your faith with those around. The only thing that matters is God. When you live in His light, everything else will fall into place. Bring the light to your family parties this holiday season, share His peace and love with your world. You may not change the situation, but you will have a more joyful celebration of the birth of your Lord.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.
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