Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Few things will solve a problem faster than a different perspective. We all have had those issues that we bang our heads against for so long and fail to solve them, only to step away and look at in a different light and find the answer immediately. Perspective is an important part of life and navigating life’s challenges. Our perspective on life and work and family and friends will be a large part of who we end up being.

It should be no surprise then that faith demands its own perspective. Faith has a different way of looking at the world, life, job, and all that we say and do. This is because faith is so distinct and different from how our thoughts normally go. There’s this division between the “things of this world” and the “things of faith”. Faith tells us that there is a different way to look at this world because God is present in our life.

Consider our Gospel reading this week as Jesus interacts with a person from the crowd demanding Jesus to judge his dispute. This man seeks Jesus’ intervention in receiving his inheritance from his brother. To this, Jesus tells a parable. A rich man is overly blessed by the growth of his crops. He sees that he has no more room to store his grain and ponders what he shall do at this dilemma. Thus, he decides, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry,” Luke 12:18-19. While this solution sounds well and good, this man has failed to consider a different perspective... his own mortality. As God responds, he tells him that his life will be required of him that very night. So, what shall become of the abundance of his possessions?

This is where Jesus pushes us toward a new perspective on wealth, money, and possessions. Our goal in life isn’t to seek after wealth for its own sake. Money cannot deliver us from death, no matter how much we have. Likewise, we’re to realize one other big perspective shift. Our wealth and even our life are not our own. Everything we have in this life is a gift of God and we are stewards of God’s wealth. 

When we look at life in this different perspective, we’ll come to realize what has value and what does not. Through faith, we come to see this life in light of our mortality, but also through the lens of eternity. As Solomon teaches us, the things of this world are nothing but “vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But there’s a wealth that far exceeds anything in this world... the treasures of heaven! Instead of being rich in this life, for a time, by faith in Christ, we have the wealth of eternity! For God has given us the abundance of his grace through Jesus and his death on the cross for us. Thus, let us look with renewed perspective and as good stewards of God’s gifts, that we may share this heavenly treasure with all!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, grant us wisdom to recognize the treasures You have stored up for us in heaven, that we may never despair but always rejoice and be thankful for the riches of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.