Saturday, September 19, 2015

Luke 12:15-21

And 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.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then 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. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But 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?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’

Breathe the air

I just came from a time with men of the congregation who eat and talk on Saturday mornings. Right now the topic is what Martin Luther said, a treasure of faith and grace mixed with a bit of vitriol that sooner or later moves us to take something to heart and carry it with us as we go out the door.

I carry the prayer one member offered before we left: thanks for the trust that allows everyone to ask questions and say what they mean.

Our gathering table is free space engulfed in an ocean of fresh, clean air. The men are who they are here, no airs or egos competing for prominence, just guys talking.

Laughter is easy … and authentic. Who is more successful as society counts it is irrelevant. You are more likely to hear guys talking about their follies than their triumphs, an altogether humanizing experience in an atmosphere of acceptance.

Conversation complete, we go to noisy families or the ache of empty houses, to errands, chores or sporting events, carrying away an idea or two, maybe, but mostly the joy of being together with no demands to do or be or produce anything in particular.

The surprise is that doing and being nothing in particular makes us … or at least me … more alive than when I walked in the room. Why?

Perhaps it is the connection with others who come together trying to know something of the mystery of God and the mystery of our lives.

Perhaps it is the freedom of being human together … trying to live lives of faith and grace in the time and place in which we find ourselves not by choice but chance and the will of God.

Whatever it is … being and feeling truly alive is not about abundance of possessions or the accumulation of accomplishments. It’s about life in community where the Love God is … is the air we breathe.

Like the air … Love is always here. Just breathe.

Pr. David L. Miller