READING LUKE-ACTS, PART XXXI

Above: From My Study, January 7, 2022

Photographer = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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Luke 12:13-34

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In the context of Jesus’s society, the rich man’s conduct was especially egregious.  Most people were poor.  A relative few were wealthy, and the middle class was small.  Hoarding crops kept food away from people who needed it.

In whom or what do we trust?  If we trust in anyone or anything else more than we trust in God, we commit idolatry.  If we trust in money and possessions, we trust in ephemera.

Another issue regarding possessions is that they occupy space.

I moved from Athens, Georgia, to Americus, Georgia, last October.  I rented an enclosed trailer to haul behind my truck.  I had some space in the truck cab, too. I knew better than to haul anything in the truck bed.  As I prepared to move, I obsessed over how much space I had.  This obsession led me to downsize more than I had already.  I downsized well; I used the available space well.

When one downsizes, one may realize that one has not used x, y, and z for a long time.  One, therefore, may not miss them.

That which matters most is intangible.  Relationships with other human beings and God matter most and are related to each other.  One may realize this after a loved one has died and one is cleaning out the deceased person’s abode.  A life does not consist of possessions.

Anxiety and worry cannot improve one’s life.  However, proper concern may spur appropriate actions to resolve problems.  If one is anxious because one lacks, one may still remain anxious after coming into a fortune.  Such a person may become anxious about safeguarding wealth.  Scarcity is a human creation; there is always plenty with God.  God calls us to take care of each other, to ease each other’s anxiety, and to ensure that everybody has enough.  How to accomplish this goal most effectively within a given context is a legitimate topic for discussion.  The underlying commandment is not up for debate, however.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 7, 2022 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF FRANÇOIS FÉNELON, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAI

THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDRIC OF LE MANS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF LE MANS

THE FEAST OF JEAN KENYON MACKENZIE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY IN WEST AFRICA

THE FEAST OF LANZA DEL VASTO, FOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF THE ARK

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIAN OF ANTIOCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 312

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JONES, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND MUSICIAN

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