Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 13

Luke 12:13-21, Colossians 3:1-11

The Rev’d Charles W. Everson

Church of the Atonement

August 3, 2025

Our gospel lesson begins with someone coming to Jesus with an estate law question: the man asks him to tell his brother (probably his older brother) to divide the family inheritance with him.

This sort of childhood squabble continues even in our day. In one of the earliest funerals I did after being ordained, I asked the daughter of the deceased, “Will your step-brothers and -sisters be coming to the service?” “No,” she responded. “They got all the money when their dad died, and we haven’t been able to stand being in the

same room with them ever since. We really don’t want them here.”

In this case, the younger brother gets upset because the law and tradition of the day said that the elder brother receives the bulk of the inheritance. The younger brother comes to Jesus, asking him to solve his problem. “Nope,” Jesus responds. No. Can. Do. The younger brother thinks his request is all about fairness. “It’s only fair that I get half,” the he thinks. But Jesus sets him straight. His request isn’t about

fairness. It’s actually about greed.

These two verses shape the parable that Jesus then tells. A rich man’s land produces

abundantly…so much so that he doesn’t have room to store all of his excess crops. So he does something practical: he builds larger barns in which to store them. But here’s where the rub comes in. The rich man then says, “And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, and be merry.”

Now that I’ve saved up and feel secure for my future, I can truly be happy.

God’s response couldn’t have been more high-direct. “You fool!” he said. “Tonight you die! And all these things you’ve stored up…whose will they be?” “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.” And then the parable ends. No happy ending like the parable of the Good Samaritan, or the parable of the Prodigal Son.

What does it mean to be “rich towards God?” Does it mean that you and I shouldn’t plan for retirement, or save for a rainy day?

There’s a difference between proper planning and greediness. I think Jesus’s message for us in this parable is this: you have to balance concern for the future with the call to give glory to God by caring for your neighbor – for the poor, the marginalized, and all those in need. This balancing act is hard work, and requires constant discernment.

I am not sure if everyone has this problem, but I have a very rich fantasy life. I love to fantasize about this particular scenario: someone who is rich in charity donates millions of dollars to our parish. Finally, we can fully fund all of our ministries and provide for everyone in need in our neighborhood.

Jesus’s response to this rich man – “You fool! Tonight you’ll die! So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God” – this response, as jarring as it is, reminds me that I need to stop being distracted by such fantasies.

Frankly, the rich man in this story had become so concerned for himself and his

comfort that he had forgotten that God had created the land that produced the excess crop. He’d forgotten that really, the crop belonged to God and he was just the temporary steward of it. And he’d forgotten that happiness and contentedness is not found in the abundance of wealth or possessions.

St. Paul said in our epistle lesson, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.”

It is only when we surrender our fantasies, whether they be about wealth or financial security or sexual happiness – it is only when we name these distractions for what they are – idols – and lay them at the feet of our Lord that we can truly set our minds on things that are above. It is only then that we can begin to see what contentedness looks like.

What does it mean to be “rich with God?” Being rich with God means acknowledging our fantasy life for what it is, and not allowing it to become a distraction as we seek to

follow Christ with all that we have and all that we are. Being rich with God means balancing the need to plan for our future with the need to give away our money and possessions to support the poor, the marginalized, and the needy. Being rich with God means knowing in the deepest parts of who we are that money, and financial security, and possessions will not make us happy. Being rich with God means finding our happiness in setting our minds on things that are above.

While it is true that we are not worthy to gather up the crumbs under God’s table, God’s unconditional mercy and love make us worthy to come into his presence with a quiet confidence that “all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” It is from this deep sense of knowing who we are and whose we are that we should approach our money and whatever it is that captivates our fantasy life. It is only then that we are able to begin to see money and possessions for what they really are – gifts from God over which we’ve been given stewardship for a fleeting moment in

time… gifts from God meant not only to sustain us, but to be shared generously with the poor, the lonely, and the forgotten.

Dear friends, since we have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God, let us set our minds on things that are above. Let us resist the lure of fantasies and possessions that will ultimately fade and die, and instead live as people whose treasure is found not in barns or investment accounts, but in Jesus Christ. For when Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then we too will be revealed with him in glory.

Amen.