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With more than 70,000 bridges declared structurally deficient throughout the United States; the old saying of life ending abruptly by being “hit by a truck” could easily be replaced by a new saying of “crossing a bridge”. For those of us who have to depend on bridges to go to work or to just go home, the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis gives us something new to think about. Life after this past week may not seem as certain as it was last month.
The scripture lessons today from both the Old Testament and the Gospel warn us about the importance of living lives that have laid up riches in heaven and not just on earth. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, the author, who is believed to be King Solomon, shares with the reader his journey in search of wisdom. Having first chosen to follow the wisdom of the world, this king writes, “I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.”
Yet, at the completion of all of this king’s efforts, he believed them to be works of vanity. Realizing that when he dies, all of his riches will be left to those who did not work for them, he is filled with great sorrow over what he now sees as his wasted years. He sums up all of his endeavors with these words, “What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun. For their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation, even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.” Following the earthly wisdom with all of its pleasures and efforts could not satisfy the emptiness in this man’s soul.
Then in the gospel reading from Luke, we heard the parable about the rich man who spent all his efforts building up his riches only to die without having the opportunity to enjoy them. This story told by Jesus points to the truth that we all must face at sometime in our lives in that we cannot know if we have another tomorrow on earth. In this story Jesus tells, the rich man has done so well that he must build more barns to house his crops. So he tells himself that after he has stored away his abundant wealth, then he plans to ‘eat, drink and be merry’.
To Jesus’ listeners, who believed that the wealthy people were blessed by God to have received such a favored life on earth; Jesus’ parable is most disturbing. Lest we immediately judge Jesus’ listeners, through our modern lenses, the rich man has achieved what we call the American Dream! Why should he not enjoy the fruits of his labors? That would seem to be the logical consequence to follow such hard work.
Yet, that is not what happens. In fact, the Lord God says to the rich man, “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 toward God.” In other words, God removes His blessings from those who do not serve Him. The rich man in Jesus’ parable did not desire to give of his time or of his wealth to the Lord. Because the rich man intended to keep all of his wealth for his own enjoyment and to spend his time in pleasure and not in serving God, God struck him dead.
Now before we start thinking that wealth is a curse and not a blessing. That the Lord God desires to strike down all those who are wealthy, we need to do some detective work. First of all, God’s desire for all of His children is to bless them and not curse them. In the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, we read a whole list of blessings from God to His people.
“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.”
There is a stipulation that precedes these blessings that is most important. The scripture reads, “All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God”. For God, our obedience to Him is what pleases Him. It’s kind of like the old saying about the husband who says he is happy when his wife is happy. Well, we are happy i.e. blessed, when God is happy with us. We can be living in poverty, but if we are living a life that is pleasing to the Lord, then He will bless us with His presence in our lives.
This past week, many lives were spared when the bridge in Minneapolis collapsed. This does not mean that they were more righteous than those who died. It does mean that they were given a second chance. Whether or not those who died so suddenly and unexpectedly were ready to meet the Lord is not something that we can judge. What we can do is pray for their souls and for those loved ones that they left behind.
It is those unexpected times in our lives, when danger and death suddenly come our way, wherein the integrity of our lives is judged. Have we lived our lives for God by serving Him through service towards others or have our lives been lived for our own personal gain and pleasures? These are important questions that we need to be prepared to answer.
Life here on earth is merely a preparation for what comes after the death of our mortal bodies. Who we choose to serve while we have the gift of time determines where we will spend eternity. The Psalmist defines a fool as someone who believes that there is no God. For the fool life on earth is all there is. It is the wise person who seeks to know and serve the Lord God.
All are destined to eventually die. It is whether or not we have prepared ourselves for that fateful day that will determine our eternal future. To paraphrase the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians, may it be said of us, that ‘whatever we did, in word or deed, was done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him’. For by living our lives for Christ, we will be prepared to face death at whatever hour it seeks us with the joy of the Lord as our strength.
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