Sermon for Thanksgiving Day
“IT’S MY MONEY AND I WANT IT NOW!” This is essentially what the man who calls out to Jesus is asking when he asks Jesus to help them divide his inheritance. It was the kind of thing Moses had to do all the time, so much that his father in law finally convinced him to delegate some of the authority. But Jesus says, who set me up to be your judge, and money-divider?
Jesus has no interest in helping men continue in covetousness, their desire for what others have. As we know from the ninth and tenth commandments, covetousness is the desire, scheming to get what is our neighbors, even in way which appear right, like through legal means. People can spend their whole lives, put a lot of effort into this, but Jesus says to beware of it, stay away, don’t waste your time. For possessions, money, whatever things you might desire are not what life consists of. Rather we should be rich toward the only one who really gives anything, God. Rather than spending all our time pursuing the wealth of this age, we should live as this holiday teaches us, in thanksgiving to God for what we do have.
