Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C 31st July 2022
Lectionary readings:
Ecclesiastes 1 v2, 12-14, 2 v18-23; Psalm 49 v1-12; Colossians 3 v1-11; Luke 12 v13-21.
Rich in the sight of God.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus finishes his story of the rich fool by saying, “This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves but are poor in the sight of God.” (Luke 12 v31).
Jesus is helping us with our thinking, by contrasting our human understanding of wealth with God’s. Jesus is suggesting that those who are rich in the sight of God are those who are generous and kind, people who are motivated by love not greed. As Jesus said in his preamble to the story, “Don’t be greedy! Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe”. (Luke 12 v15).
The writer of the letter to the Colossians suggests that, ‘being greedy is the same as worshipping idols’. (see Colossians 3 v5d, 6a).
The writer reminds them that as baptized followers of Jesus that “they have been raised to (new) life in Christ”. “Now set your heart on what is in heaven where Jesus rules at God’s right side.”
(Colossians 3 v1).
‘Set your heart on what is in heaven’ by which I think he means that we should adopt ‘kingdom’ values rather than earthly ones. (see Matthew 5 v1-12 and Matthew 26 v31-46).
“Each of you is a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator and you will understand him better. Christ is all that matters and he lives in all of us”. (Colossians 3 v1,10,111c).
New Testament writers viewed the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as expressions of God’s love for us all. They taught that we can become more like Jesus, that we can become the best version of ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit working within and through us.
Hymn writer Geoff Bullock reflects on the transforming power of God’s love for us;
Lord, I come to you, let my heart be changed, renewed,
flowing from the grace that I found in you.
And Lord, I’ve come to know the weakness I see in me
will be stripped away by the power of your love.
Hold me close, let your love surround me;
bring me near, draw me to your side.
And as I wait, I’ll rise up like an eagle,
and I will soar with you, your Spirit leads me on in the power of your love.
Lord, unveil my eyes, let me see you face to face,
the knowledge of your love as you live in me.
Lord renew my mind, as your will unfolds in my life
in living every day by the power of your love.
If we can grasp the truth that love is the key to life, and that all Christian action is motivated by love, then we will be rich in the sight of God. (I John 4 v7-9).
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version