What are you waiting for? Relax and be merry!

The foolish rich man had spent his life accumulating so much that he had to tear down his barns in order to build larger storehouses for his stuff. If he accomplished that, he thought, “I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

So it is with the man in Jesus’s parable in this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading, Luke 12:13-21.

But what was so foolish? If he were an American living in the 21^st century, we’d call him wise – both saving for retirement and wanting to enjoy life. And isn’t it biblical, after all? Ecclesiastes 9:7 tells us, “Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do.”

Of course, the Bible does not give license to gluttony, drunkenness and hedonism. The context of Ecclesiastes is clear: If you are blessed to have enough to secure your needs, then relax and enjoy your life as a righteous soul in God. Furthermore, Luke cites Ecclesiastes in the framework of his own economic agenda (which reaches crescendo in Acts 4:32-34) that calls for people to turn from wealth and open thier hearts in generosity toward the poorest. In Luke's worldview, the man is doubly foolish because although he had wealth, he neither enjoyed his life nor used his surplus to help others.

In stewardship terms, the man blew it on three counts:

• Money: Christians are called to share wealth with the needy and find security and riches with God and each other. By amassing a fortune solely for his own security, Jesus says in Luke 12:21, the man was not rich in God. 
• Time: Acting as if a long life were guaranteed him, he squandered the better part of his days preoccupied with his retirement. 
• Life itself: "One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions," Jesus says in Luke 12:15, The man missed life itself.

Some of this week’s Gleanings talk these very stewardship issues. Check out USA Today’s profile of Sister Joan Chittester, and the religion column on the stewardship of time. In the featured resources, How much is enough? and Testimony of a tither are both salient reads.

I think you’ll agree that the parable of the rich man can teach us a lot about stewardship of our money, time and very lives.

 A new vision for your congregation
So, it’s been a while since you reviewed your congregation’s mission statement, or maybe you don’t have one. Or, you are beginning to look afresh at what you think God is calling your congregation to do at this critical time in your history. And you’d like to know how to proceed. This free guide is designed to help. Also available by PDF download.  By Mark Staples of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

 Stewardship work is not stealing
"Stewardship ought to be changing your life and your way of looking at the world.  When I am robbed I feel violated.  When I learn to give I feel blessed. If my work as a stewardship leader does not leave you feeling richer instead of poorer and truly blessed by God, then I have not accomplished what I have set out to do." In Dana Reardon's weekly reflection

How much is enough?
"Besides simply having more time to share and more money to give, another reason to simplify is to model faith in God and do His work in a watching world. Tom Sine, author of Why Settle for More and Miss the Best? and Mustard Seed Versus McWorld, says cutting back is not enough for Christians, who too often have 'sold out' to idolatry and 'are shaped by the expectations of materialism.' We need, Sine says, to come up with 'a fundamentally different notion of the good life and a better future.' " By Stan Guthrie, writing in Moody Magazine.

 Testimony of a tither
"Some people think of a tithe as legalistic. For me, a tithe is only the beginning of giving. A tithe is not an amount, but rather a dedication and a commitment to give of our first fruits." By Robert O. Drange, in the Lutheran Laity Movement Archives.