Tuesday 17th January - Luke 12

Today’s chapter is Luke 12

Tom writes:

If we just had the gospel of Luke and none of the rest of the New Testament it would be difficult to own much stuff and feel happy. The way Luke puts his gospel together, and the quotes of Jesus that Luke majors on, speak very strongly of the dangers of wealth. And we Christians have been struggling with them ever since. Like a bit of fluff in a bath, I repeatedly struggle to get a grip on my greed. I think I have it in my hand and then see it once more floating gleefully on the top of the water. The temptation is to give up and just accept that greed will always be there. But Luke ferociously advocates a generous life completely free from worries about bigger barns, new wardrobes or weekly shops. How can it be? Can you and I really grasp this kind of life? Well, for Luke, the nub of our salvation isn’t actually to focus on possessions or money but to reconsider what “life” actually means. For Jesus, “life” is synonymous with His Kingdom. Life is the loving nurture of the Father. Life is the clothed, counted and cared for submission to the master. Oh what a wise and joyful thing it would be to have this kind of life. Don’t you want it? Imagine never having to worry about money again. Jesus seems to have actually believed his followers could grasp this kind of life. He speaks like he expects us all to enjoy this way of living.

So how do we have it? We seek it. And that means doing things differently. We give attention to adverts about the character of the Father more than adverts on the latest item in the shops. We look at the trees and the birds more than new clothes or new restaurants. We carry an awareness that the “pagan world” around us will relentlessly nudge us towards hypocrisy. And so we deliberately build watchfulness into our week. We replace the barrage of information and the “scrolling down” of smart phones with bible and silence, with worship and waiting. And we practise giving things away and selling stuff we like. Not because the stuff is bad but because Real Life is better. We confess and practise heresy towards materialism so that we can enjoy the bounty of Kingdom. That is Life, as Jesus defines it.

Question for reflection

What one thing could you give to someone to express the loving generosity of the Father?