What Will You Do With What You’ve Been Given?

Gospel

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ACCORDING TO LUKE

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, '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."

LUKE 12:13-21

Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

This past year, I experienced something that, at one point or another, we all go through—having people close in age to us die. Both of the people I knew died suddenly, one was killed in a car crash, the other succumbed to cancer.

When this happens, our response can be one of anxiety—expecting it to happen to us too, worrying that our time is coming near. But another response is to recognize that life is incredibly short, and we need to live it as best we can while we’re here: to be grateful for what we have, to live each day to the fullest, to enjoy our family and friends, and to use our resources—our money, our possessions—for the good of this world and others, knowing we can’t take any of it with us when we die.

This message is at the heart of Jesus’ ministry and comes through clearly in today’s Gospel. Jesus tells a parable about a rich man, who has an abundance of crops. They give him a sense of comfort and security, and he wants to store them away, protect them, make them last. So he tears down his small barns to build even bigger ones. He stores up all his grain and says to himself, “I have all I need now. I’m safe and happy. Time to relax, eat, drink, and be merry.”

But that very night, he dies. And Jesus concludes the parable by saying, “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.”

This parable reminded me of the women’s self-defense class a few of us attended in the spring. Andrew, who led the session, described how women often walk with our keys in our hands, pointy end sticking out…thinking that if we’re attacked, we can poke the guy’s eyes out. But those keys can give a false sense of security. If we’re not prepared—if we don’t trust our strength or know how to respond—then the keys are just a useless piece of metal. We get attacked, drop the keys, and have no clue how to escape.

And that, to me, is what Jesus is saying in this parable. The man clings to his stuff for safety, just as a woman might cling to her keys. But the stuff itself can’t protect us…they only have value when we know how to use them well, and, as Christians, this means using them in a way that aligns with God’s purposes.

What if the man in the parable had put aside his desire for security and instead gave some of his grains to the poor? What if he sold some and used the money to do good—giving it to his children, investing in his community, blessing someone else?

When I think about our lives in light of this parable, I see so many ways we’re already living into Jesus’ call. Just look at the school snacks we’re collecting. Think of all we’ve done for our community—supporting the residents of Margaret Edgson Manor, donating to the Mustard Seed and Bandaged Paws, the ongoing work of the ACW—and that only begins to scratch the surface of how generously this church gives back.

You could also look at our building. All the money we’ve given to fix the roof and bell tower could have been saved for emergencies, but we didn’t hoard it. We chose to put it here. We’re investing in this parish, honouring the role it plays in our city. We’re not building bigger barns, we’re choosing generosity.

We can also think about how we use what we have on a personal level. The loss I experienced pushed me to take my trip to the UK. I kept thinking—life is short. I could die tomorrow. So could the people I love in England and Scotland. So, I chose to go—and it was the best thing I could have done. I needed that time. I needed those connections.

Could I have donated the money to charity instead? Saved it for an emergency? Sure. But sometimes what we need most isn’t a bigger bank account. Sometimes it’s love. It’s connection. It’s tending to our own lives and mental health—that has value too.

It’s easy to forget ourselves when we hear Jesus’ call—as if being Christian means giving everything away until we have nothing left. But that’s not what Jesus says. He calls us to be rich toward God, and that richness includes how we care for others and how we care for ourselves. Being faithful is about using what we have with intention, rooted in love and generosity. Remember, God loves you deeply—and wants you to be healthy and whole too.

So today’s parable challenges us to consider: what are we doing with what we’ve been given? Are we clinging to it out of fear, trying to build a false sense of safety? Or are we allowing what we have to become something more—an expression of God’s love in this world? Whether it’s a barn full of grain, a key in your hand, or the money in your bank account—it’s not about the thing. It’s about what you do with it. So be rich toward God. Be generous with love. Live like life is short—because it really is. Amen.