eternity and today

Good morning friends,
Today's reading from Colossians reminds us that belonging to Jesus changes our whole life. When we live in faith we put all the bad things we might have done in the past behind us and embrace a new way of living that is focused on loving others and loving God. There should be no part of our life that our faith doesn't transform. It's easy for that to sound like a demand we can't meet. Really it's an invitation to open our hearts and lives up to God so Christ's light can drive out our darkness. The new life we lead us Christ living in us by the Spirit. We are all one joyful family in Jesus, or at least we are all invited to be one joyful family.

The reading from Luke is a reminder that life is not about things. Even though our culture preaches accumulation non-stop, Christians are called to a different way of life. The questions this passage wants us to ask ourselves is: If your life ended tomorrow, what story would it tell? What priorities are revealed by the way we spend our time and money? Are those the priorities and values we want our life to proclaim? If not, what is God's call for your next day, your next month? May we always live in the light of God's eternal love.

God bless,
Sam

Colossians 3:1-11
1So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8But now you must get rid of all such things-anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

*Sunday Luke 12:13-21
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15And 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." 16Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18Then 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. 19And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." 20But 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?' 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."