On the face of it, today's gospel, "the parable of the rich fool" (Luke 12:13-21) is about Jeff Bezos, right? Like, "Dude, you're going to die, and then what happens to those big blue dildos out on the launch pad?"
But to find our own lesson, the key is at the end: What does it mean to be "rich toward God" instead of just piling it up for ourselves?
Today, us kids of the 60s assume "spiritual treasure" is some internal groove: Step back from the world. Be silent. Meditate. Clear your head from worldly worries and cares.
Cool. But today's first lesson (Hosea 11:1-11) suggests an alternative. What does God want from us? God says his people kept "sacrificing to the Baals," the idolatry of material comforts. But God says "I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love.... I bent down to them and fed them."
It's what Micah 6:8 says too: What does God want from you? "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Today "being a good Christian" in America seems to mean the opposite: Be mean to people you don't like: Cut off their food, their health care. Swipe money from the widows & orphans and give it to the rich. Throw out the refugees. And then tell everyone how holy you are.
God, the source of reality, expects better "cords of human kindness" from us.
