He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10–20, ESV)Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
There is a lie we live with every day. Every day we live, every day we gain new things, every day we live in good health, we tell ourselves these things have real value. Part of it is that we are surrounded by a culture that worships the pursuit of better clothes, nicer cars, larger homes, and better technology. We are told repeatedly our lives have value because of what these things bring into our lives. And despite what we say, we believe it. We join in the chorus of the praise of things. The pursuit of things is a nearly full-time passion. As retirement draws near, we panic about the things that not working will remove from our lives. The quality of our retirement is determined by the quality of the things we can hang on to or gain. It’s all a lie. Possessions have no ultimate value. That’s what the author Ecclesiastes wants you to remember. You start life naked; if you die before the Lord returns, you will end your life naked. Nothing you have goes with you.
From God’s point of view, possessions have always been gifts from him to direct our attention to him. Anything that is misused, that is used against the way God has given it to be used, becomes a problem. If you try to use a hammer to drive a screw you won’t get the job done properly. If you love silver and set your hopes and hitch your value to material success, this is a pathetic, debilitating evil—not least to your neighbor, who needs you to be better than that. God gives you possessions to serve your neighbor, beginning with your family (your nearest neighbors) and circling out from there.
And yet, food & drink & house & home & land & animals and all that I need to support this body and life are good things. We need these things. God doesn’t expect you to not enjoy them. This text isn’t at call to deny the physical-ness of life. We are instead to give thanks to God for what he gives and use it appropriately. God gives according to his good and gracious will. In faith, in our Savior Jesus, we take our needs and wants in prayer to the Father, who promises to give us all that we need. Jesus says these same things:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:25–33, ESV)This is a freeing thing. We have work to do, not merely for the gaining of possessions, and material things. There is much more to our everyday call to work than that. God places us in particular places to be of value to people. Wherever you are, there are people that have needs, people you can serve. You stand before them, and hidden in you is God at work providing what they need. Remembering this and thinking this way “demotes” work and material accumulation to their proper place.
The Fourth PetitionRight there in the Lord’s Prayer we ask God to give us what he already promises to give. We receive it with thanksgiving and gladly do what God would have us to with it.
Give us this day our daily bread.
What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.
Your Savior has promised new life, forever life with him. He has forgiven all your sins, even the sin of loving the gifts more than the giver. Even the sin of worrying more about yourself than your neighbors. Even the sin of thinking the gifts are not gifts, but earned. His death on the cross puts an end to the punishment you deserve for your selfishness. God has promised that through faith in Jesus, that is trust that he does exactly what he promises, you have a new heart, that lives just as he would have it live, loving your neighbor as yourself.
So, how does it look? Maybe this:
Sell that expensive car and get out from under payments that are stressing life and the family.
Stop pursuing whatever the next big entertainment thing that comes into your pocket on your smartphone.
Slow down. Think about what it means that God created you and promises to give you all that you need so that you can of value to your neighbor.
Look our culture in the eye and say “no!”
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Long to see what God is doing in your life and in the world, through Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.