Luke 12:13-21 on August 3rd, 2025
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
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You may not believe this, but it has been six months since our last worship service in the sanctuary. Six months. So I figured that today would be a good time for some renovation updates. I know some people go down there every time they come to church and others are holding out until everything is finished. So those of you who haven't seen it and for those of you who have, in short, the other end is still dark, hot and dusty. And while there was a lot of movement and noise at the beginning with walls coming down and concrete slabs being cut, the past month or so has been much, much slower. However, we do have a good sense of the openness of the narthex. We've seen the view from the chancel, the stage area. We have a new ceiling height in the choir loft area. Construction on the organ chambers still needs to happen and there's a lot of electrical work that still needs to be done. So to make a long story short, they haven't started making things pretty yet. And from the meeting that we had on Friday, it sounds like a lot will be happening in the coming weeks. Woodworking, flooring, drywall and more.
Gifts giving and generosity amaze me. The forward-to-gather capital campaign money is being given, helping us pay for the parking lot and most of the organ already. We've had a little creativity with the bake sale and auction and fundraiser as well as sponsoring pews and chairs which has helped to supplement income a bit. People are doing what they said they would do and more. And we hope to include a few more families on this journey of generosity. Our finance team is managing the loan and the cash flow and we seem to be on top of things there. Change orders haven't been too crazy, including even a little bit more as best dose removal. Plus we've actually gotten a few credits back from the contractor, but I'll let you guess which side of the equation is higher. And all in all, the best guess as to when we can start thinking about a return remains at about only two months.
Now, it may be the coordination of the Holy Spirit that I bring up this million dollar renovation project today when the gospel lesson is about storing up treasures and Jesus is warning us not to do so. But per usual, there's a little bit more to it than that. We find that Jesus teaching someone and in the crowd they interrupt him, asking him to do to settle a family inheritance dispute. And instead of stepping in, Jesus refuses the role of judge and tells a parable that at first glance doesn't seem to answer his question at all. But Jesus is doing what he often does, redirecting the conversation to something deeper. Concerns about wealth can distract us. He's about the future can pull our trust away from God. And in the parable, Rich Bands land produces more than he needs. He decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones confident that he can then relax, eat, drink, and be merry for years to come. But that very night he dies and all his stored up goods mean nothing. So it is, Jesus says, for those who stored up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.
It's kind of jarring to hear this for their original listeners, sure, but maybe more so for us. I mean, we can totally relate to that rich man. Many of us have 401Ks or other retirement accounts. And truthfully, many of you are using what you have stored up for these retirement years also you can eat, drink, and be merry. And from our perspective, it doesn't seem wrong that this man would want to have a plan for the future where he could relax. We're not told that he gains his wealth by unjust means. We aren't told anything negative about him until God calls him a fool. And that's the power of the parable. His mistake wasn't earning money or preparing his for his future. It was trusting in his wealth to give him security. He put his faith in his possessions instead of in God and that is what made him foolish.
Luke, time and time again throughout his gospel hits on the truth that wealth is a barrier and a distraction to following God because it makes us focus on the wrong things. We start to get worried about what we possess, what we have, and what we might lose. So we fail to focus on being rich toward God. Again, the rich fool's mistake is trusting in his barns instead of in his God.
And that brings us back to our building renovations. Initially, it might look like we are building a bigger barn. There's a lot of money, a lot of effort, a lot of construction. But I wholeheartedly believe that when we are done, it will be a wonderful tool in helping people experience God. That the whole mantra that drove us forward together was worship and welcome. And those are still the goals. And then the new worship space, God will be glorified, praised, authentically worshiped. For those of you who have seen it, you know that that giant stained glass window will make a dramatic impact from the moment one steps into that worship space. The sense of God's awesomeness and grandeur will be evident. The sanctuary and the choir area will allow for more flexibility with music and praise. Things will flow better and feel holy. The North-X space will create a sense of welcome. There will be space for conversations and gathering right there. Faithful fellowship will just naturally happen. And in the worship space, we'll be able to include more. More people because of the reconfiguration, more variety of leaders because we'll have accessible ways to avoid stares and more ways to worship, to welcome, to serve. It's all about how we can feel more connected to God and how we can make it easier for others to do so too. One could say that we are expanding God's table for all.
And even more, while all of this renovation for worship and welcome is going on, let's not forget the abundant generosity that has continued through you. And we heard, we gathered nearly $9,000 for Christmas in July. That does not sound like storing up in barns to me. It sounds like sharing so that foster kids and kids who need extra support will get some positivity, some care, some joy. Through those gifts we are sharing the richness of God. And beyond that, we feed the hungry. We give to helping hand. We fill a blessing box right outside that window multiple times a week. That is generosity. That is stewardship. That is building God's kingdom. And that is trusting not in what we can build or what we save or what we earn, but trusting in the God who provides it all. Because when we trust that God will keep on providing, we keep on giving generously.
And that is the heart of the gospel that our security does not rest on the size of our barns, but on the boundless grace of God seen in Jesus Christ. In Jesus, our lives are already secure. And Christ, our future is already held. In Him, we are already rich toward God. So rich that we can afford to give ourselves away in love and mercy and service. So thank you. Thank you for helping us to expand our worship and welcome. Thank you for caring for those in need. Thank you for your generosity in the kingdom. Let's keep going. Because our God is still building, still welcoming, still giving, and is still calling us to join in. Because in the end, we can't control the future, but we can live faithfully in the present. We can build God's kingdom. We can share the love, life, and gifts that God has given to us. Bigger barns will crumble. The God's kingdom will stand forever. And by God's grace, that is what we are building together. Amen.