December 15, 2024

Luke 3:10-18

Here Jesus teaches that if we have two coats, give one to the poor, and if we have more food than we need, give some away to those who don’t have enough. In the United States, many people have so much extra stuff that the organizing and decluttering industry is worth $11 billion annually. While some are poor, others have such a surplus of goods in our houses that we have to hire organizers and watch decluttering videos on Youtube to figure out how to get it under control. Underlying this clutter is tremendous wealth disparity as well, and we waste about one third of the food that is grown here.  Are we good stewards of God’s creation?  Production of our surplus of goods and wasted food is harmful to the environment. Sometimes giving feels hard, but Jesus is not asking us for dramatic sacrifices such as giving away our rent money, retirement account, or our kids’ education savings. Although consumer habits are hard to break, let us be mindful and set an aspiration to share, help others, live more simply, consume less, and acquire less stuff.