Dashing Through The Snow

Dashing through the snow 12/3/2005

Luke 12:16-21

We live in a fast paced world. It is not what you can do it is how fast can you do it. You have microwaves and drive thru. But you don’t even have to go through a drive thru to get your food fast.

Denny’s started this theme of if you come in and order your lunch; it will be served to you in 10 minutes or less or it will be free. Then they put the little stopwatches on the table for you to time them. Domino’s Pizza says that we will deliver your pizza in 30 minutes or it is free. The President of Domino’s states that we are not selling pizza; we are selling delivery.

And as we enter the Holidays things seem to pick up a notch. Have you noticed that every year the Christmas decorations are going up earlier? Right after Halloween you will start to see the signs of it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. It’s just starting earlier. At my house, most times we not only have our Christmas tree up in October, but we have two trees up.

This year I noticed that the earlier bird specials for Christmas shopping started in some stores even before Thanks Giving. Then on that black Friday you have stores opening up as early as 5am. They want to be the first to get your money. My wife left the house at around 4am in the morning. You have lines of people waiting in line before the stores open.

Christmas use to be a time where we would take time to slow down and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with family and friends. Now it is a time where we go dashing through the snow trying to get everything done in time for Christmas.

They use to write songs like Silent Night, Holy Night, all is CALM. Now it is songs like grandma got ran over by a reindeer. It must have been the Domino’s pizza deliverer guy.

But let me ask you a question. How many of you can tell me what you got for Christmas three years ago? Two years ago? Last year? Now I know that there are some Christmas’s that we received some special gift and it will stand out in our mind. But for the most part we rush through the holiday season trying to make sure that everything is just right and for what? What does it really matter in the big picture? Now I’m not trying to be Scrooge and say that we shouldn’t put up a tree or buy anything for anyone on Christmas. But what we will look at this morning is what really matters in life. Not just on a special time of the year but every day.

Read Luke 12:16-21

Every day of our lives we are being pulled in a number of different directions. On one hand we have family responsibilities pulling us one way. There is so much for kids now days to get into. Then you have your obligations to the church pulling us another and friends pulling us in yet another. We are left wondering, “What is really important in life?” What kind of life do we want? Do we want a life dependant on things? Or do we want a life the centers around God and His will for our lives?

This passage is very relevant to us, especially this time of the year. Most people in America think that their main priority in life is all about them. In our text we find the word I appearing six times, showing the selfish focus.

And although we may not be farmers we still have that same focus. What is in it for me? How will it help my kids? What am I getting from it? We often try to climb that corporate ladder to attain enough money to live what we think is the good life. We want those nice houses. We want that nice car. We want our kids to have nothing but the best.

We are like the television show; we all want to be millionaires. I know for myself that I am working on my second million. I’ve lost my first one somewhere. But no matter what you have, someone else always has something bigger and better.

Now Jesus here was not condemning the fact of having things. He was condemning the focus on self. You see it’s not all about you; Your life, your family, your job. It is all about Him. And anyone who has their focus anywhere else would be considered a “fool” from the lips of Jesus.

Jesus called this man a fool.

Vs.20-21, But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided. So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God”.