Focus Text: Luke 12:13-21
“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Pastoral Reflection by Rev. Kym Lucas, Rector, St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Raleigh
Look at the faces of the people you encounter in the grocery store, on the sidewalk, or in board rooms. It is amazing how much energy we spend on worry and anxiety in today’s modern world. In a country that consumes much of the world’s resources, in a society that has more and more material goods at its disposal, most of us walk around worried. We are concerned about whether we have enough and how we can get more. We work longer hours, often without a Sabbath rest, and we raise the achievement bar higher and higher, and for what? Security? Peace of mind? A moment of freedom from care?

Personal Vignette by Sandy Irving, NC Council of Churches Executive Board and member of Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Raleigh
I have so much stuff—stuff that consumes me, consumes my time, and consumes my energy! As I’ve struggled in my faith journey with what to buy, how much to pay for it, and where to store it, I’ve come to realize that “stuff’ may not be a gift to enjoy but an obsession that begins to become all-consuming.

Key Fact
Wealth is distributed unevenly. North Carolina has a large and growing gap between the state’s wealthiest and poorest families. The richest 5 percent of North Carolina families earn 12 times more than the poorest fifth.

Image adapted from original at http://godgrown.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/tv-pile.jpg