Amy and Hoarding Love

Hoarding Love

I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.... Luke 12:18

In this time of intentional reflection on all the gifts that God has given, I was drawn to a deep study of the Parable of the Rich Fool that Jesus tells in the Gospel of Luke. Once again, Jesus has got my number. How much I identify with the rich fool!  My well-laid plans to insure safety and security of my "grain and goods" can lead me into neglecting to share the riches of God's grace. What seems like one good - security and safety - might just be at cross purposes from the abundant life that God has dreamed for me. What a fool I am!

On November 7, when St. Francis Episcopal Parish and Community Center marks All Saints' Day, those who would like to are gathering to reflect on one of the saints - The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Some of you may have seen the documentary of their life now streaming on Amazon Prime: My Name is Pauli Murray

Pauli Murray was also a poet. The poem "Words" resonates with me this morning and with the Parable of the Rich Fool. You can read the brief poem here. In it Murray contrasts how freely we use words of anger and resentment, in contrast to hoarding or keeping to ourselves those words of love and heartbreak, the sharing of which with others would bless both them and us.

May we let our slowly wrought words of love flow freely this day and always. Amen.