A short passage that I still like, but that didn't make it into tomorrow's sermon:
This idea that we should rely on God for everything that we need, day by day, without hoarding and trying to store up for ourselves all that we need, is one that we DON’T live by in our culture, and to be honest, I can’t stand up here and tell you not to continue to save for retirement, to invest in your pension, to save for college for your children. We are in a culture in which not doing these things when we have the ability to do them could be seen as foolish.
That being said, I CAN stand up here and tell you that your life is still worthy, that you as a solitary single human being still have value, and that you can still live a good life even if you do not have these things. If something happens to our savings, we do not go “Poof!” and shrivel up and cease to exist. If we are not even able to save, and instead are living hand to mouth or even relying on outside services as a way to get our bread, we are still valuable, fully human, children of God, beloved by God every bit the same as those who are culturally self-sufficient.
