( Luke 12:15-21 ) - [ Deutsch ]
Thanksgiving
Jesus told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself: You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.
(Luke 12:15-21 - New International Version)
A rich person who hedges his bets, that could be us. We also have quite a lot.
And of course, we worry about our future, but of course we also want to live in the greatest possible abundance without worrying. Providing for ourselves and thinking: I'm provided for, I can put my feet up and rest. His idea with the big barns could well be ours.
But Jesus says to the rich grain farmer, to me, to us: "No, it doesn't work like that. If you live like this, haven't you forgotten something?"
Jesus is not making it easy for us with this parable, but he wants to make us think.
I have brought you a second story, not by Jesus, but by Theodor Fontane. He was a German writer and wrote a poem about Mr Ribbeck (literal translation):
Herr von Ribbeck on Ribbeck in Havelland,
A pear tree stood in his garden,
And came the golden time of autumn
And the pears shone far and wide,
Then, when noon came from the tower,
von Ribbeck stuffed his pockets.
And a boy came along in slippers,
He'd call out, "Boy, want a pear?"
And when a girl came along, he called out:
"Lütt Dirn, come along, I've got a pear."
And so it went on for many years, until, with praise
von Ribbeck on Ribbeck came to die.
He felt his end. It was autumn time,
Again, the pears laughed far and wide;
Then von Ribbeck said: "I'm leaving now.
Lay me a pear in my grave."
And three days later, from the double-roofed house,
von Ribbeck was carried out,
It shines again far and wide.
And a young boy comes over the churchyard,
So it whispers in the tree: "Do you want a pear?"
And when a girl comes, it whispers: "Lütt Dirn,
Come on over, I'll give you a pear."
The hand of von Ribbeck on Ribbeck
in Havelland still bestows blessings.
All the peasants and bourgeois with solemn face
Sang "Jesus My Confidence",
And the children lamented, their hearts heavy:
"He is dead now. Who will give us a pear now?"
So the children complained. It wasn't right.
They didn't know the old Ribbeck very well;
The new one, of course, who scrimps and saves,
Keeps the park and the pear tree in strict custody.
But the old one, foreboding already
And full of mistrust of his own son,
He knew exactly what he was doing then,
When he asked for a pear for the grave,
And in the third year from the quiet house
A pear tree sapling sprouts.
And the years go up and down,
A pear tree has long since arched over the grave,
And in the golden autumn
Mr Ribbeck has a special place in my heart. He is a kind man. He also has a lot, is a rich man like the grain farmer. And yet his behaviour feels quite different. He seems to think differently, you get the impression he enjoys his life and lets others share in it.
And - it is said that he really existed. I have already visited the village of Ribbeck in Havelland, even the pear tree. But whether the story really happened in exactly the same way, I don't know.
Herr von Ribbeck saw his tree as a gift, as a rich gift, which he enjoyed and with which he could pass on joy. And as many people as possible should enjoy it. And so he gives, and perhaps not only the pears, but also a smile, a few words, a piece of himself for the joy of others. He does good to the people around him.
He lives and lets others enjoy it with him.
And he even thinks about the people after him.
He acts sustainably, as we might say today.
And sustainability is more important than ever.
Problems of the global economy are of course not so easily answered with the rich grain farmer or the Lord of Ribbeck.
But it is about the attitude to life, an attitude to life that we recall today, at Thanksgiving. Gratitude for what we have. And the joy of sharing it with others who may have less. To ensure that people after us can continue to live comfortably on this planet. To give a piece of ourselves when we give.
Jesus would certainly have said yes to Mr Ribbeck. As an example of this attitude to life.
So that we consciously remember and experience it. And the peace of God, which is higher than all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.