https://app.dropwave.io/episode/1f4aa269-f95b-480f-a43f-fcec055a83b0/eve-of-national-thanksgiving-ad-2025.mp3

++ JESU JUVA ++

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This coming Sunday is the beginning of Advent. It starts what we sometimes call the Festival half of the Church year. But the American festival season is already well underway. It began with the anticipation of Halloween and runs through the celebration of the New Year. Throughout the American festival season, we are told that our lives get their meaning by how many goods we can buy and acquire.

And even more than a season, American life seems to be wrapped up in having those goods laid up for many years. Not so that we can love and serve our neighbors, but personal fulfillment. Eating. Drinking. Being merry.

But is that really what life is? That’s why we pause to not just observe Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Today we observe Thanksgiving as a Church holy day. And in this way, we consider what truly constitutes our life.

Riches in and of themselves are morally indifferent. Having wealth isn’t inherently righteous or wicked. But the love of such things is a root of many kinds of evil. That’s what happened to the rich man in the parable. He had wrapped up his whole life in the abundance of his riches. He had aimed his life toward building a paradise on earth so that his life could become only relaxation, luxury, and ease.

He rejoices and celebrates. Rejoicing and celebration aren’t inherently bad. It depends why one is doing these things. The only reason the rich man rejoices and celebrates is because he had ample goods for many years. He did not rejoice in God. He did not rejoice to receive from God’s hand. All he wanted to do was serve himself.

This parable is rather abrupt. The man sees his wealth. He makes a plan for it. He goes to bed. In the morning, he is dead.

But before we consider how his life ended, consider what his life would have been had he lived. From the parable, we learn what filled his heart. Selfishness. Covetousness. Envy. What happens to someone consumed by these things? Selfishness, covetousness, and envy drive us to violence. In particular, consider envy.

What is it? Envy, verb: To feel uneasiness, mortification, or discontent at the sight of superior excellence, reputation, or happiness enjoyed by another; to repine [that is, to become discontent] at another’s prosperity; to fret or grieve oneself at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account.

Envy is the opposite of gratitude. Envy hates to see others happy. It begins by asking — even kind of innocently — why should I not enjoy what others do? But it ends by demanding: Why should others enjoy what I cannot? Envy seeks to make all things level. If envy cannot level things up, then it will certainly level things down.

This is what fills the heart of the man who shouts at Jesus from the crowd: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me!” He thought that life consisted in the abundance of his stuff, and that Jesus was there to make everything equal. Because his heart is filled with envy, when he stands face to face with God in the flesh, all he can think about is how he can use Jesus to get what he wants. What he wants is some of his brother’s inheritance. Jesus is just a tool to get what he wants.

But Jesus isn’t ultimately concerned about stuff. He wants your soul. He wants your body and life. He wants you. But the man with heart full of envy doesn’t see things that way. He sees an injustice. There is an inheritance — Dad has died — and all he cares about is fighting with his brother for what he wants. He’s not concerned with love for his brother. He’s not concerned with love for his Dad. He’s not concerned with love for God. All that matters to him is what he can grab for himself. Dad, his brother, Jesus — these are all just ways to satisfy his true god.

But this man’s god cannot save him. What would happen if the true God demanded the man’s soul that night? Then all the things he’d fought over and tried to grab in this life just becomes an inheritance for someone else to fight over. And the cycle continues. Earthly treasure won’t do you or anyone else any eternal good. It’s like Jesus says. Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. So God calls him a Fool.

Last Sunday, we heard about Foolish virgins. That word for Fool was literally the word ”moron. But the Greek word here means one who cannot consider the future because he is so focused on the present. A life dedicated only to laying up treasures on earth is shortsighted. Earthly treasures wear out and break. When Christ returns, they will be burned up. But humans are eternal beings. We will live forever.

Jesus says, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. That means whatever we seek to have on earth is what we will have for eternity. Do you want only worldly treasure? Then you can spend eternity in a place of burning trash. Or do you want the Kingdom of heaven and to be rich toward God? Then you can spend eternity with Him.

God is a cheerful Giver. He cheerfully gives you all you need. Whatever you have is a gracious gift from His hand. God doesn’t complain about clothing and feeding you day by day. He isn’t upset at the prospect of giving His own life in ransom for your sins. Rather, it was for the joy set before Him that He endured the cross — the joy to redeem you from devil and hell, and to take you to Himself. He willingly suffered and died to save you. He has given you far more than any abundance of earthly riches.

He thereby turns your heart away from your stuff and toward Him. He brings you into His life and generosity. St. Paul writes: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” With your heart set on God, He makes you like He is. So let us learn thanksgiving toward God and generosity toward our neighbor.

If you’re having trouble with this, turn your eyes toward His generosity which knows no bounds. We have been generously and abundantly blessed by God. We have countless reasons to give thanks to Him. What has God given you? body and soul, eyes, ears, reason, senses, providence, clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, land, animals, all you have, money, goods, wife and children, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, good friends, faithful neighbors, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, forgiveness, life, salvation, His Word, grace, mercy, faith, sonship, joy, help, rescue, peace, and even Himself. And He gives them all to you by grace.