Good Shepherd sermon. August 3, 2025. Luke 12. 13-21.
“Building Bridges or Barriers?”
Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God, the Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, thru the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
I remember hearing a story of a grandfather talking with his grandson about what he did for a living – he was a bridge-builder. Can you imagine all the different gifts from God given to each person who build bridges? From the outset, with a vivid imagination to the intricate engineering drawings to the actual construction of each bridge with hundreds of people using their particular gifts. Wow!
But the real part of the story which grabbed my head and heart was what the grandfather said next – the same material he used to build bridges are the same materials others use to build barriers.
That’s what this parable from Jesus reminds me of…
Just consider the abundance of grain the farmer in our text was harvesting…His old barns couldn’t accommodate the massive harvest coming his way, so what did he do? He began a conversation with himself, saying to his soul, “Soul…”(Yep, that’s what he said), “We’ve got some work to do, but will it ever be worth it —
(Pause)
literally worth it.
We’re going to tear down those old barns so we can build new and bigger ones! That’s what I’m talking about!”
Soooo, how does grandpa’s bridge-builder story and Jesus’ parable line-up? Well, it’s actually more of a “could-have-been,” than a parallel story.
Allow me to share a story from a number of years ago, while pastor of 1st Lutheran Church, downtown Dayton. I think you know about the weekly Sunday breakfasts and the worship that followed. Women and men who were in the throes of life’s messes, from homelessness, to being victims of domestic violence, to addiction, to horrible misfortune. After breakfast was a worship service; one where no offering was ever taken. I mean, why? These were women and men who didn’t have much in the first place.
Long story short, during a morning devotion, I was led to announce at the upcoming Sunday’s service that we would begin a free-will offering, and, after 3 months, if we reached $100, we would be able to buy some chickens and a pig thru Lutheran World Relief. You’re familiar with this ministry, right?
We ended up with a few cents over $165.00 and bought chickens, a cow, and a couple goats. Men and women with very few financial resources, gave from their hearts to help people they didn’t know who lived “somewhere in the world.” A bridge between such food insecurity and extremely-needed nourishment was erected. I remember a fellow, “Big Gary,” who sat at the front table, came up to me and said, “Pastor, this is all I can give today. I’m sorry it’s not more.”
All I could do is look him in the eyes and tell him, “Gary, this is more than enough.” If memory serves me correctly, we both had throat lumps.
In our world today, can any of us answer the question, “What is enough?” Well, you probably don’t want to hear what Paul says about enough. Sorry, here’s what he said about a tete-a-tete he had with Jesus in 2 Corinthians 12: 8 “Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it (what Paul said was a thorn) would leave me, 9 but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for poweris made perfect in weakness.’ “So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”
In other words, God said, “No.” Brilliant author, Anne Lamott wrote, “God said that his grace and mercy had to be enough, that nothing awful or tremendous that Paul did would alter the hugeness of Love Divine. This love would – and,
will – have the last say.
It was the precious love of God that prompted Gary to unselfishly give the dime that Sunday and a few more in subsequent weeks, plus all the others who freely gave their offerings in this bridge-building effort.
And, just as love is the great bridge-builder, hate, narcissism, selfishness, non-forgiving hearts, and greed, just like the greed in the parable Jesus told, are some of the barriers many humans create. But, it’s not just the fact that this man’s insatiable desire for more will deprive many from the possible good those gifts could have generated; he will separate himself from community. While he is more concerned to guard his fortune, is, by his very inward actions, erecting a barrier which will keep himself outside the possibility of experiencing the love of others in community. And…he would have missed experiencing God’s precious love.
Maybe that’s why Jesus called him a “fool.” Biblically speaking, that is a powerful word, one which paints a bleak picture. As a matter of fact, in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament, a fool was anyone who failed to notice how the world works, thus adapting themselves accordingly. In Proverbs 18: 2 in the New Living Translation, “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”
You see, not only do they fail to make good observations on what works and what doesn’t, fools also refuse to listen when others point these things out for them.
Friends, if this man is truly a fool, not only will he find himself living outside of community, he will live outside of a connection with God through Jesus. Sin itself is the separation – a barrier – between us and God, and foolishness is exponentially more devastating.
The barrier he built was with the very same materials that could have been a wonderful bridge for the Glory of God. That bridge would have enabled him to recognize and realize how Jesus Christ is all…and in all. Furthermore, a bridge that would have allowed others to see Love Divine as well.
Regardless of where we are in life, God uses each of us — our words and actions to build bridges of love and grace. Let us continue to build more bridges every day.
AMEN.