Burying Greed

Lyrics to Captive in Prospering, Anthony Badell

Fancy clothes on the closet floor

Towels draped on the handled door

And everything you wanted

Is everything you thought you needed more

Every inch of my LCD

Painted chrome on my SUV

And everything you wanted

Is everything you thought you needed more

All I have  more than I have wanted 

Burying my greed, before I'm buried by my need

What I think I need.  

Look around how the trees they shake

How the birds find a restful place

And as the seasons change they'll

Die And freeze and build and grow you'll see

Why the worry.  Why the fretted pace

Thinking twice about the life we chase 

And as the seasons change we'll 

Die and freeze and build nd grow you'll see

Oh no never enough , never enough for me

Sold to, sold to my fear, captive in prospering

Luke 12:15-34

"Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (Luke 12:15)

On Ash Wednesday, we confessed to God and to one another “our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people.” In other words, we confessed that greed is a problem that has many dangerous tentacles. Greed is more than one of the seven deadly sins; it has actually been described as “the matriarch of all sins.” Paul writes that the love of money is “a root of all kinds of evil.” Not one, but two of the Ten Commandments address coveting. Greed is a dangerous thing. 

This week we’re going to reflect on what our lives might look like if greed were to die. What are the fruits that might emerge from a life of generosity and selfless living?

 
As you seek to bury greed:

• Live simply

• Pay attention to wants versus needs

• This week, purchase only that which is necessary

• Examine your financial stewardship and commit to regular giving 

• Anonymously purchase someone's coffee