"It All Goes Back In The Box," Pastor Doug Kamstra, Luke 2:16-21 December 29, 2019 AM

Covenant Christian Reformed Church

It All Goes Back in the Box

16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18“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. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20“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?’

21“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

1. We are a people in a hurry

1. We suffer from a disease called “hurry” sickness. We are rushaholics

The Confession

1. If you have this disease, you are Polyphasic (multitasking)

1. I invite you to join the slow group

The Calamity

1. People often spend their life pursuing things that don’t really matter

1. So Jesus tells the story of a busy man with a lifetime opportunity

1. Then he dies.

2. Jesus summaries his life in one word: fool

3. He was so busy building his own kingdom he had no time for God

Two Corrections

1. One: Life will settle down; we’ll get time for the things that are important

1. Two: Someday enough will be enough

1. The way we become rich is to slow down and focus on Him

The Contest

1. After playing a game for a while, “it all goes back in the box.”

1. While we want to leave it out as a memorial to what we’ve accomplished,

it is a reminder that it’s time to go home

2. We understand, “It all goes back in the box” means “game over; it is time to go

home”

3. It means “It’s not really yours. It doesn’t belong to you.”

1. The man in Jesus’ story learned to play the game; he played it well.

1. But he forgot the game eventually ends

2. So...what is worth giving your life to?

The Casket

“If life boils down to one significant thing, it is movement. To live is to keep moving. Unfortunately, this means that for the rest of our lives we will be looking for boxes. When you’re moving, your whole world is boxes; that is all you think of; boxes. Where are the boxes? You wander down the street, go in and out of stores, wondering “Are there any boxes here?” You could be at a funeral, everyone around you is mourning and crying and you are looking at the casket: “That’s a nice box.” Does anyone know where that guy got that box?” That is what death is. It is the last move of your life. The hearse is like the van, the pallbearers are your close friends; the only ones you can trust with a move that big. And that casket is that great box you have been looking for your whole life. (Jerry Seinfield)

1. All this rushing and accumulating is simply a form of denial

1. There is a simple two-word question we tend to avoid: “Then what?”

2. Jesus reminds us life passes quickly. And then, it all goes back in the box

1. If your soul was demanded of you today and God used a single word to summarize your life, what might it be? _______________

1. As you reflect on this past week, allow his gift to fill your heart

2. As you look forward to the New Year, remember the person in Jesus story

3. As you think about this story, remember the only thing that doesn't go back in the box is your soul!