The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

August 5, 2001

The Old Testament Ecclesiastes 1:12-14;2:18-23

I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me -- and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

The Psalm Audite haec, omnes Psalm 49:1-11

1 Hear this, all you peoples; hearken, all you who dwell in the world, * you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.
2 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, * and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
3 I will incline my ear to a proverb * and set forth my riddle upon the harp.
4 Why should I be afraid in evil days, * when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,
5 The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, * and boast of their great riches?
6 We can never ransom ourselves, * or deliver to God the price of our life;
7 For the ransom of our life is so great, * that we should never have enough to pay it,
8 In order to live for ever and ever, * and never see the grave.
9 For we see that the wise die also; like the dull and stupid they perish * and leave their wealth to those who come after them.
10 Their graves shall be their homes for ever, their dwelling places from generation to generation, * though they call the lands after their own names.
11 Even though honored, they cannot live for ever; * they are like the beasts that perish.

The New Testament Colossians 3: 12-17

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The Gospel Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."