It is a truth almost universally acknowledged,
that a man in possession of a good fortune … is in the good books with God. One of the problems with growing up comfortable
and in the church is that it is too easy to think this. For we are the good guys: the right sort of people who never do anything seriously wrong. Insulated
by our wealth and our privilege, we glance over at all those ghastly people whose
lives are a mess, congratulate ourselves for our nice morals and clean living,
and assure ourselves and everyone else that we belong in God’s house. For we
are not sinners like them. We never rejected God; we belong in the kingdom. Yet,
week after week, in God’s house we hear stories which should challenge our assumptions,
and this week is no exception.
