We hopefully don’t have much in common with the rich man in Gospel this weekend (Luke 16:19-31), nor with the complacent on their ivory couches humming along to the latest tunes (Amos 6:1a, 4-7). So there not a lot here for us today then, except perhaps for sorting out our feelings towards those that Jesus and Amos are targeting?
That could be a useful exercise. We may need to remind ourselves that the purpose of these teachings was to encourage people to change, not to provide us with a reason to feel superior, or to gloat over the wealthy coming to a bad end.
But perhaps more relevant are Paul’s words to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:11-16). Paul has just given him a whole load of instructions. He then tells Timothy not to make the same mistakes: “I charge you … to keep the commandment without stain or reproach”. We might think that Timothy doesn’t need telling, but Paul makes it clear that staying on the path requires effort, perseverance: “Compete well for the faith”. It’s not just a matter of setting a course and then traveling on autopilot. Paul is very aware of how people who start out with enthusiasm and the best of intentions can get seriously lost. Much of his advice is about how to correct these problems.
So just like Timothy we shouldn’t take our discipleship for granted. We have to work at it.