The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The parable of the rich fool and Psalm 65 portray two contrasting views of people who have an abundance of possessions, or who take in an abundant harvest. Jesus warns the young man to whom He tells the parable, that life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions. Life is not measured by how much we have. Rather, as Jesus teaches, what matters is that we be found rich toward God. Since Thanksgiving is also harvest-themed, let’s consider and reflect today how we might reap or bring in a harvest of richness toward God. In the parable of the rich fool, we’re told that “ The land of a rich man produced plentifully.” It’s significant that it was the land, and not especially his hard labor that produced the rich crop. This is a subtle reminder that God had provided his bounty, which is always at God’s own pleasure. Farmers know best that they aren’t in control of the rain or...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today we celebrate the festival of Pentecost, which began as an Old Testament festival of harvest. While we might think of autumn as the time for harvest, the festival of Pentecost marked the ending of the late spring barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest, as these grains were the first crops to bear fruit, and people were to give their first and best as offerings to the Lord. Today we don’t pattern our lives so much by the cycles of planting and harvesting, of summer and winter. Especially here in Hawaii, where produce can be grown year-round; especially in our modern age of international food markets and grocery stores, where you can get tomatoes or apples or just about anything else, almost any time of year. We notice some local fruits or vegetables are best “in season,” but unless you watch carefully, you probably don’t notice much about those seasonal cycles. And with food coming in from al...