Jesus wasn’t born in a golden palace, surrounded by the riches of the Jewish Kingdom.  His mother did not give birth in a featherbed made from the cedars of Lebanon.  The Savior came into this world in the middle of a damp, cool, and rocky cave, being warmed by the breath of the animals that dwelt there.  This seems completely backwards doesn’t it?  Why would the King of Kings, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, God Himself choose to be born in the midst of filth and darkness!? 

…Centuries later, in our little Church in the woods, the banquet once again lies before us! We have an invite to the Kingdom today! It is not some superficial place that we will get to eventually after we pass away…it is here….it is now.  The Gospel today says:  “Come NOW, for all things are ready.” 

In order to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, in order to come into complete communion and union with God, we have to drop all of the baggage in our lives that has been weighing us down.  

For our spiritual ancestors, the power and significance of the true Ark of the Covenant was definitely not a fairytale.  The presence of the Ark had tremendous significance and importance for the nation of Israel, because it represented the physical presence and power of God amongst them.

The Bible tells us that we can expect to live between 70 to 80 years (Psalm 90:10), which isn’t far off for the current average life expectancy in the United States of almost 79 years.  While that may sound like a long time, considering that you will be dead much longer than you will be alive, the time we spend alive on earth is extremely short.  And this is one of the important points of today’s parable that Jesus is trying to drive home.  For as the rich man is sitting back comfortable in the thought that he will spend a long time enjoying his riches, the Lord declares: “’Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (v. 20). Then all the rich man’s hopes, and dreams of an early comfortable retirement will come to an abrupt end—quite literally overnight.