St. Basil the Great on Luke 12:16-21.

Pastor Bart reads a sermon by Basil of Caesarea (330–379): theologian, liturgist, monastic reformer, and builder of (most likely) the world’s first hospital.

Basil’s text is Jesus’ story, recorded Luke 12:16–21, about the rich farmer who planned to tear down his barns and replace them with larger ones, oblivious that his soul would required of him that very night. In the bishop’s hands, the story becomes a searching exposé of human avarice; our callous evasion of the call of the poor, the naked and the hungry is forced on our attention, as Basil calls us to share with lavish generosity what our divine Benefactor has poured upon us.

This sermon is adapated from On Social Justice, Paul C. Schroeder’s superbly edited translation of four of Basil’s sermons. (A few sentences were taken from the passages that appear in Charles Avila’s Ownership: Early Christian Teaching). We took many liberties in abridging, clarifying, and smoothing out the text to make it understandable by a modern, international congregation.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.