On Sunday, August 4, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus, after leaving a meal with the Pharisees, begins to be surrounded by thousands of followers. As Jesus interacted with the crowd, he shared the parable of the rich fool where a man’s greed cost him his life. From this, Jesus encouraged his followers not to worry about their daily needs, for God will care for them. Pastor Stuart encouraged us to reflect on what we allow to influence our hearts, to protect our hearts by aligning with God’s will, and to strive to reconnect with Jesus through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
Luke 12:13-22 (NIV)