Today's Gospel Lesson mirrors the Sermon on the Mount that is found in Matthew 5-7. The sermon is directed at the disciples. It explores some of the things that will be expected of the twelve in the days and years ahead. It delineates the kind of outlook they should have as well as the kind of life Jesus expects them to live. Both Luke and Matthew start out with related materials. They both present us with what we have come to know as the Beatitudes and both end with the parable of the two foundations.

The verses presented here in Luke provide us with an astounding idea. That idea is simple; the value of your life will not be determined by how many years you live. It will be determined by how you used the years you were fortunate to live. I use the word, "astounding," in the sense that th…