Purses That Don’t Wear Out

From the appointed Gospel for this coming Sunday, August 10th, 2025, the ninth Sunday after Penetecost…

Luke 12:33–34

“Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven…”
(Luke 12:33, NRSVUE)

Jesus says a lot of things that don’t show up in embroidered wall art. But this line—about purses that don’t wear out—pokes at me.

The image in my mind’s eye is a weathered leather pouch with a long leather strap that crosses your chest as you carry it. But the image of a purse that does not. wear out; a strange image at first. What does it mean? Why did Jesus bother to mention this? Is it about money? Generosity? Some kind of spiritual investment strategy?

Maybe one of these things, maybe some conglomeration. But I wonder if it’s a metaphor for how we carry the love and grace of God. And how, with God’s help, we can sustain that kind of love in a world that wears most things thin.

The Purses We Carry

We all carry something—some container for what matters most to us. Some hold onto fear or scarcity. Others cling tightly to pride, security, or control. And many of us are just trying to hold things together with whatever thread we’ve got.

But Jesus invites us into a different kind of economy:
Sell what you don’t need. Give freely. And in doing so, create for yourself something better—a purse that won’t fall apart.

What kind of purse is that?

One made of mercy.
Stitched with trust.
Lined with compassion.
Held close to the heart.

Love That Doesn’t Fray

The beauty of God’s love is that it doesn’t wear out—not with use, not with time, not even with repeated failure on our part. In fact, the more we draw from it, the deeper it seems to go.

That’s how grace works. When it’s God’s, it doesn’t run dry.
I have found that when I love with that kind of love—when I give and forgive and bless and trust—I do not seem to run out either. I get filled up again.

In a world of fraying edges and failing structures, Jesus offers something more durable: a life of unfailing treasure.

Where Is Your Treasure?

Jesus ends the passage with a question dressed as a statement:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

It’s not just about what we value—it’s about how we live.
If we treasure the love of God, then we begin to live in ways that reflect it.
If we believe grace is worth everything, then we’ll build our lives around giving it away.

And that, I think, is the purse Jesus is talking about.
A life carried not in fear, but in freedom.
Not in accumulation, but in love.
Not in scarcity, but in sacred abundance.

Whatever today holds, may you carry the love of Christ in a purse that doesn’t wear out.
And may it never be far from your heart.

Purses That Don’t Wear Out