The Washington Post ran a very preachable article about “the collapse of ‘entitlement.’” Here’s Robert J. Samuelson definition of entitlement: “We expected all social problems to be solved. We expected business cycles, economic insecurity, poverty, and racism to end. We expected almost limitless personal freedom and self-fulfillment.”

Sadly, millions of Americans who have played by the rules (work hard and you will achieve the American Dream) are in distress. The author notes some impressive statistics about this collapse of entitlement and then dismantles some of the unrealistic expectations we've built our lives around, like big corporations will take care of you, or that the government could fix our economy, or that lifestyle choices about marriage, cohabitation, and divorce "would expand individual freedom without inflicting adverse social consequences." He says, "Wrong. Family breakdown has deepened poverty and worsened children's prospects."

Possible Preaching Angle:

There's some great preachable stuff here about trusting in God—his wisdom, his provision—rather than in ourselves.