Terry D. and I were talking a few weeks ago
about an article that we read in the Times or the Wall street journal about a
guy who claims that the bible holds keys to investing… if we learn them and put
them into practice we can become wealthy investing in the stock market. I guess
he’s made millions because he knows these “keys”. Clearly this guy isn’t
familiar with today’s readings… the article didn’t list the “keys” to investing
that made this man millions of dollars… nor the title of the books he sells or
his booking agent for the seminars that he’ll offer us.
But money itself isn’t evil… right? It’s necessary in this life… or seems to be. It would be nice if it wasn’t such a worry though wouldn’t it? It would be nice if we all had enough and some left over. The basic American dream of financial security for now and the future is less and less a reality for many. Many of my neighbors are chasing bills not dreams. Many of my neighbors are a health crisis… or a broken down car… or a fridge that just stopped working away from more debt, debt that eats more of their paycheck… which means less for groceries, let alone less for the future. In Mower County the poverty rate is 18%, the percentage of children in our public schools on free and reduced lunch is around 50%. There’s plenty to worry about when it comes to money.
We live in a world of those who have and
those who don’t. Unfortunately the gap between the two is growing. Acquisition
of wealth is left to a smaller and smaller number of people. Truly, issues of
economic justice are near the heart of God and today’s readings reflect that.
Money… as in the acquisition of wealth… is wrapped up in the power systems of
the planet… and many millions… probably billions… suffer injustice on that
account. The voices speaking about money are varied. The voice that concerns me
is the voice that talks loudly about the status that comes with wealth, the
voice that says the more you have the better you are, the more you have the
closer you are to God, the more you have the more power you have. These voices
claim that personal affirmation, personal vindication, personal happiness and
satisfaction are found only by size of your paycheck, your savings account, the
size of your house, the beauty of your possessions, your stock portfolio, the
car you drive, the cloths you wear, the food you eat, and on and on… This voice
devalues people. God doesn’t devalue people. These are not the voices of God.
Of course people with wealth are not evil simply because they make tons of money. I think on this point the scripture is clear. The sin comes through attitude, choices, through a life lived. And so I think about the guy from the article I read. The one who makes millions in the market by applying God’s “hidden secrets of accumulating great wealth”… I don’t know how he lives. Maybe he gives much of his earnings away to feed the hungry and cloth the naked. Maybe he’s informed by these scriptures and is aware of the great needs in his community and in the world. Maybe he cares more for those around him than he does his own personal comfort and status.
Today these scriptures speak to me about contentment… about a life lived in pursuit of simple and deeply spiritual practices. They are about putting money into proper perspective. These scriptures are about recognizing where I go wrong and coming back around to the right path… A path that leads me to the center of the mystery, which is God, who dwells where no one has seen or can see… These scriptures are the voice of God speaking from the unapproachable light, a voice which consistently calls me to seek contentment in a life given more and more to the good confession, of becoming rich in good works and generosity, to pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness”. Money is of little account in the pursuit of this calling.
