T3

Rethinking Wealth

Check it Out! Christianity in a Consumer Culture

For those living in a capitalist context, wealth, profit, advantage and power are understood, in a general sense, almost exclusively as material and, in a more specific sense, as economic. But clearly there is a form of wealth that is not rooted in money, property, or any other physical asset. Similarly, there are advantages in life that extend beyond the economic realm and there are forms of power that are not rooted in the world of financial wealth. 
    In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, one of the wealthiest men in history, wrote, “Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! …So what is the advantage of wealth – except perhaps to see it run through your fingers!”  Moreover, Solomon writes, “There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver … People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as the day they were born.”  Solomon seems to be saying here that material wealth, in itself, is not capable of providing human beings with the happiness and inner peace that they ultimately value and seek. Something (spiritual capital) must exist beyond or beneath material wealth that imbues it with the power to grant happiness to its possessor. Solomon contends that people who seek material capital alone, apart from such spiritual capital live their lives under a cloud – frustrated, discouraged, and angry. Any thoughts? Let me encourage you to attend what should be an intellectually stimulating and life-changing event: Conference on Christian Consumerism

A Revolutionary Standard!

This morning in my reading I was headed for Matthew 26, but got stuck on Matthew 25:31-46. It is Jesus telling his disciples about the final judgment right before they go to celebrate his last passover. Jesus very plainly says that when he comes in all of his glory, and all of the angels with him, and he sits upon his glorious throne, he will gather the nations before him and then separate them as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep - sheep on the right, goats on the left. Then he will summon the sheep and say, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And the basis of this selection is how the sheep treated the hungry, thirsty, alienated, naked, sick, and imprisoned people of the world. It is not a passage we hear preached much in our churches today; and no wonder, it is quite convicting. Jesus seems to be saying that how we deal with the marginalized of the earth is a true reflection of our relationship with him. It is a sobering standard of true spirituality. And yet, for how many of our churches is this a PRIMARY concern? Do we see as our primary mission on earth Loving Jesus by genuinely loving and engaging with the hungry, thirsty, alienated, naked, sick, and imprisoned people of the world? What will it take to reorient the evangelical Church to this revolutionary standard? What can each of us do to help reorient our own community of faith and give leadership to a vibrant, church-wide ministry to "the least of these" among us?  Any ideas or thoughts?

A Radical Solution

The Scriptures say that we, as humans, are created in the image and likeness of God. As a result, we can attain to a relationship with the Creator through Jesus Christ. In fact, the Westminster Catechism states that that is our chief aim; to know God and love Him forever. Yet it seems sin has so corroded our aspirations for God that we are too often willing to settle for a life of banality. Louis of Granada says that, "Men have so perverted their natures that, like brute animals they seek nothing but the goods of the body. What greater disorder than that so noble a creature, capable of the happiness and glory of God, should live and act like an animal and not have any other occupation or seek any other end than to meet their bodily desires."  Such radical sickness called for a radical solution!  "Anyone who considers these things will not be surprised at the incarnation of the Son of God, because so great an evil demanded an extraordinary remedy." Let's make sure that these weeks of Easter we turn toward our true calling and live mindfully in relationship with the God who made us and redeemed us through Jesus! Blessings!