How Money WorksSermon Series on “Making Money Work for God and You”
Scripture Psalm 92: 1- 5 read responsively and Luke 12:22-34
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ June 14, 2009
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
The beginning of this Psalm celebrates through music all of God’s gifts.
Psalm 92 read responsively
1It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!
As we begin this series on making money work for God and you, I thought it would be best to consider how money works. But there is proverbial wisdom about money:
When you have money, you worry about keeping it.
When you don’t have money, you worry about getting it.
Jesus understood our tendency to worry about resources. So here is his wisdom about money and worry.
Luke 12:22-34
22He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
SERMON
For those reading this message at home:
The children’s time will demonstrate how money works by using a physics experiment. Sand is poured into a jar first and then small stones and finally large stones will not fit into the jar. But if the large stones are put in first, the small stones and sand will fit. The large stones will represent: shelter, food and health care.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” One of the first things we need to remember about money is that it is only a means to an end. That is why Paul did not write to Timothy “Money is the root of all evil.” Instead he wrote, “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
[1] Money works best for God and for you, if it is only seen as a tool like a shovel for working in the garden. I love to watch HGTV in particular “Property Virgins” and “Clean Sweep” because they’re not just about real-estate but offer a close look at human behavior and values. Our families have both traditions about money and events in our lives impact our understanding of money. For example I am a baby boomer, which means my culture says live for today for tomorrow if may all be gone, most of my friends’ parents had lived through WWII and their culture had a pent-up desire for possessions. But my parents had lived through the Great Depression and no matter what Tom Brokaw says they are not the same generation! They had a passion for saving and making do. When I was in junior high my mother wanted to teach me about the value of money. So she gave me a significant allowance with the understanding that I would be buying school supplies and clothes, and entertainment for myself. But when I started buying gifts for family and friends she ended that experiment. She want me to learn about budgeting and saving, not about generosity of which she felt I had an abundance! What are your families’ wisdom or lack there of that you still live by?
Do you know how you perceive money? A squished dollar bill is still a dollar bill.
Does your possession of money make you feel secure, wealthy, happy or important?
Here is a story by Scott Gay that helps understand how money works:
It was a quiet day in a little Southern town. Nothing much was happening. The place looked deserted. Times were tough, and everybody was in debt. Suddenly, a rich tourist shows up. He enters the town's only hotel, lays a $100 bill on the reception counter as a sort of deposit, then goes to inspect the rooms upstairs to select one for a quiet visit.
The proprietor quickly takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower.
The pig grower takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed.
The supplier at the feed store takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his loan to the bank.
The banker runs back to the hotel with the $100 bill and pays off a balance to the proprietor for some meeting rooms he'd rented the month before.
The proprietor thanks him and puts the $100 bill back on the counter.
Just then, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms.
He says things in the town are too quiet, and he thinks he'll head down the road.
He picks up the $100 bill and leaves town.
No one earned anything; however, everyone in town is now without debt and looks to the future with great optimism. An important aspect of how money works best is in its circulation.
If I stick a dollar in the ground, it will still be a dollar when I did it up. But money can grow through earned interest. But God has an interesting restriction on earning interest. Check out Exodus 22:25 -27
If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. 26If you take your neighbor’s cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; 27for it may be your neighbor’s only clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate. (NRSV)
Interest is fine, if people can afford the interest. Sound advice from our Lord, too bad the banks were not following this wisdom. But interest is part of commerce and can be charged on those who can afford to compensate their lender. In such a situation money does grow. Let’s say you have $500 in the bank and you are earning 4% annually compounded annually. At the end of the year you would have $520, the next year instead of earning $20 you would earn $20.80. An additional 80 cents does not seem like much but after ten years with your initial investment of $500 you would have $740.12.
With God as your financial adviser you can be both generous and wise about your finances.
Money is a tool that believers can use to grow God’s kingdom as well as their own lives.
This evening Tom Logan will share how he has grown the Kingdom of God in those who volunteer to travel with him to work on the shallow well program to the hundreds of thousands of Africans who have been blessed by their efforts. In the meantime with the same sound business practices he uses for the shallow well program, he has grown financially healthy.
The Grahams are a retired couple just wondering how can they continue to contribute to God’s kingdom and they decided to use their skills in sharpening scissors, knifes and other tools and giving a percentage to a church or other non-for-profit organization. How is God calling you to grow the kingdom of God?
Next Sunday my sermon will be “Save, Share, Spend.” Here is your homework. During this week consider where your last income went. Write it down, if you can remember. Then pray that God will reveal how he wants you to use your next income. Amen.
[1] I Timonthy 6:10
Save, Share, Spend
Sermon Series on “Making Money Work for God and You”
Scripture: Psalm 9: 9-20 read responsively and Acts 4:32-35
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ June 21, 2009 Celebrating the Gifts of Men
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 9 read responsively
As do many psalms the word Selah is used several times in this psalm.
Selah (Hebrew: סלה) is difficult to translate concisely. Selah is probably either a musical mark indicating a rest or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen"... Selah notes a break in the song and as such is similar in purpose to “Amen” in that it stresses the importance of the preceding passage. Alternatively, Selah may mean "forever", as it does in some places in the liturgy.
This song of praise is written at the celebration of God’s saving activity.
[1]Matthew Henry writes:
David excites and engages himself to praise God. . . If we would praise God acceptably, we must praise him in sincerity, with our hearts, and not only with our lips, and be lively and fervent in the duty, with our whole heart. When we give thanks for some () particular mercy we should take occasion () to remember former mercies and so to show forth all his marvelous works. Holy joy is the life of thankful praise.
[2] So stop and listen for David’s “holy joy” and consider your own joy.
9The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13Be gracious to me, O Lord. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20Put them in fear, O Lord; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
Acts 4:32-35
Luke in his telling of the life of the early church, gives us a vision of sharing that is the heart of the gospel. What was it like to live in such a community of faith?
32Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). 37He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
SERMON
Years ago I found a children’s book that I think was called Save, Share, Spend. I used it’s concepts to help children understand good stewardship.
Now financial advisor Nathan Dungan has written an informative guide called Share, Save, Spend
[3] that attempts to teach healthy financial decision making to our possession-crazed kids and adults. Did you know that those 18 and under spend $150 billion in the U.S. annually? Dungan’s main theory is that children/youth/adults need to get a handle on their own value system rather then let what they value be dictated by advertising or some vain attempt to keep up with the proverbial “Jones.” Dungan notes that the fastest-growing segment of those filing for bankruptcy are people under 25. As a nation, we need to turn this trend on its head and become a nation of savers and people willing and able to share.
As we continue this series on “Making Money Work for God and You? I will be providing resource for you to take home and use or discuss with your family. Several are now on the bulletin board. Take what you can use or share with family or friends.
There are several financial wizards encouraging us to become debt free. Many are Christian brothers and sisters who see our debt as a spiritual battleground. The story of the early church is an ideal community where everyone works hard and shares their efforts with each other as a healthy family system would do. But we know that the very next story after the generosity of Barnabas is of a man named Anani'as with his wife Sapphi'ra. They sold a piece of property and kept back some of the proceeds, but they wanted credit as if they had given all the proceeds to the apostles. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too. The end result was death. It is a harsh story, but we are living in a harsh reality. As believers we need to make choices that give life not death.
I believe it begins with gratification. To gratify is to satisfy a want or a need. Often gratification gives pleasure. It can be a delight or an indulgence.
Saving is delaying gratification. Sharing is broadening gratification. Spending is immediate gratification. Debt is being gratified now by killing one’s future. Learning to delay gratification and broadening gratification and enjoying immediate gratification based only on cash in hand requires a change of heart, mind and spirit. It is a life long learning process.
Let’s begin with delaying gratification by saving. The best way to develop this practice is to save for a fairly short term goal. Like having a child save for an ex-box, bicycle or i-pod. Adam Hamilton is Senior Pastor of UMC of the Resurrection in Kansas confesses to his passion for the newest phone. When the iPhone came out, he was infected with the need to gratify his desire. He already had a new phone, but kept rationalizing why he should be it. He resitsts for most of the evening and then goes back to the story just before it closes at midnight. But the strangest thing happens. His credit card, which he knew was just fine, was rejected. The salesperson offered to try another card, but Hamilton said, “No, Thanks.” It felt like a “God moment.”
[4] He does not recommend relying on a God moment happening, but when they do, we need to wake up and change our behavior. Impulse buy is destructive to our financial wellbeing as well as our spiritual wellbeing. Try waiting just 24hrs before purchasing anything that is based on an impulse. Instead when you feel the urge to buy something without thought, or to gratify a desire, ask God to lead you away from temptation and wait in the Lord. Then take the money you would have spent and put it in a piggy bank or savings account.
To broaden our gratification we share what we have. When we are so busy focused on what we don’t have or what we think we need, our whole attention is limited to ourselves or our family. When we think about sharing, we have to broaden our focus beyond ourselves. This open us to new possibilities. Have you ever heard a person look into their closet and say they have nothing to wear, and yet there is no room for one more article of clothing to be stored in the closet? Perhaps that person was even you. Time to thank God for all you have been given, and then give half of those close away! And not just the worn and stain ones. Giving away a suit or dress or shoes that you realize, you really do value, will change your whole perspective on what you do have. This can be done with anything we collect until there is no room for one more. You will discover the freedom that less is indeed more and what you have is valuable.
Now what about time to spend? No credit card shopping unless it is ALL paid for when the bill comes at the end of the month. Before you go shopping, write down what you want and need and prioritize what is most important. Pay attention to what is triggering an emotional response rather that a reasoned decision. Nothing you spend money on can fill the void in our lives. Only a personal relationship with God can fill the void. Only by loving God and loving others can we truly be one with God. There is nothing we can buy for ourselves or others that will fill our hearts with love. So Save, Share, Spend and most of all love one another. Amen.
[1] See: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah
[2] Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible Unabridged Volume III Job to Song of Solomon “Psalm IX”, published in 1706.
[3] See: http://www.sharesavespend.com/
[4] Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton, Abingdon Press, 2009, p. 11
Money and PowerJune 28 Sermon Series on “Making Money Work for God and You”
Scripture Psalm 29 read responsively and Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ June 28, 2009
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 29: Power refers broadly to any ability to effect change or exert control over either things people, or objects. The psalmist knows the source of all power is God. Though I will read the odd verses and you the even at the last line join me in the response “May the Lord bless his people with peace!”
1Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor.
3The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
10The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
From the wisdom of Solomon, who knew wealth and power, we hear a message of caution that all is temporal and will not last.
10The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. 11When goods increase, those who eat them increase; and what gain has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12Sweet is the sleep of laborers, whether they eat little or much; but the (excess) of the rich will not let them sleep. 13There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt, 14and those riches were lost in a bad venture; though they are parents of children, they have nothing in their hands. 15As they came from their mother’s womb, so they shall go again, naked as they came; they shall take nothing for their toil, which they may carry away with their hands. 16This also is a grievous ill: just as they came, so shall they go; and what gain do they have from toiling for the wind? 17Besides, all their days they eat in darkness, in much vexation and sickness and resentment.
18This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us
[1]; for this is our lot. 19Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil—this is the gift of God. 20For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts.
SERMON
Money seems to have the ability to generate power. Not just the power to run a car of furnace but the power to control events and people. The proverbial saying that “Money talks,” means that those without money or as much money become voiceless – powerless. But we know that is not the whole story. We let money have power over us.
The Reverend Jason Kirk is the fictional pastor of the Clyde's Corner Church in a parable by Thomas H. Troeger. The founder of Clyde's Corner, Cedric Clyde was a successful farmer at the turn of the last century. To show his thanks to God, he paid for the building of the local church. Just before Cedric died, he donated to the church a lot of furniture for the parlor and one item for the raised chancel behind the pulpit: "a giant red horsehair couch whose rich color Cedric fancied would brighten the front of the church." The huge couch featured massive curved arms and dark mahogany legs, each carved like the claw of a lion. Time passed, and that couch became the subject of a bitter debate between members of the Clyde family who wanted to keep the couch where it was and newer members who thought the couch did not belong in the sanctuary. It became a power struggle that threatened to destroy the church. The tug of war in sues. This battle between generations, education or wealth is as old as Cain and Able. Is creating division God’s purpose for money and power? I doubt it, since God works to bring people together to bind us to God and one another.
Every so often, we re-discover that power shared can move mountains. It has been exciting to see the Iranian people step out in faith that they are not powerless. We pray that they are successful in claiming their voice. We remember Tiananmen Square in 1989 and where money and power silenced the people’s voice.
At the very beginning of this series on making money work for God and you, I said that money is only a tool. It can buy weapons or bread. It can be used to create jobs or destroy jobs so that the power of money is vested in a fewer and fewer people. My challenge today is to help you claim the power you have to make a difference in this world by pooling your resources with others. This is God’s purpose for money and power. To bring us together to do what we cannot do alone. One person standing in front of a tank is dramatic but a million people can stop even a tank! So instead of a tug of war, God wants us to pull together for the same goal, like fishermen. Who said that? That he wanted to make us fishers of men – Jesus to Peter.
So with money and power are you playing the game of a tug of war with at work or in your family, even hear at church? Do you want to learn to fish instead? Solomon tells us, “There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt.” (verse 13) Greed focuses all our energy on taking from others and keeping it. God has a far better plan – Solomon writes:
This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us work. (verse 18)
In other words, work together, enjoy one another, relish life and share what you have. Money has no power over you to diminish your life, unless you let it. This is true if you have a million dollars invested or not even two cents to rub together.
Let’s just look at the statistics of people living in poverty in the United States
There are roughly 37 million people living in poverty in the United States; that's one in every eight Americans. Poverty crosses every barrier—age, race, gender, and family situation—but most Americans in poverty are children, elderly, or people unable to work due to illness or disability.
The poverty rate for children is higher than for any other age group, with nearly 22 percent of all children in this country living in poverty.
[2]Do these people have power? Yes, but do they know they have power, probably not, because their power is not found in their money but their numbers, their shared experiences, their wisdom about what is really important. Being poor teaches you very quickly what you really value. Christians have that same power base. We know we are sinners, but we are forgiven and in this there is great wealth and power to change lives. So brothers and sisters let us work together to make a difference in this world and celebrate the power we have been given through Jesus the Christ. Amen.
[1] See Luke 12:19
[2] Poverty in the United States is cyclical in nature with roughly 12% to 17% living below the federal poverty line at any given point in time, and roughly 40% falling below the poverty line at some point within a 10 year time span. Most Americans (58.5%) will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75. There remains some controversy over whether the official poverty threshold over- or understates poverty.
In general the United States has some of the highest relative poverty rates among industrialized countries, reflecting both the high median income and high degree of inequality. In terms of pre-transfer absolute poverty rates, in 2000 the United States ranked tenth among sixteen developed countries, though it should be noted that 2000 was a 'trough' year and subsequently absolute poverty rates have increased.. The US does considerably worse in post-transfer absolute poverty rates.
Those under the age of 18 were the most likely to be impoverished. In 2006, the poverty rate for minors in the United States was the highest in the industrialized world, with 21.9% of all minors and 30% of African American minors living below the poverty threshold. Moreover, the standard of living for those in the bottom 10% was lower in the U.S. than other developed nations except the United Kingdom, which has the lowest standard of living for impoverished children in the developed world. According to a 2008 report released by the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, on average, rates of child poverty are persistently higher in rural parts of the country relative to suburban areas and share similar rates with many central cities.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States
“Making Money Work for God and You”Scripture Psalm 89 and John 6:1-13
Preached by Linda Jo Peters, July 5, 2009
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
Celebration of Our Lord’s Supper
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 89 sung as Psalter #209 “My Song Forever Shall Record”
John 6:1-13
The story of feeding the five-thousand plus is recorded in all four gospels. It is a treasured miracle story of our faith. John however caution against making the miracle the focus. John has little sympathy for the crowds who follow because of the miracles. They will reach wrong conclusion by trying to make Jesus king. They fail to see the miracle as a sign of something even greater to be found in this man named Jesus.
The rest of the chapter will expand the bread image, so that the real meaning of the event is that it was a symbol that Jesus offers the true bread; the true bread that will be broken and shared in the bread and wine of the Eucharist. As the healing of the blind man in John 9 points to Jesus as the light of the world; and the raising of Lazarus in John 11 points to Jesus as the resurrection; so in the meal share on this hill: Jesus is declaring, ‘I am the bread of life.’
[1]After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.
SERMON
There is no way around it, this is a story of abundance that began with scarcity. This is God’s finances. The disciples see what little they have and say it is impossible to feed this crowd. But when they trust him and give him the little they have, amazing resources are sound so that not only are they all well fed but there is an abundance of leftovers! It must have been a Presbyterian group.
On the first sermon in this series of Making Money Work for God and You, I gave you a homework assignment to write down where your last income went. Then I asked that you pray for God to reveal how he wants you to use your next source of income. The point of the assignment was to get you to pay attention to how you are using the tool called money. Are you saving, sharing and spending wisely, which was the focus of the second sermon and last week we considered the relationship between money and power. There is a great article about power
From Sojourners’ Magazine on the bulletin board called 'This is What Power Is' How I learned the real meaning of strength -- from the unlikeliest of people. by Alexie Torres-Fleming. She had grown up believing her father was powerless because of his poverty, alcoholism and race. He had washed urine off of elevator walls. But then her church organized a march through the Bronx to stop the crack –cocaine epidemic. About two-hundred people showed up but two weeks later the church was torched by drug dealers. When the reporters descended on her community they asked her what they were going to do and she said, march again. When they did there were 1200 people marching. She writes:
… on that day, this man, my father, taught me the greatest lesson about the poor and about power, because when I looked out at the crowd gathered to march, he was there. None of those people in suits that I worked with on Madison Avenue were there, but busloads of people from our community—single moms pushing their baby strollers, pregnant teenagers, young people, the elderly, immigrants, everyone that this nation’s paradigm of power had taught me to think of as powerless, including my daddy, the man who washed urine off of walls—they all came to this march. When I looked out at that sea of people, God said, “This is what power is.”
In God’s finances, you are never powerless. In God’s finances you have a whole community of brothers and sisters to help, to guide and to encourage. Worry will not put one penny in the bank, but diligence and trust in God’s direction for your life, will. I know, I can hear you say, “Now wait a minute! Money in the bank, no way – that is too concrete.” I am not talking about the prosperity gospel, where just because you believe in Jesus Christ everything in life will be perfect. This is about a change of heart, mind, soul and the life choices that go with it. You cannot have the mind of Christ and then go buy something you do not need! You cannot have the heart of Christ and walk by the suffering of another. You cannot have the soul of Christ and covet what others have. Everything changes when you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you are a banker and a person comes in to explain that they lost their job and their new job will not support the mortgage payments they have. Because you have the heart of Christ you diligent study their finances and discover what they can afford to pay and you refinance the house. You do not increase the length of the loan, you change the interest charged, without the government breathing down your neck.
Is there still terrible poverty in this world? Yes! But restoration to life and abundance is always there within our reach if we are just willing to work together for a transformed world. Is there still evil in this world? Yes! But in God’s finances, in the midst of a violent and greed driven world, God sets out the best linen and the finest bread and the unsurpassed wine and says come to the table and be made new. Amen
[1] See:wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/MkPentecost8.htm from commentary by William Loader, Research Professor at Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia.
Best Laid PlansSermon Series on “Making Money Work for God and You”
Scripture Psalm 49:13-20 read responsively and Luke 12:13-21
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ July 12, 2009
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
introduction to Scripture
Psalm 49:13-20 read responsively
What is at work in these passages is not an expression of resentment of what others have, but a sober realization of what money does to people. Wealth is like insulation, it keeps us away from precisely the kind of lessons we need in order to deepen our souls. Wealth can shield us from the suffering of others, it can even isolate us from the very community God has created for us.
13Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy—for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
Luke 12:13-21
Rabbis were expected to arbitrate on matters of law, but Jesus is unwilling to play this role. His task is to reveal truth, not settle a fight over an inheritance. Jesus’ parable points to our sinful nature when it comes to consumption and brings out the powerful truth that real life is not found in what we have but in our relationship with God.
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
SERMON
There are over 54,000 self-storage facilities in the US.
[1] It is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. People are storing what they no longer have room to keep in their home. Or they store while they are moving. eBay sellers often use self –storage. Even when people become homeless they may have the ability to rent storage for their things but not enough funds for a place for themselves. Self-storage has also been used for illegal activities, but by in large the biggest push for self-storage is consumption. Consumption is not a bad thing in and of itself. When we consume on a mindless and emotional level though there can often be some rather nasty consequences. You could spend all day listing the ones we deal with now, such as an obesity epidemic among numerous other health problems (and) 2.5 trillion in credit card debt… The looming collision of rising gas prices and our way of life centered around everyone owning a car and every product traveling thousands of miles by 18-wheeler is particularly sobering example of the effects of consumption.
[2] As professor Vic Cox writes:
… the freedom to consume less may be more important than the freedom to consume more. … ( ) there is increasing scientific evidence that our consumption of natural resources is approaching or has exceeded the limits of sustainability, both in terms of the limits of supply and limits to absorbing the pollution that consumption creates, (or the storage needed to hold it all). The United States, with 4 percent of the world's population, accounts for 22 percent of just the world’s energy consumption.
[3]So it is not surprising that along with building “bigger barns,” many other Americans are learning to consume less. This is where Jesus’ story can speak to us today. As we have considered ways to make money work for God and you in this sermon series, we have discussed how being attentive to what we do with our money is a good place to begin. Does our use of money reflect our values? Can we see money as only a tool in our financial garden? Can we learn to balance between saving, sharing and spending that gives life and joy rather than worry and fear?
It has been the goal of this sermon series is to begin the discussion that you will continue in your families, at work or here at church in committees and small groups. An honest discussion about finances can be a vital tool for raising children who then become more aware of when spending is a good thing and enhances our lives and when it does not and how to make choices that are life giving. An honest discussion at work can lead to a better understanding of cash flow concerns and paycheck reliability. An honest discussion can lead to cost cutting measures such as: raising the temperature of the air-conditioning or cutting the number of bulletins but still listening to the needs of members, or even harder choices such as cutting staff hours but honoring their value to our community by providing more paid time off. Times of scarcity can teach lessons that prepare us for times of abundance. So too times of abundance can teach us lessons that prepare us for times of scarcity. That is the beauty of being in a diverse community such as ours. Sitting at the same table or in the same pew may be folks who do not know how they will pay their electric bill, while another is paying more in taxes than someone else makes in a year. God pushes us into one another so we can learn from one another. And the best lesson we can learn is that nothing is permanent but God’s love. Do you know where the title “Best Laid Plans” comes from? In the last two stanzas of “To A Mouse” by Robert Burns, 1785 – a line of which was used by John Steinbeck in the title of his book Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men, 1937. Burns poem is about his fall plowing of a field and overturning a mouse’s winter home. It is written in the strong braid Scots (or "broad Scots" in English). See if you can understand it:
In English
But Mouse, you are not alone,In proving foresight may be vain:The best laid schemes of mice and menGo often askew,And leaves us nothing but grief and pain,For promised joy!Still you are blest, compared with me!The present only touches you:But oh! I backward cast my eye,On prospects dreary!And forward, though I cannot see,I guess and fear!
In Scottish
But Mousie, thou are no thy-lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy!
Still, thou art blest, compar'd wi' me! The present only toucheth thee: But Och! I backward cast my e'e, On prospects drear! An' forward, tho' I canna see, I guess an' fear!
So neither mice nor men can guaranty their tomorrow. But making financial or spiritual choices by worrying about the past or fearing the future is not God’s will for our lives. We live in this moment. We can prepare for the future and we can learn form the past but ultimately it is how we live in the here and now that matter’s to God and to us. Sometimes our well being is reliant on the behavior of others and our winter homes are torn asunder. But God asks us to make choices, even in our darkest hour that give life. Go ahead and build a bigger barn or rent more self-storage units to hold all you possess, as long as what you own does not possess you. That if it is all gone tomorrow, you know you will still be a precious treasure to God, more priceless that gold!
The best laid plans are those that begin and end with trust in God. Three things will make all the difference in your financial life. Prayer, prayer and prayer. When you balancing your check book, thank God for the resources you have. Ask God how to use them wisely and trust God to guide your choices. When you are holding your paycheck, retirement benefit or a financial gift: thank God for entrusting you with these resources and ask God how to best use them this day. When the impulses comes to buy your way out of times of despair, pray for strength to resist. Wait just 24 hours. Confess when your choices have been poor or unhealthy. Ask God to forgive your weakness and strengthen your resolve to do better. Celebrate when you make good use of what God has given you. Invite God to the party! May you know how rich you are. When the day comes to give your life, release it with the joy that an even greater gift awaits you in Jesus Christ. Amen.
[1] See: Self Storage Association Facts and Trends 2009 report
[2] See: www.helium.com/items/652209-consumption-culture-in-todays-america by Micah Myers
[3] 93106 “U.S. Consumption Deserves Reappraisal” by VIC COX Vol. 12, No 5 November 19, 2001, University of California, Santa Barbara
You are a Dwelling Place for GodJeremiah 23:1-6 read responsively and Ephesians 2:11-22
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~July 19, 2009
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 23:1-6 read responsively
In Chapters 21-22, Jeremiah has made prophecies about four of the five last kings of Judah. Three of these he considers bad, for siding with foreigners. Rather than predicting the fate of the last one, Zedekiah, God now speaks through Jeremiah about an ideal future king. God blames Judah’s kings (“shepherds”) for scattering his “sheep”; they will be punished for such betrayal of God’s trust. But God will bring the people together again, to perfect safety, and will set good kings (“shepherds) over them. Their state will be as God originally intended: in the first creation story. Later prophets, living in more dark times of unfaithful kings, will recall this ideal rule and the promise of hope it gives to the future. This led to expecting a new era, when God would himself rule the faithful through the Messiah.
1Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. 2Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. 3Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
4I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
5The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Ephesians 2:11-22
Bill Loader is a research professor at Murdock University in Australia. He has an interesting take on Ephesians.
What we see here is the result of a daring process which usually meets with great controversy whenever it is attempted. It is the process of recognizing that sometimes what we have revered as infallible and irreversible may become destructive or discriminatory, including biblical commandments. The overriding, fence-bending, wall-toppling values come from the conviction that God loves all people, so that whatever degrades others as less loved by God has to be faced up to and put aside. A vision of peace, wholeness, puts people first. Standing in Paul's tradition the author sees God's initiative above all in the cross. Christ's offering both brought us to God, and abolished any basis of discrimination: we no longer need those laws as the basis of relating to God or relating to each other.
[1] We have become the dwelling of God.
11So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
SERMON
Unity, that’s our name. When we were planning to merge in 2000 numerous names came to the surface eventually they were narrowed to four: Highland, Unity, Harmony and Valley. I remember one member that would rather we had chosen United over Unity and complained that Unity sounded unfinished. I think he was right, because unity is never totally accomplished, either in individual churches or a denomination or certainly in the whole body of Christ. I love the ideal image of the early church that Luke writes about in Acts 4:32.
The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. (The Message)
That is such a powerful image of what we should be – United. It sounds so solid, like a rock. But Paul likes to turn those rocks over and make us see what comes out, because our true rock is Jesus the Christ, not the church. The ideal is what God has called us to be. The reality falls far short. Divided rather than united is often the norm. Divided over those who follow the law of the Torah and those who do not. Divided over women in leadership. Divided over living in the world or drawing away from the world. Divided over serving or not serving in the military.
Divided over ordination of Gay’s and Lesbians. Divided over blessing inter-racial marriage. Divided over pledging or not pledging. We are called to be United but instead we often bear a terrible witness to the world of being Divided, Divided, Divided, Divided. Madeline L’engel
[2] compared the church to the comic opera The Bartered Bride.
[3] Everyone wants the church to be made in their image, but we are called to be made in God’s image. God calls us into union with one another, and when that happens and we become united as one body then God comes to dwell with us.
The new state clerk of the General Assembly, Gradye Parsons says:
People on the fringes across the theological spectrum often feel estranged, hurt. It’s tough to hear their pain. I hope we keep working at creating a bigger church that they feel they can be a part of. We have to make people realize that we need everyone… You need all the parts to make the church work. Progressives need conservatives; people who are young need the old. You have to honor the integrity of what others believe, even if it’s not what you believe.
[4] Is this passage in Ephesians saying that the Biblical commandments are superseded by the great commandment to love? Does it take a diverse and often conflicted group of people to make up the body of Christ? These are tough questions to contemplate let alone live out in our common life.
In the Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study for Wednesday, July 15, The Presbytery of New Hope in North Carolina was lifted up in prayer. Two congregations in the presbytery work together toward unity. Covenant Presbyterian Church a century-old African American congregation, and the Iglesia Presbyteriana Hispania of Durham-Chapel Hill Fellowship. Together they co-sponsored a one-week vacation Bible school. During VBS, members of all ages from both congregations attended classes and enjoyed arts and crafts and music. Both pastors, the Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins and Rev. Ramirez-Eve, led classes. The relationship has continued with several of the Hispania youth participating in Covenant's summer camp. Together the pastors walked through a neighborhood and distributed Spanish-language pamphlets to Hispanic residents with information on congregational ministries. Pastor Hawkins drove two of the boys to camp each morning. One of the Hispania's five bands has helped to lead worship at Covenant. The music was enthusiastically received and followed by a standing ovation.There is a common call to worship that begins: “Come, Lord Jesus, Come.” It is an invitation for Jesus to come and make his home with us, to dwell with us. As when any guest is expected, there is some cleaning up that we need to do to provide for the in dwelling of God. We need to clean out our prejudice and hate and polish our lives until our love out shines everything. Jesus has asked us to welcome those who are strangers to us. The Prayer for that mission day speaks to our need for unity. Dear God, we come before you in humility and grace. We acknowledge our common humanity and the fact that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We come before you, with hands open, hands in all the colors of your human rainbow. May we be led by the children of this world who play together without regard to race, class, or status. Bless us with your peace. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
[1] See: http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/BEpPentecost7.htm
[2] L'Engle was an Episcopalian and believed in universal salvation, writing that "All will be redeemed in God's fullness of time, all, not just the small portion of the population who have been given the grace to know and accept Christ. All the strayed and stolen sheep. All the little lost ones." As a result of her promotion of Christian universalism, many Christian bookstores refused to carry her books, which were also frequently banned from Christian schools and libraries. This is somewhat ironic, since some of her most secular critics attacked her work for being too religious. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_L'Engle#Bibliographic_overview)
[3] (Czech: Prodaná nevěsta, The Sold Fiancée) is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina.
[4] from Presbyterians Today, interview with by Eva Stimson, July/August 2009, p.23
