From the Rector

Dear Friends,

Why does Jesus talk so much about money and materialism? A staggering 109 times in Matthew's Gospel alone, and the other three accounts are not far behind - a total of almost 350 Gospel references!!

Since Jesus came that we "might have life and have it abundantly," he constantly addressed the human area with the most pitfalls and the most opportunity: our approach to money.

Money can help us accomplish many things. We can use it to bring life to ourselves and others: nourishment, education, health care, gestures of love and respect, the proclamation of the Gospel, the service of those in need. Money can be a great instrument for good, for loving God and our neighbor.

But fixation on money and the anxiety and hardheartedness it brings us can be major barriers to the life and freedom and joy God desires for us. "The love of money [not the money itself] is the root of all evil." Hoarding it or idolizing it distances us not only from ourselves and other people, but also from God. Such covetousness robs us and the world of that divinely intended abundant life.

How do we heed Jesus' words and so utilize money as a positive force, not a selfish preoccupation? An important step is accepting the reality that we are stewards, not consumers or owners, of all that God gives us. Just a few minutes ago, as I was writing this article at my computer, the "bell dinged," telling me I had an e-mail message. Ironically, it was from the staff of a new national cable channel called "WealthTV"! They wanted me to ask my cable provider to include this new network, whose "programming line-up allows viewers to travel around the globe and experience the finest the world has to offer." What most discomforted me was their logo, "WealthTV: It's Your Life, Spend It Well." While we ought to appreciate and make the most of the one life we have to live, the consumer approach, that what I have is mine to satisfy myself, is greatly lacking.

What we have is God's gift to us. Even if we worked hard to gain it, the desire, the energy, the health, the education, the opportunities, and all the resources we have needed, are gracious gifts from God. God's invitation is not so much to "spend it well" as to "use it fruitfully." Besides spending it on my needs, including not only the need for nourishment and shelter and health, but also the need for challenge and celebration and communication with others, I am also to return a significant portion to God (A tithe is the Biblical norm.) and to share it with others. This is not like paying dues or even paying taxes. Our giving back joyfully acknowledges that what we have is from God's loving generosity. One tither characterized it this way, "When we place money in the offering plate, we are not really giving to the Lord. We are simply taking our hands off what already belongs to him."

Such a "hands off" policy can make us much more open to the abundant life Jesus came to bring us.

- Stephen