One God

Psalm 98

Matthew 6: 1-4, 19-21, 24

Yes, today is the day you have been waiting for, it is Stewardship Sunday.  Stewardship as you know refers to being stewards in a broad sense, of taking care of our time, of our facilities, of our resources.  But today we are going to talk about that which we avoid every other day.  Money.  As a kid, I never knew I wasn’t supposed to talk much about money.  We had everything we needed, but I knew that my family didn’t have a lot of extra money.  I learned this when I needed a pair of Adidas Sambas in middle school.  They were the hottest things and they were going to be my ticket to popularity.  My social life was resting on these precious black and white soccer beauties and I couldn’t get them.  My middle school status was halted because of a pair of shoes.  But I have a hunch that such experiences are how a lot of us learn about money.  We learn that there never seems to be enough and that we shouldn’t ask for it or about it.  People it seems are just a tad funny about money.  We learn that we are never to ask how much someone makes or how much things cost.  We are not supposed to know how much people give to non-profit organizations and to church.  We are taught all sorts of things about what we can’t talk about when it comes to money.  But, while we would hope the church in most respects would be different from the world, the church too it seems, takes on these odd and awkward money idiosyncrasies.  The Christian church is also funny about money- at least the mainline predominantly white middle to upper class Christian Church.  But oddly enough despite all of our lack of conversation, Jesus talked a lot about money.  He asked a lot of those with money and asked his disciples to give away what they had.  He challenged those who wanted to make his house of worship a place of business.  And he warned against investing more heavily in things than in people.  Money, according to Jesus was a matter of faith, a communal matter, and a matter that was to be held up and discussed, prayed upon and engaged, talking about money is essential to our Christian faith.  Yet, we are taught that money is simply a personal matter- that such conversations should happen only in homes and private rooms behind closed doors.  But friends, today we are going to be bold.  We are going to break the silence and talk about money.  Because from what I can discern, it seems as if failing to talk about money, right here in our church as people of faith has had tragic consequences.  Perhaps it is human nature to assume that if we don’t talk about it, we are safe, free from vulnerability and difficulty.  But do you know what happens when we don’t talk about money here?  Our children and grandchildren, our friends and family, each of us receive hundreds and even thousands of messages everyday about money and you can bet that these messages do not speak for our faith; you can bet that these messages do not have our best interests in mind.  In fact many of these messages are in direct contrast to the wisdom of our faith and the Word of God.  Let’s look at this for a moment.  We are here for at least an hour a week, for some of us more than that, but most of us for just about one hour a week.  And do you know how many hours we spend watching television?  Americans spend an average of seven hours and forty minutes a day watching television.  And friends let me tell you something, we are fooling ourselves if we don’t think we are getting messages about money.  The average American is exposed to 247 commercial messages each day.  So, do you know what happens when we don’t talk about money here?  The Christian perspective has no place to speak, no ears to hear, no hearts to receive what God has to say about money, what the Christian faith has to say about money.

I know that I am not as high tech as the commercials you see, or as hip as the music that accompanies them or as witty or innovative.  But today I want to share with you some of what our Holy Bible has to say about money.  The myths we hear from our culture are strong, but I believe the wisdom and Truth from God’s holy word is stronger.  I am sure that you know the myths well, but I want to share three of them here, I want to bring them into the light so that our text can call their bluff and give our faith a chance to speak.

The first myth that we learn in magazines and on television on the radio and on the internet is that just a little more money, more things, more stuff will solve all of our problems.  Have you heard that?  Just a little more money will solve all of our problems.  Last year, I attended a workshop on faith-based budgeting.   The leader shared with the group that Americans surveyed at every income bracket said that a little more money would solve all of their problems.  Those considered upper class, middle class and lower class all of us at every level have bought into this myth.  I know I have.  No matter how much we have, it is not enough.  We have all been convinced that it is simply not enough.  Friends this is a powerful myth, but it is not true.  More money might temporarily alleviate aches and tight corners, but there is no end to this madness.  The whole point of consumerism is that there will never be enough, there never can be, because if there was an end, you would stop buying and spending.  The dominant culture has no love for you, to the culture; we are all just consumers, not human beings.  But beloved, to God you are not consumers you are precious creations and with God you will have what you need.  This myth leaves no room for God to provide through the graciousness and generosity of others.  This myth leaves no room for God to care for you.  This myth only leaves space for keeping up with our neighbors and living dishonestly- out of sync with where we really are.  Friends, whatever income level or social status, whether you have a lot or a little in the world’s eyes, with God you will always have what you need.  This might feel like a risk, to let go of this myth that just a little more will solve everything, but know that God will catch you.  Hear these words from the Gospel of Matthew, “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (6:33) With God, you will have what you need. 

A second myth that we learn from the world is that things bring happiness.  If we didn’t know better and didn’t hear something different articulated here in church, we might actually be convinced that deep joy comes from sports cars, that respect comes from designer brands and that diamonds are forever, we might actually begin to believe it.  And some of us have.  After college, I felt that I needed to show that I had “made it.”  I wasn’t happy, but after years of hard work, I wanted to prove that I was content and where I was “supposed to be” in life.  I believed that “making it” meant stuff, it meant a purse, a coat and I told myself just a little more and I would make it, a little more would solve all of my dilemmas.  I ended up with credit debt and the same problems.  Many of us spend dollar after dollar chasing things that in the end will always fail to satisfy.  They will temporarily numb us but then leave us a shallow kind of happy.  And things can only offer an empty joy, a hollow hope and restless peace.  They will always fail because real joy, true respect, real hope and rooted peace and genuine eternity of course can never be found in things.  They can only be found in relationships with God and with one another.  Our faith tells us that what matters is our love for our God, for neighbors and for ourselves.  What matters are the treasures that cannot be boxed or wrapped, the treasures that cannot be put under a tree or stored on a shelf, the true treasures are eternal, and can be found right here.  God says to us, things cannot and will not bring you happiness.  Listen to the word of God from the Gospel of Matthew, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6: 19-21)  Things cannot make us deeply contented; it is only our God and our relationships with one another that can ever truly satisfy.

The third myth we learn from the world is to give money away only when there is something left.  Of course because we are viewed as consumers first, mere conduits for the chaos of spending and buying, so it would make sense to program us to buy before anything else- to first seek more things before we dare to share and offer our money in gratitude.  But our faith tells us something different.  Our faith tells us to begin with gratitude, to begin with God.  We learn in the book of Genesis that everything here is created by God and is a gift to us to care for and tend to.  And we are invited first to begin with thanksgiving- for all that we are and all that we have to live is given to us in creation.  So, we are invited to give not out of duty, but out of love.  We are invited to give first, not out of guilt, but gratitude for a holy respite from perilous world.  We are invited to give, not just to a budget but to dreams for what we can do together.  The world tells us to give if there is something left and God says to begin with gratitude.  And why is that?  Why would we want to give first, instead of giving just if there is something left?  I wonder if it is to break the hold of money.  By starting with our giving, we dare to believe that our community of faith is the best investment- that relationships are worth more than anything.  How radical is that?  By starting with our giving, we are saying that we refuse to worship the god of things and gadgets, the god of more and more and more.  By starting with giving, we dare to break the hold of the culture, by giving first, we are committing ourselves first to our one God, the Lord our God.  We give because we long to start with God.  We give first because we want to say to the world, you do not win, our God is the one God.  When the world says give whatever is left, our Holy Scripture says begin with God, the one God.  Listen to the Gospel of Matthew, “No one can serve two masters; for you will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”  (Matthew 6: 24)  Begin with thanksgiving to God before anything else.

These myths are strong and God has few opportunities it seems to unravel them.  But today I pray that you have heard what our faith says to them.  Our scripture asks a lot of us.  When the world says, enough is not enough, that just a bit more and you will be there, our faith says, hold on you are being led by empty promises, God will take care of you if you let go.  When the world says, things will make you happy, God says invest in the good stuff, dare to believe in relationships, dare to believe that people, that this odd and wonderful place, called church are really the best investments.  When the world says give if there is something left, our faith says to start with gratitude, to worship just one God, not the god of things and never enough.  Friends, our faith asks nothing less of us than boldness.  I believe that God has a vision for us, something beyond our wildest dreams.  As we discern this week how we will pledge to the life and ministry of this congregation, I want to be bold with you.  I want to believe with you that this place is worthy of a pledge that asks a lot of me.  I want to believe with you that we are worth believing in.  I want to believe with you in our one God who first believed in us and invites to follow.  Amen.

The myths explored here are taken from and inspired by the excellent Good Sense Budget Course:  Biblical Financial Principles for Transforming Your Finances and Life by Dick Towner and John Tofilon