Why? Well, I figured that this was one area of a growing spiritual life that was concrete. It was something you could touch, feel, see and even measure.  I also found that if people experienced God’s provision so that they couldn’t explain it any other way, something unique happened. They would get hooked on the idea that God was real, cared about the real world and would actually act on behalf of their real needs. As I saw it, learning to follow Christ with money—taking the risk of faith to do it, was essential to an enduring life of faithfulness.

I don’t like to as much. What changed? I’m not sure, but I’ve got some theories. The recession of the last few years is one. There’s not been a time in my adult life when I’ve personally known so many highly skilled people who are struggling to find work, or business owners struggling to generate it. I also bought a house during the height of the housing boom and watched its value, and a lot of equity, go down along with pretty much everyone else’s. I listen to the appeals from other churches and non-profits, hear about the growing national debt and deficits...watch the price of gas and everything else go up... Just writing all that, I get tired. I think that’s mostly it. I’m tired of financial issues. I’d rather talk about something else, thank you very much. How ‘bout them Phils?

On the way back from the ballfield (Citizens Bank Park), after spending thirty bucks for a nosebleed section seat, and ten bucks for a hot dog and a small softdrink that was mostly ice, and watching a bunch of gazillionaires throw a little white ball around, nothing has really changed. I may be tired of it, but that doesn’t really change anything—money and money issues are everywhere. Money’s presence and power is made even more evident in its absence. Stay off the interstates on your way back from the ballpark, and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Here’s the thing. As much as most of us would prefer not to go there, not talking about money is not a solution. In fact, not talking about money has a way of giving it more power than it already has. So, why is it so hard and tiring to talk about it?

We tend to talk about things like our “net worth,” and our value and identity based on our income bracket. We see money as something that gives us security, and we’re at least partially right. We feel pride when we’ve done well with it and we feel shame when we haven’t—and even more when we’ve been taken advantage of in relation to it. Honestly, money tends to determine the value of our lives, our choices, our opportunities, our influence and our future. It makes promises. 

But isn’t God supposed to determine our net worth and our future? That’s just it. Money has a god-like quality. When Jesus talks about it in his sermon on the mount, he gives it a personality.  He says, “You can’t serve both God and money”(NIV)— but in the original he gives money the proper name, “Mammon” (Matthew 6:24). According to Jesus, money competes with God himself for our ultimate loyalty. Frankly, it can be a false god; an idol. I believe that for most of us, Mammon’s a finalist in the tournament to win our hearts.

But it’s not inherently bad. Like so many important parts of life, like sexuality, power, competition, food, --it goes bad when its out of place. These things get out of place when God is not in the right place in our lives—better yet, when our selves our out of place with God. These things that are meant to be servants of life become masters of our lives. Jesus came to put things right.

This weekend, we’re digging into the story of Zacheaus in the 19th chapter of Luke. Zacheaus was a tax collector and a crooked one at that. Jesus invited himself into Zacheaus’ home—and Zacheaus ended up being set free his slavery to money. Because of that, the people that he had taken advantage of were free, too. Jesus said, “Today, salvation has come to this house.” Salvation is not just forgiveness. Salvation is putting things right. It’s restoring God to His proper place, and thus, restoring created things to theirs as well.

So, yeah—we’re probably all tired of money talk after two years of financial crisis. But thank God He’s not. He’s still in the business of setting things right—and setting us free.

Yours for the Journey,

Pastor Tom