You can’t take it with you

•September 21, 2010 • Leave a Comment

One thing the recent financial difficulties have shown us is that you cannot put your trust in money.  People who had savings suddenly found they weren’t worth what they had been.  Those trying to live of the interest of their savings were left with none.  Many have lost jobs and businesses and have no income.  Things we thought were safe, have turned out not to be.  Wealth has proved itself to be no comfort, and not entirely reliable.

All three of this weeks readings take us to wealth and the value, or otherwise, of it.

Amos is still with his theme of how wealth is used.  He reminds the rich that though they might have an apparently good life now, as they are not caring for the nation, they will be dragged off, their good times will end.  They are not using their wealth to help others, and so ultimately they will pay the price.

Paul reminds Timothy and his companions that we bring nothing into the world, and will take nothing out.  Wealth is of no eternal significance – but what we do with it can be.

It is not money per se that is wrong, it is loving it too much, or using it in the wrong way that gets us into trouble.  What is important in life is being faithful, gentle, dependable and gentle.  They are the path to eternal life.  It is not bought, but lived.

Then Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man.  Lazarus was a beggar who had spent his life scraping by on the scraps of the rich man.  When he died he was in a place of honour with Abraham.  The rich man wanted for nothing in life, but in death was suffering.  He knew the teachings, but had got it wrong.  His money wasn’t going to save him now.

Money might make life more comfortable, but it doesn’t buy us peace with God.  We are challenged to use what we have to bring about justice and fairness, to ensure everyone has what they need – not to make sure we have a good life.

We can’t take it with us – so what are we going to do with what we have today?

Posted in justice, Lectionary
Tags: , , ,

What do you want to do?

•September 14, 2010 • Leave a Comment

When you’re trudging along a path, it can be difficult to work out exactly where to put your feet, and easy to inadvertently stand on something delicate – a creature or a flower.

It’s not something you want to do but accidents happen.

When something is trampled on, it can be destroyed, or damaged, unless it’s very resilient it will probably never be the same again.

The same is true of people.  They may not be physically trampled on, but lives are easily crushed – often by the actions of others.

Amos had a really serious message for the people of his time – well the wealthy anyway.  They are to stop trampling on the needy and destroying the poor.

Amos lived in a time of great wealth and prosperity – but it was limited to the wealthy, and was in fact a consequence of injustice and oppression of the poor. Much of the apparent religious observance was insincere.  People were really just waiting for the holy days to be over so that they could get back on with cheating.

They might think they’re doing a good job, but God says, “I won’t forget”.  He sees what happens, the plight of the poor and the marginalised, the injustice created by those who choose to use their power wrongly – and ultimate justice will come.

Today there continues to be so much injustice and cheating in the world.  We may feel that is not our responsibility, but does the way we live our lives, the standards we demand, the choices we make affect the lives, the justice, freedom and stability, of others?

People should not treat others badly.  Injustice, dishonesty, making slaves of people is not the way to go.

Indeed, Paul suggests a much better way to live:

I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them. Pray for kings and others in power, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God.

That is the kind of behaviour that pleases God.

Through harassing and oppressing people, they will learn nothing of God.  By prayerful support people’s lives can be changed.

So it’s a simple choice really if you want to live how God wants you to.  Do we go along crushing lives, or liberating?  Cheating people or releasing them?  We can live carelessly or carefully.  We can enslave people or bless them.

What do you want to do?

What does God ask you to do?

Posted in justice, Lectionary
Tags: , ,

Going the right way

•September 7, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Our car came with a built-in Sat Nav.  The reason we’d never previously bought one is because both Mr Pamsperambulation and I think we know better!  Many are the tales ‘It will be much better/quicker/nicer if we go this way’, in our car.

In its time, going our way has taken us up mountains, very beautiful, but very very slow!  As in this route over the D902, “It’s not much further” – actually it’s a lot further because the road goes round and round on itself and you can’t drive more than about 20mph or you might fall off the edge of the mountain!!

And of course there are plenty of  tales of following Sat Nav directions getting people into all kinds of trouble by following them.

It is very easy to go the wrong way, to do the wrong thing.  It is human nature.  However good things are, whatever has been given us, we get caught up in some other thought and before we know it, we’re off at a tangent.

This is what happened in Exodus.  God had brought the people out of Egypt, rescued them from their life of slavery, and how do they repay him?  They build a calf, worship that, and claim that is the god that has saved them.  They immediately leave the way God has commanded them to go.  They want to do their own thing, make God in their image and go their own way.  They have no desire to follow the directions God has given them, they think they know better.

Paul is someone else who had been going his own way.  He had heard about Jesus, and had taken great pride and enjoyment in saying evil things and persecuting his followers.  He had got it wrong.  He knew that now, and pours out his thanks that Christ saved him.  He wants to tell people, that it isn’t just him that Jesus has saved.  Jesus came into the world to save all sinners.

Sinner isn’t a word we  like to use.  But if we have gone in a different direction to the way God shows us, that is what we are.  We are people who have got things wrong –  which of us can say we haven’t?

But the good news about God is not that he knows that we have got things wrong, but that he has done something about it.  Paul was not left.  God had mercy on him, showed his patience, he was forgiven.

For God has a right way to go, the best path for us to follow, but if we stray from it, he doesn’t write us off, but seeks us out. The religious authorities of Jesus’ day were rather upset that he ate with outcasts from society, those who did not fit within the expected norms, those who had strayed from the perceived way.  But Jesus reminds them that is why he is there.  If someone has ‘gone astray’, he doesn’t write them off, or replace them.  No he goes to seek them out.  They are precious to him and he will search and search until he finds them – and what joy when he does.

So, there is a right way that is God’s way.  But we all get things wrong – spectacularly so at times.  We take wrong turnings, we get confused, we think we know better…

But Jesus comes to save us.  To seek us and find us, to put us on his shoulders and carry us back.  We have done nothing too bad, have never strayed too far, but that he leaves what he is doing – just for us – and how happy he is when he finds us.  He pours his love and mercy on us, and strengthens us to do his work.  For when we are no longer busy trying to live with ourselves, or covering up what we’ve got wrong, or desperately trying to find our way out, we have the strength to do God’s work.

So lets come to God, he is looking for each one of us.  Lets allow him to pick us out of whatever we have got ourselves into.  Lets receive his forgiveness and freedom, and walk in his love and trust along his path.

Posted in follow, forgiveness, Jesus, Lectionary
Tags: , , , ,

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »