Today's Thought - Money

"It's the economy, stupid!" This sentiment was first written in a memo by James Carville in 1992 and became the central idea for the Bill Clinton campaign in 1992. More specifically, it's about jobs. No matter what is happening - no matter who is running - people need to eat. And if we believe one candidate can help the economy more than another, we will elect that person, no matter what else that person represents, says, or does. Hitler proved that to the world; people knew exactly who he was and what he wanted, but when you are hungry, survival matters the most. Providing for our families matters more than anything else.

Money is the topic Jesus spoke about the most, even though we in the church generally shy away from it. We call it a necessary evil; in fact, the writer of 1 Timothy told the world that the love of money is the root of all evil. Not money itself but making a god of money turns it into an idol. We have a love/hate relationship with money; we know that it does, to some extent, allow us to be happy. Recent studies about happiness have proven that there is a point at which money's ability to make us happy lessens. I know from personal experience that not having enough money is a source of misery. It is a means to an end, not the end itself.?

One of the best resources I have read about this concept is a book called "The Spirit Level" by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. Published in 2009, their research compares nation to nation and state to state in this country. The book is worth the read, but (spoiler alert) their final assessment is that income inequality destroys societies. You might live in a nation where everyone is well off or poor; what matters is the difference between the wealthiest and the poorest people. Greater parity leads to happiness in every aspect of life, regardless of the economic system. Capitalism that becomes a greed-fest is no better than Communism or Socialism. Jesus understood that without a moral compass, people and societies crumble. Greed kills.

So, while the earliest Christian communities may have, at first, shared all they had, it is obvious that this didn't last for long. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians that "those who don't work, don't eat"; but he wasn't writing to the larger society - he was writing to the members of that church. We know historically that Jesus-followers of that time helped anyone who needed it. I think Paul was telling the people of faith that everyone had gifts and were responsible to use those gifts and contribute to the common good. For Jesus, I think it mattered how people made and used money; His focus was to live generously. I tell my congregation that we can live well as long as we do good. John Wesley said it best, "Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can." We aren't here for ourselves alone, and greed has never, and will never, be a Christian value. Caring for our neighbors, however, is.

Prayer - Help us to be generous to those who struggle, God, and encourage each one of us to our part. We are in this together. Amen.

Today's art "Greed", circa 1556 CE by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.