One of my clergy was sharing a conversation with me. One of his laypersons was angry about the health care reform legislation passed by the congress. The pastor, rightly, said that the United Methodist Church has long been an advocate of health care coverage for all. But the layperson persisted: "But doesn't the Bible teach the importance of being frugal?"
I am not sure what the rest of the conversation was. But it was a teaching moment.
I've been thinking a lot about the layperson's question and -- let me say this respectfully--the message running through the Bible is not the importance of being frugal. I say that respectfully--almost wondering if lightning will strike me-- because I was raised by the most frugal -- and most saintly--mother in the world. She would never have considered using aluminum foil or wrapping paper just once. That would have been extravagant. We were more responsible than that! My parents were raised in the Depression and they didn't believe in wasting anything. I value their example.
However wise and prudent the virtue of frugality is, the Bible -- as I understand it--teaches the importance of generosity. I think we have the frugal virtue down pat.
The anxiety and fear generated (or accentuated) by the economic downturn seems to have given Christians amnesia about the importance of generosity...as if generosity (of spirit and money) is an acceptable option for times of abundance but not applicable for times of financial struggle. Where did we get the idea that we were called to be generous only in prosperity? That's not what the Bible teaches.
Jesus explicitly praises sacrificial giving. The widow who gave her mite was, obviously, not living in a time of prosperity. Yet she had a heart for giving to God and she found favor with Jesus in her giving.
It hardly seems fair to me that we would go into Thanksgiving week counting our blessings and then pride our selves on our frugality. Advent begins next week -- where God gave a generous and sacrificial gift of His Son--where Jesus gave up the glories of heaven to be born in Bethlehem. Against that backdrop, our complaining and our fears seem very small indeed.
The virtue of the Christian life is generosity. The time to be generous is all times. The call to be generous is for everyone. This season, as we count our blessings, let us show our gratitude by the generosity of our giving.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Getting tuned to the right source...
I love to gain an hour.
I am certainly consistent about this. I hate losing an hour in the spring.
But gaining an hour feels like heaven.
So many days I (foolishly) think "If I had just one more hour"...and so many mornings, when I wake up, I think "If it was just an hour earlier....". Sunday was the day to gain an hour. I loved it.
I've had two problems with the time change through the years. One is my attitude about having the time change on a Sunday. People who would always remember to make the change to be at work on time forget about getting to church on time. The time change is always a reality check that we live in a world where people -- including people in the church--think that worship is not nearly as important as a number of other things they do.
The other problem is more practical: getting the clocks set. Do I set them ahead the night before? When I do that and the clock doesn't seem right in the morning, there's the inevitable time of double-check: have I already changed the clocks? So, for years, I would change ONE clock -- the alarm clock by my bed and leave the others so I could see the difference.
Now, I no longer have to do that. It's amazing, really.
I have a clock that is tuned into satellites. So it automatically gives the right time. No fuss, no muss, no bother. When power is restored after the electricity goes out, the clock automatically shows the correct time. I love it.
And this year, I learned that my GPS is the same way. It has the correct time with no resetting. And my Iphone is the same. Wonderful!
Basically, I learned that anything that is set to a signal beyond itself is going to be right no matter what happens. Everything that is not set to a signal beyond itself is going to need re-setting.
I love that life-snapshot.
The same thing is true for individual Christians and for churches: when we get our energy from a source beyond ourselves, we have peace no matter what else happens. How easy it is for people to get the fuel for their lives by schedules, family relationships and whatever the day brings. Like clocks that depend on batteries or electrical connections, re-setting is required. Tuning life to the life-source beyond ourselves in God is a major turn that makes all the difference.
The time I most need the "true time" is when the power has gone out at my house. And, all around us, people are living in circumstances where the power has gone out due to all kinds. When we are completely dependent on our own sources and life's storms and difficulties come, we recognize how inadequate the base has been. For those who are focused on a life source beyond themselves, life has a different quality, a different dependability, a different security no matter how big the storm or how severe the crisis. If I had one observation to make about the economic struggles of our nation, it is that we have learned that people have trusted money--not God-- for their security.
The true source of life: energy, wisdom, love, peace is beyond ourselves. The true source of life is found in Jesus and in serving others. "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you...not like the world's peace. So do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid." John 14:27
I am certainly consistent about this. I hate losing an hour in the spring.
But gaining an hour feels like heaven.
So many days I (foolishly) think "If I had just one more hour"...and so many mornings, when I wake up, I think "If it was just an hour earlier....". Sunday was the day to gain an hour. I loved it.
I've had two problems with the time change through the years. One is my attitude about having the time change on a Sunday. People who would always remember to make the change to be at work on time forget about getting to church on time. The time change is always a reality check that we live in a world where people -- including people in the church--think that worship is not nearly as important as a number of other things they do.
The other problem is more practical: getting the clocks set. Do I set them ahead the night before? When I do that and the clock doesn't seem right in the morning, there's the inevitable time of double-check: have I already changed the clocks? So, for years, I would change ONE clock -- the alarm clock by my bed and leave the others so I could see the difference.
Now, I no longer have to do that. It's amazing, really.
I have a clock that is tuned into satellites. So it automatically gives the right time. No fuss, no muss, no bother. When power is restored after the electricity goes out, the clock automatically shows the correct time. I love it.
And this year, I learned that my GPS is the same way. It has the correct time with no resetting. And my Iphone is the same. Wonderful!
Basically, I learned that anything that is set to a signal beyond itself is going to be right no matter what happens. Everything that is not set to a signal beyond itself is going to need re-setting.
I love that life-snapshot.
The same thing is true for individual Christians and for churches: when we get our energy from a source beyond ourselves, we have peace no matter what else happens. How easy it is for people to get the fuel for their lives by schedules, family relationships and whatever the day brings. Like clocks that depend on batteries or electrical connections, re-setting is required. Tuning life to the life-source beyond ourselves in God is a major turn that makes all the difference.
The time I most need the "true time" is when the power has gone out at my house. And, all around us, people are living in circumstances where the power has gone out due to all kinds. When we are completely dependent on our own sources and life's storms and difficulties come, we recognize how inadequate the base has been. For those who are focused on a life source beyond themselves, life has a different quality, a different dependability, a different security no matter how big the storm or how severe the crisis. If I had one observation to make about the economic struggles of our nation, it is that we have learned that people have trusted money--not God-- for their security.
The true source of life: energy, wisdom, love, peace is beyond ourselves. The true source of life is found in Jesus and in serving others. "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you...not like the world's peace. So do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid." John 14:27
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