1 Timothy 6:6-12 

“for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” vss. 7-8

This little letter of pastoral instruction was written somewhere around the end of the first century and offers some bits of wisdom for people of faith. The writer maintains that there is “great gain in godliness combined with contentment,” and we would likely agree. But it’s not as easy to achieve this as it may seem. Godliness can be a stretch–but it’s not nearly so hard as contentment. We can usually figure out ways to lead a decent life and at least participate in periodic worship and prayer, but it really tough to live like a minimalist and be content with only food and clothing. We love our stuff! And most of us spend a good portion of our lives accumulating all the extras. Naturally if we’re going to live like that we’re going to need a ton of money and that’s where things really get tricky. In our desire to get more we spend precious time and energy and can end up neglecting the godliness part of the equation big time. It’s not that the money is bad–it’s the love of money that gets us in trouble–in fact we’re told here that the love of money is the root of all evil. Fortunately, there’s a kind of wisdom that comes with aging. As we get rid of our things we discover contentment–and we wonder, “Why couldn’t this have happened sooner?”

Thought for the Day: What do I need besides food and clothing for contentment?

Psalm 146:5-10

“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.”  vss. 5-7

The psalmist would have loved to know all the things that we know about the universe. It’s enormity, beauty, and complexity would have boggled his mind and his praise of his Lord even more effusive! And he would have said to us, “Isn’t it wonderful to know that the Lord of this immense and ancient universe cares about us and our little blue planet, and will keep faith with us forever?” He believed that to have such convictions was a good thing–and he was right! It is a huge blessing to have such confidence in God–it’s what can keep us going during stressful and uncertain times. But with the blessing comes responsibility. The psalmist speaks of the Lord’s concern for the oppressed and the hungry, and here’s where we are needed. God doesn’t act out of a vacuum to execute justice and give food–God uses us. While we may despair of tackling such issues we have no choice but to do whatever we can in the place we are to make a difference. The God who created black holes has a heart for the hungry on earth–and uses our goodness to feed them!

Thought for the Day: What’s more important than justice for the oppressed and food for the hungry?

Psalm 146:1-4

“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.” vss. 3-4

The psalmist knew nothing of elections or democracy. He lived in a monarchy and the king ran the country like it was his private estate, taxing as much as the people could bear to fund the varied expenses of the kingdom. His heirs were the princes and they did what they could to consolidate their respective positions by cultivating favor among the masses. The psalmist trusted none of them! All of them would die and their promises and plans always died with them. We live in different times and have become accustomed to a democratic political process, one that in theory gives power to the people through an electoral process. But even though there are differences we’d be well advised to pay attention to the psalmist’s words. We’re fools if we believe that our salvation lies in the hands of politicians. They all make promises, sometimes with good intentions, but always with a view toward maintaining power and control. Every few years we are caught up in their frenzied campaigning and posturing for votes. It’s easy to begin to think that one or another of these mostly wealthy folks will be our messiah and lead us to unprecedented peace and prosperity. We’re wise to maintain a high degree of skepticism! While it is important to vote, it’s far more important to cultivate our relationship with God and continually offer praises to the Lord!

Thought for the Day: Why do people fall for the promises of politicians?

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

“Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory–who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp–who drink wine from bowls–but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!” vss. 4a, 5a, 6a, 6c

Amos was not impressed with the life-styles of the rich and famous in the Israel of King Jeroboam II. He was a non-credentialed prophet from an obscure village in the hill country of Judah and he had a word from the Lord for the wealthy of Samaria. Not only were they living in luxury and enjoying every amenity, they didn’t feel one ounce of compassion for the poor and the needy. We’re all too familiar with the scene–the rich don’t seem to change from one century to the next–and we even see the symptoms in ourselves. We do like to live well! We love furnishing our homes with the finest couches and filling our days with music from Pandora while enjoying fine wines and fragrant oils. We’ve grown accustomed to a life-style that is the envy of the world. Many of us didn’t have this in mind when we started our families and careers. We got along quite well with bricks and boards for our bookshelves. But wealth happened! And we’d hate to give it up! So what shall we do? For Amos everything revolved around the least and the lowly–and that’s the measure of our society too. There are things we can do with our riches that will make life better for the hungry and the hurting. Alas for us if we don’t!

Thought for the Day: How did I get so rich?

Luke 16:10-13

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” vs. 10

Golf is a sport with simplicity at its core. The object is to hit a ball off the tee box and then count how many strokes it takes to get it in the hole. Along the way there are penalty areas and occasional out-of-bounds, but it really isn’t very complicated. Golfers are responsible for keeping track of their strokes and are expected to call penalties on themselves when they occur. It’s a game with enormous potential for both frustration and joy and is said to not only build character but reveal it. Many believe that a person who cheats during a round of golf is likely to cheat in other aspects of their life as well. It’s the sort of thing that Jesus was talking about with his disciples when he said, “Whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” Obviously he wasn’t talking about golf, but what he said can be applied in a multitude of other situations. We use it all the time as we form opinions of people around us. Those who lie about little things will lie about big things. Those who cheat on taxes will cheat on their spouses. A person who litters has contempt for the environment. We reveal ourselves to others in everything we do or say–and most often it’s the little things that are the measure of who we are.

Thought for the Day:  When am I most likely to cheat?

Luke 16:1-9

“And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” vs. 8

In this strange parable from Jesus the dishonest manager is commended for his shrewdness–he had adjusted the accounts of debtors to insure their kindness when he was fired from his job. It’s not an easy parable to understand–we can wonder why Jesus even told it! He seems to be telling his disciples that sometimes they can learn from the ways people use money in the world. Even dishonest folks can teach important lessons. In fact, when it comes to making wise decisions in this world, people of faith can be woefully ignorant. Just because we know Jesus doesn’t mean we’re going to understand how money works. This could even mean that choosing a financial advisor because they’re Christian may not necessarily be the best idea. We can know a lot about a person if we know the level of their spiritual connections, but we won’t necessarily know their competencies. One of the great blessings that we have as followers of Jesus is the opportunity we have to associate with people of all stripes. Like Jesus we’ll be hanging out with saints and sinners, and many times it’ll be the sinners who have the most to teach us. Indeed, we regularly learn more from unbelievers about the pitfalls of wealth than we do from anyone else. Often they’re the ones with hands-on experience–and we’d be fools if we didn’t listen to them!

Thought for the Day: Who taught me the most about financial matters?

1 Timothy 2:5-7

“For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human…” vs. 5

As time passed the early Christians continued to reflect on the person of Jesus and his connection to God. By the time this letter was written probably in the late first century, (and most likely not by Paul), there was some agreement that there was but one God, but that the man Jesus, who was called the Christ, served as a mediator between God and humanity. Since then there has been considerable debate about the relationship of the human and the divine in Jesus, and arguments have at times been tendentious to the extreme. In reality there has been little gained from our constant wrangling. And having a proper understanding of Christology does not make one a follower of Jesus! It is enough to know that we encounter the enfleshed Christ in Jesus–he is the incarnation of God’s steadfast love and mercy. By focusing on the words and deeds of Jesus we learn as much about God as we need to know–and we learn how to live as God’s children in this world. And as we imitate the Christ revealed in Jesus, we actually become the presence of the Christ for our time and place. Those early Christians didn’t get everything right, e.g. they were dead wrong about the place of women in the Church, but they were right about Jesus. Jesus Christ is the core of the gospel message!

Thought for the Day: How much effort do I devote to following Jesus?

1 Timothy 2:1-4

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” vss. 1-2

It only took about 3 centuries for the Roman Emperor to discover that the Church could be a powerful ally in maintaining control throughout the Empire. When the Church was offered legal status and bishops began to rule like princes believers were told to offer supplication and prayers for rulers and all in high positions. With the support of the Church the Empire promised a quiet and peaceable life to all citizens. This powerful alliance between Church and State operated for many centuries in one form or another and wasn’t really challenged until the Age of Enlightenment and the move toward a more secular society. There are some who still yearn for those “good old days” and who would love to see a return to that close connection between Christianity and political rule. Now it’s certainly proper for us to offer prayer for government officials and assemblies in our congregation. They have important decisions to make and need support and guidance. But that doesn’t mean giving up our prophetic role of speaking truth to power. There’ll always be tension in the relationship of Church and State, but both operate most effectively when there is as complete a separation as is possible.

Thought for the Day: What’s dangerous about having a State Church?

 Psalm 113:5-9

“He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap,to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.” vss. 7-8

The psalmist believed that the Lord sat on high and looked down on the heavens and the earth. In a word, the Lord was high and lifted up. We might not describe the presence of the Lord in the universe in the same fashion as the psalmist, but we do share his conviction that the Divine Presence is greater than all creation. And with him we also believe that the Lord is intensely interested in our human interactions. More particularly, like him, we believe that the Lord cares about the condition of the poor and the needy–or at least that’s what we say we believe! Granted, there are millions of Christ-followers who are committed to lifting up the down-trodden–we know it by the work they do, the generous outpouring of funds provided for humanitarian efforts. But so many in all of our religions pay only lip-service to such concerns. What they really care about are the wealthy folks! Every advantage is given to those who already have more than they could possibly need. A few people control the vast majority of the earth’s resources, and their share is getting even greater. Now the rich aren’t likely to get punished for their greed and acquisitive nature–but imagine what could happen if they had a change of heart? One day it will happen–God will not be denied–and there truly will be heaven on earth.

Thought for the Day: Why should I care about the poor and needy?

Psalm 113:1-4

“From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.” vs. 3

Now that we’ve figured out how to overcome darkness with artificial illumination we’re in danger of falling out of sync with the natural rhythms of the earth. There was a time when we marked our days by the rising and the setting of the sun, and they varied in length with the seasons of the year. That was the world of the psalmist and he recommended that those hours of daylight be lived to the glory of God. Such days begin with rejoicing as the predawn rays of the sun begin to erode the darkness and the stars disappear from sight. This is a good time–and it’s fitting in these moments to offer the Lord a greeting. Every day is precious and a special gift from God! And though our days often seem routine we can be sure they’ll be full of Christ’s presence. We’ll be guided and supported every step of the way–of course there’ll be challenges–there always are, such is the nature of our call. But when we’re walking in the name of the Lord those missteps become part of the adventure–and all is good! And then comes the evening, a time for sharing at the table and checking in with loved ones. We’re tired, and welcome the encroaching darkness and the return of the stars. We’re ready for sleep and offer our prayers of praise and supplication. And then we rest, a precious foretaste of the peace that is to come.

Thought for the Day: What’s the rhythm of my day?