September 30, 2007

Generous Spirit

By Julianne Stokstad

Today's scripture is the conclusion of a letter from the apostle Paul to Timothy, leader of a growing church in Ephesus. According to an early church tradition it was written thirty years after Jesus' death between the years 62-64 when Paul was imprisoned for a second time in Rome. Clearly it is written in Paul's style, but scholars aren't sure who actually wrote these letters. What is clear is that they were written earlier than the gospels in a time of challenge for the early church: the generation of Christians who were alive during Jesus' ministry were beginning to die and all were beginning to realize that Jesus' promised return was delayed and of course they had to deal with Roman persecution. 1st Timothy is one of the pastoral letters, full of practical advice written to a young pastor from his mentor on how to run a church in challenging times. Timothy's community was a diverse community, just like our community: rich and poor, men and women, believers and doubters.

This final section of this letter speaks about the danger of wealth. In Biblical times, there was a widespread belief that wealth was a sure sign of God's blessing, yet here Paul issues one of the clearest dictums of the Bible: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." (1st Timothy 6:10).

The church in challenging times; the perils of affluence; if this scripture is to have any relevance at all for us, we need to think about our relationship with money. Is there anyone here who is rich? How many of you feel you are just comfortable with enough? Or are you watching your money carefully, concerned to make your money stretch in a time of rising costs? Perhaps you feel you just don't have enough money? We may not feel rich but according to the San Francisco Chronicle (September 27, 2007) "We're rich!" Salaries, education, economic output, and of course cost of living are the highest in the country. And as we know that Marin County is the top of the heap in the Bay Area.

Jesus spoke a great deal about money. More than half his parables and stories deal with money. I know that it is often said, oh here we deal with "spiritual" things, and we don't need to talk about money. I strongly disagree. We all have issues with money. Money affects every aspect of our lives. Jesus knew that. Paul knew that.

We live in a fiercely materialistic society. We are flooded with ads in every conceivable place that are psychologically sophisticated designed to make us feel anxious and so we will buy. We are taught to accumulate. We live in the richest and most wasteful culture in the world where our President tells us in our deepest crisis to go out and buy. A Lexus ad reads, "Whoever said money can't by happiness, doesn't know how to spend it." So let's look at some of our assumptions about money.

• More money makes us happier.
• More money is better.
• We have to hang on to our money to be sure we have enough.
• Do we feel entitled to our current way of life?

How do your assumptions about money reflect your deepest spiritual values? What is truly important is the way we live and the way we use our money. Love of money is built on an illusion that it gives us security. But you can't buy health or real love for any price. Margaret Wheatley, leadership expert, writes, "One of the things I've learned in the poorest places on earth is that when people have each other, that's enough. We think we need all this stuff...resources...training...degrees...people know that they can only get through a difficult time when they do it as one...together." Patty and Bill Coleman, founders of the VAMOS program came to the same insight by living among the poorest in Mexico. They speak in their book about the Beatitude we know as "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall inherit the earth" translated in Spanish as "Blessed are those with the spirit of the poor...." Most of us are not poor; all of us live in one of the most affluent counties in the world. How does money affect our spiritual life? What is the price of such privilege?

The Price of Privilege is actually the name of a book written by Madeline Levine, a local Marin therapist who specializes in teenagers with problems. I've bought it for our church library and I think we need to take what she says very seriously. She documents from her own observations and practice and from studies around the country, that privileged adolescents are experiencing epidemic rates of depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse at rates much higher than other socioeconomic groups. Pressure to achieve, perfectionism, disconnection and materialism are a toxic mix. As someone who cares deeply about adolescents, this concerns me deeply. I also wonder how this affluence is affecting us right here in our church. Our attitudes toward money do affect our spiritual life.

There is a psychological misperception that money, fame and power can somehow serve the same function as love and connection. Studies show that increased love of money sucks altruistic actions dry and fosters self-centeredness and an indifference to the needs of others. What Levine describes is a lack of inner life in these teens. They have worked to please others and have no sense of who they really are. Growing up in a wealthy suburb of Southern California, I experienced first hand what it feels like to have things given to me instead of the connection I yearned for.

Perhaps it isn't so much love of money, but fear of not having it that is our biggest concern. I wonder if that is a lack of trust in God or of God's community? Money itself is neither good nor bad; it is a tool, a form of energy that can be used for many things. Richard Rohr, well known writer and retreat leader, says power, prestige and possessions (or money) are what keep us from the reign of God.

Study after study have shown that after people have their basic needs met, enough to eat and a place to live, more money does not create happiness. In fact rich folks are often less happy, less secure and more fearful.

The challenge for us is to reflect on our relationship with wealth, money, and affluence. Too much choice, too many good things all around us and we all get confused, pulled from what is really important to us. It is too easy to become distracted from our most important values, to wander away from our faith, to be trapped in ways that keep us from what we most care about.

Wealth is a great responsibility. The scripture warns not to love money, but to use it for good purposes. Be rich in good works and generous and ready to share. Today we have a chance to share as we go to the EDFK luncheon right after church. Every penny of the money you donate will go to the purpose of feeding hungry children in Mexico.

Generosity is a spiritual value and this is a church of generous people. A generous spirit is one that shows a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary. But I challenge you that generosity isn't only about money. Here in Marin County, in this church, I see many lives greatly out of balance. I see people too busy, rushing from one good thing to another. Our children and youth are telling us something isn't right. Maybe your own life is telling you something.

Look to your life. Look to what is most important. Do we live our lives in ways that separate us from each other or that bring us together? Are you generous with time and attention to relationships with loved ones and with God? Set your hopes on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Generosity is about more than giving money. Let us all have the wisdom to use our wealth, time and money in meaningful and lasting investments. Amen

[HOME PAGE] [SERMON INDEX]