The Wealth of Value

Psalm 52:6-7 (NRSV)

The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
“See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!”

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Your everlasting summer and you can see it fading fast
So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last
Well, you wouldn't know a diamond if you held it in your hand
The things you think are precious I can't understand

"Reelin' in the Years," written by Walter Becker and Donald Fegan recorded by Steely Dan from "Can't Buy a Thrill"

All that glitters is not gold. Fool's gold is another way to say this. Where do you place your trust? This is a question to be answered.

It's easy to place trust in wealth, with wealth it would seem that everything else could be much, much easier. But scripture and anecdotal evidence of lottery winners say different.

There are scores of stories about lottery winners who took their new found riches and promptly ruined their lives. The old tale of the lotto winner who declared bankrupcy is known nation-wide. Professional athletes and entertainers who sign huge contracts and become bankrupt overnight are a sad truth. Stories of people who are swindled by offers that are too good to be true are all over the news. The latest internet swindle is only a mouse click away.

Between irresponsible spending, poor investments, and trusting people who had no earthly reason being trusted; these stories happen all too often. And they happen to people who place too much value on wealth--instead we need to place more wealth in value.

The value we must trust in is the grace and peace of the Lord. We are to trust in what God creates and not in what we collect. Frankly, there are too many times when we human beings have trouble discerning what is good for us and what is not. As The Dan sing, "you wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hand." What we consider precious often is just fool's gold.

Our refuge is in the Lord. The Lord alone is all that will last.

The Plaintive Cry

2Samuel 22:7

In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.

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It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door

Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan from the soundtrack to "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid."

The plaintive cries of a man who dies violently. He's got a badge and where he's going he won't need it. He's got guns and where he's going he won't need it. He knows he's about to die and there's no solace for him. Why? Who knows. "The bad guy got him and town's not safe" is a good bet, but it's only a guess. But there is mourning in the words, and mourning in almost everyone who sings this song. It's the kind of mourning that hints that there is more death coming, and the man is saddened.

Of course the Guns 'N' Roses version really doesn't show this, but Axl Rose has never been one for remorse or regret.

In this song, this song of David from 2Samuel, David rejoices that the Lord does hear and did deliver him from his enemies and from Saul. David begins by praising the Lord, his fortress, his deliverer, his rock, his shield, his stronghold, his refuge, the horn of his salvation, his savior and his God. His Lord saves him from violence. His Lord saves him from his enemies. His Lord is worthy to be praised.

His Lord saves him from his enemies. His Lord saves him from death. He cries to the Lord and the Lord hears his cries.

The Lord hears cries. The Lord hears the plaintive cries of the people. The Lord listens and pays attention. The only negative thing that can be said is that the Lord doesn't respond the way we want or in what we might call a timely manner.

Yet here's the truth. We knock on heaven's door. We don't particularly want to die. We especially don't want to die when there's still what we would consider "work to be done" on the table.

God hears our cries. Sometimes the story will end like it did for David, the greatest grandfather of our Lord. Sometimes it's like this nameless man who dies with his boots on. Both knock on heaven's door and neither is a failure. David claims the Lord as his God and savior, and so must we. As for the rest, knocking on heaven's door by the grace of God takes care of that.

A Better Society through Homogeneity!

Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

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We've taken care of everything
The words you hear, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
It's one for all, all for one
We work together, common sons
Never need to wonder how or why

We are the priests
Of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers
Fill the hollowed halls
We are the priests
Of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life
Are held within our walls

"The Temples of Syrinx" Lyrics by Neil Peart, recorded by Rush from the "2112" album.

In 1976, the Canadian rock band Rush created the signature record of the first part of their career, 2112. It's the story of a dystopian (dystopian is the opposite of Utopian) society that is the product of a galaxy-wide war that resulted in the union of all planets under the rule of the "Red Star of the Solar Federation." By 2112, the world is ruled by the "Priests of the Temples of Syrinx" who control "the words you hear, the songs you sing, the pictures that give pleasure to your eyes," and so on.

So what's the fundemental difference between the Lord our God and the Computers of Syrinx? It's easy, Rush's dystopian society is based on an externally conceived and controlled society built to bring the masses into line for maximum benefit to the people in control. It's forced on the people, and when the one man, the Star Man, tries to do something different he's rebuked and eventually commits suicide.

Our relationship with God is different. We were created through God's overflowing love to share creation with the Lord. God's love is so great that we are asked to consider if the Lord will take care of the birds of the air in grand fashion, imagine what he will do for us. This has always been God's intention, that we share creation with God. Yes, sin gets in the way so we do not live as God intended, but that's not God's fault is it?

The Lord God has been with us since the beginning. Can't say the same for these priests.

The gifts of the Temples of Syrinx are "held within our walls." God's good gifts are for available to us here and now. It's up to us to seek them and accept them with God's love and blessing.

February 1, 2012 (that would be 2-1-12) was "Rush Day." A day when fans of the band celebrated their music. Today I invite us to contemplate a vision of what life can be when we live controlled "for the benefit of the people" instead of the life of freedom, peace, and love God has created us to live. It's the difference between control and love. It's a view where everybody is the same, homogeneous, a view that ends in death--at least for one Starman. Our God creates life in many colors, it is to our shame and harm when we try to make it all black and white.

Let's live the better vision.