Money for Nothing

Mark 12:41-44

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

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That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb

"Money for Nothing" by Dire Straights

It's easy for rich people to make a splash. Press conferences and over-sized checks and loads of appreciation for largess. Now, these are pretty splashy. The folks who benefit from these donations certainly appreciate that someone somewhere cares enough to help out.

The video above is from Live Aid in 1985. It was estimated that around £150m has been raised for famine relief as a direct result of the concerts.

The Pharisees were always happy to see the rich men come in and make a grand spectacle of their offerings. It is always a grand and wonderful sound to hear the sound of coin falling into the treasury. That ain't working, that's the way you do it. They loved the benefits of this too. They loved sitting around the courtyards of the rich drinking good wine and living well. The benefits of being friends with the rich are much better than the benefits of hanging with the widows--if you're only interested in life you hold in your hand and put in your belly that is. If that's all you're interested in then these guys ain't dumb.

Jesus is interested in more though. He wants disciples who are willing to give all they have. The rich guys give from their riches, the widow gives everything. In this she gives more in two mites than the wealthy in their riches. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Give thanks to those who give much, but more should be shown to those who give all. Life in Christ never leaves us in dire straights.

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 Value of our Stuff

Luke 12:16-21

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

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They were all impressed with your Halston dress
And the people you knew at Elaine's
And the story of your latest success
Kept 'em so entertained

"Big Shot" by Billy Joel from 52nd Street

This biblical land owner appears to be endowed with all of the best qualities of the protestant work ethic. He is hard working and diligent. He is wise; a long term planner and strategic thinker. He saves, he doesn’t squander his wealth. He doesn’t seek to go out and buy the best new toys from the first century Monkey-Ward catalog, he is ready to build new barns and store his crop for many years. Even if he was just lucky; even if he had great seed, prepared soil, favorable weather, and the best luck in the world; chance favors the prepared and he was definitely prepared.

Reflecting on the bounty, he tells his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” This rich farmer has just made a major deposit in his ancient Individual Retirement Account and life is good. He is a small business owner who has done all of the right things. As soon as he makes a new place for his stuff he’ll be ready to take a breather. His earthly debts are paid off and he is ready to take a little time with his family. That’s the plan, a plan that would make any investment specialist proud. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry. Friends, let’s face it, this guy could not be more typically American unless he baked an apple pie and invented the hot dog.

This farmer is not the vain woman from the Billy Joel song, but they do both love their stuff.

This is where we come to the harsh reality. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry is found in the Old Testament books of Ecclesiastes and Isaiah where it isn’t a blessing. It’s a foreboding of impending doom. The mistake that he has made is that he has received a great blessing and chosen to sit on his hands and on his wealth.

Resting on his laurels watching the world go by sitting on the veranda in his porch swing is not the life God calls him to live. This is not the life we are called to live either. Our call is not to rest on God’s blessings; our call is to do God’s will with these blessings.

Good and bad come from the use of riches, not the riches themselves. To the ancient Greeks, riches were seen as blessings from the Gods. The Greek word for “riches” shares the same root as the words “fill” and “full.” Riches, the filling of the barn if you will, were seen as a blessing from God. Still, riches were not to be confused with the blessings of God. Things like “wealth of wisdom” or “wealth of grace” were not promised in these riches.

It’s not riches, but our attitude toward riches, the way we use riches that is important. The rich farmer in the parable is the man who embodies the American dream, but with one fatal flaw. He wanted to use his riches, the bountiful gifts of a gracious God, for his own comfort instead of for God’s kingdom. When we trust our lives to the security of riches instead of the richness of God, we trust in something that is fleeting.

As the farmer learns, life can be over in a flash. Our lives can be demanded of us in any given moment. When this happens, Jesus asks, “Who will receive the blessings that have been trusted to you?” One blessing will last; the other will become dust in the wind. We have received so many blessings, and often they are squandered on things that don’t last until the next season, just like a Halston dress.

Ours is not to squirrel away the blessings we have received into new barns because these riches are fleeting. We are to seek the greater blessings, the blessings of God. We are not to store up treasures for ourselves but are to be rich in the blessings of God.