Whose Money Is It? -Peace

There is an old joke that people share with ministers from time to time.  The church building has a leaky roof that needs repair.  The minister stands up to address the problem.  “People, we need to raise $10,000 dollars to fix the roof.  I have good news and bad news.  The good news is, I know exactly where the money is to repair the roof.  The bad news is, it’s still in your pockets!”

The church only wants me for my money.  That is a common accusation aimed at the church in general.  In all likelihood, every minister has been accused of this in some place and time when they preach about giving and money.
Let me address that and correct it.

1) There is no MY money.

There is only God’s money, which each of us has been given some of to use to help in God’s work of transforming and saving the world from itself.

So the church doesn’t want your money. It wants some of God’s money, of which you are in possession. (and yes, the distinction matters!)

And the church doesn’t want some of God’s money, of which you are in possession, because it doesn’t want you to have that money; or because it doesn’t trust you with it.  The church wants you to give, to be generous with what is God’s, that has been given to you, in order for the church to be part of and to help you be a part of what God is doing in the world.  God’s work of transforming and saving the world from itself.  When any of us chooses to be generous, we are participating in God’s great work; God’s mission.  We are helping to create hope and we are helping to create peace.

Here’s how it works:

Peace is not just the absence of conflict.  Peace requires justice.  You have likely seen or heard the phrase:  No Justice, No Peace.  Know Justice, Know Peace.

You see, greed kills justice.
Generosity counteracts greed and therefore creates a space for justice and peace.
Justice requires generosity.

We see many many examples of this when we examine the contrasts and issues that exist between the First world, in which we live, and the Third world.  As well as within each of those realities.
The legacy of colonialism, especially in Canada with First Nations people and residential schools.

Greed kills justice.
Generosity counteracts greed and therefore creates a space for justice and peace.
Justice requires generosity.

After all, generosity is really about how we distribute resources, isn’t it?  Generosity is about how we use the world God has created and given to us.  It takes us back to and comes straight out of the creation story in Genesis.  God created and gave to all of us.

Which means it’s not so much about us and them as it is about us and us.  (and again, the distinction matters!)

There’s a critical comparison to be made here between:

Rabid capitalism and individualism, in which a small number of people believe it is their right to accumulate the majority of the resources for their own use and their own good and lay waste to the planet in the process, increasing the divide between them and everyone else;

AND the Kingdom that Jesus came to proclaim; where no one goes without; where everyone has a place and has value; where the need to consume in order to feel complete and good has been ended because we find our completeness and wholeness in God’s love for us and in our serving and caring for each other.

And more than a theoretical comparison, there is a choice confronting each of us.  The spiritual practice of generosity is about making that choice.

So when we live generous lives, generosity for the sake of generosity, not out of some sense of duty forced upon us, or out of guilt, or to get something in return, when we live generous lives we are making the choice to follow Jesus and do the things that Jesus did, building a community centred on Jesus.  We are accepting the place that God offers us within God’s realm.  We are making true what Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is among you.”  When we live generous lives we are doing justice which leads to peace.

Think about it!

1. If you are currently involved in a situation that is not “peace-full” how could an act of generosity bring peace? 
2. How generous can you be?  
3. In your praying and quiet time this week, ask God to help you be aware of opportunities to be generous.