Living in a material world, and I am a material girl. You know that we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl. We ve all heard it; we ve all grown up with it. Madonna singing about being a material girl in this material world. And what about the ol adage of the 80 s: the one with the most toys wins? Even if your parents couldn t afford to buy you everything you wanted, society around you kept saying more, more, more. Stuff and money, that s what it is all about. Technology boomed while we were growing up: we have never been without computers, and the Internet has been our friend. We grow up, we go to school, and we re told to get jobs that will be fulfilling monetarily fulfilling, socially fulfilling, stuff fulfilling. You can t be whole without a lot of money, many cars, all the new gadgets you can, at least one recreational vehicle, a TV in every room, and this list can go on. And not only have we grown up with thinking we needed to own things to be whole people, we can find stereotypes about who we are: Gen Xers, Children of the 80 s, the MTV generation, to name a few. Even searching on the Internet, we can find sights that claim you to be a Child of the 80s if the following list contains things that you remember. I searched for such a list and found a rather extensive one at www.angelfire.com/hi2/the80s/list.html. Just for fun, take a look at a few from the list and see how many you recognize (for the complete list, see the above website): You're a Child of the '80s if... 6. Schoolhouse Rock played a HUGE part in how you actually learned the English language. 23. the only video games you play are Frogger and Pac Man. 36. you know that girls just wanna have fuh-un. 55. you use your Speak and Spell to phone home. 67. you know how many times Ferris was absent from school. 87. every time The Breakfast Club is on, you can't help but watch it.
89. Celine Dion and Mariah Carey don't hold a candle to Pat Benatar and Whitney Houston. 91. you try to whip it...into shape, shape it up, get it straight, go forward, move ahead, back to detect it, it's not to late!! 115. you know whose number is 867-5309. 129. you can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off. 132. you HAD to have your MTV. 145. you remember when Saturday Night Live was funny. So what is the deal? What is this obsession over stuff? And how does being Christian fit in with it all? How can we be a Christian in a society that presses upon us that money is everything, social status is everything, and having everything we want is a normal feeling? What if you have grown up, not feeling that sense of entitlement, that just because of who you are, you deserve only the good stuff? How do we balance career, family, goals, and being a Christian? What does the church say about stuff and money? Not much. And what we do hear is that the church wants our money for a variety of things offering, some mission field or missionary, for the poor, the hungry, the needy, for the building fund, or what have you. Not that these types of projects or funds are not worthy of our consideration, time or money, it s just that why we are to give to these areas is not quite clear. The church is not very articulate about why we should support whatever fund or mission or people brought before us. In my opinion, the church is not articulate about why we support whatever fund, mission, or people is because those in the church do not fully understand what the fund, mission, or people are about, or because the church assumes we know why already. Either way, the church needs to be clearer about what they are asking of their members. They need to answer the important questions: What is the mission for? What are the missionaries doing/accomplishing? Where does the money go and how is the money being used? Where are the needy in another country or down the street from my house? I believe the church has a responsibility to keep its members accurately informed about what ministries they are supporting. By keeping everyone in the know builds trust. This trust tells 2
us that what we are doing with our time and money is worthy of our mission in Christ s name, that we are not frivolously wasting time, money and resources on something that will not be helping those in need. Take a moment to ponder what is at your center, God or money. How are you using the gifts that God has given you? What follows is a brief quiz of sorts to help you think about how you use your gifts and what is at the center of your life. 1) How do you spend your money? a. Blow it all on entertainment (music, movies, etc.) b. Pay the rent and other bills c. Tithe, pay the bills, savings, and spending money d. A well-rounded giving to church and charities as well as taking care of living necessities, savings, and a little spending money 2) When deciding on spending your money, what do you take into consideration? a. Myself b. Family (spouse and/or children) c. Sense of Duty to Family, Church, and Self d. From the perspective of giving out of my abundance 3) When you hear the word tithe, what comes to mind? a. Tithe? I ve never heard of that word. b. I would like to, but I don t have the money after I m done paying the bills c. I only give to the church when I feel like the money will be well spent d. I try to give a particular percentage of my income to church and charities, with the intent of giving out of what I have been gifted 4) When you hear about the Church talking about money, what is your first reaction? a. I wish they would quit asking for my money. b. I would like to help out, but do not have enough money c. I only give when I feel like the money will be well spent d. I believe that I have been blessed with the money I have and therefore believe that I should share with those in need. 3
These questions are intended to help you think about how you view money, and stuff, in light of being a Christian. No one is perfect, and sometimes at different points in our lives we cannot always use our gifts the same way. What we can do, however, is think about how we are using our money and stuff. Are we hoarding it? Are we frivolously spending what we earn? Are we willing to help out those in need whatever form that may come in? And what about the Bible? What does it have to say about money? Jesus talks about money a lot, and in many different ways. For example, we are told that a widow gives all that she has while others only give of some (Mark 12:41-44); a rich man is to give all that he has (Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30); it is hard for a rich person to get into heaven(mark 10:24-25, Luke 21:1-4); and that money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Yet Jesus tells a parable about money in Matthew 25:14-30, where those who were given money and made money on the return were rewarded because they used the gifts given to them while the one who kept his money was left with nothing because he did not use what was given to him. And Timothy writes how a rich person ought to live in light of being a Christian: it s a question of what is at the center, God or money. How does the Bible speak to our situation? Most of us have grown up hearing that stuff and money don t go well with Christianity. I remember hearing how back in the early days of the early Christians everyone shared everything they had, and that giving money and material goods away was the thing to do. There are many groups around today that still argue that we should return to these good old days, sell all that we own, and then and only then would we be living true Christian lives. Honestly, how appealing is that? Not very. So what should we do? Are we to give up all the stuff we don t need? Do we give all the money we have that doesn t 4
go to living costs to the church or some other worthy organization? Are we to give up everything and live communally? Are we to believe we are bad because we are trying to have successful careers, support the lifestyle of our choice, raise a family, and needing to get out of debt? What if we make just enough money that we and/or our families can barely survive, leaving us with nothing left to give to anyone else in need? No, I don t believe we have to give up our stuff, or our money, just because someone dictates that we should because it would be good for us or that we would be better Christians. We each have to make a choice. No, we are not bad because we want to have success in our lives, be it through our careers, lifestyle, families, or whatever path we have chosen. But how do we live as Christians while living in a world that promotes stuff and money? It is not by abandoning the world for Christianity or vise versa. We have to find a way to be Christians in the world we live in, to be Christians at home, in the work place, as we walk down the street, even while we grocery shop! In fact, the very stuff we have and the money we earn can be and is a part of how we can be and are Christians in the world. And just because we do not have money or stuff to give to others, we always have ourselves to give. We all have gifts that can help out in many ways, whether that be helping an elderly person clean their house or raking a lawn or even just visiting. God has given us the gift of God s grace and the promise of salvation. And because God s unconditional grace has been poured out upon us as can be seen through our gifts we have to share with others we have the capacity and the resources to turn around and share that grace with others. We use our gifts to help those in need, be it through our money, our stuff, or even our bare hands. As we live and work in the world, we ought to be mindful of what we have been 5
given and who has given these gifts to us. And the best way to use these gifts is to share with those around us. Sounds simple? You guessed it, no way. It is not easy to be Christian and have stuff and money. Society tells us so, as does the church. But, it is worth the struggle. And you do have to make the choice. Sell all that you own? Only if that is how you are able to be Christian in the world. Give of all that you have? Only if it is how you are able to be Christian in the world. Is money evil? It can be, but it is also a necessity (a necessary evil, not necessarily). What if we look back to the parable in Matthew 25 as a way to reflect upon how we are Christians in the world. If we have been given a gift, to use in whatever way you see fit, what do you do with it? Are you like the two servants in Matthew 25 who chose to share the gift given to them by their master, increasing what they had been given and then given even more? Or are you like the third man, who chose to bury what he had been given, hiding it away from the world, and thus was left only with a useless gift? God gives us a gift: we have talents for certain things in life, things that can be used to help not only ourselves but also other people. Each of us has been given some gift. We are then left to go out into the world with these gifts/talents. What you do with this gift is totally up to you. Do you share your gifts with others? When we share our gifts, our gifts our talents multiply and grow larger, enabling us to give even more. Or do you keep your gift, your talent, to yourself? Do you hoard what you have been given? We find that when we keep what we have been given hidden inside, locked up where no one can see it, that gift becomes stale and useless. What if that is what we are supposed to do with our stuff and money? Share it with other people? Really, the question we need to be asking ourselves is: Who, or what, is our focus God or the 6
Almighty Dollar? We can share the stuff that we have, and the money we have earned, in a way that will serve God and serve other people in this world. That is what God has given us: the talents we bring to this world to use in our relationships not only with God but also with everyone we meet. Ask yourself, how do you use your stuff, your money? How can I use my stuff and money to help out my fellow human being no matter their background? Who is your neighbor? How do you help those in need? Take the following quiz and see how you rate. 1) You are sitting in church, and the pastor is asking for a special donation for the local food bank either in the form of money or food. You a. Ignore the request b. Wonder what in your cabinet you could do without c. Throw some food in the collection basket the next week as well as write out a check for the food bank 2) You are at work and your co-worker s daughter comes in and asks you to help her school raise money for school supplies for children in Africa. You a. Tell her you don t have any money b. Pledge to give some money c. Give her money up front, and ask if there is something more you could do to help 3) You are walking down the street Christmas shopping for your mom and you see the Christmas tree with the requests for presents. You a. Pass by the tree, pretending you did not see it b. As you walk by, think what a great idea but are reluctant to take a tag c. Choose one or more tags to fulfill 4) An organization is calling up people for donations to a fund to help out the local fire department. When you answer, you a. Hang up b. Claim you would like to help but do not have the money c. Commit to giving money and actually give the money 7
These questions are just some examples of a multitude of opportunities we have to help out those around us. Answering mostly a is what many of us do I have been guilty of these responses many times. Mostly b answers are where many of us tend to land on a good day. For the most part, the c answers are ideal, and many of us probably have done some of these from time to time. There are times where we are not always able to do what we would really like to do, but keeping in mind where our gifts come from and working toward helping out people in need are important steps toward understanding how we are to be Christian in a world where stuff and money rule the day. Okay, so we can actively use and share our stuff and money to make the world a better place. We can contribute to the betterment of society just by being generous. So what? How does that fulfill me in my career, in my family, in my life? How does that make me whole? By asking yourself what is your focus, who or what is at your center God or money? Pick a focus and ask yourself questions about different aspects of your life. Ask yourself if you are fulfilled by your job, your family, your stuff, your money, your life as it is. Ask yourself what you need. How could I become fulfilled by what I do? What would make me whole? What is missing? Many of us are looking for a community that will help us in fulfilling our goals, as well as aiding us in becoming whole people. We want to have meaningful lives. Society tells us that meaning comes from having a TV in every room, faster Internet, the newest gadget, a sporty car, and lots and lots of money that can buy anything and everything we want. But is meaning really found in stuff and money? Not really, when we think about it. But can these things have meaning for our lives? Sure, especially when they are used to help others. We can find meaning for our lives through helping out others with the gifts that God has given us. 8
Ultimately, we have to make choices in our lives about the stuff we have and the money that we earn. How will we best use these things in order to lead meaningful lives? How will we best create meaning in and for ourselves as we live within the world as Christians? Think of how you treat others. Think of how your stuff, and your money, may be of help to others. Get out there into the world and do what you have to do but remember where your focus is. Do you sing, like Abba does, Money, money, money, in a rich man s world.? Or are you more like Joan Osborne, who ponders What if God was one of us? 9