Minutes turn to hours, Hours turn to years –
Time is measured by every breath; every exhale
Takes a moment – and then is gone.
Where did we come from? Where do we go?
Have I been here before? Am I the image
I see in the corner of my eye?
As I gaze upon my child I wonder: “Did she
Gaze upon me, one time, in a time long forgotten?”
Is that the path of existence?
“I knew you before you were born” –
G*d’s Words become a child’s throw away;
If one is a promise, can the other have any truth?
I had to be born sometime: but one thing haunts me –
Continues to boil in the synapses of time –
Have I breathed this air before?
Daily Archives: February 6, 2015
I Was Given Poverty That I Might Be Wise – Rev. David J. Schreffler
February 6, 2015
“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of G*d!” Mark 10:23
“Christ said “Blessed are the poor” and “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom,” and no doubt He primarily meant the economically rich and economically poor. But do not His words also apply to another kind of riches and poverty? One of the dangers of having a lot of money is that you may be quite satisfied with the kinds of happiness money can give and so fail to realize your need for G*d.” Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963)
This is a really difficult text – and one that has been talked about and discussed for many years. Jesus never did say that money was evil. He did say that “the love of money” was a distraction and could become a stumbling block to our relationship with G*d. And of course we know this makes sense – just as C. S. Lewis suggests – but it doesn’t make it any easier for us. In this society we live in, we are often held hostage to the need for money. And the more there are things that we want, then the more we need money. And this can turn into a vicious cycle. And that cycle can become a stumbling block in two ways. One, we become too consumed by the collection of our consumables – in other words instead of possessing stuff, our stuff begins to possess us. The other is, as we accumulate consumables, we begin to live out this confusing equation: “stuff + quantity = happiness.” Or in other words, we think all happiness is found in our “stuff”.
“I asked for riches, that I might be happy…
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men…
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of G*d.”
These are the partial words found in the pocket of an unknown Civil War soldier – and they speak to us through the ages. Money is a necessity in this world, but it can never become a substitute for what matters most – and what matters most is our relationship with G*d. Jesus did not say “money is the root of evil” but Jesus did warn us that our love of money can and will distract us from our trust and our love of G*d. Stuff does not equal happiness – true happiness comes in our relationship with G*d.
Pastor Dave
Lutheran Schreff 