Thanksgiving and Abundance

Dear People of Christ Church,

I think I'm still feeling unsettled by Sunday's Gospel--the story of the corrupt manager who, upon finding out he's going to get fired, cuts the debtors' bills so they'll be nice to him when he's out on the street himself. On Sunday, the corruption of the whole system seemed the most important thing; rigged from top to bottom to benefit those who had over those who had not.   A lot in our own economic system works that way, too; I likened the situation the debtors found themselves in to one of those "cash 'til payday" lending places that charge exorbitant rates of interest, when suddenly a $150 car repair loan ends up costing twice that when the person just can't quite get on top of it. 

There is something about the way we humans seem to "do" society where everything gets messed up; exploitation and greed seem part of our social DNA. Add racism, sexism, homophobia,  and all those other structural oppressions to the mix, and it's quite a toxic stew we find ourselves operating in. Jesus always confronted those powers-as we say in the baptismal covenant, "The powers of evil which corrupt and destroy the creatures of this world"--and we're called to do the same.

So Jesus cast his lot in with those on the bottom of the pile. But what do we do when we find ourselves somewhere closer to the middle?  We met for our first Tuesday night book group on Mark and Lisa Scandrette's Free: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most, and our conversation thus far is so illuminating. It's one thing to sit back and critique a corrupt system, and in some ways a fairly easy thing to work in the world to change that system. I mentioned in my sermon the Raise Up Massachusetts ballot initiative campaign to increase the minimum wage from $8.00 to $10.50  and secure sick pay for all workers by 2015. That's one thing we can do.  But what about our day to day lives?  In between soccer and swimming and work commitments and bosses? What are we called to sacrifice? And what kind of sacrifice are we talking about here?

One of the things that I'm loving about the book so far is how honest the authors are. Including sidebars by their daughter, they admit that it's been hard to live as simply as they have (on one non profit income with three kids in the city of San Francisco). The center of their simplicity, though, isn't some kind of harsh moralism that stands outside the world and shakes its finger. The center of their simplicity is faith in God and God's abundance. Holding the things they have lightly makes it possible to receive what God gives (for a taste of Mark's writing, see Helping Kids Develop a Sense of Abundance and Generosity). In the book, Hailey Scandrette talks about how she gets better clothes from thrift stores, and Lisa talks about how she has a weakness for craft supplies. Mark has a thing for designer shoes; there's nothing inherently wrong with these desires--but they have to be held in perspective.  Our desire for "more" always has to be grounded in our gratitude for what we have already. In that light, the things we lack are suddenly a lot less important. 
  
The "powers and principalities" of this world are rigged against human flourishing.  Whether the Roman empire, or a medieval lord, or a CEO who makes 800 times their employees (Walmart's CEO's $17.6 million total compensation to the average worker's $22,100)(cited from cnn.com).

"The system" has never equally served everyone. But there have always been cracks, places where the light gets through. Jesus teaches us to work on multiple levels; the social as well as the personal. With every diaper we give out, with every phone call to Congress on behalf of kids on food stamps, a little more light squeaks out into the darkness.  The power of God's love won't be contained, and there is nothing that can separate us from it.

Blessings,
Sara+