Fuente de Amor

Matthew 6:19-34

            Because I'm a geek like this, after doing our taxes last spring, I went through our financial records and budget spreadsheets and calculated the % of our income we spent on various things.  I was a bit surprised and depressed by a few things.  Some things weren't as high as they should be and some things were higher than I thought they'd be. 

            I did that as an experiment based upon, vs. 21.  The checkbook doesn't lie, how you spend your money reveals what you value.  In 2007, as we were trying to pay off the 20%  part of our 80/20 loan, we valued our house above anything else.  In this life, that's a pretty good investment.  But our house will eventually wear out and fall down.  Which is why Jesus is encouraging his followers to invest in treasures that will never wear out.  Vs. 19-20

            Times were tough in Jesus' day.  I won't go into the detail I did a couple weeks ago, but the oppression and taxation of the Roman Empire was financially destroying the average Jewish person, while a few wealthy elite were getting even richer.  Thankfully, that would never happen now because our society is much more civilized.  Things really haven't changed much at all.  These days you've got people getting suckered into subprime mortgages and then losing everything, back then you had people selling off the farm that had been in their family for centuries to rich bankers and then working that land for minimum wage.  Times were tough and yet Jesus looked at this group of people and boldly told them to invest their hard-earned and meager wages into things that wouldn't just benefit this life, but that would last forever.  "As my followers, you will be generous."    

            Right after challenging his followers to be generous, Jesus gives a picture of what happens when you fail to be generous.  Vs. 22-24.  This is pretty harsh stuff.  Jesus is saying that to keep everything you make for yourself is to fill yourself with darkness.  Those who hold on are filled with darkness, those who let go are filled with light. 

            He also warns his audience of the danger and constant temptation of worshipping money.  It's easy for us middle class people to dismiss this teaching.  "Come on, I drive a modest car, live in a modest home.  I surely don't worship the Almighty Dollar."  First of all, just to drive a car means we're among the top 8% of the world's wealthy elite, even if it's a clunker.  Secondly, Jesus isn't making a distinction regarding income.  Remember, Jesus is speaking to a very poor group of people. 

            Poor and rich alike can worship money.  Some people, no matter their income, worship money by chasing after that lie of consumerism we've named the American Dream, "if I just get that house, that car, that boat - then I'll be happy."  The richer you are, the more you can buy, but rich and poor both fall into this trap. 

            But there's another money-worship trap that anyone call fall into, no matter their income, the trap of worry.  If you look at over-arching theme of this passage, you'll see that Jesus is teaching that to constantly worry about money is another form of worshipping the Almighty Dollar.  Out of control worry is just as bad as out-of-control consumerism.  As a worrier by nature, that hits home for me.    

            Human nature hasn't changed since Jesus taught 2,000 years ago.  We tend to worry about money or chase after things, or a bit of both.  In this passage, Jesus shows us how we can be set free from a bondage to money.   

            The only way to be set free from the chains of money is to give it away.  Yes, you heard me correctly, give away your hard-earned money.  Have I mentioned before that following Jesus is counter-cultural?   We experience Kingdom life when we're giving away some of our hard-earned money. 

            And I want you to notice something, because this will affect everything else I say this morning.  Jesus gives no "give only if you can afford it" clause.  These were some of the poorest people in the world and yet Jesus unashamedly tells them they're to be generous.  The same applies to us.  If you can't afford it, you change your lifestyle to practice generosity.  If you still can't afford it, you do it anyway and know that God will take care of you.  Followers of Jesus give! 

            Jesus knows that no discipline can free a person from worry or consumerism like giving.  To give away some of your hard-earned money, while it goes against the thousands of commercials we see each week, shapes us into Kingdom people.  To be a part of the Kingdom is to live in the domain where the King rules.  Giving is a huge indicator as to whether or not you're living in the Kingdom. 

            Before I move through the passage, I want to give a disclaimer.  I'll bet some of you are closing me off right now, "I knew it, the church just wants our money.  I thought maybe he was different, but Donnie is just like every other pastor."  First of all, if you choose to support the mission of Trinity Family, it will increase our ministry potential but not my salary.  I don't work on commission, my salary for this fiscal year is fixed. 

            But if you really think we're just after your money, then give away your money to something else.  Salvation Army, United Way, Humane society, RNC or DNC.  I'm serious.

            I'm also not going to back down.  God wants your heart and we're wired in such a way that the path to our heart is through our wallet.  Money represents security and independence.  Generosity teaches us that we're ultimately dependent upon God.  No security a part from God.  God wants no competitors, your complete allegiance; God wants all of you!

            God gets us to that point by having us deal with the worry issue.  Worry is antithetical to Kingdom life.  Worry causes us to hold tightly but the Kingdom is about giving generously.  We hold tightly to things or people, scared that if we release them, we're going to lose them.  So rather than living life with palms open in a symbol of generosity, we're clinching our hands into tight fists, trying to preserve what we've got.  This is what Jesus asks us to do.  Vs. 25-30 

            Ever notice that birds are hard working animals?  Always working their tail-feathers off, trying to find a new way to build a nest somewhere in my house.  Jesus isn't telling us to be lazy.  He's telling us to let go of the illusion that we're in control.  Work hard, but trust in God provision, not your own strength. 

            It's the same with the flowers.  They aren't beautiful because of their own ingenuity, but because of God's provision.

            One of the scholars I studied this week said the image of the birds and the flowers represent two types of concerns that we have.  The birds represent a concern for food.  Or another way of saying it, a concern for provision.  The worry of "can we buy groceries, make the house payment, buy school supplies, save for retirement or for an emergency."  It's the worry of "do I have enough." 

            But some people would rather look good then eat good.  Flowers represent the concern of, "do I have enough nice things to fit into society."  "What am I missing if I don't have that new outfit, that new tv, a nice car, a nice house."  

            And when it comes to marriage, each concern seems to be found in one of the spouses.  There's usually one person that's a hoarder, worried about whether we have enough and one that's a spender, worried about whether we've bought enough.  In our marriage, I'm the hoarder and Erin's the spender.  Neither of us go to the extreme, I'm all for spending money and Erin's all for saving money, but those are our tendencies.  I am more of a hoarder than Erin is a spender. 

            Both of these come out of our worries.  Because of intentional lifestyle choices that we've made, Erin doesn't drive as nice of a car or have as many nice outfits as some of her coworkers or friends.  When she's other people spending money in ways she'd like to do, she starts to worry that she's missing out.  She's got one friend who spends a ton of money on scrap booking stuff, which is Erin's favorite hobby.  She's got a worry that her quality of life isn't as high as this other person because she's not spending as much.

            I'm pretty much the opposite.  I lay awake at night wondering if we'll be financially healthy 1 year from now or 10 years from now.  Whether we're putting enough away for retirement.  What we need to cut out of our budget to hit those goals. 

            In January, I worked out a 15 month financial plan.  3 big goals we had to hit this year; 1) Go on vacation 2) Save for IVF procedure 3) Pay off our school loan.  I run the numbers a couple times a month, to make sure we're still on pace.  It makes me feel secure. 

            At the end of the school year last year, we got some really good financial news.  We found out that because Olathe is changing the way they do salary years, Erin was going to be getting an extra month's pay in August.  A full month's paycheck without any benefits taken out.  Free money!  The efficiency of our government.

            Immediately, both of us go into our default mode.  Erin thinks of stuff she could finally buy that she's been sacrificially living without and I think of how much quicker we can pay off our school loan.  I planned, she dreamed, we argued.  But neither of us asked God what he'd have us do with that money.  Maybe should've thought of that.

            A couple weeks before that first paycheck came, we heard about a need someone had.  As soon as I heard of it, the thought, "we could pay that" came to my mind.  I saw Erin's face light up and I thought, "crap, she's thinking the same thing."  But we didn't talk about it that day and I assumed the thought would go away.

            The next morning, I woke up and that thought was still in my mind, "help that person out."  So I went to Erin and said, "wanna hear something stupid..."  I was sure she'd laugh and that would be the end of it.  But unfortunately she said, "yeah, I'm thinking the same thing." 

            So I then called my parents who have been incredible examples of generosity, hoping my mom would talk me out of it.  Nope, "It sounds like God's asking you to do this and yes, it is crazy."  So before we could talk ourselves out of it, we took money out of savings and paid this need. 

            It wasn't easy, but it's taught me a lot.  I've learned it's not about my plans.  My security is not found in my ability to earn an income or budget that income.  Erin's experienced the joy of giving to others in a way she's never felt before.  A joy that goes deeper than nice things.  When Erin's paychecks came a few weeks later, it was exactly what we'd given away. 

            I don't say this to make you think we're some great saints.  While we love the person we helped, we're still mourning the loss of that money.  But our security isn't in our savings account.  Our fulfillment isn't found in the things we own.  Those are all nice, but they're a distant second to our relationship with God.

            God feeds the birds, clothes the flowers.  But you know what, birds get shot by kids with bee bee guns.  Flowers get cut down by the lawnmower.  Life doesn't always go the way we think it should.  Stocks fail, businesses downsize, mortgages foreclose. 

            One flower may grow up in a meadow, where a hiker takes a picture, it's turned into a calendar and that flower provides beauty for decades.  Another flower may grow up alongside the highway, and for one week, that flower provides beauty to a motorist in rush-hour traffic but it's soon cut down by the highway mowers.  But both flowers say to their creator, "I'm here to glorify you, whatever that means, however long that is." 

            Jesus challenges us, if flowers can live that way, can't you make the same decision? 

            Kingdom life means telling God, "my life is yours, no matter what happens.  Use me in whatever way you see fit.  And whatever I have is yours.  I'll enjoy what you allow me to keep.  I'll give away whatever you ask me to give away."  Everything - even my own life - is held loosely.  It all belongs to you!"

             The more loosely you hold onto your life, the more that the life of the Kingdom becomes a reality in you.  Vs. 31-33

            Generosity frees you from the worry of things; allowing you to pursue the things of the Kingdom. 

            I think Jesus spent most of this passage talking about money because when we get the money thing figure out, we're able to release other worries as well.  In verse 34, Jesus suddenly broadens his perspective from money/ food/ needs to any worry that haunts us.  Vs. 34

            With this verse in mind, I want us to spend some time releasing our worries to God.  The band is going to play one song and then provide some background music while you release your worries to God.  A few different ways you can respond.  One is to simply sit quietly, reflecting on and praying over the questions on your weekly.  Another option is to come write your worries on the sheets of paper stuck to the walls here.  Another option is to come light a candle as an act of lifting that concern up to God in prayer.  If you'd like someone to pray for you, we've got a team of guys and ladies willing to do exactly that.  You'll have about 10 minutes for prayer and reflection.