Tag Archives: Greed

Forgive us Our Debts

Income inequalityLiving in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
September 14, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

 Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’
—Matthew 18:21-22, 33-35

Our class structures have changed or are changing and we are not mentally ready to accept that. The middle class is slipping away and incomes of the working class are stagnant. The jobs that are available are largely in service industries that are under paid. If you have not had a chance to view or read about Robert Reich’s Inequality for All I would recommend that you do.* I think much of the anger and frustration that is being vented across our land is the loss we are all experiencing because of this trend. Decisions made from frustration can and do make matters worse.

Part of the problem is that this country is suffering from an epidemic of greed and if we do not get a handle on that we will never find solutions to our economic crisis. Greed is our idolatry. It results when we cross the line between a healthy desire for progress to an addiction for more and more. As we each strive to protect our own interests, we may do it at the expense of others. This is exactly what has happened in the parable in our scripture today. Someone has not been able to meet his or her obligations and when pressed, he or she takes it out on others.

Jesus instructs us to forgive and forgive and forgive again—to keep forgiving. First, we all ought to really appreciate this instruction for that is exactly what Jesus does for us every day, but I think he may be trying to get at another point. Our inability to forgive is what is keeping us from solving the problem at hand. The master of the slaves knew that and wisely forgave the slave. The slave could not follow his master’s example.

 Oklahoma Fact: in 2012, 30% of children were living in households with parents who lacked secure employment**

Prayer: Forgive us this day our debts as we forgive our debtors. Amen.

*http://robertreich.org/post/94260751620

 

** For children living in single-parent families, this means the resident parent did not work at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. For children living in married-couple families, this means neither parent worked at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. Children living with neither parent were listed as not having secure parental employment because those children are likely to be economically vulnerable. http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5043-children-whose-parents-lack-secure-employment?loc=38&loct=2#detailed/2/38/false/868,867,133,38,35/any/11452,11453

 

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Greed

Living in the Spirit
July 5, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 

‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
   we wailed, and you did not mourn.”
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’ — Matthew 11:16-19

 I sense the same level of discontent in our society today as that which Jesus describes in his own time and place. We are a people who can neither be happy or sad. We are critical of those who act and of those who do not. We want to have our cake and eat it too. I particularly see this in the reaction of the public to government. I have literally heard campaign ads that in one sentence criticize an opponent who is trying to cut military spending, but in the same ad is demanding that the opponent cut taxes. Apparently we cannot see the contradiction in those two actions.

I actually find it rather frightening to read the prophets of old as they describe similar attitudes among the Israelites before the fall of first, Israel and later, Judah. The people were so caught up in greed and self-indulgence that they could not see that their own behavior was causing the disintegration of their society.

Greed is epidemic in America today. It rules our lives as we stand in long lines waiting for stores to open so that we can get the newer, better version of a gadget that was updated only a few months earlier. We want the government to stay out of our business unless we need its services and then we complain because it is not efficient and effective enough even though its resources have been cut and cut and cut some more. We want anyone else besides us to pay taxes, but we want the services they provide right now.

Our scripture today quotes Jesus as trying to get this same message across 2000+ years ago. The prophets spoke about it 4000 years ago. Will we ever learn?

Prayer: O God, convict us of our greed and other sins that are tearing at the heart of our society. Cleanse us, forgive us, and make us true disciples. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.