Dear St. Luke's,

It sure feels awkward talking about money in Church. Money often feels morally dirty, and the mention of it from the pulpit can send images of jailed televangelists into the congregation's minds. We spend all of this time convincing people that we are here to serve, and when we admit that we need money too, everything else feels fake. But of course, we need money to pay staff, do ministry, keep the lights on, and be the place where people go for meaning and help. To complicate things even further, Jesus talks about money all of the time, and he probably didn't do it to make people feel good about their wealth.

In the Gospel lesson for this Sunday, we will see a faithful man with many possessions approach Jesus earnestly, wanting to know what he should do (a generally good approach). Still, he leaves grieving when Jesus tells him to give away all that he has and follow him. It's unclear if he's grieving because he's not going to be following Jesus or if his discontentment is from having to part with his beloved wealth, but at the end of the day, it's a moot point. Jesus hammers the message home by adding that it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle for a wealthy person to get into heaven. Then my thoughts go from listening to Jesus to imagining giving away my beloved F-150 to follow the preacher going through town.

I hope that if Jesus asked me to sell my truck, I would do so joyfully, but the truth is I will probably not be selling all of my worldly possessions any time soon. If someone said that they represented the Son of God and I should liquidate my assets, I would probably shoo them away as they shook the dust from their feet. I hope and pray that if Christ came back, I would be humble and faithful enough to be as bold as the man in the Gospel and approach Jesus earnestly, desiring to learn from him.

While we are still waiting for the second coming, we have our savior's teachings, some wealth, and a world yelling at us that they are worth our hard-earned resources. This passage from Mark is meant to unsettle, and it always will, but living in a constant state of being unsettled is not a great way to live, so I have had to come up with a compromise in my spirit. My personal strategy in dealing with the tension between the Gospel and our financial reality is to make sure I am not turning things into idols. If Christ came up with my door with a chorus of angels, I would need to be able to get up and go, and I couldn't do that if I valued my things more than my God. On the other hand, if my purpose is to be faithful and not to acquire wealth, I must see that I am charged to use my wealth to help others and not just to live for myself.

All of this is to say, it's stewardship season. Like many of you, I struggle with how much to give and which organizations to support. For Church, I tithe my salary not because I want to be unique or I think God will pay me back with interest, but because I want to support something that matters to me, and I need the rule to go by so I know if I've given too much or too little. The formula will be different for you, but we need to remember that our relationship with money does matter. Whether or not we want it to be, discerning what is too much and what is too little is a spiritual exercise.

Blessings,

Nick