August 2007

Dear friends,
    
     Have you ever thought about money - I mean, really thought about it?
     I was looking at some dollar bills the other day and I noticed all kinds of symbolism.  There's the national motto - "In God We Trust" and there's the official seal.  And of course there's good old George Washington right on the front.  Take a look at all the other words and pictures and designs.  Read the fine print.  So much of what we're about, as a country, is printed right there in green and black.
     "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private."  That means that we can use our money to pay for things.  (Well, of course.)  Gone are the days when neighbors bartered livestock and fruits of the harvest.  No more trading something you have for something else you need.  Now it all comes down to using one standard instrument, equally valued across the entire country - cash.
     But the cash itself isn't worth much.  It's just paper and ink.  It's not like we're actually transacting with gold or something else that holds its own value.  Remember those long days you worked?  You were paid not with the staples of life, but with money.  If you're retired, do you remember those dollars you "put aside" long ago?  They weren't used then, so you could have them now.  Long ago, soldiers were paid with meat, ale, and salt - not cash.  (That's where we got the phrase, "He's worth his salt.")  How would your boss react if you came into work one day asking for an additional chicken each month?
     So our money is just the go-between.  It's not something that can have its own worth, other than what is ascribed to it.  It's when we use our money that we find its real value.  when you buy that can of beans at the store, a piece of you is given to the store - the time you worked for the value of the item, transacted through money.  The same is true when you buy a car or a house.  Part of you is given away.  Your time, sweat, energy, and ability - given to pay for what you have.
     Believe it or not, Jesus had more to say about money than anything else.  We cannot develop a taste for money - because money is only the go-between.  We cannot find our security in money - because we cannot eat it nor be clothed with it.  We cannot allow ourselves to become addicting to wanting more and more - because it never really satisfies.  Never.
   That's why we Christians are a giving people, not a hoarding people.  When we give money to the church, we're doing more than donating cash.  The time we worked, the energy we spent - is offered as a gift to God through our contributions.  So when we write that check, or placed that gift in the offering plate, we're literally giving a piece of our lives to God. 
   That's why we Christians are a giving people, not a hoarding people.  When we give money to the church, we're doing more than donating cash.  The time we worked, the energy we spent - is offered as a gift to God through our contributions.  So when we write that check, or place that gift in the offering plate, we're literally giving a piece of our lives to God. 
   Lincoln Chapel is in need.  Those who depend on us - our missionaries, our children, our ministries, the needy in our own community - are the ones who need your help.  By supporting your church financially, you are providing hope and help to those in the greatest need.  It's more than a donation.  It's a part of you making a difference in someone else's life. 
     So the next time you take our your checkbook or open your wallet...
          ...ask yourself, "What would Jesus do?"

Pastor Jon West