A Life Built on Money

A Life Built on Money

God tells us that the one who builds their life on money is in for a seismic disorientation.

Transcript: Welcome to the Light of Christ Weekly Podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.

Our sermon soundbite today comes from the prophet Amos, Chapter 8, beginning at verse 4. Amos speaks truth to the rich ruling class. They are filled with greed, worshiping at the altar of money, at the expense of the needy and the poor. "Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, 'When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor with silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?' The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob, 'Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account and everyone more who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile and be tossed about and sink again like the Nile of Egypt?'"

So he's saying the earth is going to be like the Nile that rises and falls. Has anyone been in an earthquake? Anyone lived in California? People who have been through earthquakes, I've never been in an earthquake, but people who have been in a really strong earthquake often tell me that it's completely disorienting, because we take the ground as being firm and a given. We're standing on it and we know that we build our foundations on it for goodness' sakes, right? It's the firmest thing we know. Yet in an earthquake, what happens? That thing which we thought was firm is undulating like waves up and down, and it's completely disorienting and traumatic. And God is saying, "You have built your life on money, but that is not solid ground. I am going to shake your foundations to the core, like the Nile going up and down, like the waves of the ocean. Your foundation is going to be taken away from you. It's going to drop out from under you."

And that's exactly what happens to anyone who builds their life on money. Because is it a firm foundation? No. The stock market's up, and then the stock market's down. Money is not a firm foundation. And eventually we all die. We all leave this world. Can any of us take money with us? No. We all leave with the same amount. That would be zero. And unless we build our lives on something else, we will be in for a major seismic disorientation. We need to build our life on a foundation that cannot be shaken. And that's the way of Jesus.

The bottom line is that we are generous and we live that life of generosity, which is the way of Jesus, because we worship a generous God. Why are we generous with our money, our time, our talents? We're generous because we worship a generous God, a God who's given us life, not only given us life, but every moment is sustaining our life. He gave us this beautiful world that we live in. He gave us resources like money, but most importantly, what reveals the generosity of our God, is that he gave us his very own heart, his son. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." So brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of light, let us move from greed, which leads to death, to a generosity that is the way of eternal life.

Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ Weekly Podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. You can find this prayer of Saint Matthew on page 632.

Lord Jesus, you called Matthew from collecting taxes to become your apostle and evangelist. Grant us the grace to forsake all covetous desires, an inordinate love of riches, that we may follow you as he did and proclaim to the world around us the good news of your salvation. For with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.