Scripture: Luke 6:20-22
Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
Thought for the Day: I just went to the garage for a ladder so I could climb onto my soapbox. Over the years I have learned that most folks won’t give you help when you are preparing to scale the peak of some personal pet peeve. With that said, I hope you will indulge me for a moment.
Christianity in America has been taken for a ride by the Prosperity Gospel of some mega-churches and their television counterparts. They assume ‘blessing’ to be associated with the single notion of one’s check book. Wealth and God’s blessing are inseparable in this theology, yet how can they make such statements when Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor; the hungry; the grieving.” Jesus is not implying that such people will become rich someday. Instead, Jesus is proclaiming the nonsensical ideas of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel writer Luke knew quite well that faithfulness was rarely associated with wealth or great possessions. In fact, just the opposite! In the kingdom of God, those who are poor, hungry or grieving will find a God who cares for them in the midst of their struggles. This would have sounded like nonsense to many who heard Jesus say it, and even today, there are some who find it so bizarre that they try to change the whole notion of the Gospel by saying, “Wealth and affluence are the signs of a blessed life.” That’s shameful!
Excuse me why I climb down from my soapbox.
Prayer: May the abundance in life, O God, be blessed by your grace so it may provide transformative care for all those who find themselves struggling and afraid. Amen.
4 thoughts on “Ecclesiological Etchings: 01-28-13”
When you cast stones at “Tellievangelists” remember there is truth in what they say, as in what you say. There is also error in viewpoints also. I am blessed financially and I was a blessed person when I was poor. Our financial blessing came straight from God! It was a miracle! But, I didn’t love God less when I was poor or think more of Him when the finances improved. Through my Spiritual journey TV evangelists have been a great help and joy. Others have been a great disappointment., as with pulpit preachers. If we listen for the message from the Holy Spirit, we hear Good News of Great Joy no matter the vessel. The knowledge of Jesus Christ and His gifts make us blessed, even if sometimes the gift is monetary.
Renee, note in my devotional that I write “…the Prosperity Gospel of some mega-churches and their television counterparts…” Two things–first, I was not suggesting all television evangelists or mega-church pastors. I used the word ‘some’, and more importantly, I was speaking of those who promote ‘the prosperity Gospel,’ a very troubling form of pseudo-Christianity that makes money into an idol and God as nothing more than an agent or mechanism by which people reach their highest goal of money. You are correct in cautioning the ‘casting of stones’, and it is always something I try to be careful of doing. At the same time, the Prosperity Gospel is probably going to be one if not the single most destructive force in recent Christian history. It is gaining power, in part, because people want someone to bless their greed. Yet many younger people see through the shallowness of it and are judging all Christianity by its superficial and gluttonous principles that are masking themselves with religious-talk and god-language. And you’re right–there are probably plenty of good men and women on TV who are preaching the Gospel, but in the weeks leading to the writing of that devotional, I watched six different TV preachers (it may have only been five as I may have watched the same one twice) who all presented wealth as the true (and often only) sign of God’s blessing. Such a theology is not only blasphemous, but insulting to the millions of Christians throughout the centuries who knew extreme poverty and demonstrated a wealth of faith. And like the Apostle Paul, we occasionally need to call out our own when their behavior is destructive to the work of Jesus Christ. Thanks for the engagement…and you’re right, I probably did not emphasize the “Prosperity Gospel” as I should have, thus making it sound that I was calling out all TV preachers. Thanks, Bruce
Thank you for preaching the truth. May the truth be known to all who needs to hear the truth.May God open their ear to hear and their eyes to see.
Falling in love with your sermon each week does good for me, so preach on!
Thank you,
Gloria
Amen. Amen. Amen. I wish more Christians understood that our wealth is in the unconditional love of God. Our wealth lies in his presence when we are at our lowest point. Our wealth is the joy we feel when we praise Him and give Him all the glory when our material circumstances may not be where we think they should be. Our treasures wait for us in heaven. Thanks for reminding us!