Our Money Story 1: Remember

Scripture Reading                       Luke 22:1-6

 

Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The religious leaders were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve;  he went away and conferred with the religious leaders and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.

  

Meditation 

Today is a day for remembering. At each moment in this time of worship, we are remembering some part of God’s story, or some part of our own stories.

 

First, we heard the story of God’s people in the wilderness—the Israelites, escaped from slavery, free at last. But now, in their freedom, they find themselves at a perilous moment—not from the harsh leadership of the Pharaoh, but from the simple fact that they’ve been on the move for a month, and now they've run out of food. They are afraid. They are afraid they will not have enough.

 

In September, two of my clergy colleagues and I got together on Zoom to talk about our money stories. Everyone has a money story—even God. And all three of us, together with the congregations we serve, are seeking to explore these stories, which always revolve around questions like, What is enough? Here, you’ll hear Pastor Kimberly Chastain from the United Presbyterian Church in Binghamton, and Pastor Rachel Helgeson from Northminster Presbyterian Church in Endwell, and me, all remembering how we learned about money, and what it meant in our families, and how our understanding—and our faith—was challenged, and how it grew.

 

Not all money stories are comfortable. I think you will hear that. Each of us has memories, or experiences, or even family history that means the question of “Will there be enough?” is very real, and a part of the dynamics we learn from and live with.

 

Listen now, to these three money stories. And as you do, listen for the uncomfortable parts of the stories; listen for the parts that show growth—and listen for the parts that indicate that we are still learning, still growing.

 

[Video of Entire Meditation—including Money Stories of three pastors— can be found here; begins at 14:18]

 

We read another story this morning—the story of Judas conspiring with the religious leaders to have Jesus killed. And money is a part of that story, as it so often is in Jesus’ story. It is a profoundly uncomfortable story.  As so often is the case, money is caught up in power dynamics, and deadly intentions. But this is also a story of unfathomable grace. Even though Jesus makes a strong statement of Judas’ culpability, as the story unfolds, Judas is still at table with him. Judas takes and eats the bread, and drinks from the cup. Jesus does not ban even Judas from the table of grace.

 

You may or may not know this: Jesus talks more about money than he talks about anything else. More than he talks about prayer. More than he talks about the Kingdom of God. More than he talks about his crucifixion, or discipleship. And that’s because money stories are spiritual stories. Both show what we place at the center of our lives. For where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.

 

God loves us. God wants us to have enough, and so God provides enough. God wants us to thrive, and wants us to thrive in community. No one is an island. Today is a day for remembering…. so many things. Our stories. The story of our faith community. The stories of those who have gone before us.

 

And God’s love—the love that welcomes us to the table, the love that provides enough—that love is what binds us together.

 

Thanks be to God. Amen.