Hello everyone,
September is nearly over, and it’s almost time for the Anne of Green Gables quote. You know the one. If you don’t, someone will help you in the comments if you’re brave enough to show yourself.
The Part Where There’s an Essay: You Cannot Worship Both
I was in a discussion recently on the topic of worship. The question was raised, “How do we worship God in everyday life, not just on Sundays?”
A good question to ask, since we live in a constantly-worshipping world. A glance around will show us portraits of worship: of self, of others, of nature, of safety, of wealth. Those who declare themselves to not be worshippers at all — worship themselves and their self-proclaimed sovereignty.
The Bible talks about money often, probably because we are so prone to seek security and status from it. How can Christians be counter-cultural in the way we interact with money?
We worship God over money by valuing vocations regardless of their paycheck. The homemaker and caretaker, who is underpaid, or not paid at all, is worthy of our esteem as much as the CEO or the professional athlete. We find joy and satisfaction in a job well done, regardless of the job’s monetary reimbursement.
We worship God over money when we steward our resources well — when we are attentive to our future needs as well as the needs of others. We are generous and release our grip on our small earthly gains, looking to eternal ones. We are comfortable hearing one another say, “We can’t afford that right now.” We are also comfortable saying it.
We worship God over money when we resist the foolishness of the constant call from our consumer culture. We resist marketing’s call to be better, newer, shinier, and prettier; we esteem those in our midst who are wisest, not the most attractive.
We worship God over money when we do not show preference. We offer the good seat to the poor man; we stretch out our arms of hospitality to those without worldly acclaim. We listen to voices who are wise in God’s eyes, not those who are trendy, popular, or easy to sell.
We worship God over money when we demonstrate true modesty — that which is concerned with where we draw attention. We do not point to our money with our appearance, our conversation, or our presence. We are not like the women in the Old Testament, clinking our bracelets and hoping someone notices. Instead, we use our time and resources to point to a higher, better way.
For the Anglophiles
The reader who has seen the 2001 film Oceans 11 will remember Don Cheadle’s character trying to explain a potential problem with the heist. At one point he says “We’re in Barney.”
*blank stares in return*
“Barney Rubble. TROUBLE!”
The comment is an example of Cockney Rhyming slang, which you can learn more about here on Stuff You Should Know. After listening to this episode, I concluded that my brain does not work fast enough to use Cockney Rhyming slang.
Reads & Listens of the Week
One fan wants Taylor Swift to intervene on behalf of the lesser artists in the music industry: An Open Letter to Taylor Swift.
This was an interesting examination of honesty and lying in comedy. When is it allowable for the sake of the story?
Recently, This American Life reran one of the episodes that hooked me on the show many, many years ago. “The Super” explores a few stories of superintendents in apartment buildings. That sounds mundane, but that’s the beauty of This American Life.
If you’re a parent of little kids and feeling overwhelmed with where to start in the purity and modesty conversation, I thought these women had some good thoughts.
…the story of any one of us is in some measure the story of us all. - Frederick Buechner
I needed this today. Thank you so much! I think we might have overlap with our readers. Would you be interested in cross-posting?