On Stewardship: Talking Plainly About Money

In August, I was sitting on the deck with my whole family one evening. We were preparing to send our daughter, Hannah, off to college. Into the conversation surfaced the topic of salaries. Given our children are moving well into adulthood, their awareness of jobs, economy, salaries, and money has grown significantly.

As the circle conversed, someone asked me, “Dad, how much money do you make?” I paused, took a deep breath, looked around the circle at all eyes on me, and said, “I'm not sure I'm comfortable sharing that right here. Can I talk about that with you later?” Then the guesses came out, as each one considered what they knew about cost of living, raising four children, owning a home…etc. It was fascinating to listen to their reflections.

Afterward, I wondered why it is so difficult for us to talk about annual income. I wondered why we place such a heavy taboo on the topic of money, salary, net worth, and wealth. I'm fairly certain, if our backs were to the wall, we'd more readily speak to our sex lives than our money (okay, maybe we'd choose to die first, than speak to either). The truth is, there is what Loren Mead of the Alban Institute termed, a “conspiracy of silence” around matters of money, binding us to the accompanying fear and anxiety that follows our silence.

Whatever we can't talk about owns us!

Jesus just won't have it!

Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined. Jesus talked about money more than anything else except the Kingdom of God. Eleven of the thirty-nine parables of Jesus are about money. One out of every seven verses in the Gospel of Luke is about money. There are approximately twenty-five direct uses of the word money in connection with Jesus in the four Gospels.

The One we follow is intentional about talking plainly about money. Jesus knows that it is significant in our daily lives for the providence of what we and our families need. Jesus knows that money can give rise to distraction, taking us away from our relationship with God, as we give it power over us in our silence. Jesus knows that money is not evil, and can be used for the good of growing God's kingdom. Jesus knows that good stewards handle their money with faithfulness, offering freely to God what has first been given to them.

So, let's talk about it.

In 1995 the congregation we were serving was resettling an immigrant family from Ethiopia. They stayed at our home for a couple of weeks, until we could find more permanent housing. After a few days, I asked the father of the family, “Kesete, do you have any need for cash to purchase items for your children? He looked at me in a quizzical way and said, “When I was on the airplane, I had $200 in my front pocket. While I was slumbering, someone stole it from me, so now I have none.” What was most remarkable to me about his response, was not the fact that he lost his money, but that he didn't seem terribly concerned about it. It was a matter of fact and not emotional, "I had $200 and now I don‟t.‟

What Kesete taught me in that moment was that money is a "matter of fact.‟ We need to remove the taboo of emotion and treat it as what it is, a utility that is needed for daily bread, and to be shared with others, as they have need. And in that, we can talk about it… openly, honestly, plainly, removing its power over us and returning it to its role in serving us and others.

Whatever we can't talk about owns us!

Jesus said, “have no fear little flock, for it is your Father‟s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Money is money…a matter of fact, but the treasure of God's presence in Jesus Christ is what remains. Let's talk about money, so that it is not in the way of our relationship with God, but rather serves to grow what God seeks to build with us.

By the way, I am planning to return to my children with an answer. I want them to feel free from the weight of money's power. It's what Jesus desires for us all.

Peace,

Pastor Paul