Abundance and Blessing

There is a theme running through much of scripture of the abundance of God and the desire of God to bless us. We hear some of that this week. In Joel and the Psalm we are reminded of God given seasons of plenty and replenishment. And the generous restoration of Israel. In Paul’s letter we hear of the abundance to come for the faithful. And in the gospel we are confronted with a new understanding of abundance – the plenty that comes to those who give up everything for the gospel. (Luke 18:15-30) 

You may like to read what I wrote three years ago based on Luke 18.

Stripping Away our Resistance

There is a version of abundance theology that has become popular and seems to me an expression of greed and anxiety more than dependence and gratitude for the goodness of God!

I once had reason to go a mega church in the upwardly aspiring suburbs with a famous senior pastor and a former indoor basket ball stadium as church. I went to an evening service with a visiting healer. After a long and exciting service of preaching and healing with the wired for sound minders who were in control of crowds and there to catch anyone being slain by the spirit the senior pastor of the church prepared us for the third offering of the night by reminding us that God loves a cheerful giver. She encouraged us to ask God for what we want, being specific, so that if we wanted a new refrigerator we should be specific about the brand and the size, promising us that the more generous we were with God the more generous with us God would be! We were encouraged to close our eyes and visualise what we wanted. Having been blessed – or cursed – with a cartoon imagination I saw white good – hundreds of refrigerators and washing machines raining down on the greedy prayers … and being squashed under their own consumerist requests!

I understand that there are times when we need refrigerators and the things that make for modern life and of course as people of faith we should bring to God in prayer our needs but I am suspicious of a theology that encourages endless personal consumerism and calls it the providence of God.

Let’s look a little closer. Our Old Testament readings remind us of the God given natural cycles of plenty which are linked to the blessing of the people of God. The chosen people – not the chosen persons! A people who were always instructed to care for the most vulnerable in their midst and were judged as a community of people by how well they did care for the widow, the orphan, and the alien.

And dear old St Paul is his usual challenging self as he speaks clearly of his suffering and the cost of the gospel, the giving up of a life of ease and comfort in the here and now for the sake of the gospel, and an eternity of reward later. The ultimate version of delayed gratification.

And the gospel is nothing less than confronting on the subject. We have three little stories this morning. Firstly the “Suffer the little children to come unto me” story. Now I am sure that Jesus did love kids but this is not a sentimental Jesus loves cute little kids story. For in his time children were non persons, along with women and slaves. Therefore Jesus is telling us to become as non persons in order to truly perceive and participate in the kingdom. We are to become as those who have no vested interest in keeping the world the way it is.

And to make it clear that this is what he means we then hear the story of the rich young man. The good and God fearing young man who cannot say yes to the kindom because he is too attached to his personal wealth and therefore to the world that this wealth maintains. A life of privilege, and inequitable possibility, of influence and respect. With great sadness the young man lets the opportunity of entering the kingdom go by and keeps the wealth that he can see and feel and taste. That he thinks he can control. Our felt need to be in control often works against receiving the blessings of God.

And then we have Peter’s question or complaint – “What about those of us who have given up much for the gospel?” Jesus assures us that those of us who have given up our wealth and our families and our homes for the gospel will receive all that we need and more than we have given up.

I believe that our Scriptures this week critiques any version of abundance theology that is about selfish consumerism and suggests a challenging and hope filling understanding of the goodness of God and God’s love for the whole of creation.

Specifically, abundance is part of seasonal, God given natural cycles and therefore it is imperative that we live within, in respect of, in relationship with God’s whole creation. It is a sin against God to take more from the earth than it has, or take more than our share at the expense of other precious creatures.

Secondly, I believe that God’s abundance is for the people of God, the whole interconnected creation, not for me and those I care for in isolation. The rich young man was asked to sell his possessions and give the income to the poor – he was not told to burn it in an act of personal sacrifice. He was asked to give over his personal wealth so that all might be a little more comfortable and blessed. To hilight this the disciples who had given up their personal wealth for the sake of the kindom are promised that their needs will be generously met. Being open to the blessings of God often means that we must give up control of our small and local wealth.

Thirdly, sometimes like the apostle Paul, we are asked to give up even our liberty and personal safety for the sake of the blessing of others. An abundance of love will sometimes require a giving up of more visible wealth. Abundance sometimes calls for sacrifice. Certainly the abundance to be enjoyed by everyone requires giving over of the self and for our point of reference to be God’s concern for all people – even the Gentiles, those beyond the pale!

God knows what we need and out of the abundance of creation and the generosity of community our needs can be met. Let us trust the goodness of God. Let us align our will with God’s priorities and perspective’s. And let us be generous with what has been entrusted to us.

Even so, come Lord Jesus, come open our hearts and minds to your many blessings and share them with all who are precious to you. Amen.

This is my work based on all that I have heard, read and experienced. I am indebted to the wisdom of others.