Day 32 - Share what you have

Reading:1 Timothy 6:6-19

Another essential ‘house rule’ that will make our living together in the household of God the life-giving experience for all that God intends, is this: Share what you have! This applies equally to the rich and the poor.

In the household of God there is abundant provision for the needs of all.
God’s vision of shalom for all the people of the earth is a vision of well-being and peace that comes from everyone having enough and no-one having too much. A fundamental aspect of this vision of God is that abundance, rather than scarcity, better describes the true nature of the world that God has created.

This primary home with which we have all been blessed – the earth – is a home of rich and breathtaking abundance. The resources of air, water, land, seed, vegetation, animals and minerals are the abundant provision of a generous God who intends these gifts of the earth to be shared by all in order to meet the needs of all.

In God’s economy the earth with all its riches is enough. Coupled with human industry and social responsibility, the resources of the earth are more than sufficient to meet the needs of all. In God’s economy poverty, in any form, is unnecessary and can be eradicated. This should not be dismissed as idealistic naïveté, but can be confidently affirmed as the pragmatic possibility that has always been part of God’s original intention for the earth and the peoples who inhabit it.

In the fallen economies of the world, the twin oppressions of poverty and excessive wealth are rife. The unequal distribution of wealth is one of the most obvious characteristics of many of the economic systems of this world. We live in a society where there are those who have a great deal, and others who have very little. This disparity is so common that it is accepted as the norm - an inevitable fact of human existence. This is in stark contrast to the biblical witness. The experience of the Israelites in the wilderness, for instance, is a compelling example. As they relied on God’s abundant provision of manna for their physical sustenance we read that “…those who gathered much did not have too much, and those who gathered little did not have too little. For everyone gathered as much as they needed.” (Exodus 16:18)

The massive inequalities so evident in the economies of the world (and often the church) lead to two distinct, but interconnected oppressions – the oppression of poverty and the oppression of excessive wealth. They are interconnected insofar as they feed off each other, but they operate in opposite ways:

• Those living under the oppression of poverty are typically aware of this oppressive condition which severely limits their choices. Yet they often discover a remarkable degree of connection with others similarly oppressed, and typically have a far sharper understanding of the gift of community.
• Those living under the oppression of excessive wealth are typically unaware of their oppressive condition. Although they have seemingly limitless choices, they often experience isolation and alienation in the living of their lives, and typically miss out on the gift of community.

The gospel challenges the vast disparities between rich and poor, and offers the hope of economic liberation for those living under the oppressions of poverty and excessive wealth.
Every situation where some do not have enough and others have too much violates the intention of God’s household, for God’s abundant provision has been given in order to be shared by all to meet the needs of all.

The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges these disparities rigorously. It expresses a special concern for the poor, and makes particular demands upon the rich, so that both might experience economic liberation. As the rich share their material abundance, and the poor share their understanding of community, there can emerge a new experience of reconciliation that is one essential aspect of what it means to be ‘in Christ’. Read from an economic perspective, the familiar text from 2 Cor 5:17-18 throws rich light on this gospel dynamic: “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…”

Question for reflection:

Yesterday & today we’ve looked at two of the ‘house rules’ in the household of God. But there are others too, of course. What do you think some of God’s ‘house rules’ might be that would guide and govern our common life together? Some examples, to get you thinking, would be: ‘Strangers are always welcome’; ‘The front door shall never be locked’; ‘Good work for all’; ‘Listen before you speak, pray before you act’; ‘Always say thankyou’; ‘Singing in the shower (and in fact anywhere) is definitely allowed’. Can you add to this list?

Prayer:

Thank you,God, that your intentions for our common life together are for all people to experience the joy of your embrace and the bounty of your provision. Help us to play our part in bringing this dream of yours to fruition. Amen.