‘Money, money, money in a rich man’s world…’

‘Continuing turmoil in financial markets’
‘Nightmare on Wall Street’

These are strange times. One of Americas largest and oldest banks folds. The UK’s largest mortgage lender sees its share price tumble before being taken over. Governments intervene and central banks throw in billions to shore up struggling economies.

And it’s not just the ‘fat cats’ who suffer. It’s everyone. House prices, interest rates, dwindling pension funds; these things affect us all. On top of that we face rising food prices and escalating energy costs, There is a spirit of uncertainty and fear.

What would Jesus say to this? Well, some startling things.

Give it away.
So goes his advice to the rich young man (Matthew 19:16–22). Money gets in the way of our relationship with God. It becomes a false god. Perhaps we are reaping the consequences of worshipping a false god for too long.

Sort your priorities.
This life isn’t all there is – and it’s the one to come that matters (Mathew 19:27–30). Where is our treasure?

Live by God’s grace.
The Vineyard Workers Union were justifiably upset (Matthew 20:1–16). The same wage for those who worked all day and for those who worked for an hour? Unjust. True – but God doesn’t deal with us on the basis of what we deserve (just as well!), but on the basis of his magnificent generosity.

Be servants.
Don’t get caught up in the power games of this world (Matthew 20:20–28). Learn to use what you have for the benefit of others.

So when things fall apart around us, we can take a longer view. Our final security lies, not in what we have, but in the love and goodness of God. That’s where our focus should be.

Room for all

It has been heartening to see the media coverage, at least in this part of the world, given to the Paralympics. People with disability are too often pushed to the edges. But before we get too excited let’s remember that the coverage is minimal compared to the coverage of the able-bodied Olympics and that we are looking at only a small number of talented people.

Nevertheless Jesus would have approved. In Matthew 18, he gives value to some of the less significant members of society. He even says that children are models for the way in which we enter into the kingdom of God, and find relationship with him.

Any society which ignores or, worse, oppresses its most vulnerable members, be they children, the elderly or those with special needs, has failed to understand God’s desire for justice. The God of Psalm 149 is a God who crowns the humble. Time and time again in the Bible we find people commanded to care for the vulnerable. Leaving aside the coverage of the Paralympics, how does our society treat the vulnerable?

How does our church? Is there adequate provision for children? Do the elderly feel welcome and comfortable? Is there sufficient provision for the hearing-impaired or those with poor sight? Is there adequate wheelchair access?

John Grayston

Slavery today

Last year we celebrated the 200 anniversary of the ending of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. We remembered the work of Christians like William Wilberforce. But the sad truth is that slavery is still very much with us. It affects the weakest and poorest in our world. People are shipped across the world with the promise of a better life only to find themselves in forced labour, the sex trade or foreign armies. Many of them are children. As I was preparing this I heard a BBC news item about a report on prostitution in London. It mentioned the exploitation of women and often young girls, many lured from their own countries.

At the time of abolition the slavers argued that the Bible supported slavery – some people still think it does. But our readings in Philemon and Leviticus 25 tell a different story. They show a God who is passionately concerned for justice for all including slaves, who are to be well treated, properly rewarded and seen as brothers and sisters. In time these ideas led to the end of slavery. Apply them today and we would not have the situations that we have.

To find out more about slavery today and discover how you can get involved in the fight against it go to www.stopthetraffik.org.

John Grayston