In the service today the Minister did some speculation — that as Christ was told at his baptism that this was his son and he was well pleased with him as he identified with the fallen and let himself be so identified by entering baptism for repentance — at the end of his ministry, on the cross, carrying our sins and our penalties, he did not get such a confirmation. Instead he felt forsaken.

After church we went for a long walk along a beach… limited at the end because a storm is coming in: it is late summer here and the weather is never that stable during that walk I was asked by one of my sons the convesation switched from gaming and manga to ‘keeping up with the Joneses’. Which is, of course, envy. And how the advertising agency use the seven deadly sins — particularly envy and avarice (though lust and gluttony get their fair share of attention) to get us to need what we should not want.

Forgetting that possessions are themselves a trap.

Mark 10:13-22

¹³People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

¹⁷As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'” ²⁰He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²²When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)

¹   Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.
²   Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.
³   “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.
⁴   Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
⁵   Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

⁶   Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
⁷   Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
⁸   Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
⁹   Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
¹⁰  if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
¹¹  The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
¹²  Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

Now, there is such a thing as prosperity gospel, and it is an error. Our possessions can keep us from God just as surely as our ambitions can or our fleshly desires. Christ talked to a young man whom most would call good and I have no doubt that this man was just in his dealings and looked after his workers. He was no evil capitalist boss or corporate officer. But he had much.

And that kept him from coming, for Jesus required he give it away for him.

Now, there are wolves out there, who will twist this scripture and call it instead a promise for prosperity: that if we are just and loose the bonds and do good then — in some mechanical way — we will be prosperous and we will establish a righteous nation for all generations.

That has not been my experience. Instead, as I seek righteousness — and fail more often than not — I become more repugnant. Many choose not to associate with me or be with me — because that requires a reformation, ongoing, thoughtful, deliberate.

It requires that I discipline myself (to lead) and any spouse (that I may have: I have none, and none is in the offing) has to be of one mind on this issue — and submit to Christ and his word, which includes being a good enough wife, as indeed I would have to be a good enough husband. I do not see the prosperity — perhaps because I have some, but an equal number of difficulties (and bills: that university is not cheap). I see instead the duties I have to my children and grandchildren, including praying that there may indeed be a righteous generation.

Besides, in this chasing of prosperity , and assuming that if you have material wealth you are blessed, there is an issue of the world seeing through our sophistry and calling it as a long con game. We become poor witnesses.

I reckon setting up a church or religion must be one of the easier ways to make money.

The churchgoer said representatives made a big push during each service about the importance of giving to the church before baskets were passed around for the weekly offerings, given on top of tithings of 10 per cent of people’s salary.

What other business has a variable price based on income, rather than a fixed price as most goods and services have? It’s a good business model, so long as you can convince people the price means they get salvation.

Payments could be made by credit card, Eftpos, cash, internet banking or a new mobile app.

Smart. Good to see the business up with the technology.

Mr Mortlock, a former salesman and real estate agent, and his wife front the religious show.

Not so much a career change, as a change of product that he sells.

Now, I do support my local congregation with regular giving — even though some of that money goes to a central denominational group that at times has been rife with error. But I do not consider tithing as a duty: caring for your family and providing for them is a duty — and that has to be budgeted for as well as giving.

Many do: the law of Moses recommended a tithe and this paid for not only the temple and for the priests (who had no land or wealth but this) but also was supposed to allow for a storehouse for times of famine. The Mosiac welfare system was based around tithes, debt forgiveness, and fallow years for the land: it was kept but in part. However, all the tithes and offerings together were less than the current NZ tax rate — our income tax is low, but an eight of the cost of all goods goes as VAT to Inland Revenue.

Those who have the stewardship of such monies should use it for the good of the congregation, not to get a house that is worth a huge amount. (Now the case referred to is in part a scandal — but most houses in Auckland are now worth between half and three quarters a million dollars. Million dollar homes are as common in Auckland as Vancouver. This shows both have a property bubble).

DO not fall into that Churchian error of the prosperity gospel. Measure your effectiveness by the people you remove from bondage, not those who owe you monies, or fealty. And do not let avarice — the love of money — erode your self discipline, and your zeal for holiness. It as caught as many men as has chasing women. And in the long haul, what matters is not what we have, but people.