God’s economy

 Exodus 16:2-15; Matthew 20:1-16

Imagine being an Israelite man or woman in Moses’ time. You were excited, then reluctant, then scared, to leave everything you knew in Egypt. Yes, work was hard, and getting harder every time Moses and Aaron talked with Pharaoh. And the food rations were smaller than ever. But Egypt was home; your family had lived there for generations. Taking off with this Moses fellow, well, it’s really risky!

But you packed what you could of your household belongings and as much food as possible. You had a last meal in your Egyptian home, you spread blood on your doorway, you walked on dry land through a sea, and you escaped the reach of the Egyptian army. But that was a month ago. The food you packed is gone, and you are hungry and scared. You remember that at least in Egypt you had some food. And now you’re expressing your fear in an angry voice to Moses.

Moses, afraid of a riot, takes his concern to God. “Do you know what’s going on here? We’re out of food, everyone is yelling at me, and it’s all your fault!” God responds, “It’s ok. I’ve got this!” and so began 40 years of morning delivery of manna and evening delivery of quail.

Its important to notice here that the amount of manna was sufficient, plenty, for each person, but not more than enough. Except on Friday, when there was a double portion, it was not possible to save manna for another day. It was impossible to grow rich by selling leftover manna.

… By Jesus’ time, 1,500 years later, there was a well-established class system. All over Judea, there were villages made up of subsistence farmers. They fed their families and swapped extras with their neighbors. They weren’t wealthy, but most years, they had enough. However, the wealthy and powerful raised taxes, which forced small farmers off their land because they couldn’t pay the additional taxes.

These former farmers became day laborers who would gather every morning hoping to be selected to work that day. So, now imagine that you are a day laborer with a wife and several children. What happens if you don’t get work? You can’t feed your family, and you can’t afford a place to live, so you become unsheltered.

Your anxiety level increases each hour as you wait for someone to hire you. Which is worse? Working all day for minimum wage, or waiting all day to get hired and earning nothing? This is the dilemma at the heart of the story Jesus tells.

Often, this story is spiritualized, with Bible study leaders and pastors, including me!,  saying it’s all about God’s grace. Even if you come to believe in Jesus on your deathbed, you still are God’s beloved child. This makes the story about God’s amazing grace, freely given to everyone in equal measure.

But, let’s put ourselves into the shoes of the folks who are gathered around Jesus 2,000 years ago. This story about day laborers is their actuality. They are living what Jesus describes. If they get work, they can feed their families. If they don’t, they can’t feed them. Can you feel the desperation?!

… In the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula, in the villages and cities of ancient Judea, and on the streets of Gainesville, Florida, there are people who have less than they need for life. This is not what God wants for God’s people.

You may have heard the term “God’s economy”. It refers to the Divine intention that everyone has enough to eat, shelter from the weather, and safety from danger. In God’s economy, no one is hungry while others throw away food. No one is unsheltered while others live in mansions. No one needs to fear attack from those who want what they have.

In God’s economy, the needs of the poor are considered when communities plan for growth. In God’s economy, there is adequate, safe housing for everyone. In God’s economy, there are no food deserts, where poor people can’t purchase healthy food at a price they can afford. In God’s economy, the schools are as well-supplied in poor neighborhoods as in wealthier ones. In God’s economy, the color of one’s skin, their place of origin, their religion, their sexuality, are all expressions of who they are as beloved children of God.  

God’s economy doesn’t mean there aren’t wealthy and poor people, though it in an ideal world, it could mean that. It does mean that every person has what they need to thrive.

… How does that happen in our world today? It happens through the work of Family Promise and similar organizations who help get people permanently housed. It happens through the advocacy of Friends of Baker, who seek justice for immigrants and refugees. It happens through organizations like Field and Fork, committed to feeding hungry people.

… A world, or at least a community, where all have enough happens when people like us are committed to doing God’s work with a God-like vision of a blessed economy.

Once a month at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Pastor Nate shows a movie. This month it was Gran Torino, with Clint Eastwood. We are introduced to Walt, whose wife has just died, and to his prize possession, a 1972 Ford Gran Torino.

A Hmong family moved in next door and at first all Walt could think of was the three years he spent in the army in Korea. He was angry, threatening them with a shotgun to stay off his lawn. But he got to know the family. The daughter explained who the Hmong were: an indigenous group from southeast Asia, whose people are spread across several Asian countries. They fought for the Americans during the Korean War.  Walt wanted to know how the Hmong came to live in America. The daughter said, “because of the Lutherans”. Yea for the ministry of LIRS, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services!

I don’t want to glorify Lutherans, or imply that we have a perfect grasp of God’s economy, but I think that we work hard to help God bring it about. It is important to us that hungry people are fed, that people who want homes have them, that all people are respected no matter how they express themselves. This happens because we are committed to knowing our communities and serving the people who live there/ here.

Next month, we will spend four weeks thinking about the Stewardship theme, “From Bread and Wine to Faith and Giving”. How does this theme express God’s economy? For this week, I hope you will think about God’s economy and how you see it lived out at home and all around you. Or not. And if there is anything you want to do as a result. Amen