Several years ago, a Twilight Zone episode portrayed a man who led a shallow, careless life. He managed to live it up all the time. He took advantage of others, engaged in all kinds of wickedness, and only cared about riches and satisfaction for himself. He knew he was lost and had accepted that when he died, he would end up in a less than acceptable place.
The year 1991 was a very good year for former President George Bush. He faced a very difficult situation when Iraq invaded Kuwait. He promised to free Kuwait one way or another, using sanctions first, and if they failed, he told Saddam Hussein force would be used. We know what happened next. Using an unlikely military coalition, the allied troops routed Iraq’s army in short order, and Kuwait was liberated.
Going to church on Sunday morning – it’s a habit for many people. Is it so much a habit that it becomes unreal? Are the rote and routine so familiar that what we hear and say in Church is kind of unreal to us? Can we restore the feeling that every encounter with God in Church is new every morning?
Corrie ten Boom was a woman who, during World War II, worked with the Dutch underground. Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their elderly father were all Christians. Because they were Christian, they felt that they should help all those who came to their door fleeing from the Nazi terror.
A comment made at Bible Study last Monday reminded me both of a line from Matthew’s gospel, and then a story I heard many years ago. The comment was (loosely quoted), “How you spend your money shows what is important to you.” And the line from Matthew: Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth.”
