Navigating the Faith Buffet

I was at a wedding reception the other day where the buffet and butler-served appetizers were exceedingly sumptuous. Needing to leave before the entrée was served may very well have saved me from exploding. I have never met a crab cake, mini-quiche, or chicken liver that I didn’t like. Stealth “seafood” is my downfall. I eat any food that I see… when it comes disguised as waves of bite-size morsels.

You can keep the crudités. And the waitress carrying the stuffed artichoke hearts has no danger of being waylaid by me. The fancy little olives might as well be table decorations as I won’t eat them or the decorations. I do have some discernment.

Part of the human condition results in us exercising our faith much as I work my way through a wedding reception. We have a tendency to be very energetic about being faithful, but also selective in what we choose to act upon. For example, some of us are very disciplined about participating in the Eucharist every Sunday, except if nice weather draws us to outdoor activities. Or, consider the number of church leaders who have been icons of the faith until their loss of humility brought them down. Or, we might get excited about being faithful to Christ’s Great Commission to His disciples, which includes us. He exhorts us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..” (Matt 28:19) We do so as long as it doesn’t mean changing anything in our church routines.

We become particularly selective about our money and the Christian principle of tithing. We are anxious to raise up and have raised up, those we love in prayer when there is a need. We believe Jesus’ promise that “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” (Matt 21:22). Yet we dismiss the precept of giving to

God first from our best, which is just as prominently documented in     Scripture. People have even been known to leave a church because “All they ever do is talk about money” when the truth is that money is only mentioned on occasion. It isn’t the frequency of the messages. It is the sensitivity of the hearers to something they don’t want to hear.

So what gives? Why do we so enthusiastically and faithfully embrace some life principles contained in Scripture and yet brush aside others? God gives us the freedom to love Him or not and to obey Him or not. Obedience, as an act of love, can occur only if there is the freedom to not love or obey. And Evil is forever hard at work to take advantage of that opening to subvert our faithfulness to our creator. The Evil One started with Adam and Eve and hasn’t let up.

Money is our means of keeping score of our wealth. It is one of the areas where our faithfulness is challenged the greatest. Money represents our ability to provide for our very existence, our safety, and our enjoyment. Money is also a tool that enables us to exercise power over things that might otherwise be outside of our control. Even some people who cannot otherwise be influenced can be controlled by money. Money has strong human emotions and weaknesses associated with it.

That is a major reason that our spiritual leaders give such an emphasis on the stewardship of our wealth. Yes, the church needs money, but God doesn’t. God’s work will go on with or without money. But we need to give. Our fears surrounding money can enslave us. We hold ourselves apart from a full relationship with God when we tightly hang onto the treasure He has given us to carry out His work in the world. Giving abundantly in thanksgiving sets us free.