Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Connecting Point: When the Bottom Falls Out

“The pursuit of happiness,” Thomas Jefferson equated with “Life and Liberty,” when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. More than a century later, from 1930 until 1940, America and the world strained under the greatest decade of economic disaster in history. Then, WWII brought the plight of war across the globe. Since then, Americans have experienced wealth untold from that generation to this.

But, does the accumulation of possessions or its allure set us up for a great fall? I believe so. It is true that the recent decade has witnessed increased poverty; and yet, the recession of 2008 did not set the standard. Americans remember the wealth from 1950 to 2008 and yearn for that certainty now. Then a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic and its scare underwrote the unrest right to the present.

Now I’m not a prognosticator, but we have to be mindful that the American obsession with prosperity is a dangerous path to follow. Likewise, our churches have been invaded with empty promises and proclamations tied to monetary gain. Notice this selection of poetry from Lamentations 4:

“How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold becomes dull! The sacred gems are scattered at the head of every street….Because of the thirst, the infant’s tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them. Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those nurtured in purple now lie on ash heaps,” (4:1, 4-5).

Jeremiah so describes of Jerusalem the sad conditions of all—the poor and the wealthy alike. We are born into this world naked and take nothing with us when we go. When we place too great of value on things, we may take life itself for granted. This is not to say we shouldn’t own possessions: however, our possessions shouldn’t own us. I think of those who have gone through the catastrophic event of losing a home in a fire. Or, in a similar vein, in the past I have been attracted to wealth. A common sentiment following such incidents resounds, “We now have a greater appreciation for the things in life that matter.”

When times are tough, the refrigerator empty, and loss has taken everything, a person can succumb to the pressures. The Book of Lamentations, it is my guess, is a book in the Bible to reread time and again to connect human drudgery to God’s promises of love. Jerusalem was a city whose bottom had fallen out. For most of us we have lived a blessed life, and we can be generous to anyone in need. If we too are struck, we look for a helping hand. That’s what people do, they help each other.

 

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