Alien Ethics: Be Content (Heb. 13:5) Chris Altrock July 27, 2014

My mother recently visited me and my family in Memphis. While she was here, I took her to the Memphis Botanic Garden.  I’ve spent a lot of time there in the past. Last summer I visited the Garden almost every day for thirty days. Many things caught my attention during those visits. One of them was the grounds crew. I often arrived at the Garden in the morning and the grounds crew was already hard at work.

And one of the things that most struck me about the grounds crew was the scope of their work. They labored in every area of the Garden. They attended to the areas that were easily seen, like the guy who spent a week draining, painting, and refilling the large water fountain that stands just outside the main entrance to the Garden. But they also attended to the areas that were not as easily seen, like the crew I often saw tending the Butterfly Garden. It’s at the end of a winding trail at the east edge of the Garden. You can’t even see The Butterfly Garden from the main paved path. But even there the crew was hard at work, nurturing plants and flower beds which some visitors to the Garden might never even see.

This image helps prepare us for an important part of Heb. 13:5. Today we finish our initial exploration of Heb. 13. We’ll return to this chapter again next year. In Heb. 13:5, our author writes this. “Keep your life…” (Heb. 13:5 ESV) The word “life” refers to more than just “something that is living.” The word means “your way of life,” “your habits,” “your customs,” or “your lifestyle.” It’s a word that refers to all of your life.

If your life was the Memphis Botanic Garden, this word “life” refers to the entire Garden. The areas easily seen by others. And the areas not so easily seen by others. In other words, what he’s about to teach us applies to every area of the Garden of your life. He wants to make sure we don’t just apply what he’s about to teach to those areas of our lives which are big and public. He also wants us to apply it to those areas of our lives which are small and private. That’s what he means by “life.”

What teaching does the author of Hebrews want us to spread across the different facets of life? Here’s how his words continues: “Keep your life free from love of money…” (Heb. 13:5 ESV). Earlier in this series we heard the author tell us to “show hospitality” (Heb. 13:2 ESV). I mentioned that this word “hospitality” is a combination of two words: “love” + “strangers.” In a similar way, here the author has brought together two more words: “love” + “silver.” Our lives are to be full of “love of strangers” but free from “love of silver.” He uses the word “silver” because in his day silver was a form of money. What the author wants is to make sure that every area of our life is free from the love of money. Not just the big and easily seen parts of our lives. But also the small and more private areas of our lives.

This word “love of money” is one that’s easy to dismiss. It’s easy to think it only applies in those very easy to see places in people’s lives. It makes me think of some of the people I saw when Kendra and I recently visited Las Vegas. Our hotel, as with all the major hotels near the Strip, had a very large casino. We had to walk through the casino to from outside the hotel to our room, or from our room back to the outside.  On our last night in our hotel, I called the front desk: “My wife and I are leaving very early tomorrow morning, about 5 AM. I just wanted to check–will there be someone available to help us find a taxi, and will taxis even be out at that time of the day?” Without any thought at all, the desk attendant said, “That will be no problem. There will be lots of taxis at 5 A.M.” I hung up and hoped he was right. The last thing I wanted was for Kendra and me to walk through the deserted casino the next morning and find no one who could get us a cab to get to the airport. My fears could not have been less founded. When we got off the elevator early the next morning, we couldn’t believe our eyes. The casino was still packed. People had stayed up all night playing cards, tossing dice, and pulling slot machine arms. And the line of gamblers waiting to get taxis was thirty deep. They were just now leaving the casino to get some sleep in their own hotels or homes. Those people, I’d like to think, are the ones who most need to hear this teaching: “keep your life free from the love of money.” Because what they were doing was nurturing “love of money.” Staying up all night, risking everything to win it big.

But “love of money” takes other forms. It invades others less easily seen areas of our lives. “Love of money” is behind what the Hebrews are experiencing. Earlier, the author writes this:  “For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” (Heb. 10:34 ESV). The Christians reading this letter lived in a culture that did not like them. Things got so bad that some of the Christians had possessions taken from them. This line about “love of money” is written to Christians who have lost possessions. They have a little, not a lot. But it seems that the loss has been hard to take. At first, they joyfully accepted the plundering of their property. But now, they aren’t so joyful. As we read between the lines from Heb. 10 to Heb. 13, we realize this loss has hit them hard. It’s made them scared. They’ve lost their footing in life. They feel discontent. And that, too, is a type of “love of money”–when our stability and security and contentment rely on having certain things. And when those things are taken, we no longer have stability, security or contentment. That is “love of money.”

But “love of money” has other forms. Derek Thompson studied various advances in household technology and looked at what percentage of households adopted those technological advances over the years. Here’s what he found[1]:

• In 1900, <10% of families owned a stove, or had access to electricity or phone
• In 1915, <10% of families owned a car
• In 1930, <10% of families owned a refrigerator or clothes washer
• In 1945, <10% of families owned a clothes dryer or air-conditioning
• In 1960, <10% of families owned a dishwasher or color TV
• In 1975, <10% of families owned a microwave
• In 1990, <10% of families had a cell phone or access to the Internet
• Today, at least 90% of the country has a stove, electricity, car, fridge, clothes washer, air-conditioning, color TV, microwave, and cell phone.

In other words, the way we define “enough” is constantly changing. In 1900, “enough” didn’t include a stove, electricity or a phone. But then everyone had to have one. Today, “enough” includes a stove, electricity, car, fridge, clothes washer, air conditioning, color TV, microwave, cell phone and a whole lot more. The way we define “enough” is constantly changing. Could there be a bit of “love of money” in that?

“Love of money” could contribute to our challenges with debt. As of earlier this year, here is the following debt analysis for Americans:[2]

U.S. household consumer debt profile:

• Average credit card debt: $15,191
• Average mortgage debt: $154,365
• Average student loan debt: $33,607

Many of us have enormous debt. Not all debt is a function of loving money. But could some of our debt be related to that?

Regardless of its causes, debt makes our lives difficult. That’s why later this fall Highland will be offering one of the top courses in debt reduction. “Financial Peace University” will be taught by Highland CPA’s Ethan Bryant and Michael Maxwell on Wednesday nights Sept. 24 through Nov. 19.  Addressing our debt is one way of addressing “love of money.”

Another way of addressing “love of money” is through regular giving to the church. That may sound self-serving. After all, my paycheck comes from the ministry contribution which we take in our three services each Sunday and through our electronic giving. But the reality is that the money you give on Sundays goes toward ministry. By giving some of your money either by placing it in a collection plate/basket or by scheduling regular withdrawals through our electronic giving you are diverting some of your resources from yourself to others. And your regular giving is one way to combat “love of money.”

That’s why we’ve made regular giving one of the 7 practices we want every Highlander to engage in. We believe there are seven practices which can help you experience the more you are meant for. We’ve listed them on this week’s link as a reminder. Weekly giving is one of them. It helps you combat “love of money.”

But the author of Hebrews is not merely interested in eliminating something from our lives. He’s also interested in adding something to our lives. Listen to his words:  “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.” (Heb. 13:5 ESV). God doesn’t just want to empty your life of the love of money. He wants to fill your life with contentment. “Be content with what you have.”

Consider that for a moment. God wants you to be content. Sometimes we get the idea that God doesn’t want us to experience contentment. That life with God is intended to make us unhappy. Kendra and I recently watched a film called “Philomena” which tells the true story of a teenage girl whose baby was taken from her while she was held in a convent. Near the end of the movie, one of the leading nuns gets into an argument with a journalist who had tracked down Philomena’s child. The nun was trying to justify her harsh treatment of Philomena while Philomena was under the nun’s care. And she said something like this:  “Mortification of the flesh, that’s what God desires”—meaning God wants all pleasure eliminated from life. But the truth is that God wants you to experience contentment. God wants you to be content.

The word “content” literally means “sufficient” or “enough.” And the words translated “with what you have” literally mean “the present.” The author is saying this: realize that what you have at the present is enough. When do you have enough? You have enough right now. What you have in this present moment is enough. It is possible to learn a contentment that accompanies you regardless of what the present moment is like.

This is certainly true regarding your financial context. You may have lost your job. You may have a large amount of debt. You may be stuck in minimum wage work. And you may feel like you’ll only be able to experience contentment once that context changes. Once you find a new job. Once you pay off your debt. Once you get a raise. But you can “be content with what you have now.” You can experience contentment in this present moment. Regardless of what you don’t have, what you do have is enough to bring contentment.

This is also true regarding other contexts. You may have experienced a failed romantic relationship. You may have just moved and thus have few friends. You may be stuck at a school you don’t like. You may have received rejection letters from the universities you longed to attend. You may be in midlife and realize that you haven’t accomplished what you hoped you’d accomplish. Your health may be horrible. And you may feel like you’ll only be able to experience contentment once that context changes. Once you get healthy. Once you get accepted to that university. Once you find some new friends. But you can “be content with what you have now.” You can experience contentment in this present moment. Regardless of what you don’t have, what you do have is enough to bring contentment. Contentment is possible in any context.

I want you to say this out loud: “I can be content right now.” Do you believe that? No matter what your context is, no matter what you do not have, you can be content right now. You have enough. Contentment is possible in any context.

How? The author answers with the final part of this verse:  “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” (Heb. 13:5 ESV) The author quotes God: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This quote is taken from several places in Scripture, including the books of Genesis, Joshua, Deuteronomy and 1 Chronicles (Gen. 28:15; Deut. 1:6,8; Josh. 1:5; 1 Chr. 28:20). It’s very similar to something Jesus says at the end of Matthew’s gospel: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20 ESV

When God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” he’s saying, “No matter your context, I’ll be there. No matter your situation, I’ll be present. Regardless of what you do or don’t have, you’ll always have me.” It is possible to be content in any context because God is present in any context. No matter what you don’t have or do have, you’ll always have God.

God’s greatest desire is that we learn that he is enough.  When we learn that God is always enough, we can always be content, because we always have God.

Eric and I were recently at Germantown Methodist Hospital. It was a very unusual day in which four separate Highland families were all dealing with significant health concerns on the same day at the same hospital. Carol Tribble was having surgery. The mother of Highlander’s Catherine Rowsey and John Mark Hays was in surgery. Jonaffae Hewitt was undergoing a triple by-pass. And the mother of Highlander Reggie Crawford was seriously ill. At one point Eric and I ended up in a conversation with Reggie’s father, Reggie Sr. He had been married to Dewell for 61 years. Now she was in critical condition. And Reggie Sr. said this: “I just don’t know how I’ll go on without her. I can’t even think of what my life would be like without her.” I think we can empathize, can’t we? But I had been reading this text just before that conversation. So here’s what I said, “That’s the great struggle of life, isn’t it? God’s greatest desire to that we would learn that when we have him, we have enough. That even if all we have is him, and everything else has been taken, we have enough.” I wasn’t trying to be super spiritual or insensitive. But those are the very moments when we most need this reminder: God is enough. Especially in that moment, God is enough. Those are the moments we most need to hear this word. When the person we love the most, or the thing we love the most, or the situation we love the most is about to drastically change, we need to hear that we still have God. And because we still have God, we still have enough. Even when what we want most is taken from us, what we need most remains. God is always enough.

A Christian leader named Ignatius used one word for this whole concept. The word is “indifference.” To us, the word “indifferent” sounds negative. It sounds like a lack of compassion. But Ignatius meant it in this way: to hold all things, except God, lightly. The only thing we grip tightly on to is God. All else, we hold lightly. We don’t root our contentment in those things. And when those things are taken from us or needed of us, we let those lightly held things go. And we retain our grip on God. Indifference doesn’t mean ridding life of desires. It means magnifying our deepest desire–our desire for God. Indifference means learning to let God be enough.

This, of course, is difficult. Thus Ignatius developed a way for Christians to grow in indifference. He wrote a prayer which is known as “Suscipe”–the Latin for the first word in the prayer. I introduced this prayer to you a year ago in my sermon from Mark 14. I want to return to it today:

“Suscipe”

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own.

You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.

I challenge you to say this prayer each day this week.  In the morning, at lunch, or in the evening say this prayer once each day this week. God can use it to lead you more and more to experience that he truly is enough.

Let’s close by saying this prayer out loud together: