How Much?

Luke 12:13-21

(Note: I'm going to try and do this without giving up the name of the organization I'm going to talk about. However, if anyone from Honolulu reads this they'll know who the organization is. I'm also fully aware that a simple Google search will reveal any information I might be trying to hide. I want to be as respectful as I can to this organization, so I will use words like "that church", or "the church" as I tell this story. I also want to ask that you take the story at its face value and not look for who the church is. That's not important.)

There's a church in Honolulu who has proclaimed that it's God's vision for them to spend 10.5 million dollars to expand their ministries. Apparently this church has outgrown its current space and they now want to go to a place that is permanent and where they can build a bigger church, a bigger school, an auditorium, and more such buildings that can house all of the people God is sending to them.

The church has even found a piece of land it's calling "The Promised Land". They know, absolutely know, that's where God wants them to be. No matter that the land is zoned for agricultural use only - the church says it'll start a farm on some of the land in order to keep the land's agricultural status.

"And he said to them"...for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

Please, don't misunderstand me. I know this church is growing and they are in serious need of a new place. Their current building is being sold to another business, so they have to move out. They currently have  4 services to try and accommodate all of their attendees and their school has a very long waiting list. This church is successful in all aspects of its ministries and they really do need a bigger space in which to serve all of their people.

But that's my point; they're serving their people.

What if, just what if, they spent half of their money looking for half the land (because that's truly all they need, they don't need a farm alongside their church, they really don't) and used the rest of their money on, ohhh, I don't know, the needy.

Here's an idea: coordinate with the city as well as public and private businesses and look for a parcel of land to build 12 or 15 units of affordable homes. Better yet, build a high-functioning shelter for the houseless. The land can be sold by the city for a minimum amount, the church can build the building with discounted or donated materials, and a non-profit organization can staff it.

In other words, instead of building a storage space for your personal goods, build storage spaces for as many people as you can. We are not called to eat, drink, and be merry. We are called to take care of one another. Our ministries are not measured in how big our buildings are or how many people attend our services and schools. Our ministry is measured by how many people we help beyond the walls of our churches.

By all means, this church should find a permanent home and build a place large enough to do the work of their church. But, seriously, how much do they need?

Along that same line of thinking, how much do any of us need? If you have so much stuff that you have to rent storage space to keep it all, I know of a few people who can make good use of it. The clothes and furniture and other miscellaneous items you might be holding on to just might be what another family has been doing without because they simply can't afford it.

I'm not saying give up all your stuff. I am saying we need to decide how much is enough, and if we have extra stuff find others to give it to. In Hawaii we have a saying: "Share the Aloha!" It means to treat people the way you would like to be treated, especially looking for those who may need a little more aloha. It's time we start sharing the aloha, don't you think?