Christian Identities #4: More of "Enough is Enough"

As in last week's role of "Giver" this week's option of "Custodian" develops from our understanding that the priority of God's provision for us is enough.  This may need some further clarification because we are so inclined to describe God's provision as abundant, not just enough.  But the language of abundance may not be doing for us -- or for God -- what we need.

Sometimes, maybe too often, we misportray the way that God meets our needs just so we can enjoy the imbalance and store away or hoard out of a supposed overabundance of resources.  We live as if some are meant to have more than they need and others are without by their own fault.  The language of abundance is too easily used by those who have more than they need.

This is not the world that God created!  It is closer to the world our fallen-ness has brought us but it is not the way things are supposed to be.  Last week's "giver" was not at his or her best when the giving was out of some calculation of one's possessions enjoying a surplus.  Giving was to first show the value of trusting God to provide.  Even to provide cloaks more than a mile away!

We need to expand our appreciation for God's provision by recalling Psalm 78:24-25, "He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them grain from heaven. So mortals ate the bread of angels; he provided for them food enough."

We don't need a surplus to acknowledge the priority of God's providing for us.  Indeed, the instructions that directed the collection of manna prohibited creating a surplus except the collection that allowed for a full sabbath's rest.

That's why I want to add the role of custodian.  Custodians keep custody.  They guard and protect things of value: witnesses, children, properties and processes.  As Christian custodians we have a responsibility to manage our distribution of what God has provided so that enough is enough.

Let's add "custodian" to our picture of stewardship.  Let's celebrate each day of God's providing manna enough.  In so doing we can move to a way of being faithful together that looks more like the early church than some economy based on artificial surpluses or even worse the selfishness of raw, unregulated capitalism or a hoarding born of fear.

Let's add custodian and join the first Christians.

"All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need." Acts 2:44-45 (NRSV)