Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

PASTOR'S PENS 2008

September 28 “Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed.”                                                  Michael Pritchard.             Many of us, along with the rest of the country, were badly shaken by the recent tumultuous events on Wall Street. If you have an IRA or any kind of retirement plan, no doubt you're licking your wounds and even wondering when the shake-out is finished, if you’ll have anything left. You’re probably a bit fearful. I understand. I've experienced some of those apprehensions myself.             As believers, though, we need to remember that fear is always the enemy of faith. Fear is a result of sin. It was born after the Fall. And we need to remind ourselves that our lives are completely in God's hands. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Most of us know that intellectually, but we need to engrave it on our hearts. When things go wrong, we must be in the habit of turning to God, praying, trusting Him and then let His peace flood our souls (Philippians 4:7). God’s not sweating the global economy! All of the financial markets are His. The world is His.             And here's something else to remember: God often uses adversity for His greatest blessings, in this case in several ways. Christians are called to do the best things in the worst of times. Take, for instance, the plagues that wracked the Roman Empire. When the doctors and wealthy pagans fled the cities, the Christians stayed and tended to the sick and dying. That sacrificial love—visible for all to see—fueled the incredible growth of the Church.             Today, maybe like no other time in recent history, you and I have an opportunity to see how the Acts 4 church really works—where Christians help one another through tough times and reach out lovingly to our neighbors. What's more, we have a great opportunity to explain the importance of a Biblical worldview to our friends. The truth is that these financial troubles are the direct result of our nation turning its back on God. Simply put, the rise of relativism in postmodern Western life has led to the collapse of a moral consensus. With everyone making up his/her own rules when it comes to right and wrong, is it any wonder our economic system is under such stress?             Theologian, Michael Novak, has said that Western democratic capitalism is like a three-legged stool, resting on political freedom, economic freedom and moral restraint. Take away moral restraint and the stool collapses.             That certainly fits how we reached this crisis: Sensing easy money, Wall Street bundled up mortgages without regard to risk, sold them off, and made a big profit. Risky, even dangerous mortgages were then being offered to people who had little if any chance of paying them off. When the housing market slowed and house values went down, the mortgage market began to collapse like a house of cards.             These are days for steady nerves and for keeping things in perspective. Take a look out your window. The sky is not falling. Above all, remember this: God is still on His throne. Perhaps the “eat, drink, and be merry” attitude of Americans needed a little adjustment—as does the spiritually casual attitude of the Church. The current troubles are not going to lead to the collapse of the American economy, the strongest in the world. But I do think God is telling us to sober up and get serious about what we believe and how we live. So let’s determine to live with eternity in view and invest in that which really counts and has true significance.             Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).