Have any of you seen the “M word” adverts that have been on recently? It’s the new marketing campaign from Lloyds Bank; the central idea is that money is now the most taboo subject, much more so than politics, sex, death or religion. It’s not something people are comfortable talking about, even with your closest family, and I think this absolutely true.
When I saw the passage I had to preach on this morning my heart sank because money is very much a taboo subject in churches, and I’ve got to admit I feel way more uncomfortable talking about money than standing here talking about politics, sex, death or religion; in fact I’m quite happy to talk about all of those things.
We may not feel too warmly towards our banks but I actually think the M Word campaign is great because it’s encouraging us to face something which is clearly difficult. I’ve got a few statistics to mull over;
Half of UK adults find talking about personal money matters is taboo and a quarter have lied to family and friends about their finances.
65% of people have discussed winning the lottery but only a 34% have ever discussed their will.
Over a third of people in a relationship have argued with their partner about money (I thought this would be higher!). Over a fifth have lied to their partner about money; 11% are lying to conceal the amount of debt they have.
61% of people said they feel better when they do open up and talk about their money concerns, so something clearly has to change.
What fascinates me is why it’s so taboo; why we, including me, are embarrassed to talk about these things and the conclusion I’ve come to is down to relationship, its our relationship to money which has to change in some way; we’re not getting it right.
This won’t happen overnight because just a speculative glance at our bible, whether old or new testament, reveals to us that humankinds relationship to wealth has not been right for thousands of years. So many preoccupations in scripture are about the gap between the rich and the poor, how those with means should respond to those without, yet we’ve also been subject to a dominant interpretation which has told us this was more to do with being spiritually rich and poor.
It’s not. It’s talking about material riches and poverty; but neither is the bible condemning wealth. It’s not sinful or evil to be rich. What becomes problematic are the choices we make about what we do with wealth, this is the criticism laid at the Rich fool in today’s gospel. He’s not a fool because he’s rich, he’s a fool because what he accumulates is wasted when it could have done so much good. Jesus is really clear on this; “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” and “just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me”.
If we go back a couple of weeks in our readings it was great that the Good Samaritan was a person of means because if not he couldn’t have afforded to have the injured man cared for in the way he did. What mattered in that parable was his choices.
For me, what I believe is the issue is how we assign worth to things. If we’re assigning worth to money rather than what can be accomplished with money that’s where things go wrong, motivation becomes about acquiring more and more, whether it’s money itself or the symbols of wealth; an outward show of status. If our motivation remains in what can be accomplished if we have the means to do it than money doesn’t become an idol but an agent of change- if you think of people like Bill Gates of Microsoft fame he has an amazing life but has so much wealth he’s still giving away 95% of what he has.
Now I’m pretty sure there aren’t any tech billionaires living in Flixton - if there were we'd be badgering them about the clocktower - and in fact some of us may be struggling to make ends meet. What I want to challenge us on are the choices we make when choice exists. Small things can accumulate to make a big impact and this is a huge challenge for me to. As I get older and learn more about where I shop or bank and what I buy, the more I feel compelled to attempt to make better choices.
It’s the choice between buying a cleaning product which harms the environment or is more gentle on creation, using financial establishments with a proven ethical record. If I’m going to buy a product online- I hate to say it but from Amazon, do I use Amazon Smile which benefits charities and if so which charities? With all the recent publicity about corruption and practices within the charity sector, who should I be supporting?
Do I buy my weekly shop at a store with good practices regarding their employees? What about their business practices in general? Even if we have very little money there’s power in where we choose to spend it.
Now if you’re anything like me you’re probably feeling super uncomfortable following several minutes of financial chat, this is one of the most uncomfortable sermons I’ve had to write and this is why we need organisations with a big visible presence, like Lloyds bank, helping us face our discomfort and challenge it. Our church and in particular the Archbishop of Canterbury, with his background in the oil industry, has recognised this issue for quite some time. As an organisation we’ve faced some very tricky questions on where our money is invested.
Again, I have to admit I’ve avoided Justin Welby’s teachings on financial issues because I know it may throw up some very difficult questions for me and writing this sermon highlights that I can’t continue avoiding what makes me uncomfortable.
I’ve started tentatively investigating the Archbishop’s book Dethroning Mammon; Making Money Serve Grace because its tackling exactly these issues; reflecting on the impact of our own attitudes, the pressures that surround us, and how we handle the power of money. At the heart of this he places Jesus, who we believe brings us truth, hope and freedom.
The archbishop says the problem with materialism… is not that it exists, but that it dominates. It shouts so loudly that it overrides our caring about other things of greater value. He believes our problem, like the rich fool, is that what we measure controls us and what do we measure more than money?
Talking about money, challenging our fears and embarrassment and examining this through the lens of our faith gives us the means to take back that control. Smashing this final taboo frees us to focus on what the real treasure is in our lives.
