Whom Do You Serve?

Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15 (NRSV) {emphases added}

Spent most of last week at the annual meeting of the United Methodists in Oregon and Idaho; around 400 of us gather to hear reports, enact positions and make recommendations about issues and concerns. This year we also where electing delegates to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church which meets every four years to establish policy and procedures for the entire denomination world-wide. Along with electing this delegates we also send items to General Conference we want them the address; social issues, issues of justice, etc. As we met one area seemed to dominate the conversation, divestment of denominational funds from certain corporations who make a profit from working with the Israeli government’s occupation of Palestinian lands. The arguments were basically two; those in favor talked about justice and the rights of the Palestinians while those opposed talked about lost of income, higher costs for fund management, and working from inside a corporation to change it. For me the argument was really about people verses the institution.

I wasn’t really shocked by the positions of the two sides. They were very predictable. You can always count on one group speaking from the place of costs and fear and the other speaking from the place of morality and justice. I always side with morality and justice. But no one seemed to be speaking the word that needed to be said. As a Christian organization we have one priority. As the church we have one interest. As people of faith there is only one question that we need to answer, “Whom does this serve?” If those benefiting from some position or action are the institution and its members we are missing the mark.

You see the church, the United Methodist Church and for that matter all Abrahamic faith traditions have only one basic, overriding, and fundamental focus. It is on those outside our institutions. All our actions, our programs, our effort are supposed to be targeted outside ourselves, for the good of others. So whenever I am part of a debate about something like investments I hold up a filter and say, “Who is being served here the institution or me or my group, or is it others?” When Joshua asked the people of Israel to renew their covenant with God he asked them to decide whom it is they serve as God either the gods of the past or the gods of the land which they are entering or the God that lead them to freedom. I think the choice was really between self-serving and serving others. Worship other gods almost always meant giving something to get something for yourself. Serving God meant living life in a certain way for the betterment of all people. So in reality the question isn’t, “How much it will cost us?” The question really is, “How will this better the lives of others?”

I am shocked that the amount of interest earned, the amount management of funds will cost and the “it is better to remain a part of the corporation that is doing questionable things” argument is used by people and agencies of the church. If my pension funds earn slightly less, if they are reduced a little because of increased management costs that’s not important. What is important is how these funds are being generated and how the generation of those funds impacts others who are not a part of my institution.

I think it is time people of faith asked themselves, “Whom will I serve?” And we need to see that the real choice is between the self-serving gods of the land from which we have been set free and the God who has set us free and calls us to love and serve others. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

Dear God, help me to remain faithful the covenant I have made with you. Help me to serve you in all my decisions. If I am worried about myself more than others call me back to your will and way. Amen.

Please note that I will be on vacation the next couple of weeks and there will be no Musings.