401K. IRA. WWJD?

The story of the loaves and fishes is known even to many non-Christians because it works on several levels. It foreshadows communion as an example of Jesus welcoming everyone to the table (even if the table is a grassy hill). It speaks to our basic need to be fed both physically and spiritually. It challenges our reflex to respond to the world as a place of scarcity and need. That last idea, where we wrestle with faith versus practicality, can be especially difficult for us in a culture where terms like "Christian Financial Planning" and "prosperity gospel" abound.

Whether Jesus performed a supernatural act, or the crowd was moved to share what was hidden amongst them, the point is the same: when we dedicate our resources to God's purposes, there will be more than enough. When the crowd dispersed, there were enough fragments of the original five loaves left to fill twelve baskets! When we have a fish or loaf and others don't, the gospel calls us to act in faith. Sometimes that means releasing what we have and trusting that it will serve a higher purpose. For an individual that loaf might be time, money and/or talent. For a church community the fish might be other assets; for example, if our attachment to owning and maintaining a particular piece of real estate erodes our time and ability to do mission, we need to ask whether a fear of scarcity causes us to grip that fish more tightly.

In God's economy, resources hoarded are resources wasted. As loath as we Americans are to admit it, our obsession with 401K and IRA runs counter to WWJD. It only makes sense to us to plan for our financial future, but that is never the future Jesus teaches about unless he says to stop worrying and trust nothing but God. If we are "responsible" people, that message can be a real punch to the gut, but if we are faithful people we need to hear it and wrestle with what it means for us, especially when it puts our feet to the fire. We spend our whole lives learning to loosen our grip on what we know we possess to free our hands for God.