Old Scotch Church - Pastor 2002

Pastor's Corner - April 2002
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Thanks in all circumstances --
even when paying taxes!

by Rich Zimmerman

On April 15, affectionately known as "tax day," I like to read Proverbs 15:6. "A righteous house is a great treasure, but in the income of the wicked there is trouble." Now in the Old Testament, "house" does not necessarily mean the physical building where you live. And in this case it is more appropriate to think of the family that lives in the house instead of the building itself. So why should there be great treasure for a "righteous" family? Four things come to mind as an answer to that question: gratitude, order, justice and peace. Why gratitude first? Grateful people recognize as a starting point that everything they have and everything they are is a gift from the Creator. Living under the discipline of gratitude puts things in perspective. It focuses our attention on what we have, rather than on what we don't have. Grateful people are joyful--joyful because they recognize everything as a gift. Who can say, "I made myself?" Who can say, "I am smart by my own doing?" Order is next on the list because righteousness means a harmonious order in relationships. The opposite of righteousness is rebellion against properly constituted authority. The opposite of righteousness is grasping for power that doesn't belong to you. The opposite of righteousness is breaking the rules to make things go your way. Closely related to order is justice. Chaos results when people can't count on basic fairness in their closest relationships. Children can't learn if they have no reliable foundation of justice, because they can't focus on reality if they have no foundation of truth. The result of all this is peace. And that is what brings us around to the second half of the proverb. In contrast with the treasure of the righteous household we hear about trouble in the income of the wicked. This word for trouble has the connotation of bustle and being all stirred up. I think of a bee hive that has just been hit by a rock. I'm not saying that bees are wicked. I'm just suggesting a kind of stirring that is indicated by this word "trouble." Trouble is like mosquitoes that hover all the time, land when they can, and sting if you don't respond. It is important to remember that paying taxes only means that we are blessed. Blessed enough to be grateful, blessed to have stable and relatively orderly government, blessed to have a say in the system, blessed to reap the benefits of peace. We all have treasure. To the extent that I hold onto the things that are good my house is filled with treasure. To the extent that I give in to the pressures of this world my income is the source of trouble. This verse from Proverbs is a good reminder of the true treasure and the real trouble.

In Christ, Rich Zimmerman richz@oldscotchchurch.org