Session 1: God’s Economy - From Scarcity to Abundance

[Display above title on powerpoint slide.]

Opening Prayer

You who give us all that we need, deepen in us a greater awareness of our call to be in communion with You and all Creation. Help us to know that all that we have and experience is a gift from You and be with us as we discern ways to share these gifts with others. Compel us to respond in a way that is as generous as your invitation to be in relationship with You. Guide us as we work together to rethink our economic relationships to benefit our larger community. Amen

Introduce self / thank group for their willingness to explore the concept of “God’s Economy” and how our church can advance economic justice in our very own city.

It is difficult for many of us to wrap our arms around “economic justice” in a meaningful way. — In truth, most of us are simply uncomfortable talking about money and the place it has in our lives.

The humor writer Dave Barry put it this way … and note that he wrote this 10 years ago: “Why is money valuable? Why are people willing to work so hard for it, lie for it, cheat for it, go to prison for it, fight for it, kill for it, give up their children for it … even marry Donald Trump for it?”

And, in this fraught election season, we are not going down the rabbit trail of talking about Mr. Trump.

Instead, we are focused on faith and money. Many of us may prefer to keep the two separate — however, the Bible does not shy away from talking about money. In fact, the Bible includes:

[Slide]

•500 references to prayer

•slightly less than 500 passages addressing faith

•more than 2,000 verses that deal with possessions and money

Our concepts about money and economics can raise difficult questions in the context of faith:

[Slide]

- What should we do to promote a more just economy?

- Can we, as people of faith, impact the economy for the better … or is the economy just too big and too complex to even bother? Is the economy better left to the financial experts … the bankers, the major investors, or Wall Street?

As we begin to explore collectively what we mean by “God’s Economy,” we will see that there is a lot that we can do to shape the economy right where we live — and that there is plenty of guidance from Scripture about what we are called to do.

[Slide] Program titles …

This Sunday, we will brainstorm what God’s Economy might look like — and how we might advance that vision through a new mission activity here at UUMC that offers a small number of interest-free micro loans to small businesses in the Austin area that align with our social justice missions.

Next Sunday, we will explore three different loan models, get your input, and outline the many ways that you can be involved moving forward.

First, how many of you are familiar with microloans or have participated in Kiva or other types of microloans? [Ask one or two people to share their experiences — and what they got out of it.]

You may be wondering how UUMC became involved in microlending.

Primarily, our path forward came through the work of the Economic Justice Committee chaired by Trish Merrill. Over the last three years, members of that committee have educated themselves on our complex relationship with money and our capacity to change our economic relationships in ways that are more just and more reflective of our spiritual values.

•Mention a few of the titles studied … including a wonderful collection of short pieces on economic justice and the church called Money and Faith, also America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economyby James Gustave Speth (2013), and more. [Reference handout prepared by Trish Merrill.]

Here are some sobering facts that emerged from this study:

[Slide - This information is condensed:]

Among the 10 richest nations of the world, the United States ranks 9th but has the largest population … some 310 million people. Ours is the world’s largest economy with almost $55,000 per capita in Gross Domestic Product. But equity in the distribution of our wealth is illusive.

[Slide — see below:]

Among the developed countries, the U.S. has the:

•the greatest income inequality;

•the lowest social mobility; and

•the worst health outcomes and income equality despite the greatest spending on social programs aimed at helping the poor.

A fifth of American children live in poverty.

The poverty rate among blacks in almost three times that of whites, and the rate among Hispanics is more than twice that of whites.)

Roughly three-quarters of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, with little or no emergency savings.

So what does it mean, as people of faith, to seek economic justice for all of God’s people? After all, economy comes from the Greek word “okionomia” meaning “household” — so, what can we do to expand economic justice for the household of God?

During a four-week Tuesday Night Lights class this past February, about 15 people explored that question — and at the end, they “graduated” by making not one, but two $1,000 interest-free loans to small business owners in the Austin area that aligned with out social justice missions of racial reconciliation and immigration rights.

So now I am going to engage you in an exercise that we did at the outset of that study to help us think about how we might want our economic relationships to grow and evolve.

[Slide]

What words would you use to describe today’s economy?

[DISCUSSION] …

Many of the words you have suggested are the same ones mentioned during the Tuesday Night Lights study — and many are reflected in this infographic.

[Slide - Infographic of negative aspects of today’s economy.]

[Slides:]

If our economy is broken, what would God’s economy look like?

[DISCUSSION] …

The two economies sound very different.

[Slide — Economic Equity]

What comes through from this exercise is that at the root of God’s Economy is economic equity — which is missing from today’s economic reality in this country and other economies around the world.

What is keeping today’s economy from more closely reflecting what we would like to see in God’s Economy? [Get 2-3 responses.]

[DISCUSSION]

Lynne Twist, one of the founders of The Hunger Project, attributes many of today’s economic ills to what, she calls, the three toxic myths of scarcity.

[Slide]

•Toxic Myth #1: There’s Not Enough

•Toxic Myth #2: More is Better

•Toxic Myth #3: That’s Just the Way it Is

All three myths are fueled by fear. Once we buy into Myth #1, all of our energies are devoted to protecting our own at all costs. We fear being left out or losing out to others.

Once we buy into Myth #2, we are driven to consume at a frantic pace. We fear being judged lacking if we fail to acquire more and more things.

Once we buy into Myth #3, we opt out of changing our economic relationships for the better.

[Slide — Lynne Twist quote.]

However, the Bible has much to say on the subject of abundance, scarcity, and how we should be in economic relationship with one another.

[Slide — God’s Message is One of Abundance]

[Pass out handout … Some Reflections on Abundance, Scarcity and God’s Economy. Ask everyone to read silently and then ask three people to volunteer their reactions to one of the scriptural passages. Can have more/less discussion to fill allotted time.]

[Slide - What the Bible has to say about God’s Economy]

Thank you for your insights. Next week, we will move right to microlending — and why churches across the country, including UUMC, are getting involved. We will watch some short videos on the impact of different types of microlending — and we want your feedback on three different loan models: the Angel Loan, the Pay-It-Forward Loan, and a Kiva-style loan.

[Slide - Martin Luther quote.]

Read closing quote on screen and then close with prayer:

May we remember, that with God’s guidance, we can be the love some other heart seeks. In the economy of God, even a small gift can become a great blessing, even a single person can make a community stronger. May be aware of our opportunities to share with others — and not miss our chance to turn scarcity into abundance. Amen