Worth More than your Wallet

We live in a world of dualism and division, of have and have-nots. Our materialistic culture tries to convince us of the delusion that the sole basis of how much stuff you have is the extent of how much you are worth. This is one of the plethora of lies of the Adversary (the literal term for Satan). The Gospel Truth is that each and every person is created in the holy image of God, each and every person is of sacred worth. Furthermore, our Creator made the entire breadth of everything and nothing, including our humble blueish dot that we all co-habit. So no matter where on earth you are from, God created the ground beneath your feet and the sky above your head. If God created all places, is it fair to say that one is worth more if one is born in one region versus another?

God has created us each unique with diverse spiritual gifts, differing languages, in different hues of color, on various points of the spectrums of; intellect, disabilities and abilities, sexuality, neurodivergence, gender, and so many more distinctions that make us who we are. 

Humanity was not created on the hubris notion of some being more innately valued than others. To claim that any one group is worth more than another is in direct conflict with the Gospel. Favoritism, and all the isms, are incompatible with Christianity.

Greed is another lie of the Adversary that aims to divide and destroy our innate sacred worth. You are worth more than your bank account! Greed lies to us that money and possessions will bring us happiness and meaning. In fact, some of the most materialistically ‘poor’ people I’ve met have also been some of the happiest, because they are ‘rich in Spirit.’

Unethical people in positions of power like to preach prejudice because they know we are easier to control in divided groups than we are with one united voice. Even when we gather together wearing the same orange jerseys and cheering for the same college football team, hate-speech and prejudice try to dominate the day. Hate-speech exposes its’ own sins; ignorance, judgement, idolatry, greed, vanity… The Light of the Way, the Truth and the Life shines in the darkness to reveal the fear behind the mask of hate. {see a previous Burnt Ends entry: Cast out Fear, posted 7/28/26}.

To find the answer to our problems of how to live together in harmony we simply need to go back, (all the way back) and read our origin story! Can we live as how God created us to be?

God as the Holy Trinity- Father, Son, Holy Spirit- has always been a complicated belief to understand. Of course, any concept of God is limited by human reason and therefor can not possible contain everything there is to know about God. Furthermore, the belief of God as Three in One is potentially not about intellectually understanding at all, perhaps God being Trinity is something to be experienced and lived. God created us in God’s image, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness…So God created humankind in God’s image, in the image of God he created them…” Genesis 1:26-27. We are created in the image of the Holy One who is simultaneously: Father/Parent/Source/Creator/Author/Alpha and Omega…,

AND Son/Savoir/The Most Human One/Lord/ Redeemer, Bread of Life, Light of the World…

AND Holy Spirit/Advocate/Counselor/Constant Companion/Anchor of Hope…

How Awesome is it that the same God Almighty who created the planets, stars, oceans, mountains, tadpoles, dragonflies, dogs, dolphins…created you in Their own image! We are created to live in community, in harmony with our siblings and be good stewards of Creation.

“By His divine power the Lord has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. Through his honor and glory he has given us, his precious and wonderful promises, that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality that sinful craving produces.” 2 Peter 1:3-4. Common English Version.

We all are invited to share the divine nature by escaping all the ways of the world. We all are called to put on our ‘amors of light’ and shine love, reflect grace, and walk in the ways of truth and life. {Wake Up, sermon 9/6/26}. We are all challenged to escape the immoralities of greed, prejudice, vanity, violence and vengeance…

What would our world look like if we all shared in our divine nature? What would our world look like if instead of sharing social media posts for our own vain popularity we shared in the divine nature of the self-sacrificing (agape) love of the Suffering Servant? What would our lives look like if instead of sharing pride and prejudices we shared in the divine nature of humbleness in the name of the Holy One who emptied himself, and came down from heaven? That Bread of Life placed in the feeding trough for all us unclean animals to feast on is the Source of all Love that Jesus told us to share, ‘in remembrance of me.’ Let us all be fed not by greed or vanity but by the Bread of Life, the very substance of our livelihood. At our center is Christ Jesus, the first born of all Creation, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, the Good Sheperd. Let us join hands and follow in his Way, Truth and Life.