By Peter Boogaart, Creation Care Coordinator
“Enough is enough!” Maybe you’ve heard those words? They may be buried somewhere deep in your childhood memory. Remember pushing too far? Dad was letting you know that this was the boundary and your show was over.
It’s possible, too, to say that “Enough is never enough.” Just before bedtime, was there ever enough story time? Is there ever too much love? Do you still hear your mother’s voice and want more?
Our human world is bounded by parameters—too much and too little. The United Nations has a seventeen-point metric to access human wellbeing. Frequently, they find not enough. Not enough housing. Not enough food. Not enough medical care.
For some of us, the issue is too much. Too much food. Too much media. Too much privilege. Where do you draw the lines? Without Dad around to impose them, how do you know where the lines are?
Theologian Ched Myers explores “enough” in his analysis of Exodus 16. The Israelites are in peril. Food and water have run out. Death in the wilderness seems imminent. They complain against God and against Moses. In response, God provides bread in the form of manna each morning and meat in the form of quail each night—every day for 40 years!
What do we learn from this? Myers develops his argument for Sabbath Economics. First, all provision comes from God. Remember the Lord’s Prayer? “Give us this day our daily bread…” God, the Creator, gives abundantly and faithfully. The natural world was always enough. Enough bread and enough quail for everyone.
Second, notice what happens when some people take too much. The manna spoils in their jars overnight. Hoarding is a witness to lack of faith. Hoarding means that God can’t be trusted and I need to look out for myself. Myers draws an economic principle from this story: In a properly functioning economy, one that embodies God’s principles, everybody has enough and nobody has too much. Provision only has value when it circulates and moves from where it is to where it’s needed. Hoarding, the withholding of gifts, devalues life.
For the last three years, I’ve been part of a Hope Church small group which explores this question of “enough.” Where to draw the line? It’s not an easy analysis. We’re not nomadic herders and dryland farmers. How do you define enough in a capitalized, urban, culture? We’re finding that we may have too much time, too many clothes, or too much stuff. We’re challenging ourselves to let it go. Let it have value for someone else.
We created one rule for our giving up: If you can’t do it with joy, don’t do it. If your family is financially stressed already, you may not have funds to give up. If you feel pressured or shamed into giving, don’t do it. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. The blessing isn’t in the money, it’s in living in congruence with your values. Joy comes from properly ordered relationships.
In some cases, letting go has monetary value. Miles not driven have value. Energy efficiencies realized have value. Meat not consumed has value. For us the question was how to properly deploy that value. Hope Church helped us by creating a Sabbath Economics line item on its books, with the agreement that each year we would designate a recipient while encouraging the fund to grow.
This year there was $600 in the fund to be deployed. We asked Consistory to approve Good Samaritan Ministries’ Eviction Diversion Program as the recipient and for permission to challenge the congregation to match the amount. They said, “Yes, and we’ll match your gift right now and challenge the congregation to match the $1,200”. You all did more than that. The final check was for $3,300—a real five loaves and two fish moment!
We invite you to join us in this Sabbath Economics practice. How do you define enough? If your process reveals something of monetary value, find a place to share it. There are lots of needy people waiting to hear from you. If you choose to use the Sabbath Economics fund, you can join us next year in picking a new recipient.