simplicity.... and bible study with young people


This past week there were 5 kids at APPA. I got the privilege of leading the morning devotional with the kids just after I arrived each morning. They had just rolled out of their beds and come downstairs and some of them were very sleepy, but we sat down at the table and began the bible study time. That hour of time I spent with the kids became a highlight of each day. I was surprised how much I enjoyed talking to the kids about the parables and bible stories we were reading. It was almost shocked to recognize how much information I had stored in my head about the culture and the nuance of certain stories. I really enjoyed sharing with the kids what I found meaningful and encouraging them to think critically and personally about their reflection. It was truly a blessing to study the bible with them and learn with them.
This morning, the last morning with the kids, we were focusing on the topic of simplicity in Proverbs 30: 1- 9. We were talking about simplicity, what it means to ask for our “daily bread,” and the concept of enough - not too much or too little. One of the kids who hadn't participated very much up until this point asked me point blank, “Are you saying that it is a sin to be rich?” He pointed to the pastors of mega churches who are often wealthy, the ending to the story of Job, and material wealth of Abraham as examples of God blessing the righteous with wealth.
Now, I have a particular bias against the prosperity gospel. (If your curious about my bias read http://bekah-inchad.blogspot.com/2011/01/inner-beauty-pants.html for my response to the prosperity gospel as preached in Chad.) I think material prosperity is completely off base from what Jesus was all about and I often get emotional, angry and extremely passionate when someone discusses material wealth as the reward for righteousness in any context. And so I prayed for patience and clarity and compassion as I began to ask questions about the logic behind the prosperity gospel. I pulled out a short synopsis of James Engle's lectures on the proverb “ the righteous prosper and the wicked perish “ and its limitations that I remembered from Old Testament Studies. I asked the kids to think about the life that Jesus lived. And in the end I resorted to my mother's infamous “I wonder if.....” statements. The kids became engaged in the conversation and talked about the importance of how we use our resources. And we ended the devotional in prayer thanking God for questions and unknown.
I'm not sure if I was fair to the kid. I tried to explain what I believed without directly condemning the gospel he might have been taught all his life. In reflecting on our devotional time, I am reminded again of conversations I have had with my best friends about how I come off opinionated because I care so much. I hope that I was not too harsh on him. And yet, I think that we should all be asking questions. Is it a sin to be rich? Despite my quick rebuttal, that question cuts deeply in me too. I am still so rich, so wealthy. I have so much. Do I have too much? Is too much a line in the sand? Or, is it really just about how we use our resources?
I join with Agur (the particular scholar to whom this proverb is accredited) when I cry out:
“LORD, give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with the food that I need. Or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:8-9

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