God’s Economy

Next week Jenny and I will be in South Korea where I will be asked to “preach for my supper”. I’ve been asked to preach three times there and the following is an extract from the sermon. I will use Cranbourne as an example of reinventing ourselves to serve as Jesus served.

Here is my text.

"Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." Matthew 22:21

More than ever before, human beings need to accept the values of God. In a world driven by greed where the global economy of empire demands more and more as we careen drunkenly towards ecological disaster, global militarism, and the global food, energy and financial crises, God’s economy calls us to the kingdom of heaven, here and now. Calls us to imagine and dream ourselves into a new reality, a world where wellbeing is seen as being more important than economic growth; where simplicity, compassion, and hospitality is lived out rather than an encouragement to hoard, exclude and exploit. Where local economies guide our communities and there is a desire for peace, justice and reconciliation, and where there is a respect for our planet that leads to wellbeing for all God’s creatures.