Do you remember the Mastercard "Priceless" commercials? The purpose of the campaign was to position MasterCard as a friendly credit card company with a sense of humor, as well as respond to the public's worry that everything is being commoditizedand that people are becoming too materialistic. The Slogan: There are some things money can't buy, for everything else there is Mastercard.

What truly is priceless in your life? Where is your treasure? Jesus warns us that our hearts will follow our treasure! Truth told, my treasure-or lack thereof-tells me where my heart is.

Tom Tewell when he visited shared a story from the former archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, about two vandals who wanted to wreak havoc in Harrod's of London.   They broke in but didn't steal anything. They simply rearranged the price tags-putting a $50 price tag on a $5,000 item and a $1,000 price tag on a $50 item. In the morning, they watched with delight at the confusion of the shoppers and sales people alike. God has put the highest value on items like faith, faithfulness, character, integrity, sacrifice, servanthood, and eternal life. In our world, a thief has come in and rearranged the price tags so that the things God said are worth the most in life are the things on which our society often places little value, and the things that have little value are the things on which our society places the highest value. Someone has rearranged the price tags, so that even though God says the highest good is giving, our society puts the highest price tag on getting.

The answer to this question, I believe, lies in the fact that our addiction to materialism has blunted our spiritual desires. When we do feel a spiritual longing, we artificially soothe the deep needs of our lives. We buy something new, or indulge in some pleasure of interest. We keep ourselves so busy that we could not possibly get in touch with the deep spiritual longings of our lives. Isn't it interesting that the more we have, the more we want and the less grateful we are? The more we have, the more likely we are to keep it to ourselves.

We all believe that we can handle the temptations that accompany material wealth, but the truth is that for every ten people who can handle poverty, only one can handle prosperity. Jesus reminds us: No one can serve two masters. Either they will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

My giving is an indicator of how much I trust God. If I think I have to do it all myself, then I am not living as God wants me to live. As Christians we are assured that God is aware of our needs and will take care of us. As the Apostle Paul reminds us: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

We can be generous in our giving because we have a God who cares for us and provides for us. The more we seek the things of the Spirit, the less material things mean to us. We still use them and enjoy them, but we recognize God as the source. We understand that we do not own them. We are merely stewards of these things, and we keep a loose grip on them.

Do we really trust God to provide for our needs? Jesus cautions us: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:17).

Where is your treasure? Is it invested in yourself, in possessions or pleasures? Is it hidden away in banks and securities, or is it invested in the kingdom of God where it will be used for kingdom work? When we give to God, it reminds us of who is the source of all that we are and all that we have. Where we spend your money is an accurate gauge of what we value in life and where the things of real importance are to us. Have we invested in the material or spiritual? How we give demonstrates whether we are trusting God, or whether our security lies elsewhere.  The things on which we spend our money and where our treasure is invested are very important! Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.

God does not just own a part of me or you; he owns all of us. To acknowledge this and live this way is an act of worship. As an act of worship we acknowledge that: Freely we have received, freely now we give. Mt 10:8 The point is not whether we will literally give away all we have, but whether or not we recognize God as the source.

Unreserved commitment results in unrestrained blessing. When we hold nothing back from God he holds nothing back from us. If we do not withhold from God our material blessings, he will not withhold from us his spiritual blessings. The danger for us, who live in a materialistic society, is that we will value material things more than spiritual things.

There are some things that money can't buy, so Mastercard tells us. And we know that to be true. Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also!

In Christ,

Debbie Rundlett, General Presbyter