For the love of it all

Friday March 30th, John 12: 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. I once tried to get permission to use two different songs in worship. “For the Love of it All” by Peter, Paul and Mary in our worship service, and “You have come down to the lakeshore,” at another church I was preaching at. After three phone calls and one faxed letter I received letter giving me permission to use the non-hymnal song “For the Love of it All” as long as I wanted in worship at no charge. After four weeks of phone calls, $30 and counting in fees for a one-time use, I never managed to make all the connections and permissions I needed to use the song from the church hymnal for worship in another non-Lutheran Church. Sometimes I am afraid; this church stuff gets focused way too much on big business.