you have come down to the lakeshore

Friday March 26th, 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 quite managed to make all the connections and permissions I needed to use the song you have come down to the lakeshore in worship at another church. You may find the same experience buying items from a church supply catalogue verses a general use catalogue. Even common everyday things cost considerably more through a church supply catalogue. Sometimes I am afraid; this church stuff gets focused way too much on big business. Judas was focused on the business side of things. What he said was true, the money could have been used more efficiently. Like most temptations, it was not a call to do something wrong, it was a call to do something good for the wrong reasons. Caring for the poor is a calling we all have even if Glenn Beck tells us we are wrong. It is the caring for the poor to the exclusion of caring for our worship, which quickly becomes caring for the poor so we can skim a little off the top, that is the problem.