Does 2 + 2 =4?
Addition, subtraction, and the Kingdom of God
Math looks a little different in the Kingdom of God.
2 + 2 doesn’t always equal 4.
5 x 5 doesn’t always equal 25.
In our world, adding things up and multiplying them means we end up with more. More money, more resources, more prestige, more……. fill in the blank. The way to have more is to get more.
This means we do the most sensible thing. We hustle, market and sell to this end. So that our bottom line is always moving up and to the right. And returns are maximized more and more.
This is - after all - the good and sensible thing to do. This is the way the world works. This is the goal of it all, right?
As Lee Corso is fond on of saying on Saturday mornings this fall, “not so fast my friend.”
Addition by subtraction
In a world that revolves around profit & loss statements, stock market trends, and the acquisition of more, God speaks.
And what he says is shocking.
“It is more blessed to give than receive.”
“The widow’s mite is worth more.”
“The last shall be first and the first shall be last.”
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give and only suffers want.”
In God’s kingdom, it’s addition by subtraction. Generosity is the crowning jewel - not revenue. We find our life by laying it down.
Beware of splinters
That’s why, as Eugene Peterson observed, when you don’t live generously you’re bound to get splinters because you’re going against the grain of the universe.
This makes sense.
After all, creation began as a generous act of giving by God. He freely and joyfully crafted the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. He molded Adam and Eve, commissioning them to rule over creation with him and like him.
This means that the most human thing for us to do is to live generously. By doing so, we’re living more like our God and more like how we were made.
Go with the grain
As we turn to this holiday season, I encourage you to keep this in mind.
This time of year presents us with occasions for generosity and being generous is the most human thing we can do. When we give, we actually buy into God’s vision of humanity. We say yes to God’s craftsmanship and go with the grain of creation.
So go with the grain.