Managing Our Investments

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Sunday readings focus more and more on the events of the end of all time, "The Day of the Lord."

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the conception of the Day of the Lord is very common.  In this view, all time was divided into two ages.  There was the present age, which is fraught with problems, and the age to come, which would be the golden age of God’s reign.  In between, there was The Day of the Lord, which would be a terrible day in which one world was shattered and another was born.  Its main characteristics were (1) it would come suddenly and unexpectedly, (2) it would involve a cosmic upheaval in which the universe was shaken to its very foundations, (3) it would be a time of judgment and accountability.

Naturally, the New Testament writers identified the Day of the Lord with the Second Coming of Christ. We can view them as “stock pictures” that are not to be taken literally.  They are pictorial visions of what will happen when God breaks into time.

The big question of the day for those first Christians was one of preparedness; When God breaks into life, will I be prepared?  I was visiting with a man the other day and we were talking about this matter.  He said, “I’m not ready.”  I had to confess that I feel that way much of the time myself.  But to both of us, there is an important message in what St. Paul had to say to the Thessalonians about the arrival of The Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11) and Jesus' Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

How we prepare for the appearance of God in our lives really concerns the investments we are making as we journey toward The Day of the Lord.  To say that we have an investment in something is to say that we have made a personal commitment and hope for some sort of return or reward for our efforts.  It is not twisting the gospel too much to say, “Where your investments are, there will your heart be also.” Human life would not be worth much if we were without the capacity to make investments.

The key to successful investments is to invest wisely.  In today’s economic climate, wisdom often seems to be in short supply.  Nevertheless, sometimes the wisest course means taking risks.  At other times, it may mean moving with caution.  What we invest our money, our time, our emotional and spiritual energy in will determine in large measure the quality of our life and, in some cases, the quantity of our life.

Are we investing the treasures God has entrusted to us in ways that reflect light or darkness?  Are we so afraid of failure that we are not investing at all?  Are our investments preparing us for the moment or moments when we become aware of God’s appearance in our life?

The Day of the Lord is every day.  That, for me, is the greatest wisdom of all as I attempt to manage my investments.

A minister in Chicago tells the story of something that happened in his church many years ago.  When the church was built, several wealthy members made very large contributions and one man gave a beautiful pipe organ as his contribution.  In business reversals, that man lost his wealth and came to humble circumstances.

His friends wanted to help him so they went to him and said, “We would like to pool our resources and give you back the money you contributed for the organ.”  The man replied, “I know your intent and I appreciate this gesture, but I cannot accept.  If I took the money and spent it, I would be poor indeed.  But, as long as I have that organ that speaks of God every Sunday, I am a wealthy man.”

He had made an investment in what he valued most and the very idea of withdrawing his investment was offensive to him because it would mean he had lied about his faith.  He could live with his material poverty and perhaps regain some of his wealth. But he never could take back what he had invested in the service of his Creator.

That story reminds me of a proverb, “What I spent, I had.  What I saved, I lost.  What I gave, I have.”  Stewardship is about managing our investments with hopefulness, faithfulness, and confidence in anticipation of the Lord’s appearance – in the last day, today, and every day.