Those Dang Money Changers
by Tim K. Snyder
So, funny thing happened at St. Martin's Lutheran Church. Really I couldn't have made this up any better if my life depended on it.
Sunday we read John's Gospel text where Jesus overturns the money changers in the Temple. Now I understand that Jesus was making a theological claim about him "tabernacling" through the incarnation. But, the irony is that we don't normally sell stuff in the narthex. This past Sunday however, there were FIVE MONEY EXCHANGING BOOTHS - and NO! this wasn't part of the sermon illustration...
1. Buy tickets to see the Luther Nordic Choir performance.
2. Buy banquet tickets for the 125th anniversary celebration with Bishop Mark Hansen
3. Purchase your copy of the annual women's cookbook
4. Raffle tickets for the large screen TV to help the Youth go to the gathering
5. And my personal favorite...BUY your copy of The Lutheran Study Bible.
No, really. I'm not kidding. Five. Money. Changers.
What is worse? The fact that Pastor Craig preached on the gospel text last week or that I went ahead and bought a Lutheran Study Bible despite the fact that Pastor Craig made fun of the money changers in the sermon?
IRONY.
posted by Tim K. Snyder at 7:53 PM
2 Comments:
At seminary today the chapel sermon was on the Gospel text and then afterwards there was a reception for the new Lutheran Study Bible. The numerous faculty who worked on the project were on hand to talk about it and, yes, autograph the bible; well, just the sections that they had worked on. But, at least as an acknowledgment to today's text, they made sure to have them on sale only in the bookstore, downstairs. Funny.
I suppose you would have to explain how you define "money changers." I would not describe the tables you mentioned as such. They sounded like worthy causes to me, and a part of the congregation's life together.
"Money changers" to me is more like someone selling the latest Acme kitchen gadget. ("It slices, it dices ...") Something manipulative and profiteering.
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