Saint John's Lutheran Church

Some of you here today will remember watching comedian Jack Benny, from TV’s Golden Age. Benny had a memorable skit which illustrated how we place money ahead of everything else. The skit began with Benny walking down a street. Suddenly he is accosted by an armed robber who shouts, “Your money or your life!” There is a long pause. Jack does nothing. The robber impatiently queried, “Well?” And Jack replied, “Don’t rush me, I’m thinking it over.” This morning I would like us to think a few moments about our finances and our life. Let’s see what Jesus has to say about these two subjects.

Happy summer to all the good folks of Saint John’s! Pastor Bestian asked me to write a guest column for the newsletter this month since he and his family were gone for most of July. I thought it was a good opportunity for me to take a few minutes to use Pastor Bestian’s normal column to share a few personal reflections with all of you.

On January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt shared with America what has become known as “The Four Freedoms.” He believed that all people should enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Those freedoms, for the most part, have been widely achieved in America.

Everything valuable in life usually comes with an expensive price tag—and freedom is no exception. Whether it is our freedom to choose our place of worship, freedom of speech, freedom to vote during elections, freedom to travel across borders and state lines, or the freedom to pursue the career of our choosing, our freedoms are costly. We have untold debt to our forefathers and those who fought and sacrificed for the political and social liberties we enjoy today.