United Methodist Church of Westford

God calls us to be disciples of Jesus, building community through
service and fellowship and sharing the love of Christ with all.

“The United Methodist Church of Westford is an open and welcoming community of  Christian
Faith. Without any exceptions, we welcome anyone who seeks to love and to serve God.” Learn More

"Toxic Myths of Scarcity "

Luke 12:13-21; Hebrews 13:5

Talking of money tends to make us cringe. Talking about money makes us uncomfortable as well. Like sex, money is taboo. Why?  Paul never said money is the root of all evil, as he is often quoted to have said. He says, “the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). The use of money expresses our deepest values. Whether we live rich or poor, whether we want or need, the scarcity mind-set shapes our deepest sense of ourselves and become the lens through which we experience life. Because we have toxic myths of scarcity and therefore we are suffering with money. (Lynne Twist) However, Jesus talked more about money and possessions and our relationships with them than any other topic. So, we can and should talk about money with sound biblical understanding. Rich fool has toxic understanding of money. Money including everything comes from God and God’s good gifts to us. We are invited into a life greater than our anxious fear over money. Jesus invites us into deeper relationship with God who provides all things as gift.

17th Sunday after Pentecost

Join us In-Person Every Sunday at 9:30 am or Online after the Sunday Service.

Worship Plan October2-October 30

Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. The four Gospels deal directly with the subject of money. There are approximately 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. Why does the Bible make such a big deal about money? Because money is powerful, powerful enough to dominate our whole life. Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” “You cannot serve God and wealth.”(Mt.6:21, 24) Money can be beautiful and life-giving and be used to build the kingdom of God, or it can mess us up and leave a trail of destruction behind us. Because money is so powerful, how we do with money is deeply related to our spiritual life. This month we are going to focus on “The Soul of Money.” Because money has become one of the primary yardsticks against which we measure ourselves and others, we will learn how to see and use money as God wants.