Perks...

 

“Perks”

 

Psalm 103:1-8
103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name.

103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all of God’s benefits--

103:3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

103:4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

103:5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

103:6 The LORD works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.

103:7 He made known the divine ways to Moses, and God’s acts to the people of Israel.

103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

 

When I was first employed, long before I became a pastor, benefits were often referred to as “bennies.” “Perks” is a more modern word for the benefits of employment beyond the basic paycheck. Is healthcare included in your benefit package? Pension? Profit-sharing? How much vacation do you get each year? Sick days? Personal time off? 

 

We live in a time when the perks of employment are on the decline, while the basic salary or hourly pay may be increasing, especially in the wake of a pandemic that provoked many to change jobs that offered higher pay. Perks, though, are not what they used to be. When I first entered the ministerial track in the United Methodist Church, we were told that the “bennies” (way back then) were great! We had a Board of Pensions that provided a super retirement benefit, with our churches putting in the majority of the funds toward it. We had “first dollar,” deluxe healthcare with no deductibles, and no housing expenses, as we lived in church-provided housing, including free utilities. These “benies” were then “sold” as compensation for a low starting, full-time salary of $14,000 per year, which was well below what secular workers were being paid, especially when you figured our pastoral jobs had us on call 24/7, typically requiring up  to 60 hours per week of on-the-clock time, between visits, sermon preparation, counseling, and administration of church affairs.

 

While the starting, full-time salary for pastors in the UMC has increased, it is still well below most secular jobs that require a masters degree. The value of the parsonage (supplied housing) has dropped as well, on three counts: the houses are much smaller than what families are buying on their own today; many of them are located within poor school districts; and pastors are building no equity by not owning a property themselves. Couple this with the reality that pastors are “homeless” when they retire, and this greatly devalues the “perk” designation of the parsonage. (We were “warned” by seasoned U.M. pastors to put extra money into our pension fund to prepare for owning a home in retirement, which we did, thankfully.) Healthcare? Like almost everybody else, deductibles have soared, coverage has waned, and premiums now have a shared cost with those covered. I and my colleagues were spared the level of shared healthcare premium costs experienced by those in secular employment, but after paying nothing toward premiums, any change is significant, especially when the deductibles have gone through the roof. Our pension is still pretty decent, given that secular jobs have been abandoning traditional pension plans (either defined contribution or defined benefit) for 401k plans that require an investment on the part of the employee to be vested. If you are lucky, your employer offers a match of some sort, but not always. Basically, many are “self-pensioned,” receiving only the tax benefits involved, coupled with their individual investment.

 

No, the perks of employment are not what they used to be. I know that my wife and I made the necessary adjustments, to the best of our ability, down through the years of ministry, including increasing our personal contribution to my pension fund, as best we could. The perks of THIS decision became evident upon retiring. We were fortunate that the market was on a “high” when we retired in 2021, as the “church” share of our pension fund is annuitized upon one’s retirement, and this occurred when this fund was at its peak. The money we receive from our personal investment component of our pension fund is a welcome “boost” to the church pension, thanks to our efforts to put as much into it, as we were able. The careful management of these funds by a stellar General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits (now called “Wespath”) gave us a firm financial foundation for our retirement. Added to our shared Social Security benefits, we are able to maintain our simple standard of living. We feel most fortunate. I do worry about younger colleagues who have a much stiffer benefits “headwind.” If they are unable to invest in their personal pension account, adequately, housing costs when they retire may cripple them.

 

I’m using these personal stories from my own, more recent transition to retirement to highlight what caught my attention in one of the Psalms from this weekend’s lectionary passages, Psalm 103, verses 1-8. Verse three says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits.” The Psalm goes on to elaborate on some of these benefits, from the viewpoint of the author:

 

*forgives our sins

 

*heals our diseases

 

*redeems our lives from “the pit” (possibly a metaphor for the suppressed or “down and out” life that just seems to keep spiraling)

 

*”crowns” or embraces us with steadfast love and mercy

 

*satisfies us with “good” for as long as we live

 

*renews our “youth” like that of an eagle (a biblical symbol for strength and vitality)

 

*vindicates the wrongly-accused and delivers justice for the oppressed

 

*God’s attention to us is merciful and gracious, and God is “slow to anger” and abounding in steadfast love

 

Not a bad list of perks for those who believe, and who offer our souls as a blessing to God, would you say? This brings us to one important insight here—these are the perks of belief, not the primary “employment” of it. We choose to believe in the Lord our God by offering the allegiance and praise of our very soul to God, thus establishing a relationship with the Almighty. This relationship is the primary purpose of the “job” or “employment” of our faith. What God offers us are the perks, and thems ain’t bad pickin’s! The bottom line is that according to this psalmist, what God offers humanity is far, far, far more than what God asks of us—a sincere soul relationship. I am convinced that the biblical record makes clear that a key reason God created us was to have a relationship with us. And like a great friend—or like the loving father from the story of the Prodigal Son—everything God has, God offers to us. The perks of such friendship or family far outweigh the buy-in.

 

Have you ever really meditated on what YOU see as the benefits of faith in God, other than the “basic” ones listed in this Psalm? They are somewhat obvious—forgiveness, healing, a relationship with God that stands the test of time, even eternity. Many have made these the theological “center” of faith, have turned them into doctrines, and even created a corpus of judgments that may occur to those who don’t believe. But what of some of the more personal “perks” of faith that grow out of our experience with God?

 

Here are a few I came up with:

 

*Understanding. My faith in God, and more particularly in Jesus Christ, has opened me to a much broader understanding of life, love, and relationship. It has caused me to not “settle” for shallow ideas of these that often pervade modern thinking. Just listen to the lyrics of popular songs, and one hears the “affairs of love” described, but rarely do these ruminations get much beyond eros, or sexual love. And when they do, what you hear is the pain of failed love. And what of life? The tyranny of the mundane has caused many to falter in our time, fogging themselves in a cloud of cannabis, or worse, drowned in alcohol or drugged into a false euphoria. The desperation all around us is palpable, for those who have not explored, found, or experienced the spiritual realm. And let me make clear that what I’m calling understanding is not immediately revealed by merely saying a “sinners prayer” or even in entering a “personal relationship” with Christ. These things are pathways to redemption—important, but the most basic element of faith. The role of the Holy Spirit is primarily as a teacher to help us begin to understand the deeper affairs of human existence—life, love, and relationship. And the Holy Spirit teaches us and leads us to plumb the depth of our relationships with God, others, and even within our own selves. Have you ever wondered whom you are talking with when engaging your “inner dialogue? I’m guessing at least one of the insightful voices is that of the Holy Spirit! Spend time there; grow in understanding!

 

*The Wideness of God’s Mercy. A maturing faith is one that, through reading scripture, reviewing the traditions of faith, searching our history of experiences, and using growing human reason, comes to understand a much more broadly loving and merciful God than we imagined when we first found faith. In all faith-seeking-understanding, God is ready to welcome God’s human creation into a loving, saving relationship. The most profound evidence of this is found in the Christian tradition, wherein we accept that God came among humans, initially at a moment in history (Galatians says “in the fullness of time”), and then continues to abide with us through the on-going presence of the Holy Spirit. I believe the wideness of God’s mercy is much greater than I ever imagined. II Corinthians 5 tells us that in Christ, God is reconciling the world to God’s self. This is a much more generous activity than what some evangelical doctrines have limited it to. That God would continue to “work” through the incarnational Christ and through the Spirit of Jesus, alive in the world, to bring humans to faith should not be a surprise to any honest reader of the Bible, nor should this “ministry of reconciliation” be fenced in by dogmas that say only some will be “saved.” It is God’s will that “none should perish.” Limiting how God is working among humanity to reconcile and redeem persons is quite beyond our pay grade, as I mentioned earlier. 

 

*The Good News of the Good News. This reconciling work of Christ is good news for the whole world. It is something Christians are compelled to herald for all to hear, and yet not limit how persons must respond to what Christ has done and is doing for us. The first message from the lips of mature Christian messengers is that of the overwhelming love of God. Years ago, an evangelical organization called Campus Crusade for Christ published what they called their “Four Spiritual Laws.” It was put out in a small, printed tract, and “Law One” was: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” I always liked that one, and it is indeed GOOD NEWS for anyone who hears it. The other “spiritual laws” laid out a fairly traditional “evangelical” rubric of HOW to act on this love, and we could debate the efficacy of them, but “Law One” is what the world needs to hear—and maybe even YOU need to hear! ALL PEOPLE are loved by God, and God desires each to live an abundant (Jesus’ word) life. “God’s plan” for their life is much less a blueprint, than the best wishes of a deeply loving parent for any of her or his children. A truly loving parent doesn’t “prescribe” what this “wonderful plan” will look like, but does everything within their power to help their children experience it. If we would just make this initial piece of GOOD NEWS our main message, more may be willing to listen, and many would certainly come to faith. Reconciliation is God’s action, according to II Corinthians, and we are called to join God in this ministry by inviting. “God loves you and wants you to have an abundant life” is one of the best invitations I can imagine, especially to a world that needs to hear such good news, over and against “Sorry, buddy, you’re on your own.” Let us not spoil it by too specifically defining just how God will act in a life, based on human-contrived doctrines. The greatest “perk” revealed in the Bible is that God is in Christ, reconciling the world to Godself. May we turn Christ loose on the world and then get out of the way!

 

*God can be Fully Comprehended in the Human Heart. You know what I mean when I use the phrase, “a gut feeling.” Our minds may never be able to comprehend, let alone apprehend, the Creator of the Universe. However, the fullness of God is able to be fully comprehended in the human heart. (Obviously, I am using the “heart” as the deep center of human emotion and compassion, regardless of where it “resides,” medically or scientifically!) As limited as our minds may be to the “length and breadth” of the Divine, our hearts “get it” when we come to believe, and this comprehension grows as we grow. As a grassroots academic and theologian (all pastors should be?), I love to explore the scriptures and theology with the best knowledge my mind can muster. But as a Christian believer, the comprehension—and apprehension—of God that changes me and shapes me, happens deep in my heart. Both elements of faith are worthy of our exploration and endeavor, but if we restrict our comprehension of God to our analytical, logical mind, our faith will be too shallow to sustain us, especially when the joys and pains of life hit us in “the gut,” or the heart. One of the great perks of faith is that, because God is strongest in our hearts, faith is truly an “equal opportunity” thing! All of us have a heart, and these hearts are equally capable of providing a habitation for God to dwell. We may not all be on the same intellectual level, but we all are on equal “heart footing.” This is why some of the most god-fearing and faithful people I have known are those without gobs of education, or were even persons with some form of diminished mental capacity. The sad truth is that some people reject God if they are unable to comprehend God in the mind, or if their minds limit them to only “accept” a God who can fit into their logical matrix. Of course, there are persons who have been so traumatized in their hearts that it is very difficult for them to “open” their hearts to anyone, even the Divine, out of fear for being hurt once again. 

 

*The Mystery and Power of Prayer. Prayer was never a mystery to Jesus. When he needed his personal “batteries” charged, he would steal away to pray. Paul spoke of “fervent prayer.” What is fervent prayer? One answer is that it is prayer that works! Praying until whatever you are praying for is resolved, would be “fervent prayer,” I suppose. Fervent prayer may be that prayer that succeeds in “connecting” our hearts and our minds. One of the great contributions of John Wesley to Christian practice is the bringing together of the sharpened mind and the strangely-warmed heart. This can happen profoundly in prayer. Our minds “form” the substance of our prayer, and the heart makes the connection to God. How else could Jesus have prayed so fervently in the Garden of Gethsemane that he “sweat drops of blood,” if his heart wasn’t fully engaged in the process? We have the words Jesus prayed, but the anguish and fervency came from a much deeper place. For me, prayer will always be a mystery, but it shall also be a regular practice. I am not a “closet” prayer, like some. There is certainly a place for this, and I would not disparage it. I’m a “peripatetic prayer,” in that my best prayers are when I’m in the shower, waking up in the morning, when I am walking or driving, or when I’m reading. I need some intentional solitude and silence to pray in a way that changes me, but intercessory prayer for others or the world usually happen on the spot and on the go. I think this is what Paul meant when he encouraged his people to “pray without ceasing”—developing the ability to pray in whatever context or setting we may find ourselves, and at any time. I believe prayer to be one of the greatest of the “perks” of faith!

 

I could certainly go on with some of my personal “perks” of faith, but I again want to challenge the reader to think of a few of your own. I have known persons who lost a parent when they were very young, or were raised by a single parent, and who have told me that one of the “perks” or benefits of their faith in God was that they viewed God truly as a “heavenly parent,” and had come to trust God’s guidance and wisdom just like God were their mother or their father on earth. You may have circumstances in your life that have brought you to understand your own “Explanation of Benefits”—EOBs--of belief. Whatever these are for you or for me, the psalmist urges us to “forget not” the benefits of God.

 

In all the pages of scripture, we read how “forgetting not” what God has done for God’s people may be one of the highest levels of praise imaginable. God is honored when we “forget not,” and when we “forget not” God’s benefits, we don’t miss out on any of them, especially when we need them the most! In my retirement, when I have had a few extra bucks to throw around, I have bought a few tools that I always wish I had, when working on various projects. Because I DIDN’T have them, I learned to improvise, and that didn’t always translate to a successful outcome. Unfortunately, now that I have some of the “proper” tools, I tend to FORGET that I have them at my disposal! I have actually finished a project or two, often with great difficulty, and then while cleaning up, remembered the really neat power tool I had purchased to make things like this project easier! I feel so dumb when I do that. Maybe we do this with the benefits of faith, as well? So, how do we “forget not” the “tools” God has given us? One way is what this psalmist has done—make a list! Use this list as a regular prayer of gratitude, until you don’t forget! 

 

Friends, the psalmist reminds us that we have so much to be thankful for, but also that we have “perks” of our faith in God, and that these perks—benefits—can make our lives so much easier and more meaningful. They also are good news worth sharing with the world, but only if we offer evidence of what they have done or are doing in our own lives! And again, “make your list” of the benefits of your faith. Not only does this list become a prayer of gratitude, as we see in this psalm, but it also serves to remind US of the benefits when we’re facing challenges. The list is also a great witness of our faith. When we are a living witness of the joy and fulfillment an active, growing, inquisitive faith in God makes possible, we may find ourselves on the other end of an “interview” by a friend or neighbor who wants to know what the “sound of the extra motor running” is. As I have said in many a sermon, it’s much easier to be a witness for Christ when you find yourself on the other end of an interview! 

 

May we “forget not all of God’s benefits,” and live the daylights out of all of them, to the glory of God! Amen.