Nowadays you have to go to Australia to see a camel – though on a small scale Whipsnade or Woburn might serve as well. In the ancient Mediterranean world when people had only the haziest idea about Indian and African wildlife a camel was the biggest animal on the block. Bad-tempered they may be but camels know how to cope with desert life and they know how to live with a hump.
When we think of camels, we also think of rich men. Jesus said: ‘It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ Not that he was under any illusions about bling. Nor was he saying that the best ambition anybody can have is to aspire to poverty. We have to acknowledge that Jesus was a realist. He understood human nature. He was acquainted with the subtle snares that all too readily trap a person who begins to enjoy the taste of wealth and power. He also referred to the big barns of the powerful and the complacency that they engender.
Here we move into the deep waters of philanthropy. In the 19th century rich industrialists often established universities, colleges, hospitals and churches with the revenues accruing from their mines, factories and distilleries and – it has to be said -- quack medicines. It still happens today in our society with numerous billionaires and lesser custodians of vested interests. (Generous and warm-hearted captains of industry do not always go out of their way to keep their names out of the frame when they make large charitable donations.)
This is merely to say that we are all human and we very rarely act with one hundred per cent altruistic motivation. And it is not inappropriate to say that rich men and women have their troubles too. It would be stretching it a bit to say we should have special sympathy with Bentley, Ferrari and even BMW drivers and that we should give them a prominent mention in our prayers. But wealth brings its burdens.
We have to confess that avarice and its offspring are not confined to any particular group of people. The weight of wealth, whether great or small, can weigh us down and hamper our best endeavours. One well-to-do young man came to Jesus and went away with a heavy heart (Matthew c19.22). Who would be a rich man?
BREWERS WHO BUILT CHURCHES
England’s parish churches came into being in a variety of ways. A prosperous man might give land, or pay for the building. Parishioners might make great efforts to raise money for a church they needed. An aisle of a disused abbey might be taken over as a parish church. Christ Church, Ware, Hertfordshire is an example of a church built by a brewer. By the end of the 19th century Trumans (Truman, Hanbury and Buxton) was the biggest brewer in the world. Robert Hanbury laid the foundation stone of a church in the early English style. Consecrated in 1858, it is now a thriving part of the life of the town. John Hookway, Vicar, leads the ministry team. The current magazine gives an indication of the breadth of interest and activity of the church. The Bible course organised by the Bible Society gets special attention. Before he became head of religious broadcasting at the BBC David Winter taught in the church secondary school.
If you have a comment on this post please send an email to Revd John King at johnc.king@talktalk.net Edited extracts may be published. To forward this to a friend click on the chain icon below.
Comments