[Propertalk] Proper 16 b - 2

Wed Aug 19 13:38:58 EDT 2015

second part

 “How often have you bought something you felt wasn’t worth the
money? 

	 “What if you could set the price? 

	 “What factors would influence your number? 

	 “For years, behavioral scientists have studied such questions. 

	 “They often look at a model called P.W.Y.W. (Pay-what-you-want,
that is.) [1]  

	 “The idea may seem like a consumer’s giddiest fantasy. But a
real-life extreme version of the experiment unfolding at a restaurant
in Montclair, N.J., is affirming the researchers’ predictions. It
has been triggering a panoply of reactions — including anxiety,
delight, incredulity, guilt and, yes, rampant opportunism. … 

	 “‘The majority of people want to take advantage of the offer,
but also recognize that it feels weird,’ said Kathleen D. Vohs [2],
a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota who writes
about the psychology of money [3]. ‘So they limit what they order,
do a good job of valuing it, and then walk back from what it’s
worth.’” 2 

	 Yes, there ARE people who take advantage of this generosity, people
could easily afford to be fair, if not far better. There are always
folk like that – who listened to Jesus, ate with Him, got excited
about His conversations about living a refocused life, but balked at
the thought of making dramatic changes and an offering of their lives
for the spread of the Gospel, the Good News about what life CAN be
like when people don’t have to worry about how they could manage
their finances, or their health care, or their education. 

	 But then, thank God, there are others, like “another family (who)
left a thank-you note with their modest amount. ‘The food and
service was worth way more than we were able to leave.’ It
continued, ‘As a kid in college and a mother doing inconsistent
freelance, without the deal we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to
come.’” 

	 This Jesus-like chef gave that mother and child something they may
not forget for a long time, if ever. He gave them a glimpse of what it
means when people don’t worry about having their name stuck on a
college gate, or a church pew, or a city park – people who know that
the goal of a life being lived well is to make sure that everyone is
given the invitation and opportunity to share. 

	 “The other night (one diner) was in a swivet as she anticipated
that post-dessert moment of truth. She’d heard stories about the
shortchangers. 

	 “‘I want to show the chef that I love his food and I appreciate
what he’s doing,’ (she) said. ‘And I worry about the kitchen
staff! The waiters! I’m so anxious!’” 

	 Now THERE’S someone who gets what life us about – what ETERNAL
life is about! 

	 Solomon was like that chef! He had skills. He knew he could do
wonderful things if given half a chance and was blessed by God to use
his gifts wisely. He raised this Temple that must have been amazing to
see, filled as it was with treasures, not out of pomposity or
arrogance, but as an attempt to imply that nothing but the best is
good enough for God’s dwelling place. But the king didn’t say,
“See what I’ve done for you, God.” Solomon, already showing
signs of the maturity and wisdom for which he’d asked, interceded
with God for the foreigners who’d appear in Jerusalem, who might
come near the Temple. “Hear that person’s prayer, and answer
it,” he pleaded with God.  

	The stranger, the weak person, the person at her or his wit’s end,
the one who is starving, who has no home, who could never hope to pay
what life cost – SHE or HE was precisely the one whom Solomon had
come to understand MUST be given hospitality; she or he was precisely
the one to whom Jesus said, again and again, that each must eat His
flesh and drink His blood – become one with Him. 

	And now this joyful message has been passed to us, who’ve had our
hunger and thirst satisfied at God’s altar. Now it’s our turn, as
God’s holy dwelling place, to minister in the world. We must ask
ourselves, what is Jesus worth to us. Not that we can pay what Jesus
is really worth. But then, all the Jesus wants is that we keep His
company, that we listen and learn, that we follow His example. 

	THAT is how we repay God for the love of Jesus. So, come, then, eat,
drink – and share. 

	NOTES: 

	[1] _“Paul Smith’s College Will Get $20 Million, if It Changes
Its Name”_ By KRISTIN HUSSEY AUG. 17, 2015
http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACPLKh239P3pgSUm6WmiIEVhWtNL6rtHQI9vhucq+Seal/G11kFaX0AW9SkJDlzpknkn2riy4Y6yo15di8KeuhfwQ4Xzc+oLhB5S9MoITtgvcEBXzBn28U4mJio7tM+Y1sh/48+NDsRAD7OneTLDEye33tlh+Pro2kQ2akLTddt2H2mnxKtytooJGVypokOY2BtSbk0PhUt8Gd60LMy7ONI8=&campaign_id=61&instance_id=61762&segment_id=76143&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7&regi_id=63205127
[4] 

	2  _“__Mind [5]: What Would You Pay for This Meal?”_ By Jan
Hoffman  [6]August 17, 2015 2:28 pm August 17, 2015 2:28 pm
http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KUPcT7snurzN09anQA2MM49IhNWGFarU5Fm06CM9fHXvtgEWWzQk96NLR+GcTHnS1W3SYdMm1TZ0R83Y9qV6mP1d/KeQOX4/TPEuaATSS1DHfz2/EoFBNTAu6uew9tQ+3uR9B03twB9oEJzhTEwqtoPwHb6IGptGDPmlAmqdBuo1g==&campaign_id=61&instance_id=61762&segment_id=76143&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7&regi_id=63205127
[7] 

Links:
------
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/us/21free.html
[2] https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/faculty/kathleen-vohs
[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17110581
[4]
http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACPLKh239P3pgSUm6WmiIEVhWtNL6rtHQI9vhucq+Seal/G11kFaX0AW9SkJDlzpknkn2riy4Y6yo15di8KeuhfwQ4Xzc+oLhB5S9MoITtgvcEBXzBn28U4mJio7tM+Y1sh/48+NDsRAD7OneTLDEye33tlh+Pro2kQ2akLTddt2H2mnxKtytooJGVypokOY2BtSbk0PhUt8Gd60LMy7ONI8=&campaign_id=61&instance_id=61762&segment_id=76143&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7&regi_id=63205127
[5]
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/category/on-your-mind/?module=BlogCategory&version=Blog%20Post&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Header
[6] http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/author/jan-hoffman/
[7]
http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KUPcT7snurzN09anQA2MM49IhNWGFarU5Fm06CM9fHXvtgEWWzQk96NLR+GcTHnS1W3SYdMm1TZ0R83Y9qV6mP1d/KeQOX4/TPEuaATSS1DHfz2/EoFBNTAu6uew9tQ+3uR9B03twB9oEJzhTEwqtoPwHb6IGptGDPmlAmqdBuo1g==&campaign_id=61&instance_id=61762&segment_id=76143&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7&regi_id=63205127

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