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THE HERALD OUTLOOK Saturday May Page Theres more to life than death and taxes By REV TOM BANDY St Andrew United Church It s an old saying The only sure things in life are death and taxes It is an old saying but not a Christian one Easter has let it be known that death is not at all the sure thing everybody thought it was In fact the last word of God for the world is Life rather than Death And what about taxes Does the Faith have anything to say about that This spring the first topic of con among friends at the barber shop aside from the crazy weather is money Perhaps the controversy over the federal budget and the expected dif ficulties of the provincial budget has many people worried Making financial ends meet for many families in Georgetown will be a real challenge in the months ahead Making financial ends meet for poorer families in On tano including single parents and seniors may be downright im possible We all know there are two ways to respond to financial One is to panic and we see a lot of that Irrational cutbacks here and irra extravagance there The other alternative is to prioritize clarify exactly what is most impor tant in your life which you will sup port with your dollars One thing we need to recognize is that Chns are apt to prioritize their financial concerns differently than others in society Christians tend to seek simpler less ostentatious lifestyle They tend to emphasize the things of real physical mental emo tional and relational health for themselves their families and their community And they tend to DEemphasize those things which are merely More than this Christians tend to be as much concerned about others in society as themselves They tend to be more willing to spend money on others out of sheer compassion and generosity know that there are many in tangible things which are more im in life than the mynad ex pensive possessions with which so many middle class people round themselves To put it simply Christians are aware of their calling to fallow Christ They are aware that Christ had only one pair of sandals a single change of clothes and a somewhat smelly donkey for transportation The purpose in life for Jesus was not to acquire security but to risk promoting God s realm of love and justice No doubt many questions might be addressed to governments about their moral assumptions and ethical commitments when they make financial pnonties My con cern here about our moral assumptions What pnonties will have your financial support in the challenging months ahead I think the church might be one Every chantable institution has its problems but the church is still your best bet to bnng more help to more people in more ways with more kindness than any other social institution It can also bring you more satisfaction more growth and more deep- down contentment than any other human organization So if you are trimming your family spending I suggest you cut down on lottery tickets and double your church pledge Its a better investment I think other priorities which will be given serious attention by Chris tians include many other charities and social services which have been hurt be federal and provincial budgetmg Christians are smart enough to know the long term benefits of eliminating deficits but unlike many in society they are compassionate enough to help those who are suffering today and can afford to wait for the deficit to be reduced Probably the same fellow who in vented the saving about death and taxes also Invented that other un christian saying Chanty begins at home For Jesus chanty began with outcasts and strangers It was responsibility that began at home