Jesus speaks a word about money and possessions again this week. “Do not be afraid! … Sell your possessions,” Jesus tells a huge crowd.

Just last week, TheAtlantic.com shared “Why Americans All Believe They Are ‘Middle Class’,” which included this paragraph:

“One common synonym for rich and poor is the haves and have-nots. But consumer goods once deemed luxuries, like cellular telephones and televisions, are now common possessions. This means that even as employers held tight to the gains our productivity generated by keeping real wages at 1970s levels, we sent women into the workforce, labored longer hours, and used new debt products to indenture our way to some happiness. Thus, our stand-in to signify class status – purchasing power – papers over the fact that by income, benefits, and lifestyle standards many of us had long left behind a middle-class existence, even as we clung to the moniker.”

Read full article here: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/what-we-really-mean-when-we-say-middle-class/278240/

“To indenture” means “to become a debt slave.” In that light, could selling our possessions mean new freedom? What new possibilities could open as we embrace a discipline of living more simply and more joyfully?

-PC