Merchant Bankers

Despite the crash at the end of the last Millennium the world is found weeping and wailing again. The current global financial crisis should not suprise anyone at PBC though - especially PBCam. Our studies in Revelation have prepared us well for this. Indeed chapter 18 has special relevance:

The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment.They will weep and mourn and cry out: "Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!" (Revelation 18: 15-17)

My point is not that Washington or Sydney is the prostitute city of Babylon. Rather look at the response of the Merchant Bankers - this is what Paul would call 'worldy sorrow' (2 Corinthians 7: 10). They are mourning because they have lost all their money, not because their greed has been exposed. They are sorry that they got caught, not repentant of their sinful idolatry.

Let's pray for some genuine godly sorrow in the face of this disaster. May we actually learn something from the boom-bust of capitalism ... 'cos we obviously didn't last time. As I said to the guy who cut my hair on Friday, "It's only money". I won't repeat what he said.