A New Lease on Life
I think we all have either heard or used the idiom, “a new lease on life.” I heard it the other day when a person described surviving the Covid virus. People in twelve step programs regularly use the phrase with gratitude. Sometimes a new job or a financial windfall will feel like a new lease on life.
I find the concept of a “lease on life” curious. You see, a lease is a contract whereby one party agrees to rent property owned by another. To calculate the lease payment, we need to know the value of the asset, the term of years and the interest rate charged. So, what is the value of my asset, my life? I suppose I defined a financial price when I bought life insurance. But the financial price is only a fraction of my human value. It is a difficult puzzle, so let’s come back to this later.
The term of years for the lease on life is simple. Actuaries have produced mortality tables. I used them to calculate gift annuities for the foundation. Strange though, as you live longer, the tables add years to your life. As for the interest rate to charge, that depends not on current economic conditions but rather the nature of my relationship with Jesus. Which brings me back to the life value calculation. You see the owner knows the value of the asset being leased and sets the term of years and interest rate. The lease holder owns nothing and must live by the terms.
In this case the owner and creator of my life is God. My value is found in the image of God and the weight of my sin on the Cross. My new lease on life is the empty tomb. There is no payment to be made, the price was paid once and for all. This incredible generosity is a hard concept to grasp. Being generous and acting with generosity is imitating Christ’s unconditional love. When Jesus works through us these acts of generous love can give another person a new lease on life.
Many of our churches are in the middle of the stewardship season. Too often we measure the success of our efforts by a balanced budget, as if we met our obligation of making our lease payments. This would be sufficient if we had no relationship to the God our creator and owner. Our tithes and offerings are not lease payments. However, the joy that generosity brings can feel like a new lease on life.