God of men and women, rich and poor, I have the unenviable duty to let people know what their bonus and merit pay increase is going to be.   If I have done a good job communicating with people, they should know how they are doing and how it relates to a commonly held measure of effectiveness.   That is when it is easy.   How about when I have not been effective at relating how someone is doing? How about when I’ve tried but their view of their contribution is inflated relative to our common measure of performance.   How do I deal with their unrealistic expectation fueled by a flawed understanding of their contribution?   In a religious community, no one is evaluated by their performance with an eye toward rewarding the larger contributions.  Everyone is assumed to have the mission uppermost in their minds and hearts, so the communal effect is what is measured.

In our businesses, we do have to differentiate pay and reward in as equitable a way as possible.   Justice tells me that I must look at both effort and contribution when figuring out what to do.   Sometimes, even if someone knows their performance is not so good, they will still be angry when the consequences of their effort and performance comes to roost.

Only you know what someone’s actual contribution is.  I cannot pretend to be as evenhanded or personalized as You are.   But I must try.  I owe it to everyone in the organization to not reward by friendship or relationship to power, but rather fairly.   Give me the courage, God of Love who knows when we sit and when we stand, to tell the truth in a way that can be heard.   Make sure I do not demean anyone but present what is true to the best of my ability.   I don’t want to care whether they are angry with me; I want to do what is right.  If they are angry, I do not want to react in kind but rather patiently listen and speak in case there is something I missed, but also to hold to the correct measure for the sake of everyone in the organization.

If someone is disturbed, I wish not to avoid them or hold it against them.   We all need money to support our families and that worry might make us unrealistic about what to expect in terms of rewards.  Our basic salary should be fair and able to support our families.

Everyone has wants.  Help all of us to come to know what is worth wanting.

What I get paid, or how I get rewarded does not determine my worth as an individual created by you.  But it is hard to make that distinction.   We all have infinite worth in your eyes.  We all get infinite forgiveness and love from you.   I cannot play God in this, that is you.  Just help us to be fair.

Section 2, Scripture: Gen 1:26-27; James 2:1-8

Hebrew Scripture

New Testament

Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. 27 God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen 1:26-27

Be fair and just: My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.2For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,3and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,”4have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?* 5Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor* in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonored the poor person. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court?7Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you? 8 However, if you fulfill the royal* law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. James 2:1-8

Section 3
You may wish to be silent for a few minutes.

Section 4
In your own words, in your own silence, speak to God.