In
1977 Disney released a children’s film titled, “Pete’s Dragon.”
Found among the songs in this delightful film is “Every Little
Piece.” This song sets the stage for some of the dramatic tension
in the film. The corrupt Doctor Terminus sings as he dreams of the
riches that he will acquire by capturing Pete’s dragon, Elliot, and
selling him piece by piece. The song begins this way:
Dragon
whiskers, dragon toes, a dragon tooth and a dragon nose
Every
little piece
Every
little piece
We
could make a million by slicing him, dicing him
Hoagy,
we could sell every little shell
There's
enough of him to go around
Money,
money, money by the pound.
Composed
by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn
This
song rings true because of the universal nature of greed and the love
of money. While it is unfortunate to hear of crime and corruption in
our society as television news reports every sordid detail, it
remains a harsh reminder of how deeply greed penetrates the human
spirit. By far most crimes reported have at their root the same
attitude as displayed by Doctor Terminus: greed and a desire for
money, money, money by the pound!
Jesus
himself declares, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he
will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke
16:13 ESV).
St.
Paul echoes Jesus in his letter to Timothy, “For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some
have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many
pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:10 ESV).
It
can be a great struggle for the redeemed to have a proper
relationship to wealth. Under the cross as forgiven sinners we seek
to see our financial situation as a gift of God, one that we do not
in any real way deserve.
May
we repent and pray for God to forgive our greed that we may learn to
receive our daily bread with thanksgiving!
