Make a Gift

Money Makes the World Go Around

It has been said that about one fifth of all of teachings address the issue of money. Obviously, it was on his mind a great deal of the time! And this from a man who lived as an itinerant rabbi, depending on the generosity of others to provide his daily needs.

Financial issues are important to all of us, too. We “work hard for the money” to borrow a phrase from the familiar song. We work to provide shelter, warmth, food, and clothing for our lives, and those extras that are nice too a vacation in a sunny locale in winter, an extra gig or two of hard drive on the computer, or a special dinner in an expensive restaurant.

Money is the exchange we receive for the labor of our lives. Whether we work as a nurse, day laborer, stock broker, or artist, we come by our financial resources as payment for the days and nights we have spent toiling at a task. Because we work so hard to earn a living, we don’t want to see our money wasted or lost.

You may not be surprised to know that the Bible expresses some strong thoughts about the place of money in our lives. Money is capable of doing much good, and much that is hurtful as well. It’s really the perspective of the one who uses the money that makes all the difference.

One of the most misquoted passages of scripture is I Timothy 6:10, “ …the love of money is the root of all evil…” Notice it is not money itself that is considered to be the root of all evil, but the love of money that gets us into trouble.

Money can also make us anxious, when we worry whether we have enough to provide security for our needs. But anxiety about money doesn’t really help, does it? Jesus addressed this issue when he said,

No one can serve two masters; for a person will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:24-25

What Jesus was saying was that anxiety about money can overwhelm our lives, cause us to live in fear, and rob us of the confidence that God cares for us and will provide for us beyond anything our anxiety can achieve.

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

Matthew 6:26-30

Stewardship: A Matter of Trust

The predominant view of worldly possessions in the Bible is the concept of “stewardship,” the belief that God is the source of all that we have in life including life itself. We are entrusted with all the talents and gifts of life as an expression of God’s love for us, a trust to be used wisely and well.

Dr. Ernest Campbell, pastor emeritus of the Riverside Church in New York City, has said that in light of the fact that all that we have comes as a gift from God, the issue that should concern us is not “What shall I give to God, and why?” but rather “What shall I keep and why?” That latter question reflects the larger issue of stewardship that underlies all that the Bible tells us about what God asks of us, and what we can do to respond to the abundance of love that God has showered upon us.

The first part of understanding stewardship has to do with knowing that God has entrusted much to us. The second part is believing that we can trust God to always take care of us. Trust, in that sense, is a two way street when it comes to stewardship.

There is a parable that illustrates the problem that develops when we stop trusting God and start to allow our financial anxieties to overwhelm us. Jesus describes the situation when a man goes on a journey and entrusts his property to his stewards. To each he gave varying amounts of “talents,” a denomination of money in the ancient world.

The man went away, and in his absence the stewards invested the talents they had been given, each doubling their investments, except one steward who buried his talents.

After a long time the master came and settled accounts with the stewards.

Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.'

His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.'

His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'

But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy steward! you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.

So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.

For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

The object of good stewardship, then, is to use well what has been entrusted to you.

How Much Should I Give?

Everyone asks the same question about stewardship. How much should I give? Many members of our congregation have never made a pledge before and have never thought of themselves as “stewards.”

When it comes to giving to a worthy community cause such as the United Way, the Heart Association, or a college annual drive, a one time annual gift representing a generous amount of one’s commitment to that cause of $100, $500, $1,000 or more is familiar to most of us.

But giving to the church is a different matter, and it is a part of the larger issue of stewardship. Stewardship is looking at all that you have and knowing that “all good gifts around us come from heaven above,” as the song from Godspell says. It is responding with generosity out of all the generosity you have received.

Practically speaking, stewardship is not a “one time gift” of $100, $500, or $1000. Stewardship is returning to God a portion of all that you have received on a regular, usually weekly, basis.

In the Bible, a tithe (meaning a tenth) represented the amount that God asked Israel to offer up as an expression of thanksgiving. This promise of a “tenth” of one’s worldly income dates to the days of the patriarchs of the Bible. In Genesis, Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one tenth to you.”

Likewise, in the book of Numbers, God asks Moses to set aside a tithe, one-tenth of his income as a gift of thanksgiving to be offered to God (Num 18). The tithe is therefore the Biblical answer to the question “How Much Should I Give?”

No one can tell you the dollar amount you should give. Everyone’s income is different. But your giving to the church should conform to a few simple guidelines if it is to represent good stewardship.

1. It should represent a generous proportion of your annual household income.
2. It should generally not be a “once only” annual gift, but rather be sustainable throughout the year, given in regular increments such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Some people actually do make very generous once a year financial commitments, but if you should choose to give in this way remember that it should be a generous proportion of annual household income.
3. Finally, no one need give more than they can afford. God does not ask us to give more than we have. If we simply give out of the abundance we have received, it will be the right amount.

Is there an amount that is too little to give? Or is there an amount that is too much? Many people wonder if the small amount that they are able to offer is enough to make any difference. The best answer is the one that Jesus gave.

There is a story in Mark’s gospel that is familiar to every Sunday School child. It is the story of the widow’s mite.

Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.

A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.

Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Mark 12:41-44

The widow in the story was not only a good steward, she was also a sacrificial giver. She gave not just what she could, she gave all that she had. She understood the importance of her gift for her own spirit, and the power of doing what she did for her soul. She gave only “two small copper coins” but Jesus praised her for giving a gift that was more in value (in his eyes) than all the generous gifts that had been given to the Temple treasury that day.

The story does not tell us that the size of the gift is insignificant. Quite the opposite, it tells us that the size of the gift is very significant. The amount of the gift is a measure of the gratitude and thankfulness of the giver. In proportion to what she had in worldly possessions, the widow gave everything. In proportion to what the other givers had, even though they gave large sums, they did not give a proportional gift of as great a value. They did not understand the real meaning of stewardship or of gratitude. Jesus praises the widow not because her gift is small, but because it is extravagant. And that is a critical distinction.

One other thing you will want to consider as you think about your stewardship commitment

Your commitment, while made to the church, is not only a commitment to support the programs of First Presbyterian Church which pays the light bills and staff and provide housing for homeless men throughout the winter months, support the outreach of the church to senior citizens in the Village through the Caring Community, and provide meeting space for many groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and others. Your commitment is also, and more importantly, a commitment to return to God a portion of all that you have received. The commitment that you make, therefore, is not one made to the church but to God.

If you think of it in those terms, it becomes a much more personal, and therefore spiritual matter, a commitment you make to God to return thanks, in and out of season, for all that God has given you.

Epilogue: Just What is a Pledge?

A pledge is a commitment. It is a confidential covenant with God, stating that you intend to give to God, through the church, a specific dollar amount representing a proportion of your annual household income as a thankful offering for all that you have received.

At First Presbyterian Church, every autumn during Stewardship season, the Stewardship Committee of the church interprets the plans of the church to carry out its mission and ministry in the coming year. This is meant to help you understand how your financial commitments are used by the church to do God’s work. It is the church’s attempt to be a good steward to you in return for all that you have entrusted to it by helping you understand how your pledges are used.

When you make a financial commitment for the coming year, that “pledge” as it is called, is meant to be a covenant that you will strive to fulfill. It is made in good faith, and the church counts on your commitment. Should you find during the year that you are able to do more, you can always increase your pledge, or simply exceed the pledged amount. If you cannot fulfill all of your pledge because of changed circumstances, that is understandable. Just let the church business administrator know that you need to reduce your pledge for the year.

If you live by commissions, or on uncertain income, perhaps the best approach is to make a conservative pledge commitment and then make contributions as your income allows. Just remember, no one is asked to give what they do not have, but rather a generous proportion of what they do have.