Handcuffed to Obligation
Two days ago we celebrated Valentine’s
Day. Seeing so many couples here today,
the guys must have remembered the date.
On Feb 14th, we are reminded of the love that we have for one
another every day of the year. And it is
usually shared with chocolates, flowers, cards, dates, etc.
Valentine’s day is similar to
birthdays and anniversaries, where we show our appreciation to others through
generosity. We buy gifts and take loved
ones to special places in honor of their presence and blessing in our
lives. These activities aren’t done
because they HAVE to happen, but rather because we WANT to give and do
something special for them.
Can you imagine what a relationship
would be like if you received a bill from the other person on their birthdays
and the holidays? In order to continue
being a spouse, family member, or friend, you are required to purchase a gift
for them on these dates. I don’t know,
maybe it already feels like that sometimes, huh?) If you default on a bill, the relationship
will be terminated. What kind of
relationship would that be? It certainly
wouldn’t be life-giving and adventurous!
The body of Christ is no different
from other relationships. The Holy
Spirit lives among us, inspiring and motivating people to share love to God and
others. But we tend to treat our
relationship with God much differently.
Giving to God’s ministry is often seen as paying a bill. We will give enough of our time, talent, and
finances to cover basic needs.
Charles
Lane, author of the book “Ask, Thank, Tell” writes,
“In too many congregations in our land, the goal of
asking people to give to the church is to get enough money to pay the church’s
bills for the coming year. When people
are asked to give to the congregation, they are told of budget crunches, rising
costs, and the need to dig a little deeper.
At the end of the year, if all the bills are paid, someone will likely
say, ‘Stewardship was good last year’...The Bible talks a lot about
stewardship, and it talks very little about the need for an institution to get
its bills paid. Rather, when the Bible
talks about stewardship it almost always talks about the intimate connection
between how a person handles financial matters and that person’s relationship
with God. In the Bible, all stewardship,
including financial stewardship, is an intensely spiritual matter. It lies close to the heart of a disciple’s
relationship with Jesus.”
When Jesus called the disciples, they
dropped everything and followed him. The
first thing in their minds wasn’t, “how much training will I need?” or “how
much is this gonna cost me?” They
followed for relationship with Jesus no matter the time or cost. Relationship with Jesus became their #1
priority in life. If we are giving as
much as we can, finding volunteers, nurturing a welcoming and faithful
atmosphere, and budget will NEVER be a problem.
A lot of people in this community have
shared their stories about the storm of ’78.
All that snow and lack of power for days. Neighbors gathered in homes to conserve heat
and share food. When someone knocked at
the door, they were automatically invited in.
Nobody cared what kind of job the person had, or how big of a house they
owned, or even what their name was.
Giving was offered out of neighborly love, not by a budget.
I have often heard, “Show us a need,
and the money will come.” There is no
question that this faith community is generous, but I believe in this
statement, obligation is confused with generosity. A need had to be created before the giving
took place. The obligation question is
“How much do you need for this ministry?”
The generous question is “How much can I give to this ministry?” Like the example of the storm, generosity
asks how can I help you without first meeting certain criteria.
Generosity
is giving for the sake of giving. Simply
covering a need is a perception of scarcity and it is an example of doing or giving
as little as necessary.
There is a fear and distrust that we don’t want to give TOO much of our
resources, time, or talents. Imagine if we
lived out our marriages or family relationships in that way. Never give more than what the other NEEDS
unless they can justify it. Imagine if
God limited his giving to only what we needed.
That would be a relationship on life-support!
Lane also writes, “If a person correctly
understands that everything, all 100%, belongs to God, then that person’s faith
influences how they make use of all that God has entrusted to them. No longer is the question, ‘How does God want
me to use God’s 5 [or 10] percent?’ Now
the question is, ‘How does God want me to use everything?’ No longer is the question, ‘How much of my
money should I give to God?’ Now the
question is, ‘How much of God’s money do I dare keep for myself (P.28-29)?”
I’m going to fill you in on a little
secret. Stewardship isn’t just something
for church. We do it everyday! If we are giving of ourselves just enough to
get by, we will reap a minimal harvest.
On the other hand, fulfilling lives and blossoming ministries are found
where people invest not by need, but out of a passion for sharing beyond
themselves. When asked how much I need
for a ministry, I’ll say, “The need is more than you can afford, so how much
can you give?”
Love, is a living example of abundant generosity.
Jesus gave completely of himself out of
love for you and me. He didn’t ask
whether you deserved his love or not. He
gave it to everyone abundantly, even to those who don’t want it. Stewardship is managing and serving others
with hearts of abundance. Jesus doesn’t
want to see us living on life-support.
He wants us giving with JOYFUL hearts as we nurture our relationship
with him. Amen.