IN FAITH
Reflections on Stewardship
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; {2} for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” (Psalms 24:1-2 NIV)
Many Christian congregations are working toward a new budget for 2005. For many people, a church budget is a way to “pay the bills.” But, in truth, a congregation’s budget is much, much more. A budget is a means to finance the dreams that God has given to a congregation, so that not only the congregation will be blessed, but also those outside of the congregation.
A church budget is a way to share what God has given to us, so that others will come to know about God through the ministries, which churches carry out. It’s a way of trying to communicate with others about the One, who has given everything in the world to us so that we might lack nothing. But, what we need to understand is that when God placed human beings on this planet, we were put here to “tend the garden” and to be “stewards of that creation.” We really don’t own anything in one sense, because everything belongs to God. We just take care of God’s creation.
But, for many people, though, the idea of “ownership” is something that is hard-wired into us. We “own” cars, houses, boats, lake cottages, and a whole lot more. After all, we worked for those things. They came to us by our hard labor. And, no one can deny that.
But even though we are “stewards” or “caretakers,” the real heart of why we take care of creation, and why we give to others has more to do with our sense of being truly “blessed.” When one feels blessed by God, there is a sense of being loved by God. When we feel loved by God that sense of being loved stirs us to extend that love to others.
Now, it’s true that the standard in the Bible for giving is the “tithe,” which means ten percent of one’s income. This standard is found in many places. In fact, in 13 verses of the Old Testament, the word “tithe” is used 15 times. From Leviticus to Malachi the idea of “tithing” figures prominently in worship of God.
Leviticus speaks of it this way: (Leviticus 27:30 NIV)
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.”
A tenth of one’s produce was to be dedicated to God as a way of showing gratitude for how God had blessed the person whose land produced its crops. But, even though the tithe is set as a standard, another standard is written about in the Old Testament, that of the giving of “first fruits,” as opposed to “left-overs.”
The book of Deuteronomy reminds faithful Jews and also Christians how God had led His people out of slavery in Egypt into a land “flowing with milk and honey” (a truly blessed place). And, so, out of gratitude for that bounty, the people were to give the very best of their produce, and “first fruits” as opposed to whatever might be left after one had purchased everything one wanted.
This is how Deuteronomy says it: (Deuteronomy 26:4-5 NIV)
“The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. {5} Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.”
This was part of Israel’s story. And as Christians, those who have been “grafted” into Israel through faith in Christ, we, too, are reminded that:
“The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; {9} and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. {10} So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.” You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 26:8-10 NRSV)
Gratitude is at the heart of what we offer to God as we support the ministries of the congregations to which we belong. When we offer our gifts to God we are giving as a way to respond to God’s love toward us. And, a common saying used in a lot of situations still makes sense: “What goes around, comes around.” In other words, if we are generous, generosity will be returned to us.
I know that that might sound like a pretty shallow reason to give. But, there’s a better way to look at that statement. When we give generously and establish a generous climate, that generosity will not only come back to us, it will make things better all the way around. Think of a “carry-in dinner.” Everyone shares good food with others. And when that happens, everybody enjoys that time together. Everyone has enough. And we share the great recipes, which have been “handed down” to us from generation to generation.
All in all, as we approach 2005, it’s probably best that we keep Jesus’ words in front of us, as we get ready to fund ministries next year:
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6:38 NRSV)
My prayer is that as you give, you will give in joy, knowing that your giving makes you a better person, and makes the world a better place.
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