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Gustavus Adolphus
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Katie Luther and Stewardship
Dear Katie,
Dear GA Finance Committee, When I “googled” the word tithing, there were a lot of confusing resources. It’s a loaded topic, one that frightens many and angers others. Then add to the mix the subject of church and money--and look out! The hairs on the back of my neck stand up just typing the words! Tithing is not a rule written just to “get us” and send us to hell. It all begins with God’s generosity. I’ll write a series of columns over the next two months to help explain biblical tithing and the generosity of God. No guilt, no shaming, just information and invitation. 1. Who owns my stuff? What do you mean when you say God owns my stuff—my money and my things? No way!
From the wisdom of another writer: Lawton Posey: God owns my automatic icemaker. Believing in God means that I acknowledge that nothing I possess is mine by right. Everything that I call my "net worth" is from the generosity of God, who gives me the responsibility to be a good steward of what I consider my own. I cannot look around at my house, my vehicles, my automatic icemaker, my central heating, and my indoor plumbing as something that I have earned and possess as a right. When I was a boy, sometimes the minister would take the offering plates and we would sing, "All things come of Thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have we given Thee." I liked that, even when I was unfaithful to its central premise. (Lawton W. Posey, in Presbyterian Outlook March 31, 2005, p. 14.)
God is a generous giver, but we can only see and enjoy God's generosity when we love God with all of our hearts, minds, and strength.
Try this at home: Grab some Post-Its, write “This doesn’t belong to me,” or “I got this from God!” and put one on your frig, your car, your wallet/checkbook/iPod/jewelry box!
2. What Does God Want for Me? God wants you to hear this: “I have loved the world so much that I gave my only Son to die for you.” (see John 3:16) Do you doubt how much God could love you? Check out the Word of God in the Bible: God knows YOU:
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love...Romans 8:31-32 In Jesus, my love for you is revealed...John 17:26 You were created for a relationship with God, and God offers us free will, the freedom to invest in that relationship with God, or to walk away from it. It is easy to get wrapped up wondering, “What job/car/house, etc. does God want for me?” But other than broad statements about how we should not worry about anything and that God will always meet our needs (Matthew 6:25-34), the Bible teaches that God is much more concerned about developing our character more than our pocketbook. For example: § God cares more about how I drive than what I drive. § God cares more about what kind of neighbor I am than what kind of house I live in. § God cares more about what kind of employee I am than what job I have. § God cares more about how wisely and generously I spend my money than how much I have. What does God want for you? In the 10th chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd, and we are his sheep. And on behalf of his sheep, Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) God wants an abundant life for us, rich in relationships and closely connected to Jesus Christ. Make a List: Who loves and care about you? Write down the name of every person you’d like to invite to dinner, if you had the space and the food to feed them all! How does each one of these people help you see how God loves you? Katie (Mrs. Martin) Luther 3. What Does God Want from Me? God wants us to find the life that God wants us to have. Is that straightforward enough for you? God always loves us, is always present with us. God’s Holy Spirit constantly calls us to faith, helps us recognize our giftedness, and gives us strength to overcome and endure. Our life becomes a response to that amazing, powerful, sacrificing, generous, loving, sustaining gift and call! Our life becomes a joy-full response and journey of discovery that is shown by our: 1. Acts of worship and thanks. When we give our offerings to God as an act of worship, we reflect God’s love to us. There is a strong connection between loving and giving. A young man in love does not buy flowers for his beloved because she needs flowers. 2. Expression of faith. Joyful people are generous people, and generous people are joyful people! (See 1 Chronicles 29:9 and 2 Corinthians 8:2.) Who doesn’t want to be part of a wondrous cycle like this? 3. Spiritual discipline. Our spiritual health depends on how we practice and grow our spirituality. In order to become accomplished at piano or basketball, we have to invest our time and our attention, as well as some of our resources for equipment and lessons. Maintaining our spiritual health often includes praying before meals, attending worship services, participating in Bible study, volunteering regularly at church or in the community, and regular giving to the ministry of the church. There are many, many spiritual disciplines that are helpful, just as there are many ways to learn to play a sport or a musical instrument. But they all have this in common: if you don’t practice, you won’t get any better. Jesus Christ lived his life in loving relationship with God, and in loving relationship with people. Our church’s logo says, “See Christ. Reflect Christ.” We are most like God when we give ourselves away – our time, our talent and our treasures. Try this today: As you drop your monetary gift in the plate, say out loud or inside your head, "I love you, God." This is an act of worship.
Column 4: What’s a Tithe Got to Do with It? “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) Jennifer Krausz, a Lutheran from Bethlehem, PA, wrote this reflection on this story: It is hard to imagine taking all of your money and putting it into the offering plate on Sunday morning. How could the widow that Jesus praises in these verses give away everything she had? Doesn’t she have a responsibility to at least try to feed herself, let alone any children she might have? What the widow does makes no logical sense. The only explanation is that the widow had faith that if she gave her offering to God, God would provide for her and her family. In the Old Testament, God asks believers to give a tithe. Tithe means tenth. A tithe is the first tenth of everything that we have. This includes our time, our talents, and our possessions or money. Those who tithe have the view that everything we have has been given to us by God, and that giving 10% back to God is a good way to show our thankfulness and respect. The Bible talks most clearly about tithing in Malachi 3:10. We are blessed in unexpected ways when we give of ourselves, but it is not some sort of business transaction or way of earning God’s favor and blessings. The widow may not have thought about it beforehand, but she must have been aware of having blessings and resources—though seemingly few—in her life, and of God’s blessing in the act of being generous. Examples abound of the blessings God has given to those who are generous, sacrifice, or tithe. Whether or not we tithe or consider ourselves generous as Christians, we can all learn from the example of the widow and try to understand and emulate the kind of faith she showed by giving “everything that she had” (v. 44). Radical Idea: Figure out what ten percent of your income is. Have a (mild) heart attack. Recover…then write your first check this month to God…10%, 5%, whatever you want, but take a step out in faith. Remember, a change in behavior leads to a change in attitude. Column 5: How Much Should I Give? In Psalm 116, the song writer asks: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” The widow in Mark 12 gave a penny; the Pharisees gave a tenth (Matthew 23:23); Zaccheus gave half (Luke 19:8); the rich man was asked to give all (Mark 10:21-22). The early church shared everything in common (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32); Barnabas sold a field (Acts 4:37); Jesus’ disciples left their boats and nets (Mark 1:18, 20). And to add to the confusion, the church is often--rightly--accused of saying, “Give more, more, more!” Lutheran scholar Mark Allan Powell suggests that we focus more on the promises of faithful giving rather than the requirements. What we do for God is directly related to what God has done for us. As people who belong to God, God promises us in baptism to love us, guide us, guard us and bless us. Do you have to give ten percent of your income to the church? No. Would you like to be the sort of person who is spiritually and financially able to give ten percent of your income to the church? The answer is up to you. “With few exceptions, people who have tried tithing heartily recommend it to others, and they, themselves, have no desire to give it up….To the tither, it simply becomes a natural thing to do. It fits into religious life like prayer, public worship and personal witness….Many things in life have to be experienced to be appreciated. Being a Christian is like that. So is tithing.” (from Money and the Church, by Luther Powell, pp. 226-27) You can be a generous person and live in the joy of one who knows God, loves God, pleases God, and benefits others. Our life begins with God’s generosity! We are called to live as one who belongs to God and to give as one for whom giving is a duty and delight! Our thanks to Mark Allan Powell’s book, Giving to God: The Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life, Eerdmans Publishing Co., for helping answer these important questions. Radical Idea: Develop a 10-10-80 Plan: Give away (share) 10% of your income; put away (save)10%, and live on (spend) the remaining 80%. Remember, a change in behavior leads to a change in attitude. Katie (Mrs. Martin) Luther |
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Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church 1669 Arcade St. N, Saint Paul, MN 55106-1041 651.774.5954 Fax: 651.774.5956 |
