Gifts For The Lord

Operating this church requires money – money for salaries, for paying the mortgage, for utilities, and for conducting ministry. And that money has to come from you. I have seen that you are a generous people. My first day here, a visitor stood up and gave a story that touched your hearts. And you responded by opening your wallets. He may not have been telling the truth, but it was your response that showed me that this congregation has a heart for the Lord and for those He came to serve. You have opened your hearts and wallets to those such as Sean and Crissy Heath who have come to speak about their ministries. You have a heart for the Lord, but sometimes we haven’t opened our wallets wide enough to support His church. Last year, we fell about $15000 short of a trimmed down budget. That meant that our loan payment was late 10 months out of the year and we had to pay late fees each time. It meant that our pledge to the Southeastern District which supports missions in our area, including New Hope, and around the world went unmet. This year, the congregation voted to step out in faith and give of our firstfruits to the mission of our church body. And that means that we will need to also step out in faith and increase the contributions to the church.

I know these are hard times for many of you and it can be difficult to provide for the church. But the thing is: support for the Lord’s mission has always been difficult. God required a tithe, ten percent, of His chosen people’s flocks and produce to support the ministry provided by the Levites who were given no land of their own. And Jesus also supports the concept of tithing when He rebukes the Pharisees for neglecting justice and mercy while being sure to tithe. He tells them they should act in justice and mercy while also giving a tithe.

We live under the grace of God and not under the Law. Tithing is not a requirement for salvation. God loves you and does not withhold His forgiveness and mercy if you do not tithe. But tithing is a suitable goal for those who love the Lord. It’s hard enough to cause you to adjust your priorities, but it’s not unattainable. Unless you’re barely able to put food on the table, you can probably do more for the Lord. It might mean foregoing the newest iPhone, 600 channels on cable, lunch at Wendy’s, or going to a movie or an expensive vacation. But are these things truly more important to you than serving God through supporting His church?

And I believe God will bless you for trusting in Him enough to give graciously and generously to His mission on earth. He may not bless you with material things, but He might. He may bless you by removing your desire for the things of the world. He may bless you with a desire to give even more, to support missionaries or relief operations across the world. He might just bless you with the desire to go yourself. God will bless you for trusting in Him in all things.

You have been blessed by God in so many ways. The magi brought lavish gifts to the newborn king even though He had done nothing for them. But you know that Christ has won the victory over sin and death for you. Bask in God’s grace and love and respond to His love by trusting in Him in all things.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with peace by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen