March 24, 2003

OUR WEEKLY OFFERINGS

There’s a story about a minister who was on an airplane when it was experiencing serious mechanical problems. The head stewardess, alarmed at the growing panic among the passengers, asked if there was a clergy person aboard. When he raised his hand, she said, “Please do something religious.” So he took an offering.

Taking an offering is so much part of our experience in church that we think of it as a natural and essential aspect of worship. And, indeed, it is. Bringing an offering, in the form of crops or animals raised by the worshiper, is as old as religion, being practiced by people long before Bible times. When God taught his Old Testament people how to worship him, he included the bringing of prescribed offerings to the Temple. Later this was institutionalized into the practice of tithing ten percent of one’s income to the Lord.

The first time we hear of the New Testament church taking an offering is in the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians:
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:2)
This is remarkably similar to the practice still being followed in churches like ours today. We take up collections every Sunday and put them “aside” (in a bank), so that we won’t have to receive a special offering every time a need arises.

In our church, we annually review what we think will be the needs during the year ahead, and we commit ourselves to raising that amount through weekly offerings. We do this at an Annual Meeting the last Sunday of March. Next Sunday will be the moment of decision for the 2003-4 budget year. Our new budget will be adopted after a noon potluck meal together.

As part of this annual review and re-commitment, we feel it is important that each individual and each family reflect on their part in supporting the adopted budget. Since budgets usually reflect increased needs and opportunities, this means that each financial supporter of the church should consider increasing her or his weekly giving.

It’s interesting that in this exhortation to the Corinthian church, Paul did not emphasize tithing as the measure of what people should give. Instead, he talks about giving as an offering “whatever extra you earn.”

Now, there’s a challenge!
How should we decide what’s “extra”? Does “extra” mean anything beyond what we need for survival: food, clothing, shelter? Or do our basic needs include medical insurance, a retirement fund, cable TV, owning a home? Is one change of clothes enough, or do we need a variety of outfits for different occasions and changing seasons? Do we have to have a car, or would a bicycle do?

Paul does not attempt to answer these questions. However in his second letter to the same church, he adds some interesting thoughts:

He talks about first “giving yourself to the Lord,” so that all you have is his (2 Corinthians 8:5).

He sets as an example the “offering” given by the Lord Jesus, who, “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

He encourages the whole congregation to decide on their offerings in harmony with each other’s needs and abilities, “that there may be a fair balance” (2 Corinthians 8:13-14).

He wants each one to give “not reluctantly,” but “cheerfully,” after carefully and prayerfully considering their part (2 Corinthians 9:7).

He reminds them of God’s promise to provide them with “every blessing in abundance,” so that their giving will not impoverish them (2 Corinthians 9:8).

He envisions how the whole church will experience a rich harvest because of individual givers’ “great generosity” (2 Corinthians 9:11-13).

Sometimes I’m criticized for not preaching tithing. Well, Paul didn’t preach tithing, and I’m with Paul.

After all, why limit God to ten percent?

–Pastor George Van Alstine