The Scripture Readings this week are:
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
- Matthew 22:15-22
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The Sermon title is How Shall We Give?
Early Thoughts: Cheerfully or begrudgingly? To chase a dream or to fulfil an obligation? Building a hope for the future or maintaining what was before?
How do we give? How could we give? How should we give?
In this week's reading from 2 Corinthians Paul is talking Stewardship, a topic that began at the beginning of chapter 8). The Christian community in Jerusalem is struggling and Paul is asking his friends in Corinth to take up a collection to support them. You can read more about this collection here (among other places, Google about Paul's collection for Jerusalem to learn more). It is possible this is the first written account of a stewardship drive within the Christian church. He also makes mention of this collection, with some concrete ideas of how to build it up, in 1 Corinthians 16.
It is interesting to see how Paul motivates the people to support this cause. At the beginning of chapter 8 he seems to be playing one community against another, telling them how wonderfully generous the churches in Macedonia have been, and encouraging the Corinthians to meet that output. It sort of reminds me of a number of telethons I watched when I was younger where there were constant challenges to "meet or beat" a pledge. But here in chapter 9 Paul speaks to the Corinthians differently. Here he reminds them of abundance, he encourages them to give out of gratitude and giftedness. He reminds them that God provides with abundance. Even more important he tells them to give cheerfully, as they have decided not to give out of a sense of compulsion. Earlier in 8:8 he has already told them that he is not commanding them to give. Paul assumes the people want to do something and provides a way for them to respond to that desire.
I can think of many church stewardship campaigns in my lifetime that could have learned a thing or two from Paul. Paul does not use guilt as n incentive. Paul does not say "if you don't give this terrible thing will happen". Paul invites and encourages gratitude and generosity. Paul speaks about abundance rather than scarcity. He does use language like "testing of this ministry" in both chapters but one does not get the sense that it is a test with a risk of failure.
Then we have Matthew and "render unto Caesar". To be honest I find this a less helpful teaching for building stewardship. Where Paul encourages generosity and not giving under compulsion Matthew's Jesus could easily be seen, in this passage, as commanding giving whether one is cheerful or not. More of a tax (and the question he is asked is all about taxation) than an act of generosity. At the same time, however, Jesus' answer does push us to ask what belongs to God and what belongs to Caesar. That in and of itself might challenge our assumptions of "whose is this" and "who gets to use this". That could be a Stewardship question in and of itself.
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SO... how shall we give?
On one level that is a question of process. If someone wants to give a gift but doesn't know how to do so the gift might be wasted. So we could answer the question by talking about offering plates, or PAR, or e-transfers, or our Tithely giving portal, or simply by directing folk to the Donations page on our congregational website. We could talk about opportunities to volunteer. WE could offer to connect folk with partner agencies who are looking for volunteers with specific skills. All of that could be one way to answer the "how do we give" question. And there is certainly a place for all of that.
Paul, I think, pushes the question in a different direction. Paul pushes us to look at motivation, at the emotional side of giving. We can make really good logical arguments about why giving is needed and still miss the mark. We need to ask ourselves, and ask each other, in what spirit we give. We who are asking for gifts need to take seriously how we ask. Are we building cheerful generous givers or are we (possibly inadvertently) using guilt or fear to encourage giving? Are we spouting budget numbers or are we inviting people into the vision, the hope, the dream of what the gifts can accomplish?
How shall we give after all?
--Gord
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