Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship–the ways we are spiritually inspired caretakers–of this church and this faith community. We are guided in this conversation over the month of October by the United Methodist membership vows: to support the ministries of the Church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.
We continue with gifts and in doing so look into our rich Wesleyan history. John Wesley famously gave a sermon entitled “The Use of Money,” published in 1872 and surely preached several times before then. In this sermon, Wesley places an impossible task before his listeners: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. This Sunday we explore this impossible task and hear Wesley’s wisdom on how our faith can help us achieve the impossible.
Luke 12:13-21 (CEB)
13 Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother?”
15 Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. 17 He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! 18 Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store all my grain and goods.19 I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.”
Consider these questions:
- Think about times of traditional gift-giving (birthdays, holidays, etc.). Do you prefer to receive gifts? Or give gifts?
- What’s different in this experience? In other words, how does receiving gifts feel different from giving gifts?
- Does this inform how you think of giving financially to the church? How?
- What do you think of financial giving as a spiritual practice? Is this something you’ve already thought about, or is this a new concept for you?
- How are you spiritual about your financial giving? Prayer? Meditation? Another spiritual practice?
- If this idea (financial giving as a spiritual practice) is new to you, in what ways would you be willing to engage spiritually in the practicality of giving?
One Comment
Rebecca Tseng Smith
I think I enjoy giving and receiving presents equally because in both cases I see them as an exchange of love and care that just come wrapped in something material. I see my gift to the church similarly as something tangible to support the work of our church but also as a sign of my love of God and my church family, my sense of responsibility to care for the church, and the gratitude I feel every day for what I have been given.
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