For November, I want to continue to explore what happens when we live out the membership pledge which we made when we joined this church to:  "support the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service."

As November is Stewardship month, let me then speak about the gifts element.  Some of you may think gifts seems to fit more with December and Christmas, but that is not actually what is meant when gifts is used in that pledge of support.  Here, gifts means we support the church by both or spiritual gifts and our monetary gifts.  Spiritual gifts are found in the Bible in the book of Ephesians, 4:4-16, and those spiritual gifts tie in with the pledge of our service which I will cover more in February.  So that takes me to this other factor, the monetary gifts.

Now monetary gifts are not necessarily only money.  If the church office needed a new computer monitor, and you had a spare one which you gave; that would be basically the same as giving a monetary gift.  Reality is a monetary value can be placed on that.  But primarily, when we pledge to support the church with our gifts, we mean the money.  Like it or not, churches need money to survive and thrive.  So the church is upfront in its note that we need a member to pledge its support with monetary gifts.

What level of monetary support is between you and God.  Many will tell you 10% because the Bible is clear that it hopes people will give a tithe or we know that as 10% of income to God's work.  But understand, more wise layman in discussing giving to the church and finance campaigns told me his desire to give to God comes out of love, not a sense of obligation.  He went on to illustrate what he meant saying, "I get flowers for my wife and give her gifts not out of obligation so much as because I love her.  Sometimes I do get flowers thinking, "I need to do this."  But most of the time I give because I love her.  It is the same way with my gifts to God.  I give because I love God, not so much because I feel obligated.  Not all the time is it so clear cut.  But mostly I give because I love God and want to honor God."

I hope that you give to God and support this church because it is an expression of your love of God.  That is what I believe is behind the "gifts" element of the four fold promise.

 
Peace,
Pastor Dale Reese