Page 9 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
STEWARDSHIP
Cultivating a Habit of Generous Giving
presbyterian.ca
WINTER 2022
PRESBYTERIAN
9
The Well, Mississauga, Ont.
Proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ
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By Jim MacDonald and Karen Plater, Stewardship & Planned Giving
Every Sunday, an offering of gifts is collected. Whether the plate is passed around in person or virtually, collecting “tithes and offerings” is central to Christian worship.
Making an offering to God ap- pears at the very beginning of the Bible. Cain and Abel, Noah, Abra- ham and Jacob all make offer- ings. In Genesis 28, the concept of the tithe (10%) appears when Jacob vows to return a tenth of all he has been given back to God.
Leviticus outlines as many as 14 different types of offerings, with specific details on when, how and where they are to be giv- en. Some are the best of the first items harvested or animals born, while others are a percentage of the harvest. Some are burnt on the altar and others gathered as the harvest is counted. Some are freewill offerings, others are in re- sponse to festivals like Pentecost and Passover or from the spoils of war. Offerings are made as a way to build peace, as atonement for sin and purification from dis- ease. Once collected, they are used in different ways: to care for
the poor, the travellers, the father- less and the widowed.
The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how the tithes were implemented. Leviticus 27:30–33 calls for 10% of the harvest, flocks and trees. It is interesting to note that this of- fering was a tax on landowners, farmers and herdsmen and it isn’t really mentioned with respect to other professions. The proceeds were primarily used for the Lev- ites and priest to have food to survive. If this is combined with the other tithes and offerings described in Leviticus, Israelites could have been giving as much as 20–30% of their income.
In the New Testament, Jesus called out religious leaders for turning their tithes into a show of righteousness while simulta- neously exploiting people. While he commended the giving, he re- minded them not to neglect “the weightier matters of the law,” namely “justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23).
We are told Jesus was angered by the corruption in the temple and that he threw the collectors and sellers out (Luke 19:45–48). Shortly after, he noted that a wid- ow—who the temple should have been caring for and protecting— was more faithful in giving all she
had than the ones who gave to gain notice (Luke 21:1–4). To- day, leaders in a congregation are challenged to ensure that the gifts given to God are effectively and efficiently used to do God’s mission.
Jesus talked about care for the poor. To expose how money can become an idol, Jesus told the rich man to sell all he had and give to the poor (Mark 10:21). Jesus encouraged opening up the banquet to those who could not pay (Luke 14:13–14). He said the main difference between those recognized in the kingdom of God and those unknown would be whether they cared for the stranger, fed the hungry, visited the sick (Matthew 25:31). Christ gave all he had—his life—for the sins of the world.
In Acts and the Epistles, we see that giving was an important part of the early church as they strove to follow the teachings of Jesus. Giving was a response to God’s love and it was taught that you weren’t supposed to just give money—you were to live your life in a way that reflected God’s mission. People sold their pos- sessions and the proceeds were distributed as needs arose (Acts 4:32–35). For the offerings col- lected by Paul, we are told people gave joyfully and generously, de- spite experiencing extreme pov- erty (2 Corinthians 9:8; 1 Corin- thians 16:1–3; Galatians 6:6). The offerings supported people in mission and ministry and cared for the poor.
So, How Do We
Give Today?
There is no exact prescription of what, when and how to give; however, there are principles that we can glean so that our gifts re- flect the heart of the law. Giving is voluntary and should inspire joy. We are reminded in 2 Corin- thians 9:7 to “give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Some Christians choose to contribute 10% of their income (before or after tax—it’s up to the giver) in the spirit of the tithe. For some, that’s an unrealistic goal,
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