I know that it’s always risky for a pastor to talk about anything having to do with money, but that’s exactly what I want to do. Not because I have to, but because I want to.
Many churches and synagogues have annual stewardship drives and ask the question, “What are our needs as we look to the future?” “How do we continue to grow as a VIP church – vibrant, inclusive and progressive?”
Often, there are pledge cards to fill out. And I want to talk about those cards. In fact, I want to share with you how I believe you should fill them out.
I was talking recently with a friend of mine about a significant event in the life of Jesus.
You know, I guess one way in which our culture today is a lot like it was in the days of Jesus is that apparently “firsts” were pretty important to people back then. I don’t know about you but I know they have been to me. I can remember … the first day of school, my first bike, and my first crush.
So, even way back in New Testament times they were like us when it came to celebrating firsts. Jesus performed a lot of miracles during his three years of ministry. But John tells us that one – the wedding feast where he turned water into wine – was his very first miracle. So, what does this story say to us? What does it say to me? And, what can it possibly have to say about those little cards?
I think it has a lot to say to us.
Wedding feasts were very important in Jesus’ day. These feasts weren’t just a nice party – they were the social event for the entire community. And in John’s recount of this event, like any reality TV show, there’s a problem and the possibility of ensuing drama. The “wedding board of directors” has had a meeting. They’ve sharpened their pencils. They’ve done a head count. They know that for it to be a good wedding, it required the wine flow freely. In fact, it was so important, that the custom was that the best wine would be served first, then after everyone had one glass too many, the two buck chuck would be brought out, and at that point everyone would think that even that tasted fabulous! But the problem was there were more people than there was wine.
Now, I really do love our board of directors and our stewardship team. But I’m not quite willing to confer biblical status on them! But I do see a parallel here. Over the past several weeks they’ve been saying to us “This is how many guests we are expecting, and this is how much we need to feed them.” And they’ve also said to us, “Please let us know what we can expect you to do.” It makes sense. It’s called good planning. Whether you are planning a wedding or planning a church, it’s good to know what the needs are in order to have an idea of how those needs are going to be met.
Which brings me back to the pledge card? We would like you to fill it out so that we can have some idea that the wine won’t run out. That all of our ministry needs will be met.
So, maybe you’re wondering, “Well, how much should I give? How much should I bring?” In church language, we call it tithing. And this is where things get sticky. Some of us come from churches where we were beat, almost to death, over this issue. How much is biblical? What does “tithing” mean? Is it 10 percent? If so, is it 10 percent of my gross or net? What if I can’t afford it? What if I could give 20 or 30 or 40 percent and still be able to do just fine? If I give only 10 percent, is that enough?
Some of us were taught that tithing could be one percent or two percent or “what I can afford” etc. And some of us have never even thought of bringing anything to the feast! The list goes on and on. And that’s why pastors don’t like to talk about money!
Some of you might be thinking, “Umm, thanks Pastor Dan. That’s a big help! But I still don’t know how much I should give.”
I understand that question. And the good news is that I’m here to answer that for you.
Let’s go back to the wedding. The feast is in full swing. But there are more guests than there is wine. The wedding planners are all in a dither. And the planners pass their frustration on to the servers. And the servers pass their frustration on to the guests. And Mary, Jesus’ mother, is there at the feast. We don’t know what happened. The narrative doesn’t really tell us. But Jesus had not performed any miracles up to this point so there is no reason to believe that the servers went to Jesus’ mother thinking she could solve their problem. So, I wonder if maybe she didn’t just sense that something was not just right. (Mothers have that gift you know.) So, she says to one of the servers, “This is an awesome wedding feast. But you seem kinda bothered. Is everything OK?” And the server says, “Thanks for asking. And yes, there is a problem. The whole wedding is about to be ruined. The wine is running out.”
And this is what I want to leave you with. This is my answer to the “how much” question. I want to leave you with the words of Mary, Jesus’ mother, when she was asked, “What should we do?” Listen to her.
“Do whatever he tells you.”
Pray about it and do whatever is in your heart. The amount is between you and your God. There is no judgment. All we are asking is that you make it a matter of prayer.
“Gracious God, what do you want me to do?”
For some of us the answer will be so small that it may seem like nothing. It may be all you can do to buy a bus ticket to even attend the feast. If that is you, I want to say to you very clearly, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”
If the answer you hear is 2 percent I want to say to you, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”
If the answer you hear is 10 percent I want to say clearly to you, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”
If the answer you hear is 20 percent or 30 percent I want to say to you, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”
“Do whatever He tells you.” Mary the mother of Jesus is really providing the answer.
As each of us is obedient, as each of does whatever we feel the Spirit telling us to do, there will not only be enough to go around but there will be an abundance … and feasting … and celebration.
Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org
