I have heard a lot of
people over the years tell me that they believe in generosity and in
giving but they don't give much to their church because they don't
agree with how the leadership in their church spends the money.
I must confess that I used
to feel that way when I belonged to an old congregation that seemed
to spend way to much of its money on the building and not enough on
the poor. I was sure I knew better how to give my money. But it
really was a lack of faith on my part.
This is a big question of
faith. Do you believe in the power of God to use Stpaulbythemall or
Our Lady of the Outlets to accomplish God's purpose? It is easy
sometimes to have faith that you know what should be happening in
your church and community -- to trust in your own vision. It is
sometimes harder to believe that the motley crew that you look
around and see in your congregation will ever figure it out. The
question is, do you believe that God can do something even with your
church?
Do you believe that the
Holy Spirit is strong enough to do something even with the fallible
people with whom God has joined you together in community?
God believes so. God
often puts together the least likely people in congregations and it
seems to those people that nothing can happen among and through
them, but it does.
This is how God has chosen
for us to carry on God's word. It seems a really impractical and
imperfect way to do business. Wouldn't it make more sense if God
would interview us and find a like-minded group who saw everything
the same way easily agreed on what we should be doing?
But in the messiness of
this Christian life we learn as we go from each other and from the
Lord. Our mission is as much the learning that we do as the message
that we bear. But the little lessons and changes along the way are
harder to measure and don't show up in annual reports.
So we step out it faith
when we tithe. We have faith that God can use us and what we give
to accomplish God's will among us and through us to the world. And
we share in the visioning of where we should go and how we should
give the gifts that we bring to the Lord.
Lord, Grant us the faith
to be your people and to give to the vision that you have given us
together both of our treasure and of our lives. Amen
