Why Stewardship Matters

One of the more awkward sermons pastors preach during their tenure is on the theme of stewardship. It seems that no one enjoys talking about stewardship--not pastors, and not congregations.  And for good reason.  Talking about stewardship in a capitalist, consumer economy demands that we talk about the real issue at stake, money.  "Remember that pastor we had so many years ago...he would talk about money for a month straight in his sermons!  What business does he have about my personal life?  What I do with my money is my business."  This sentiment is totally normal and is considered acceptable in United Methodist churches all over the country, not to mention churches of all denominations.  This sentiment is why stewardship is such a headache for pastors as well; we know we need to talk about it, but we're afraid to infringe upon the strongly-held beliefs of our parish, and we understand that unity of the Spirit is more important than discussing details of money management.

Or is it?  

It seems that all of us are to blame, including myself, when it comes to this "unmentionable topic".  I'd rather have a sex talk with my (future) kids than face preaching a sermon series about stewardship, and I know I'm in good company.  And of all issues that the pastor brings to the pulpit, issues about stewardship tend to be one of the least-enjoyed topics by congregations everywhere.  This must be why so many books are being published today that center on congregational stewardship.  The Cokesbury catalogue even dedicates two to three pages in every issue to stewardship resources.  Why do we never see a section on "Holy Spirit resources" or "social justice issues"?  Not only do we loathe the issue of stewardship--it's one of our biggest struggles as a church, as a people of God.  The fact is, laity and clergy alike, our wallets has become a sacred space that we declare off-limits to God, and therefore the topic of stewardship falls on deaf ears for another year.  

The problem is one of enormous consequences, and we've already felt these consequences for some time now.  In America, we typically spend one hour twice per month (or more, if we're especially devout) at church, and much of the rest of our time engrossed in service and worship to the almighty Dollar.  We work hard to earn more dollars, we spend time exchanging those dollars for goods, and we save dollars for the future.  Many of us borrow more dollars for more power to buy more goods, and we have a lot of places we'd like to see those dollars being put to good use.  A bigger home; a new car; trendy clothing; more entertainment options; advanced technology; eating out more frequently; the list goes on, and it never seems to end.  All the while, "essential" spending has increased to include all kinds and types of insurance, greater and greater education savings, bigger and better stock portfolios, and naturally enough "mad money" to spend on whatever strikes us in the moment.  

Entire seasons are dedicated to Dollar worship.  Christmas, which in theory is a Christian holiday, has become overwhelmed with a spirit of mass consumption.  Easter is no longer complete without plenty of chocolate, an Easter egg hunt and cute pastel decorations.  Valentine's Day gifts are bigger and more expensive, and restaurants have doubled their incentives for you to come and dine to celebrate the fact that it's a Friday.  Every day of the year is a celebration for America, calling for ever-increasing consumption which is literally clogging our arteries, bankrupting our grandchildren and destorying the earth.  

If money remains a topic which is sacred and off-limits in the pulpit, then how will we ever be able to address our dangerous system of endlessly increasing consumption?  If we can no longer talk about stewardship of our resources, given that most of our resources can be monetized, how will we ever be able to work towards social holiness and healing of our communities where thousands upon thousands of people live in dire poverty?  If we cannot allow Jesus Christ to enter into our finances, why on earth would we trust him with our salvation?

At this point, we could talk about how often Jesus speaks about money and stewardship of other resources (such as food, valuables, etc.).  Certainly we could see some good fruit from such a discussion, because Jesus talks about money a lot in the four gospels.  And, perhaps unbeknownst to the majority of Christians, Jesus incessantly urges us to be generous to the point of total self-sacrifice with our money.  Yet, as pastors, our knees begin to knock when we think about preaching the concept of the tithe, or an offering of 10% of income.

Since most Christians--scholars, pastors, and congregations alike--will agree that Jesus was radically generous and challenges us to be more generous in his footsteps, I will not digress into a Scripture discussion here.  We need to talk about why we're holding back and how we can move forward to allow this Scripture to truly change us and how we live our lives.

1. First and foremost, everyone needs to understand the simple fact that money is not a personal matter where God is unconcerned.  I think most people would agree, but many do not act upon it.  Some people are only interested in their personal benefit, like guaranteed salvation or a nurturing environment for their children, but as Christians we are called to live a life of personal sacrifice in accordance with the will of God.  The Bible is very clear in both the Old and New Testaments that God is very concerned with the proper cultivation, collection and use of all resources which we possess, and goes so far as to claim that all of our possessions belong to God.  They do not belong to you; you did not earn them (from God); they are merely entrusted to you to use properly.  

2. Next, we all must embrace the fact that in our baptism, through Jesus Christ, we have become one body, one family, and we are no longer our own person.  Now that Christ has paid everything for us to be restored and reconciled to our Father in heaven, we are God's own; our identity, our self, our person, and yes, our resources are all fully God's.  What's more is that because there is one baptism, because there is one loaf which we break together at the Lord's table, there is one salvation through which we all receive, together.  Therefore we are to be like-minded; we are all to conform to the one will of God; and we are called to pull our resources together to carry out God's mission here on earth.  To be fair, it's not the same as socialism, but you might think it looks similar.  Socialism is a form of human-inspired government where all members of society are required to pool resources together to ensure the welfare of all.  Christian stewardship properly understood is a God-inspired plan whereby all members of the body of Christ together pool resources together to help carry out God's mission to show love to a broken world.  Whereas socialism is motivated by fear for survival, Christian stewardship is motivated by hope for the kingdom of God.  As Christians we reject the idea of limited resources because we have faith that God provides in incredible ways; if only we allowed ourselves to live without all of the comforts of modern America, we might see God's miraculous works more often.

3. Stewardship of our resources is properly connected to our calling as Christians to love one another and our neighbor as ourselves.  I Peter 4:7-11 provides a brief "recipe" of holiness in the Christian life, with three basic summarizing principles: to love one another, to show hospitality without complaint, and to share resources.  If we say that we love one another and offer hospitality, but we do not give with a heart of total trust in God and a spirit of generosity, then we are making claims without following through.  God's call for us to love one another deeply and unconditionally includes providing for one another's needs, whether they be financial, emotional, spiritual, educational, etc.  As one example, imagine a parent who claims he or she loves their child, but then does not provide the child with the support he or she requires, as best as that parent is able to provide.  It would sound like the parent is speaking on one hand but dishing out something completely different on the other.  Non-believers are especially attune to this discrepancy among Christian people.  They are keenly aware that Christians claim to love people unconditionally, but then use their resources to effectively judge the world through withholding and targeted offering.  It is critical for the church in America and around the world to be a salty witness to Jesus Christ through sacrificial giving as we have been called rather than the attitude of "I'll give what I have left over" to those in need.  God has NOT called us to give our leftovers; we are called to give our firstfruits.

4. Generous stewardship is a lesson which the church must teach in order to remain relevant, fruitful and on fire for God.  As I've stated earlier, pastors generally loathe preaching or teaching on the topic of stewardship because it is seen as a fundraising campaign rather than a fundamental part of our lives as Christians.  As pastors, we must teach stewardship with a deeply-held conviction that there is no holiness without social holiness, and there is no holiness without stewardship.  All areas of our life need and must come into the conformity of God's will, by the cross of Calvary.  When we engage in debates over tithing and giving of money, too often we are pushing back asking ourselves, "how little may I give to God to maintain a minimally desired relationship in good standing?"  No matter how we respond to these debates, whether we accept the tithe, a portion thereof, or even if we claim a larger amount of giving as "mandatory", we have completely lost the point of stewardship and therefore are not pursuing true holiness.  The proper amount of money, time, knowledge, wisdom, love and service to give is as much as you are able to give, with the goal of giving more whenever possible.  Our entire lives need to be given as an offering to the Lord, just as our Lord gave us everything he had to save us from the shackles of sin.

5. Finally, it's worth mentioning the church as the place to give to God, or not.  For too long Americans in particular have been suspicious of the church's power or authority and have been nervous to give their full gifts through the church.  Many pastors, they fear, seek greater financial offerings in order to increase their own salaries and leave an unforgettable legacy in the churches they serve, as a boost to ego and career prospects.  I do not deny this as a possibility, or that fact that it has happened in churches before; but in the United Methodist Church, we do have courses of action against such leadership, for we have episcopal oversight that can eliminate much of this drama.  Even if this may be the case in isolated scenarios, the proper course of action when you feel there is financial mismanagement in your church is not to withhold your offerings, but rather to hold the leadership accountable as brothers and sisters in Christ.  When we withhold our offerings to God because we fear the church, then we are as guilty as anyone we might be accusing, rightfully or wrongfully.
If we believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then we affirm the presence of the church as evidence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, for the church cannot exist without the Holy Spirit.  It's true that some churches may "have" the presence of the Holy Spirit more than others, but that does not mean they are unfruitful churches necessarily.  God's ways, movements, ebbs and flows are constantly mysterious to us, and are based on our "performance" or good or for ill.  Rather, God's presence in a church is based entirely upon God's own will and not our works or desire for God to be with us.  Quite frankly, God is going to be close to those who are weary, brokenhearted, alone, and lacking whether we like it or not, whether we choose to accept it or not.  So if you know of anyone in this situation in your church on Sunday, you can rest assured that God is with you, and that your church is truly a place fitting to give offerings to God.
While I absolutely affirm the validity and fruitfulness of many other places to give offerings to God outside of the church, it is essential for our work together as saints in the church that we pool many of our resources in our local congregations, where the majority of our prayers, presence, witness and service take place.  These ministries require financial and other physical resources, and withholding financial giving is almost always out of fear, spite, anxiety or greed--none of which are gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I pray that you take time to examine how you exhibit stewardship in your life.  You may take the Wesleyan model as a beginning guide by considering your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness and critically examining how you are giving--or not--everything unto Christ.  But this is only the start; remember that all resources are to conform to the will of God, including our spiritual gifts, our secular education and skills, our wisdom, our worldviews, our time, our bodies and our minds, to name only a few.  What a fantastic gift it will be to you if you were to consider each area of life and analyze your giving to grow more deeply in the Spirit!  I pray that in doing so you would gain assurance of the peace of Christ, the love of the Father and the mission of the Holy Spirit.

The Wisdom of God's Kingdom

The Book of Proverbs speaks volumes on the nature of the wisdom of God.  Translated into today's language, "wisdom" is typically something we think about as a mental activity.  Someone who is "wise" is defined as capable of navigating difficult or ethically tricky situations in life, often capable of serving others with this ability.  While there is nothing wrong with the English definition of the word "wise", it perhaps is not the best definition when we consider the Old Testament use of the word "haham" (חכמ).  When we think about the wisdom of God's kingdom, we see that the use of this word has a much larger range of meaning than mental capacity, such as in the story of Solomon in II Chronicles.  Let's examine the use of this Hebrew word and take a look into the depth of the wisdom of God's kingdom.

In the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, the word "haham" appears in greatest concentration towards the end of the Book of Exodus, centered on the construction of the tabernacle.  Here are the places where this root appears, translations mine:

Exodus 28:3  "And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with the spirit of 'haham', that they make Aaron's vestments to consecrate him for my priesthood."

Exodus 31:3  "I have filled [Bezalel] with the spirit of God, 'haham', intelligence and knowledge of every kind of craft."

Exodus 31:6  "And in the hearts of all those 'haham' in heart I have given them 'haham', that they may make all that I have commanded you."

Exodus 35:10  "And every one 'haham' of heart among you shall come and make all that the LORD has commanded you."

Exodus 35:25a  "And all the women who are 'haham' of heart in their hands spun and brought..."

Exodus 35:26  "And all the women who were stirred in their hearts with 'haham' spun goat hair."

Exodus 35:31  "[God] has filled [Bezalel] with the spirit of God, 'haham', in understanding and in knowledge in every kind of craft."

Exodus 35:35a  "[God] has filled them with 'haham' of heart to do all manners of work..."

Exodus 36:1  "Bezalel and Oholiab and all men 'haham' of heart to whom the LORD has given skill and understanding to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded."

Exodus 36:2  "Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and all men 'haham' of heart and whom the LORD had put 'haham' in heart..."

Exodus 36:4  "And all those 'haham' came who worked all the work of the sanctuary..."

Exodus 36:8  "And all who were 'haham' in heart and in doing the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains..."

Exodus 36:10-38:20  [Details of the construction of the tabernacle, under supervision of Bezalel, confirmed in 38:22]

So, why is this word 'haham' not translated as "wisdom" in your Bible, you ask?  Because the full meaning of the word 'haham' includes several ideas for which we have a variety of words in English.  The full range of significance of the word 'haham' includes "skillfulness", "wisdom", and even "dexterity".  Let's explore further by using the examples above.

1. "Haham" is a gift directly from God, connected to a spirit of God, intelligence and knowledge.  Exodus 31:3 in the example above is our best example of this claim, but we can see it is very consistent throughout all of the examples.  "Haham" is something which is bestowed by God, by the LORD, and is listed here as part of a series of gifts that include a spirit of God, intelligence and knowledge.  What it interesting is that because these other three gifts are included separately, they show that 'haham' cannot be reduced to be merely synonymous with any of them.  If 'haham' were limited to "intelligence", then this phrase would be redundant.  Rather, we see that these four items are inherently connected, with at least two facts in common: they are a gift of the LORD and they are needed for construction of the tabernacle.

2. The primary location of "haham" in the human being is the heart, not the head.  The phrase "haham of heart" is translated into English as "skillful", which is not false, but again it does not give us the fuller, more complex meaning of the words.  In many of the examples above, we see that the 'haham' that God is bestowing upon his people is located squarely within the heart of the individual.  In fact, it "stirs" within the heart in Exodus 35:26.  I do not suggest that 'haham' is limited to the heart; but the Scripture is clear in that its location within the human being is in the heart rather than in the brain.  I do not have the time to go into detail here about the biological understandings of the head vs. the heart of ancient Israel, but throughout Scripture the heart is consistently an epicenter of passion and spiritual inclination, whether for better or worse, which is not dissimilar from our modern symbolic imagination.

3. "Haham" manifests through the individual's hands.  So while we see that 'haham' is placed into a person's heart, its fruit is borne through skillful labor of the hands.  Exodus 35:25 gives us an explicit example of this, claiming that the 'haham' of heart is in the women's hands.  However, reading through the other examples, such as Exodus 35:35, we see that the 'haham' is the primary agent of enabling the Israelites to perform the duties necessary to fabricate the materials and construct the tabernacle.  'Haham' is not merely a mental state, nor is it merely adjectival; it manifests through the labor of one's hands, leading them into action.

What does this mean for us?  If we are to consider the Old Testament as Christian Scripture to be read in unison with the New Testament, then we can see a variety of parallels with the life and witness of Jesus Christ.  To be sure, Jesus speaks volumes and gives a lot of parables; but even more often, Jesus simply shows us what we are to learn, and the wisdom is proclaimed by his actions.  John 13 is one of many examples, where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples.  John 13:3 specifically verifies that the Father "had given all things into his hands", which is interesting because the next thing he does is put his disciples' sweaty, dirty feet into them and washes them with his hands.  Since the evangelist in the Book of John tends to explain Jesus' actions more than in the other gospels, we are given some explanation to his actions in verse fourteen: "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet."  With his hands, he shows the very wisdom that he has been given by his Father.  The idea of wisdom from the Old Testament perspective of 'haham' transforms the way we read the New Testament, for we are better equipped to explore and recognize Christ's wisdom and teachings: not only was Christ capable in good decision-making, but he was given the skill and ability to work with his hands in powerful ways!

Perhaps you still are not convinced that the vision of the Book of Exodus and wisdom, 'haham', is not viable and in sync with the remainder of the Old Testament.  Perhaps you recall the verses from I Kings 4:29-31: "God gave Solomon very great wisdom, discernment, and breadth of understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.  He was wiser than anyone else, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, children of Mahol; his fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations."  This Scripture is often used to claim that Solomon was the wisest man of the Bible, but this Scripture merely claims that he was wiser than anyone else, listing only contemporaries, leading us to consider the possibility that he was not declared the wisest man to have ever lived, but rather the wisest person in his own lifetime.  The truth is that Bezalel, the humble builder of Exodus 28-36, is actually described as 'haham' more times directly by God than Solomon!

This is not a debate over who is wisest, Bezalel or Solomon.  The point of this matter is that both of these men are declared to be very wise, gifted directly by God.  However, as we have already discussed, it appears that Bezalel's 'haham' stems primarily from his skill with his hands and his artisanal capacities.  Meanwhile, if we read the stories of King Solomon, his wisdom appears to conform much more in our traditional sense of the word "wisdom", that is, the capacity to reason, understand and make ethical decisions on behalf of himself and others.  At this point, we might think that I have simply misunderstood the word 'haham' for there is no connection between Bezalel and Solomon's wisdom in Scripture.

...or is there?  Is it possible that the Scripture connects these two men intentionally together, recognizing the importance of 'haham' as manifesting in various yet interconnected ways?  It appears so.  If we turn to II Chronicles 1, we see the scene unfolds with Solomon going up to the tabernacle to meet God in front of it.  There he gives an offering.  God asks Solomon what he desires, and in verse ten, he replies that he wants 'haham' and knowledge.  God grants his request, seeing that this request "was in his heart".

But verses five and six establish the connection between the wisdom of Bezalel and the wisdom of Solomon.  After Solomon has gone up to the high place, verse five reads: "Also the altar of bronze that Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur had made, was there in front of the tabernacle of the LORD.  And Solomon and the assembly inquired at it.  Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it."  Here the chronicler has juxtaposed the two wisest men of the Bible together through the altar of the LORD.  This might appear to simply be a needless detail, but the Hebrew text does not have room for excess; the reductionist nature of Hebrew Scripture is well-documented, and every word counts.  Why would the chronicler mention the man who was responsible for the construction of this altar be mentioned if it were of no significance to the story?

It appears that Solomon's offering was very generous indeed, a thousand burnt offerings!  This meant that the meat of the sacrificed animals was not consumed, but was fully burned by flame, representing one of the more demanding offerings of the Israelites' sacrificial buffet.  Three elements have come together in one time and place: Bezalel's 'haham' which generated the altar; one thousand offerings; and Solomon, whose heart of sacrifice to God appears unparalleled.  Again, we see that Solomon's wisdom originates from his heart of sacrifice and manifests through his actions and deeds.  God gave Solomon incredible wisdom after his conversation, but Solomon does not appear to the LORD an idiot; he demonstrates that his heart is ready for even more wisdom, as he has been skillful and wise in his actions, in his offerings.  It's no wonder that God bestows upon Solomon unparalleled riches--he has already demonstrated amazing stewardship through offering sacrificially to God through his hands, stemming from his heart, which God identifies specifically in verse eleven.

The wisdom of God's kingdom is not merely a set of anecdotes or soundbites that fit on a meme, posted on Facebook for our friends to see.  God's wisdom is something much deeper than knowledge and understanding; it penetrates our hearts and our spirit, and manifests in our entire way of life.  Wisdom is constructive and fruitful.  Wisdom calls us into action as God's people on earth.  Wisdom does not allow us to confine our search for God through our brain, but challenges us to seek the LORD through our hearts and our labors.  Sunday services with great preaching, and Sunday school with great teaching, these are key portions of the life of today's Christian.  But they are not enough; we are called into being a people of God's wisdom, and until we think of wisdom as a verb rather than a noun, we will not experience the true wisdom of God's kingdom.