We’re called to be generous with our money. This week we consider the specific subject of giving money to the church. The New Testament knows nothing of solitary Christianity: to be a Christian is to be the church. It is you and you are it. We cannot escape it (as much as we might like!). So giving to the church is about giving to something we are intrinsically part of. It is a cognitive dissonance to hold back part of ourselves from who we are. There’s more: the church is not just us and ours, it’s also Christ’s. He is the head of the church. When we give to the church we are investing in Jesus. And we are investing in his eternal, infinite, perfect kingdom. There is no better use of money. His kingdom is one of beautiful powerful unified diversity. When we give we are giving to promote and grow the full representation of the people of God- where everyone matters and all have a role to play. The more we operate and develop in our God-given gifts, the more the church looks like and does the things of Jesus.

Twice a year we dedicate two services to the subject of money and generosity. Jesus’ proclamation at the beginning of his ministry was to announce God’s age of favor for humankind. He has come to make us happy. But, in contrast to what culture has often proclaimed, Jesus knows that happiness and wealth are not intrinsically linked. In his parable of the talents, Jesus teaches that all money belongs to God which he distributes as he wishes. Our job is to hold lightly to what we have been given, not compare what we receive to others, but use it all for the building of God’s kingdom, and give it back to him. The more we do so the more we will receive from God - not financially, but in terms of kingdom-building responsibility. This is where we enter into God’s rest and experience his joy, favor and happiness.