The holidays are coming. I have to admit one thing that I really do not care for about Thanksgiving--leftovers. When I was growing up, my mom would never allow herself to run out of food. There were always leftovers---for days and weeks. And of course, you cannot just throw them away. There was always some relationship between the starving children of the world and our leftovers.
In the life cycle of most churches this is the time when you hear alot about giving. The reason is that historically in America this is the time of harvest. This is the time of the year that farmers would have something to give! Isn't it amazing how we hold to the timing of yesterday when we are no longer an agricultural based economy? Oh well that is another writing!
Having been a preacher for 37 years now, I have learned something. People who complain about sermons about giving complain because they do not give. Or they know they are not giving what God would require of them. Christians who tithe love to hear sermons about giving. It is an affirmation. Did you know that the average American gives 2 percent of their income to a church?
In many situations, I like to use the terms--good, better, best. It is a way to affirm the practice of moving towards what theologians have called Christian perfection. This is the place where you are doing what God would have you do as God has instructed you to do. Most of us start out with the good. Then as we grow in faith and practice, we can become better. And the best is yet to come!
This is an illustration of a good practice that could lead to better and best. A woman was so proud of herself. She and her family were moving into a new home. So like many folks do, she had a garage sale. So from the garage sale she made some money. However, she had so much left over from the sale. She decided to have a "give away" at her church. Oh how great it was to give away things---her leftovers. Then the leftovers from the leftover give away would be taken to Salvation Army!
Try this one day. Stand on the street corner with all the leftovers from your frig. It will make you feel so great to get rid of them! And there will be some folks so hungry that they will eat your leftovers. But do not live in the illusion you understand God's economy. This practice may be good in some respects, but it definitely is not better or best!
There was a time in our culture not too long ago that we passed on what we did not need to those who needed it not in the form of a garage sale but in the form of a gift. It was a form of extravagant generosity. It said, "I no longer have need of this. You need it. So here it is yours!" Our cultures' compulsion to have more money to buy more has given fuel to the idea that now you have to pay to get what I should/could share.
I think God must be weary with our leftovers, just as we get weary of eating the leftovers out of the frig. God gets the leftovers from our checkbook. God gets the leftover time when everything else is done. God gets what little devotion that is left over after everything else in life is done.
The biblical concept of giving is quite the opposite. The tithe is the FIRST fruits. The worship of God is FIRST. God's economy is not one of accumulation but of sacrifice. God's economy is one of abundance, not scarcity.
It was good, but surely you can do better! And yes, you can move towards the best!
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