Just what is meant by Christian Stewardship? While it is significant that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament lift up giving to God as the first and foremost response to God's gifts of creation and salvation—setting the tithe, ten percent of one's wealth, as the standard—it is perhaps more important to understand why giving back to God from our material possessions is so fundamental to our relationship with God. Stewardship is an expression of a theology of giving; theology being the intentional reflection on God and our relationship with God. A theology of giving is expressed in the ways we give of our time, talent, and most particularly our financial treasure. Everyone has a theology of giving. The question is what does it say about one's relationship to God?
It goes without saying, but seems to be easily forgotten, that all that we have—our lives, our talents, our abilities, each and every day—is a gift from God. We take these gifts and use them, hopefully in ways that are in harmony with God's will for us and creation, and in exchange we are rewarded. The rewards are sometimes intangible, like feelings of satisfaction, or fulfillment for a goal achieved, and the rewards are sometimes in the form of blessings, the deep joy experienced at seeing the life of another or the Creation made better by the fruit of our efforts. But at some level, we must use the gifts we are given by God to earn a livelihood. We must provide for our sustenance and care. We must secure the basic needs of life. For this we need money.
And so money holds great power, both materially and spiritually. It holds material power because it is the means by which we obtain those things necessary for our life, and because it also can, when basic needs are met, provide us with so many things to enhance our lives and our enjoyment of them. Money holds spiritual power first because it represents what we receive in exchange for spending our lives. It is in some ways a secular sacrament of life. But money also holds spiritual power because it gives power. Money can achieve wondrous things, both for good and for evil. Money can be very dangerous. It can seduce and it can tempt a person to do things that are not necessarily in harmony with God's will for humanity or the rest of creation. Most fundamentally however, money's spiritual power lies in its ability to replace God as the source of meaning and power in life. Money is the one idol with sufficient power to give God a "run for the money."
And so there is a need to be intentional when it comes to the use of money. There is a need to remember on a regular basis the relationship of money to our spiritual selves. We are called to honor God as we consider the uses for our money. We are asked to give God the first fruits of our lives and labors, not the leftovers.
There are many reasons, some better than others, to give to God and the work God does through the Church. Obviously the Church has needs and a budget to meet. The ministries and programs that touch so many lives need support. Giving to support them is a good thing. Even better is giving to God from a generous and thankful heart, acknowledging the centrality of God to all life. |
