A Birthday Gift for the Church
We all like to receive gifts and many of us like even better to give them for us the apostle Paul noted that Jesus said ‘it is better to give than receive.’ Acts 20:35, though we’re not too sure where Jesus said that, but we know he would have done.
Choosing gifts for a friend or member of the family at any time, especially on an occasion is difficult whether you know them well or not. What do you give the person who has everything. The carol ‘In the bleak Midwinter’ suggests: our heart.
I love this Church billboard. ‘Give Jesus a present this Christmas, wrap up your kids and bring them to church’.
As staff we have an idea for this Pentecost Sunday, where we all reflect on the ways we give, which is, our Time, Talents and Treasure. We would love us all to bring a simple Pledge Card and place it in the offering plate on the 24th May. These will then be brought forward and prayed over. You can also bring them to our Team Service on Trinity Sunday at Holy Trinity at 10am. Here there will be separate plates for our four Church communities for you to put them in. These will be added to the ones we have already received and given to the Church Councils for encouragement.
If you would like to know about the biblical principles of giving, there are some notes on our Welcome Table.
But one of the key principles is that a gift is a gift. Giving to a church is not a subscription for membership, nor is it a tax, because the Church is not a club where we all think the same, or a cult where we are told what to think. It is an intergenerational community of people who love God and want to serve him and our communities as best we can. Our Giving is a sign of our maturity, so our gift, comes without strings attached as an offering to God who gives us everything. We often pray: All things come from you O Lord, and of your own, do we give you. 1 Chronicles 29:14
Remember this is our giving not anyone else’s. We all have different circumstances which change throughout our lives. The widow in the story Jesus told gave everything she had whilst the religious hypocrites made a big show of their giving. Jesus is never impressed with this.
Check out this fab Townend/Getty song ‘Simple Living’ which features the wonderful Kate Rusby, and has the line, ’Not what you give, but what you keep is what the King is counting.’
So, what might we put on this pledge card. We may write that we’ve reflected seriously on all of this and want to make some changes to the way we give to our church community. Or, we will bring items for Community Matters whenever we can. Or we wish to join the Parish Giving Scheme and we have looked into it or signed up for it. Or we will give regularly to the Church, whether we are there every week or not to help the treasurers plan their budgets.
Whatever we do. keep it personal and follow it through with God’s Grace who loves a cheerful giver so I end with a joke.
Two men are stranded on a desert island. One says you don’t seem worried. The other says, I give a lot to our church, they will find me.
Keep the faith, but never ever to ourselves.
Love Philip x