Friday, June 05, 2009

Money

Friday, June 5, 2009 -- Week of Proper 4, Year One
Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary to Germany, and Martyr, 754

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 968)
Psalms 40, 54 (morning) 51 (evening)
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
2 Corinthians 8:16-24
Luke 18:9-14

We have several passages with references to money and wealth today. (Next spring we'll be offering a class about Money for those who have been through our basic Servant Leadership training.)

As I read the instructions in Deuteronomy about the first fruits, I was reminded of a practice that many people find meaningful and satisfying. The congregation is told to take the first fruits of the harvest and bring it to the priest. The priest sets the offering on the altar. There follows a fine liturgy, as those presenting the offering remember the ancient story: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor..." They recite their sacred history -- the sojourn as aliens in the land of Egypt; growth into a great nation; the oppression of harsh labor; their cry to God for deliverance; the Exodus from Egypt into "a land flowing with milk and honey."

I know many people who do a similar ritual on payday. When they receive their check, they make their "first fruits" offering by writing the first check that will come from this income as their offering to God through the church. Many people who tithe write their check for 10% of their income. Others who may be working toward a tithe will write their check for whatever proportion they have pledged. In such a way they join this ancient Hebrew tradition of thanking God for all that God has given us in this land flowing with milk and honey.

The end of the reading today includes a celebration. Those offering gifts along with the priests bow down together before the Lord. "Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given you and to your house." Note the inclusion of the aliens in the bounty and the celebration of the community.

If we were to read the verses beyond those assigned for today, we would see that every third year, instead of taking the first fruits to the temple, the tithe is distributed among "the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so they may eat their fill within your towns." The Levites were the priests, who had no land for their wealth and so were dependent upon the offerings of the congregation. The aliens, orphans and widows were poor and vulnerable. The people are given a responsibility to care for the poor and vulnerable. This is a consistent theme in scripture.

We see that theme picked up in Paul's letter to Corinth. Yesterday's reading included his powerful appeal to the wealthy Corinthian church to give generously toward his monetary collection for the needs of the church in Israel. As is so often the case when money is involved, there is some tension about the project, and Paul declares his intent "that no one should blame us about this generous gift that we are administering, for we intend to do what is right not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of others." Transparent accounting. That's in the Bible too!

This section about the money collection is significant, focusing Paul's energy for two full chapters (8 and 9).

Lest we become too legalistic about our offerings, we have the word from Luke's gospel today where Jesus contrasts the piety of a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee is confident and self-satisfied, thanking God that he is not like other people. He goes beyond the requirements of the law in tithing. But the tax collector stands humbly in his appeal for God's mercy. Jesus blesses the tax collector's prayer.

Stewardship is a spiritual issue. What we do with what we get is important. God has blessed us, and our thankful return of the first fruits is an acknowledgment to God, the source of our wealth and blessing. And God has made us responsible for the welfare of our neighbor, especially the poor and vulnerable. We are to give generously and to do so humbly. As we heard Jesus say in Monday's gospel reading: "So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"

Lowell
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Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts

About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.


Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas

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