Preaching on Money, Part 2
Finding the Essence of “Stewardship”
Sermons and sermon series that address the issue of money and giving often approach it from the perspective of “stewardship.” This is a good word that has to do with the fact that we are caretakers of everything that God has placed in our hands, and we should honour and obey him with all that we do with it.
Typically, we will apply the concept first to the more intangible and ambiguous of God’s gifts. We should be good stewards of the talents God has given us, by using them to serve him. We should be good stewards of our time by volunteering to serve. God has given us our family and friends, so we must honour him at home as faithful stewards of all our relationships.
Finally, we let the shoe drop that everyone has been expecting. God gives us our money, so we should obey him by giving a tenth of the money we earn to the church. This is all true, but I sometimes feel we have left out too much, leaving our hearers with a mere command to obey, when what we really need is a story in which to live.
Preaching a “Big Story” series on money will naturally begin with God’s purpose for our relationship to the material world. Once we understand this, we are more prepared to understand how this relationship has been affected by sin, and how Christ has redeemed it. Here is a list of texts and ideas that could help us tell the story of money:
We represent God in the material world, (Gen. 1:27-30)
The first mention we have of humanity’s relationship to the material world ties the whole question to our identity as creatures made in God’s image. God creates man and woman in his image and immediately tells them to “have dominion” over every living thing that moves on the face of the earth. God’s image in us may be many things — mind, emotions, relatability, self-awareness, opposable thumbs (just kidding!) — but the one thing Genesis tells us is that it means we are to be his own vice-regents in the world, to rule the world as God would rule it.
What does it mean that we are to have dominion over the world? It does not mean that we are to conquer and consume the world, but that we are to tend to it with care and generosity. Just like God, we are to seek the flourishing of the earth and everyone/everything in it. This is an important starting point to understand our relationship with money and material things.
We bear witness to God in the material world. (Gen. 14:17-24)
This text moves us ahead in the story to one of Abram’s first opportunities to experience the promise God has given, that “all the families of the earth will be blessed” through him. Five local kings have been defeated by four marauding ones, and they have taken Abram’s nephew Lot captive. He pursues them and defeats them all, bringing back the booty they had taken from the local kings. As he approaches, Melchizedek, priest of God most High, blesses him, and Abram gives him a tithe.
Then the King of Sodom tells Abram he should keep all the spoils, and just return to him the people he had rescued. Abram’s responds, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.”
What is Abram saying? In essence, he is saying, “I will depend on God and God alone, and I will demonstrate my trust in Him, not only by not being greedy, but by giving generously.”
How we use (and give) our money is a direct witness to the world about what we believe about God.
We Acknowledge and Trust God in the Material World. (Lev. 27:29; Deut. 14:22.)
As we continue to move ahead in the story, we learn that God gave Israel two distinct rhythms that speak directly to their understanding of their relationship to God in the material world. These were Sabbath (setting aside a weekly day of rest and worship), and tithe (giving a tenth of their produce to the Lord). Leviticus 27:29 says specifically that this tithe “is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.”
What do the Sabbath and the tithe say about our relationship to material things? When we build into our lives a rhythm of sabbath and tithe, we are saying, “God not only owns the Sabbath day — he owns every day. And not only is the tithe his, it’s all his.” We are also saying that we believe we can live on 90% of what we can produce in six days, because the God who owns everything is trustworthy.
The tithe acknowledges God’s ownership, and trusts his provision.
We collaborate with God in the material World. (Deut. 14:28-29; Numbers 18:26-28)
These passages lend even more significance to the tithe. God’s purpose was to have a people who would follow him. As a part of this purpose, a portion of the people (the Levites) were to be totally devoted to leading the people to worship him. The tithe given by the people was to be used to support the tribe of Levi. The Levites, in turn would offer a tithe of this tithe to the Lord.
Discipleship is not about self-improvement, but about joining God in what he is doing in the world. When we give, we have the privilege of participating in his purposes. We all know intuitively that we were made to be a part of something bigger than ourselves … to not be earthbound, but heaven-bound. When we give, even our money can take on eternal significance.
We Worship God in the Material World. (Ps. 24, 66)
Of course, when the people of Israel gave the tithe, they were also worshipping God. These two psalms worshipfully affirm that “the earth is the Lord’s,” and follow up this claim with the promise that “I will make an offering …”
The offering is not only acknowledgment, faith, and participation in God’s plan — it is the most worshipful thing we do! It’s one thing to say “the earth is the Lord’s.” Talk is cheep. It’s another thing to follow it up with sacrificial giving. Offering is the natural impulse of a grateful heart. If it is not the impulse of my heart, it may be that I have not stopped to realize what God has done for me!
If you are preaching a “big story” series on money these texts might be a good place to start. You could build a sermon on any or all of them individually, or trace the “story of money” through them all with a big picture perspective in a single sermon. Either way, beginning with God’s purpose for our relationship with material things prepares the way for the next two questions: “How has sin mucked it up?” And, “How has Jesus redeemed it?”
