My wife Sara, who is also a pastor, and I, often talk about the scripture lessons assigned for each Sunday. It helps us as we flesh out our sermons and prepare to preach. Wednesday night, over dinner, I said to her, “There is no way around it. I think I have to preach about money this week”.

     “That’s odd”, she said. “I would think you would preach about the scripture lessons”. These were wise and good words from my wife! So indeed, I will be preaching about the texts. Before you breathe a sigh of relief, since most of us tend to hold our breath upon hearing the word “stewardship” during a sermon; I think we also need to talk about giving, and particularly what today’s texts teach us.

     Before I go any further, I ask you pay careful attention to the use plural pronouns, like “we” and “us”. Just because I am a pastor doesn’t mean I am exempt from God’s call of stewardship. I, too, struggle with giving. I struggle with how much is enough and with the desire to amass possessions. After all, filling our lives with things is what world teaches us.

     Television ads insist our lives are incomplete without the greatest new product. Reality shows encourage us to earn millions as the last survivor or the winner of an amazing race. Companies tell us to trash the old, buy the new, and be the envy of our neighbors. Indeed there is much in this world that says, “Tear down your old barns! Build newer, bigger ones and fill them. Eat, drink, and be merry!” This has even started showing up in some churches that proclaim what is called the “Prosperity Gospel”. Clearly, they say, Jesus enjoyed the finer things in life and also wants us to be rich, fat, and happy.

     Set against all of these messages are today’s scripture readings. The writer of Ecclesiastes (1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23) bemoans that possessions are but a vapor, a vanity, and things that come and go. They are nothing more than a puff of air, have no real content and hold no hope for us. In Colossians 3:1-11), we hear the reminder not to set our mind on things of the earth. The writer even says that greed is idolatry. Jesus, in Luke’s gospel (12:13-21), warns people to be on guard against greed. He uses the parable of man who has much, builds bigger barns, and stores up possessions. He plans to kick back and relax; and then he dies, and it is all for naught. Jesus says it is this way for those rich in earthly treasures. Sure, possessions in this world might bring fleeting happiness, but little else. So, Jesus says, be rich toward God.

     How, then, are we to be rich toward God? I wish I could give you a checklist, or a sheet of paper entitled “The top 10 ways to be rich toward God”. However, I think we have to look throughout the gospel of Luke to see Jesus’ examples in order to learn what it means to be rich toward God. Being rich toward God looks like freely sharing financial resources to help those in need. Jesus mentions alms giving several times in Luke’s gospel.
For us, this means serious conversations about how and what we give to the church. God calls us to tithe and tithing is understood as giving a percentage of our income. Tithing is not just giving a few dollars here and there. A tithe, from the understanding of the church, is 10% of our income. The average Lutheran, according to studies, gives 1-2%. Certainly, this concept of10% is not without flaws. When we use this model, we tend to think that only 10% is God’s and the other 90% is ours, which isn’t the case. All we have comes from and belongs to God.

     Yet, this Biblical model of 10% is the one we have, and so, we proclaim percentage based tithing. The problem is that we come up with many excuses. A friend of mine serves a parish in a large golfing community. He recently told me that he arrived early for a council meeting, and when he walked in the room, one person was complaining the he lost $1500 in bets on the golf course. Later that evening, as council discussed the church budget, the same person said, “Sorry, pastor, I just can’t tithe. I live on a fixed income”.

     How often do we make excuses about what we can and can’t give, while what is given in the offering each week doesn’t match what is needed for all ministries? Let me be frank. We all enjoy having a building in which to worship and a place to come to praise God, study, learn, and grow in faith. We are thankful for our many ministries that bless our community, state, nation, and world. We rejoice in the presence of staff who provide care and leadership. However, if we don’t have financial gifts to support all these things, they cannot last. We may expect that someone else will take care of it, but God calls all of us to steward this place and its ministries and to care for those in need. These words are difficult to hear! Yet, God calls us to give faithfully, because God first gives us so much.

     Being rich toward God is not just about money, however. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus talks quite a bit about possessions as well, even encouraging some to sell what they have and share with those in need. This leaves us to ponder what we have that we might part with? Just look at the number of storage units people fill with things. What are we keeping that might bless someone else?
Beyond possessions, we see in Luke’s gospel Jesus ministry of forgiving and healing; reaching out to the poor, outcast, and forgotten; and preaching the good news of God’s love for all the world. Perhaps being rich toward God looks like welcoming people – all people – into this place; or becoming more involved in ministries that happen here; or inviting a friend to worship and sharing with them what we love about our church home. Maybe richness toward God means putting the needs of others above our own; spending more time in prayer and study of scripture; or ceasing gossip. Whatever the case may be, richness toward God is about serving God and not about us. After all, Jesus didn’t say, “Be rich toward yourselves”. He said, “Be rich toward God”.

     It is a mighty challenge for you and me, but one that is not impossible. We are able to be rich toward God because of what God has first done for us. The text from Colossians reminds us that God made us new creation in Christ and clothed us anew. Because God has saved and redeemed us through Christ’s death and resurrection; because God has clothed us in garments of salvation in baptism and keeps that clothing new through forgiveness and the body and blood of communion meal; we respond by living differently. We respond by placing our trust in God and not in the things of this earth. We respond by praying for strength to be rich toward God.

     As we hear the challenging words of today’s scripture, words that cause us to wince; as we struggle together with Christ’s call to be rich toward God and not just rich; may God guide us and strengthen us through God’s Holy Word and Sacraments. May God strengthen us to follow Christ and serve all people. May God empower us to turn from the call of world and share freely, tithe abundantly, and continue the work of ministry. After all, there is work to be done and God calls us to turn from this world and do it.