“He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury;he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them;for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

The Widows Offering is so instructive for us today. Stewardship is such a messy topic – stewardship of our time, of our talents and gifts, and of our money.  What is in our hearts when it comes to sharing what we have and giving out of our abundance and our want?  Do we hold back, thinking that we must save for a rainy day?  Do we give out of the expectation that we should give everything that we have?  Why do we give at all?  Do we give enough to our neighbors?  How do we calculate when enough is enough?  How do we answer the questions of others who think we are wasting our money and our time?

It is often said that those who have the least know what it is like to give to the point where they outdo all others – not because they are pretentious, but because they know no other kind of giving.

Pastor Dave

“So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?” They said, “The emperor’s. ”He said to them, “Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.” Luke 20:20-26

“The best measure of a man’s honesty isn’t his income tax return. It’s the zero adjust on his bathroom scale.” (Arthur C. Clarke)

Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to G-d what is G-d’s.  Sounds easy, right? We all know that it is much more difficult than that.  When it comes to giving money, deciding how much to give or arguing against what is being asked for, our giving can become problematic. And the issue can go beyond money, because when our time or talent goes too much to one and too little to the other, then we lose the balance that we need in our lives. 

Christ says that we are to strike a balance – give to the state and community what is right and give to G-d what we should. Ultimately G-d’s claim on us should maintain its rightful place. How we dispense all of our blessings will be different for each one of us – but time spent with G-d of course is always time well spent.

Pastor Dave