One person puts a $100 bill into the collection plate. The next person puts in 50 cents. Who has given more?
[Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Sometimes less is more, and more is less. That’s why Christians are encouraged to think about percentages in giving rather than set amounts. Giving a percentage of our income levels the field – the person whose income is $40,000 a year can give at the same level or higher than the one with a six-figure income. In fact, often those who have less to give make proportionally higher donations. Perhaps having less to play with can free us up to take bigger risks.
Indeed, the higher our incomes, the ouch-ier the math can be. Ten percent of $40,000 is $4,000; a goodly sum, but conceivable. But say your income is $200,000 per year; now we’re talking a $20,000 pledge. Heart palpitations set in. Why? Not, I suspect, because we actually need that $20,000 to live on if we’ve got $180,000 left, but because our culture says it’s crazy to give $20,000 to support a religious ministry. Spending $20,000 on a big vacation or a new car is reasonable; giving that away is counter-cultural.
The life of the Christ-follower is meant to be counter-cultural, risky, and exhilarating. We are invited to gratefully enjoy the resources we do have, to live simply and in a way that does little or no harm to our fellow humans and fellow creatures, and to give lavishly, as God has given us. When we’re not so worried about how much we need, we are freer to enjoy what we have. Freedom is God’s desire for us, and a source of infectious joy.
Today let's pray with our calculator and tax returns handy.
Look at your adjusted gross income for last year. Look at your pledge or giving record.
Do the math. Maybe you’re giving more than 10 percent, maybe less.
Do you feel free? Do you feel joyful? Open-handed?
Do you feel anxious, closed in, put upon? Pray those feelings.
That widow gave it all. Maybe she had nothing left to lose.
Do you feel free? Do you feel joyful? Open-handed?
Do you feel anxious, closed in, put upon? Pray those feelings.
That widow gave it all. Maybe she had nothing left to lose.
Today I am asking myself, “What do I have to lose?” And whatever the answer is, I pray for the grace to loosen my grip on it, and coast on the winds of the Spirit.
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