Twice, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus miraculously feeds large groups of his followers with scant resources; five thousand the first time, and then four thousand just a few chapters later. Both times, his disciples doubted that such a thing was possible and stood around asking themselves, “where are we going to get enough food in this wilderness to satisfy such a big crowd?” Both times Jesus answers their doubt by taking whatever is available, giving thanks, blessing it and somehow making it more than enough.
Some believe that Jesus supernaturally multiplied the loaves and fishes he was given. Others say that instead he was able to work a miracle in the hearts of those gathered to eat; that when a few people were willing to share what little they had, suddenly everyone was willing to share what they had as well and there was plenty to go around.
I tell this story because although Matthew is talking about loaves and fishes, he could just have well have been talking about the way God calls us to financial generosity, especially as it pertains to the life of the church. Like any other organization, the church needs to meet its budget to keep the doors open, but unlike other organizations, we who are part of this community of faith believe that God has called us to more than keeping up with the bills. We believe that God has called us to be in transformative ministry in this community, changing lives and building the Kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, just like many families right now our church is living week to week, having difficulty meeting even the most basic expenses. So far this year our budgeted expenses have totaled $147,497 and we’ve only received $133,245 in gifts toward that amount. When you see those two numbers next to each other, it’s not hard to see that financially, we are in an unsustainable position. We’ve struggled to pay our basic bills and we’ve fallen behind on our missional giving through apportionments.
As easy as it is to become pessimistic about those numbers, it’s also easy to see that God is blessing Ayden UMC in so many ways right now. We’ve had several fantastic community outreach events this year, new families joining the church and a growing presence of children and youth. Our ministry to the local school district has expanded, and we’re constantly seeking new ways to serve others in the name of Christ. All of this is made possible through financial contributions to the church.
Giving is a spiritual discipline. When we join the church, each of us promises to support the church not only with our time, talents and service, but also financially. We exist as a church today by God’s grace and the generosity of past generations, so if you’re a part of this community I want to encourage you to consider how you are being called to contribute financially to the work of God through this church right now.
If you’ve never participated in this good work by making a financial contribution I encourage you to start. It will change your life. If you’re a regular giver you already know that tithing is transformative, and so I want you to consider what you currently give and honestly ask yourself if God is calling you to do more. I’m asking you to do this because I am utterly convinced that God is at work in this place, and I know that if we put our trust in God, he will find a way to multiply our gifts and continue to bless and expand the work of this church.
When the disciples questioned Jesus about how he was going to feed the gathered crowds he turned to them and said simply, “you feed them.” He knew they already had everything that was required, they just needed the faith to see that and to share what they had.
It has been said that the church today has all the money it will ever need, the only problem is that it’s sitting in the wallets, checkbooks and purses of its members instead of in the offering plate! As a congregation we have all the resources that God needs to work miracles in this place. All we need is the faith to share.
Rev. Jim McConnell