THE ECONOMY: God vs. The Big Mac

June 14, 2009

Gen 28:10-22

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place — and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you."

I read recently where, due to the economy, people are adjusting their spending habits. They’re not eating out as much. They’re not traveling as much. They’re not going to the doctor or dentist as often.

And, of course, they’re not giving to charities like they used to. I read somewhere that giving to churches and other groups is down anywhere from 5 to 20%.

Our church is no exception. At the end of April we were roughly $11k behind in giving compared to this same time last year.

We’re fortunate that we have reserves that can help us weather the storm. Also, we’re taking steps to try to help with the cash flow. We’re building up funding sources outside of operating income, such as the Together We’re Better program. And we’re taking a look at our expenses, prioritizing those things that best help us meet our mission of being a welcoming community of seekers, believers, and disciples.

But there is also something good that comes from bad economic times, and that’s what I want to focus on this morning. The good that comes from it is that it causes us to take an honest look at ourselves, and what’s behind why we give to God—through the church—in the first place.

I was talking to a person a while back who said something interesting. This person said that giving to church is down because people’s “discretionary spending” is down.

I didn’t think much of that at the time. But later, it made me reflect. Is that our mentality about giving to God? You give your money to what’s really important first, you know—the mortgage, the retirement, the kids’ education, groceries, vacation fund. THEN, and only then, do you consider how much to give to God? Is that our attitude? And when the economy gets rough, God is the first to get cut?

If that’s our attitude, then it makes church out to be not the transforming, redeeming, mission-focused body of Christ in the world. Rather, it makes it out to be a club, something expendable, with your goal being figuring out the least amount of “dues” you need to pay to keep your membership in good standing.

The makers of Butterball-brand turkeys operate an 800 number. You can call and get tips on cooking your turkey. One woman called and wanted to know if it was safe to defrost and cook a Butterball turkey she’d had in her freezer for 26 years.

The answer came back that, provided the turkey had been properly wrapped and continuously frozen at a low-enough temperature, it was technically safe to eat — but that, sadly, its quality would not be good.

“That’s what we thought,” the caller replied. “We’ll give it to the church.”

Is that the attitude people have? It’s second best, so we’ll give it to…God.

You wouldn’t catch Jacob having this attitude.

He has that famous dream. He hears God make lavish promises to him.

And in the light of God’s promises, what does Jacob say? He doesn’t say, “With all that God will give me, I’ll first buy a bigger home…” No. Jacob says, “With all that God will give me, I’ll honor God by giving God 1/10—10 %--of all that I have. I’ll give to God first. I will NOT give to God from my discretionary income. I’ll give to God from my primary income. To do anything else would be ungrateful.”

Jacob is following a model of “tithing,” of giving 10% of what God gives you back to God. It was established by Abraham [Genesis 14:20]. It’s been held up ever since as a model of cheerful giving. When you receive your check, you figure out what 10% of it is, and you give it to God with joy in your heart, and a smile on your face. It’s not an obligation. It’s a privilege.

I invite you to use this downturn in the economy as an opportunity to take a good, open, honest look at where your heart is regarding the use of your money. You’ll find it a refreshing exercise.

If you’re already following Jacob’s model, GREAT! You know how good it feels. If you’re not, note what you give, give it with a smile, then ask, “What can I do to be more like Jacob? How can I move closer to tithing?”

Here are some suggestions. .

Look at your blessings, the “dream” God’s fulfilling in you right now.

Incredible how we think, because our stocks and home values are down, that that’s the end of the world. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Do you really think the dollar sign determines your happiness, determines your priorities? Indeed, as Christians, the downturn in the economy helps us see how really wealthy we are where it counts. Companionship. Hope. Direction. Support. Generosity. Abundance. That’s what the Christian community is all about.

Look at your income and expenses.

Here’s a list of things in a typical family budget. If you’re like most people, you conscientiously plug in numbers, based on your income.

When, in your budgeting process, do you plug in a number for God? Is it after you plug in all the other, more “important”, numbers? Or do you give to God first—do you say, “Of what I make, I will give ‘X’ percent to God, joyfully and freely. This is a priority, and this is non-negotiable. This is my way of saying with Jacob, ‘Thank you, Lord—THANK YOU!’”

If you don’t start with God…why not???

As one church stated on their sign, “Give to God what’s right, not what’s left!”

This leads to the third thing:

Have fun thanking God.

Look at your lifestyle, and be creative.

What is “fluff,” that you can do without? Do you really have to eat out as much as you do? If your family eats out one less time per month, over the course of a year, that can be a gift of $400-$500 to God [and to your waistline].

What do you do with the change that’s left over at the end of the day?

How do you buy your groceries? Do you stop by our Finance Committee’s table in the Parlor and buy any of the grocery store cards, where the church gets a percentage back?

Do you have a part-time job? Can you practice being Jacob and tithe that income?

Do you have a credit card that gives you cash back? What do you do with that money?

The whole point is this: there are marvelous ways to say thanks to God. All you have to do is to be as intentional in giving to God as you are in paying the bank. But there’s one big difference: when you give to God, you have a smile on your face—and you put a smile on God’s, because it feels absolutely wonderful to hear, “Thank you!”

Rob Weber, who led our Renewal services, told me the story of a pastor he knew that exemplifies this spirit.

She is Callie Winn, pastor of Rayne Memorial in New Orleans. These are her words: 
Every Sunday morning, at 7:30 am, one of the last things I do before I leave the parsonage, is to write a check for my pledge to Rayne. It is a tithe of my income…

One of the first things I do upon arrival, along with opening doors, turning on lights, and setting out the bulletins, is to place this check in the offering plates on the altar of the Hannah Chapel. This ritual of weekly giving has become such an integral part of my worship,  
that I would sooner leave the house on Sunday morning without my shoes than without my offering!  
Many years ago, when I first began to give in this intentional and disciplined way, I never dreamed that it would one day give me so much genuine joy and pure pleasure. And though there have been times so tight my bank account scraped rock bottom, this tithe has always come first, "off the top." Never have I or my children gone hungry. There has always been more than enough.  
And so when the staggering news came of the economic meltdown which now mires our nation in debt and despair, and this on the heels of the report of our church's recent deficit, the only reasonable response I could imagine was to increase my pledge by $25 each week. Increase? Some might say this is foolish, at the very least, counterintuitive. But after more than 5 decades of  
living on this planet, I have learned that "the secret of living is giving…"

The Big Mac.  THAT is what we can decide on with our discretionary income. We can live with it, or without it—no problem.

The Big Mac…

…vs. God. The symbol of what God has done for us—giving US everything that was in God’s heart, and more. Can we really respond to God as if God is on the same level as a Big Mac?

Of course not. As the hymn goes, “love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my love, MY ALL.”