Deuteronomy 16:9-12
1 Corinthians 16:1-4

In writing to the Christians in Corinth, Paul wrote concerning the collection.  How mundane!  Often there is resistance to talking about money in church?  In at least four of his letters Paul talked about receiving an offering for the church in Jerusalem.  Why did he do that?  In the portion of his letter to the Corinthians that was read earlier, apparently, Paul is responding to the inquiries that had come to him in a letter from the Corinthian congregation.  Paul wrote, "Now, concerning what you wrote about the collection . . ." 
              
Paul encouraged several of the churches to collect money for the church in Jerusalem.  There were at least two reasons why he urged people to give to this offering.  First, the church in Jerusalem was in great need.  It was a church that had a great deal of demand on it as this entire enterprise known as The Way got underway.  Followers of The Way was the earliest identification given to Christians.  Some of the leaders, perhaps the more financially resourceful leaders, had gone to other places.  The congregation was left with greater demand for ministry but with fewer resources. Does that sound familiar?  Second, there was great controversy in the early church as to whether Gentiles could or ought to be accepted into the church without becoming Jews first.  The feelings and opinions were strong on both sides of the issue.  Paul had been clear about his view and even identified himself as the Apostle to the Gentiles.  Paul was convinced that one of the best ways for the people in the congregations, most of whom were Gentiles, to demonstrate their commitment to Christ and their desire for the very best for the church and to show that the wall between Jews and Gentiles had been torn down by Christ was to give an offering to the church in Jerusalem where most of the opposition to Gentiles becoming followers of The Way resided.  It was a first century way of saying, “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” So Paul encouraged the Corinthians to receive an offering for the church in Jerusalem.  The offering was an excellent way to demonstrate the unity of the church.  It was an expression of unity but not uniformity.  It also was a way to remove any suspicions Jerusalem had of Paul and his work with the Gentiles.      
              
The followers of The Way were a part of Judaism for many years.  They simply functioned as a sect or in contemporary terms as a denomination within Judaism.  In the early years, the followers of The Way would worship at the Temple or the synagogue on the Sabbath and then remain to worship with fellow followers as the Sabbath moved into the first day of the week.  It was their way of remembering and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus every week.  These verses in 1 Corinthians is the first time that the first day of the week is mentioned in the early church as having a special significance for the followers of The Way.
             
It seems abundantly clear that Paul does not want to spend any time in fund raising when he arrives in Corinth.  He wanted that taken care of ahead of time.  He suggests a plan to the congregation with the concluding statement, "so that there will be no need to collect money when I come. . . ." (1 Cor. 16:2).
              
While Paul's instructions to the Corinthians were for a special offering, what he wrote can offer us guidance and direction in how we financially support ministry in and through this congregation.  The first thing Paul suggested was, "Every Sunday each of you must put aside some money."  Paul was urging the Corinthians to make their contributions systematically on the first day of the week.  Here was a very practical way for the Corinthian congregation to raise funds to help the Jerusalem congregation which was in need and as a way regularly and systematically to express Christian unity and fellowship.  From these earliest days in the life of the church has come the practice of every Sunday people bringing their offerings to the church.  For centuries every Sunday congregations have collected offerings to meet needs and provide ministry both locally and globally. 
              
This has become a valuable way to express faithful stewardship and giving as an act of worship.  As a part of our worship service each Sunday morning we have a time for the collection, a time for us to give our offerings.  Our offerings are tangible expressions of all of life for which we are managers.  God has put us in charge of our lives.  We often give our offerings at the end of the worship service as a symbolic way of acting out that the entire worship service is our collective gift to God as well as the tangible offerings we give.  Giving our offerings also is a way of saying not only that we give our offerings to God but we are giving our lives to God.  Although God created us and gave us the gift of life, God does not force us or make us give our lives back.  God really wants us to give our lives to God, but that is something we must want to do.  That must come from our internal motivation in order to be authentic giving.
              
Giving is the nature of God.  We are invited to emulate God’s nature in our lives by being giving people.  One way we do that is by giving to the church.  In giving to the church, we give to strengthen our own congregation, to help those who are in need, and to deepen our relationship to God.  As a congregation we need not take an apologetic attitude toward asking people to give but rather we should encourage generosity from members at all income levels.  We should provide our members with frequent giving opportunities, so that the practice of giving becomes part of the life of the congregation as well as our individual lives.  Giving should become second nature to us. By seeking to create an atmosphere of generosity, we need to keep in mind that the church is not the protector of peoples’ wallets, pocketbooks, or bank accounts.  People will decide whether they can give or not and church members will not give more than they can afford.  (Creating Congregations of Generous People, p. 50)
              
You may have heard the story of the argument that the sun and wind had over which one was the more powerful.  The wind said, "Do you see that man down there wearing his overcoat.  I'll bet you I can make him take off his coat quicker than you can.  So the wind blew and blew.  The fiercer the wind blew the more tightly the man wrapped his coat around him.  The sun sent out warm rays, warmer and warmer.  The warmer the rays became, the looser the man hung to his coat until eventually, he took his off his coat.  Indeed, the internal motivation is the most powerful and the most lasting.  The internal motivation of giving out of love and gratitude is the most powerful and the most lasting. 
              
Benjamin Franklin had the opportunity to hear the famous orator and evangelist George Whitefield.  Here is Franklin’s account of that event.
   “I happened soon after to attend one of his sermons, in the course of which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection, and I silently resolved he should get nothing from me.  I had had in my pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five pieces of gold.
   “As he proceeded I began to soften and concluded to give the coppers.  Another stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that and determined me to give the silver; and he finished so admirably that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector’s dish, gold and all.” (Found in Michael Durall, Creating Congregations of Generous People)  Would that I were George Whitefield and you were all Benjamin Franklin!

You may have heard the story about the pastor who was struggling to prepare a sermon.  Right in the middle of his office as he was reading and preparing a Jeannie popped up and said she would grant him one wish.  He said he wanted there to be peace in the Middle East.  The Jeannie said, "Well, let's get a map and look it over."  So the pastor got out a map and he and the Jeannie looked it over.  Finally, the Jeannie shook her head and said, "I don't think I can bring peace to the Middle East.  Since I can't grant you that wish, I will let you make another wish."  The pastor said, "I want my congregation to be committed to proportionate, sacrificial giving."  And the Jeannie said, "Let's look at that map again." 
              
In his book, Creating Congregations of Generous People, Michael Durall shares this observation:
              
“Charitable giving should make some difference in how we as religious people experience life from day to day.  If giving to your congregation is similar to writing a check at the end of the month to pay the phone bill or the electric bill, and then forgetting about it until the end of the next month, you are not giving enough.
              
“Similarly, if you take spare change or a dollar or two from your pocket or purse for the weekly collection and never notice the difference, your giving has too little meaning either for you or for your church.” (p. 38)  
              
Paul clearly stated that by setting aside some money every Sunday in proportion to what each one had received, they would have the offering available at the time it was needed.  This is the very approach we need as a congregation.  Our expenses are fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.  There are a couple of months like April when we have several major bills due such as insurance premiums.  We need to have the money available to take care of practical matters like that at the time they are due.  Our giving is fairly consistent except for October and December.  We receive a large percentage of our receipts during those two months. We receive around 9% of our annual receipts in October.  In December we receive anywhere from 13% to 16% of our receipts.  This is nearly double what we receive most months of the year.  We simply need to be generous and give proportionately throughout the year.  This is one of the ways we express gratitude to God and carry out ministry collectively in places and ways that all of us cannot be and do individually.
              
Paul's instructions to the church in Corinth are valuable, useful, and applicable to the church in Glenview.  Every Sunday each of you must put aside some money, in proportion to what you have earned, and save it up so there will be no need to have a fund raising campaign every few years.  Let's just give.  Let's just give generously, proportionately, sacrificially, and systematically.  Let's just do it!  Concerning the collection let’s see what can happen as we become a congregation of generous people.