We’re entering into week three of our stewardship series, Money Matters. In week one I tried to answer the question: How do we honor God with our money? And in a sermon titled For the Love of Money, I suggested that our financial dealings say something to us about the priority of God in our life. Last week, we took up the topic Tithing 101 and I answered some recurring questions about how the church (as a body) deals with finances. I taught on the age ole formula for giving – a concept called Tithing.

This coming Sunday, Oct. 23^rd, we’ll be looking at another form of giving that I’m calling Gracious Generosity.

I define Gracious Generosity as giving beyond a biblical tithe, graciously, from an abundant spirit.

At the heart of this week’s message is the biblical passage from 2 Cor. 9:1-11. In that passage, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth asking that they be ready to give the offering they had committed to Paul for the church in Macedonia. As you read this passage, I hope you’ll notice: Paul does NOT encourage the church in Corinth to tithe. In fact, nowhere in the New Testament is tithing mandated.

Only twice does Jesus ever even take up the subject and both times he does so as a way of naming the hypocrisy of those who give a tenth (remember from week two: a tithe = Ma’aser = a tenth) and do not practice justice (Matt. 23:23) and do not practice humility (Luke 18:9-14).

So why doesn’t Jesus or Paul preach and teach tithing? Well… part of the reason has to do with the relationship between the Law and Grace. You’ll have to come to worship on Sunday to hear more on that. But the other part has to do with the spiritual journey.

Our 2023 Estimate of Giving Cards have a pathway on them. You might have heard these called something differently at different congregations. But at the heart of the movement from Impulse Giving to Intentional Giving to Courageous Giving to Gracious Generosity is one core ingredient: a deepening relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

Growing in our relationship with God involves countless aspects. But money is one aspect that is easily measurable. So it’s honestly the most simple area of our discipleship that we can tangibly track where we’ve been at different season in our lives. Which means this: it doesn’t matter if you’re practicing impulse giving or a gracious generosity, what matters is that you see yourself on the journey and you’re taking some intentional time to continue in that journey.