My March 2013 Newsletter Article

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ,

First, both denominations of our churches, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church, have designated Sunday, March 10, as a special offering Sunday called “One Great Hour of Sharing.” Please see elsewhere in this newsletter for more information about how each denomination uses the proceeds of this offering and please prayerfully consider your donation to OGHS.

Secondly, when you give to our churches, what happens to the information? Confidentiality is very important issue for many people. They don’t want others prying into their giving patterns. Who are the people that know what you have given? First would be the Financial Secretaries. For many churches this is one person but ideally should be two people. The Financial Secretary collects the offering, counts how much has been received, records your individual or family giving, and deposits the money. They then notify the treasurer the amount deposited. They also report monthly to the Church Council the amounts that have been received. Sometimes quarterly but always annually, they report to you how much you have given. You may then use those reports to adjust your giving (hopefully more) and to report your charitable contributions to the IRS.

Another person who may know your giving is the Treasurer who works closely with the Financial Secretary and is sometimes a check upon their work. The main purpose of the Treasurer is to pay the bills of the church. Together with the Financial Secretary, the Finance Committee, and the Church Council, treasurers work to maintain the financial health of our churches. The Treasurer and the Financial Secretary are expected to maintain strict confidentiality as dictated by their fiduciary duties and law.
A final person who may or may not know your giving information is me, your Pastor. There is debate about whether or not a pastor should know this information. If I know who gives what will I be tempted to treat the big givers differently than the small givers? Truth be told, it is a real temptation. On the other hand, how can a pastor lead and guide a church without knowing all the information? The giving patterns of the members (and guests) of the church people is one tool, one small piece of information, that can help.

Most years, I don’t know and I don’t want to know who gives what to their church. I remain faithful in my giving and I pray that you will too. This year, however, I did review the giving patterns and it is very revealing. (However, if you were to ask me about who gave what I couldn’t tell you with any specificity. I don’t generally remember those details.)

Here is what I have learned.

1. There are many people who are giving generously, some, even, who are tithing. I can only guess that they are tithing because I don’t know anyone’s income. Some generous givers may be described as “big givers” but many are “small givers”. The actual dollars don’t matter as long as we are generous (Romans 12:8) and joyous (2 Corinthians 9:7).

2. There are a number of one or two time givers, usually guests or family members who attend once or twice a year. We give thanks for their generosity. If they live in the area we should be inviting them back to church because their presence is precious to the life of the church (without worrying about the money).

3. There are many in our churches who attend regularly who could give more. Some may only be able to give a little more but many can give much more. If you are able to give more, please pray about how much more you may be able to give and then please make that financial commitment.

So, what should we be giving? The “gold standard” is 10% of our annual gross income (Numbers 18:26 and Malachi 3:10). That is an Old Testament standard. The New Testament standard is generously and joyfully (see #1 above). Want to know how well you did? Divide the total amount reported on your church giving statement by the Adjusted Gross Income you reported to the IRS. The result will be a decimal. Move the decimal two places to the right and that is the percentage you gave. Example: You gave $1,354 and your AGI was $29,372. In dividing the result is 0.0460983. Moving the decimal to the right and rounding gives you 4.61%. Not bad, but can you give 6% this year or $1,762 (assuming your income stays the same)? (Full disclosure: I give 10.7% split between the two churches.) How have you done in your giving to the church? Is there room to grow in your giving? Can you step up to the next level with the future goal of tithing? I pray there is room and you are willing.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Gary

Readings for March 3, 2013

Hello Everyone – Grace and Peace to All,

Lent moves toward the Death of Jesus with the surprise and miracle of Easter around the bend. That is just like life – we are all moving toward death yet the surprise and miracle of Life is not only around the bend but with us always. Things change; people change; disasters happen; miracles renew. The following came in an email I receive every week with sermon illustrations.

This notice appeared in the window of a coat store in Nottingham, England: "We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coat rationing, government control and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next."

On Wednesday night, at our Midweek Lenten Worship, we will read John 6. Not all of it, of course, but I would encourage you to read the entire 71 verses. It starts with the Feeding of the 5000, has a short interlude involving walking on water, and then the long discourse on the Bread of Life. It ends with some disciples leaving Jesus and a declaration by the writer of Judas’ betrayal.

Our readings for Sunday are:

Isaiah 55:1-9 – Many who have studied the book of Isaiah see several writers within the passages. The tone and message is distinct between three sections of the book. “First Isaiah”, corresponding to chapters 1-39, is all about faithfulness to God before the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem by the Babylonians. “Second Isaiah”, chapters 40-55, is all about hope and expectation just prior to the return of the Israelites from captivity in Babylon. “Third Isaiah”, chapters 56-66, concerns the political and religious turmoil in Jerusalem after the return from Babylon. The writers of Isaiah II and III could have been disciples of the original Isaiah ben Amoz. Our reading is full of hope and joy. A call to join God’s feast and the renewal of the Davidic Covenant. I really resonate with verses 8 and 9 especially when people speak about God and the Bible in absolutes. God’s way are not our ways so why do we think that we can stuff God to our little boxes?

Psalm 63:1-8 – One of the best things about the Psalms is the variety of emotions and feelings that the psalmist brings. Psalm 63 is one such Psalm. Don’t just read the first 8 verses; read the entire 11 verses. (Many have commented that the Lectionary Committee avoids the difficult verses that might give readers and listeners qualms.) The first 8 verses is all praise and joy for God who gives love and protection. Verses 9 and 10 suddenly turn to darker thought about what may happen to the psalmist’s enemies. Verse 11 returns to rejoicing in God but tack on one final thought about liars: their mouths will be stopped!

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 – We seem to be hop-skipping through Paul’s letters during Lent. When reading Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth, remember that he was dealing with a conflicted church, some of whom didn't like Paul. In our passage, Paul references some terrible calamities that are attributed God in the Old Testament. Verse 7 refers to Exodus 32. (Actually, in verse 27 Moses, using the name of the Lord, commands the deaths of 3,000 people.) Verse 8 refers to Numbers 25:1-9 (impaling idolaters and adulterers). Verse 9 refers to Numbers 21:5-9 (poisonous snakes). Finally, verse 10 refers to Numbers 16:41-50 (all of chapter 16 is disquieting, to say the least, with an earthquake that kills some rebels and a plague that kills thousands). Why does Paul hold up these passages? Perhaps verses 6 and 11 will help. They are examples and perhaps Paul wasn’t above using a little shock therapy for this conflicted church. Did God actually kill or order to be killed the thousands of people in those passages? Remember, the Bible is as much a revelation about the nature of humanity as it is about God. The human way would be to kill rebels, idolaters, and adulterers (and blame God for it), but that is not God’s way (Isaiah 55:8). Keep reading . . .

Luke 13:1-9 – Do the worst of sinners get killed by God in accidents or at the hands of others? Not according to Jesus in our passage. We are all in the need of repentance as we all face death. (Do you drive a car? Then you face death.) If we don’t repent or if we do repent, we will die. The point is our need for repentance so that we may bear fruit for God’s Kingdom. God will also keep providing the manure (fertilizer) we need to bear that fruit.

Do we need a little fertilizer this week? Will our roots break out of the boxes that bind us so that we can bear God’s fruit for God’s Kingdom? (I think I’m mixing too many metaphors.)

Remember, God is Faithful.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Gary Taylor

Readings for Sunday, February 24, 2013

Hello Everyone,

First, for those interested in the United Methodist Church and our Annual Conference it was announced yesterday that our North Star District Superintendent Alan Bolte has been appointed to Grand Rapids UMC after serving 8 years as superintendent. We wish him the best and pray for the Spirit to work through him in Grand Rapids. Also announced, the lead pastor at Coon Rapids UMC, Rev. Mark Miller, has been appointed as our new District Superintendent.

For those who are a part of the United Church of Christ, the Minnesota Conference is still in the search process for a new Conference Minister to replace the retiring Rev. Karen Smith Sellers.

We begin a sermon series for our Wednesday Evening Lenten Worship titled “I AM”. I just got off a video conference workshop with Marcia McFee at Worship Design Studio who asked us to write a “topic poem”. Here is what I came up with to use with our Lenten Worship:

I AM
Here, Everywhere
Giving, Connecting, Loving
I give to you
Life

Worship is at 6:00 PM at PUC (with Soup & Sandwiches at 5:15 PM) and 7:30 PM at GEUMC. I hope to see everyone there.

Our reading for tomorrow night is John 4:1-42, Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Our readings for this coming Sunday are:

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 – God’s covenant with Abram (later Abraham) that Abram’s descendants will be numerous and that a later generation will possess the land. The covenant ritual enacted here involves sacrificing animals, splitting them in two, passing between the carcass sides, and promising, in effect, “If I don’t do what I promise, may I be treated like these animals.” God makes this promise to Abram. How do we signify our promise to keep our covenant?

Psalm 27 – This Psalm seems to be schizophrenic. On the one hand, the Psalmist knows that the Lord will protect and conceal him from all enemies and therefore the Lord should be praised. On the other hand, the Psalmist seems to also say that he doesn’t feel the Lord’s presence while his enemies are attacking and is pleading for the Lord’s return. In the very last verses, 13-14, the Psalmist calms himself with the hope that the Lord never abandons. Are there days when we don’t feel the Lord’s presence despite our knowledge that God’s Spirit is always with us?

Philippians 3:17-4:1 – “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” I don’t think Paul is looking for flattery here, but he does understand that we imitate others. The big question is “Whom do we imitate?” If we unknowingly imitate those around us we become like them and become enemies of God (“the cross of Christ”). The goal of Christian life is the imitation of God and God’s love. Jesus’ entire life was in imitation of God’s love even if it meant going to the cross. So, if it is hard to imitate God then try imitating Jesus. If that is too hard, the Paul urges his readers to imitate him as he imitates Jesus who was the perfect imitation of God’s love. By loving as God love our lives (humble bodies or the body of our humiliation) are transformed to Jesus’ glory. Who do you imitate each day?

Luke 13:31-35 – Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem. Chapters 11 through 18 are primarily the teachings of Jesus with a little bit of movement and actions such as healings. The Pharisees, who have been challenging Jesus, warn Jesus of Herod’s intentions. Since Jesus is intent on going to the seat of political and religious power in the area, he is aware of what will happen. Jesus’ way of peace and love will be rejected by the powers, as it always is (the killing of the prophets). This rejection of peace will eventually lead to Jerusalem’s destruction in 69 CE. How do we, as the Body of Christ, help to transform society without rejecting peace? Can societal transformation happen without violence?

May the Lord Bless you in all that you do as you serve God by serving others.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Gary Taylor