Read Deuteronomy 26:1-11.
"...and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me." (Deuteronomy 26: 1-11)
For many years, I have thought of tithing the first fruits of my labor as an obligation. And if I didn't think of it as an obligation, I would imagine it as something I do as a personal insurance policy: if I give this to God, then God promises to take care of me. Therefore, I can reap a reward for my tithing efforts. Yet, these words from Moses at the edge of the promised land don't seem to be about obligation, or even law really; they seem to be about responding to a new creation. The instruction is to tithe the first fruits upon entry into the blessed land of milk and honey. Tithing then is a sign that grows out of belief that we have been brought to freedom. We tithe because we have arrived. If we liken the resurrection to the passing over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then could the same question be asked? How do we respond to the resurrection? Talking about money and financial attitudes is not the most glamorous of ministries. But in the Bible, tithing is as much about guiding principles for living in community as it is about dreams, visions of the Holy One, and deep longings to respond to God's love and faithfulness.
Reflection
Do you ever have the desire to give more to your community in talent or treasure and stop short of action?
How do you experience the call to tithe? As law or hope or something else?
Prayer
We pray to you, O Lord, to inspire our giving hearts. Help us respond when the little voices inside of us tell us to keep quiet or keep back or keep still. Amen
"...and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me." (Deuteronomy 26: 1-11)
For many years, I have thought of tithing the first fruits of my labor as an obligation. And if I didn't think of it as an obligation, I would imagine it as something I do as a personal insurance policy: if I give this to God, then God promises to take care of me. Therefore, I can reap a reward for my tithing efforts. Yet, these words from Moses at the edge of the promised land don't seem to be about obligation, or even law really; they seem to be about responding to a new creation. The instruction is to tithe the first fruits upon entry into the blessed land of milk and honey. Tithing then is a sign that grows out of belief that we have been brought to freedom. We tithe because we have arrived. If we liken the resurrection to the passing over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then could the same question be asked? How do we respond to the resurrection? Talking about money and financial attitudes is not the most glamorous of ministries. But in the Bible, tithing is as much about guiding principles for living in community as it is about dreams, visions of the Holy One, and deep longings to respond to God's love and faithfulness.
Reflection
Do you ever have the desire to give more to your community in talent or treasure and stop short of action?
How do you experience the call to tithe? As law or hope or something else?
Prayer
We pray to you, O Lord, to inspire our giving hearts. Help us respond when the little voices inside of us tell us to keep quiet or keep back or keep still. Amen
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