2011 Budget

A Big Thank You to all who have raised their pledge for this years budget. The most difficult miracle that ever took place in scripture can be found...drum roll please...Acts chapter 2! "All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need."

The coming of Jesus brings about an economic change! We hear it in the parables. There was a rich man who was so rich he didn't know what to do with his surplus. "I know what I'll do, I'll tear down my barns and build larger ones. I will eat, drink and be merry!" "You fool" is the response from God! "This very night your soul is required of you."

We see it again in Luke who tells the story of the chief tax collector Zacchaeus, high up, up, up in a tree; and then at the Lord's command, Zacchaeus flips and flies down, down, down. Reaching bottom, what does Zacchaeus do? Why, he does the miraculous. He sells off half his wealth, gives back four times what he owes. A move that causes Jesus to exclaim, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham." (Luke 19:9)

I'm just saying that Luke is trying to make a point! It's the economy! Followers of Christ are to be involved in a miracle, selling possessions and goods and distributing the proceeds to all, as any have need. That is one tough miracle. I just can't imagine that lasting very long, and maybe it didn't.

It probably didn't take the church very long to go from "glad and generous hearts" and be more like what Paul had to write about...always appealing..."by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you. It has been reported to me...that there are quarrels among you." (I Corinthians 1: 10-11) Quarrels and fighting and selfishness...now that sounds more like church! It must have been some miracle, even if it occurred for a moment in time. How did God get all those people to loosen up their grips on their wallets and sell off all their stuff? Difficult back then but I wonder if it would be impossible today.. We're so entrenched in getting and having and owning.

Having and getting and wanting is a big part of who we are. Now I've heard congregations pray for people to be healed of cancer. I've heard people pray to have their eyesight restored. I've heard people pray for a life to be turned around, to get better jobs. But I've never heard anyone pray for the miracle that Luke writes about again and again and again - that with the coming of Jesus, "All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need."
Come on Luke, we live in the real world! But, you know, I could be wrong about that most difficult miracle. We shouldn't have to turn our church budget into hurricane relief just to get a response... Let's all be apart of the miracle. Our church budget supports the Sunday school curriculum, heat and air and building maintenance and insurance... office expenses and staff salaries and benefits, plus local church programs for all ages, and our conference apportionments, which support district conference, and general church programs and people and our world service offering, which supports numerous mission sites around the world. May we all seek to be good givers. Money is simply stored up self hood, so when you give your checks and your change you are giving God yourself.

Thanks - Wow thank thank thank you - let's watch the miracle.

Jim