Greetings, Glen Mar,

Everyone likes talking about finances, right? Money! Yay!

I don’t know what the actual statistics are, and I imagine if I Googled it I could find them, but I’m guessing that at least 90% of people avoid talking about their financial habits if they can, 100% of people don’t like being asked what they make, and 200% of folks are tired of being asked to give more money to this charity or that one! I get it.

But as followers of Jesus, we have to talk about finances.

This coming Sunday, we are going to talk about how disciples give generously. Compare this title with last week’s message, “Disciples Resist Greed,” which Pastor Gayle did a great job with, and recognize that if last week’s topic was the negative side of the matter, this week is the positive side. This is what we are to do: we give generously!

But what does it mean to “give generously?” Is giving generously just about giving money? Who are we to give to? Is there a right way? A wrong way? What else are we to know about giving? In the 1 Timothy passage we will read on Sunday (1 Tim. 6:6-19), we will hear the often misquoted line “the love of money is the root of all evil…” This is good news because it is not money, or wealth for that matter, that’s evil. It’s the LOVE of money that’s the problem, not money itself. That’s good to know! But then, how can we know if we love money? Perhaps the most important question is: what does Jesus, the one we attempt to follow, have to say about giving? Spoiler alert: it’s a bit challenging.

So, yes, I will be talking about money and giving generously on Sunday. This is your heads up, but as the Bible declares at least 365 times, “Do not be afraid.” We will get through it together, and hopefully, in the process, learn more about how we can better follow Jesus with our finances (and other “wealth”).

I hope to see you on Sunday.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Chris