When I was a child, going to church every Sunday was automatic for my sisters and me as required and modeled by our parents. Giving was also automatic, required and modeled by our parents. They gave each of us as children a quarter each Sunday to put into the plastic church that our Sunday School teachers had in the classroom for offerings. We learned early on that our part helped the whole church. Though small in size, our offering made us feel part of something larger and more important. It still does.
Today, some 45% of Americans give no money at all to charitable organizations. Somewhere along the line, the spirit of generosity has decreased; coincidentally, fewer people feel part of something larger and more important. Our decision to give financially changes that feeling. We feel the solidarity of standing with others for that which is good and right and selfless and of God, and everyone can have that feeling.
In a recent NPR report, 85% of Americans have recurring streaming charges on their credit card bills that they no longer use. At $7-$24/month, that money adds up with no benefit to the cardholder. However, what if that same money went to God whose blessings are streaming into our lives every moment? And what if 45% of people who give no money at all to charitable purposes were to do the same thing? Suddenly, that begins to add up!
I want to challenge all of us to look at our expenses for where we are spending “dead money” – money that is reaping no benefit except for the company that is receiving it. Then redirect or add that same money to your Estimate of Giving for 2024 to your church on that same monthly basis. FUMC Plano works hard to stream the love of Jesus into your life and the lives of hundreds of others. Like those quarters we put into the plastic church, your gift to “stream Jesus” will give you the satisfaction of feeling part of something larger, more important and of God. See you in church this Sunday to feel that.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
