Hillside Parishes Magazine
Hillside Parish MagazineMarch 2010From the Vicar Last month I was reflecting on the commercial pressures which affect our lives. Economic forces are all around us and, as we know, they are very, very powerful. We are making economic choices all the time: whether to shop in the town centre or the supermarket; whether to be environmentally friendly, to buy fair trade or to buy more cheaply; whether to spend at all now or to save for the future. And because these choices that we are making also affect other people, they are about our faith and our values and our spirituality. The area of life where this may be most apparent is in our giving, to charities and to good causes and to the church. Should we give? Who to? And how much? Does Christian faith offer us any help in this tricky area? Well, yes and no!! It can certainly provide some guidelines, but it does not come up with easy answers. Christian economics is based on the twin principles of stewardship and generosity. From the Creation stories onwards the Bible makes it clear that we are the tenants rather than the owners of the world, that we will be required to account for how we have used the skills and the gifts we have been given. The things that we usually think of as “possessions” do not belong to us at all but to God and we are required to use them wisely, for the common good and for the benefit of future generations. Furthermore, because God has been so generous with us, in particular in giving us His Son Jesus, we are encouraged to be open-handed in return; offering some of our income back to God in thanksgiving and also supporting our neighbours, particularly any who are in need. This, of course, is the origin of Harvest Festival and the prayer at the Offertory each week “All things come of you, O Lord, and of your own do we give you” and also the source of Christian charity, which itself comes from caritas a Latin word meaning “love in action”. So generous giving and the right attitude to our possessions is very much part of our faith tradition. But what should be the basis of our giving? In the Old Testament it is the tithe which is commended, 10% of income, and historically this has been the standard which was adopted by the Christian Church. More recently, the Stewardship movement has suggested that we might consider giving the first hour of the working week to God, which on the basis of a forty hour week is 2½ %. So that offers us a range of guidance and it also encourages us to see that regular giving should be an integrated part of our budget rather than something we do with what is left at the end. For there are many demands upon us, and in these difficult economic times churches and charities are feeling the pinch too and they need our continuing support. However it does not help us to decide how we allocate that money, for example between our local church and other good causes. In one or two significant donations or in smaller amounts more widely spread. And should we always support the same organisations, or should we adjust our giving to changing needs and emergencies. The first Christians embraced the idea of “freewill offering” rather than sticking rigidly to rules, and it is important for each of us to feel that we are getting the balance right in our lives. I find these words of Jesus, taken from a well-known hymn, very helpful: Freely, freely you have received; Freely, freely give. Go in my name and because you believe, Others will know that I live. In the end it is up to each of us to decide how we respond to God’s grace through our giving - Lent may be a good time to think and to pray about these things. With my prayers Ian Houghton
The magazine of the parishes of Boltby, Borrowby, Cowesby, Felixkirk, Kepwick,
Kirby Knowle, Knayton, Leake & "The Siltons". Also circulated in
Upsall, Thirlby & Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe. |
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