I was distracting during prayer worrying about church finances and thinking about Stewardship matters when I read the Old Testament lectionary text for the week, Deuteronomy 26:1-11. It tells us exactly what to do when we give.
1. Give the firstfruit of your harvest (in case you are not a farmer, that means to give to the Lord before you pay your bills or buy anything for yourself).
2. Give it to the priest (I give to the church before I give anywhere else, and I think this is the proper way to give).
3. Say the following: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord hear our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and fave 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."
Why are we taught to give this speech (or at least something similar as a prayer of our heart)? Because we need to stop poor-mouthing and feeling sorry for ourselves that we don't have a house like someone on the Real Housewives and carry around a wad of benjamins like Tony Soprano. This speech teaches us to say to God, "I came from absolutely nothing and my people were absolute nobodies. And now, look at the amazing blessing I have!"
4. Throw a party. "Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house." Enjoy what God has given you. He gave it to you so that you can enjoy it. If you're anxious or feel guilty about it, then your wasting the gift God wanted you to have for your enjoyment (and the enjoyment of those around you). Just don't forget where it came from.
I must say that we could use some help with our view of money. We are pretty miserable and anxious and we gripe like crazy about how bad times are and how the government is robbing us blind and how we can barely survive. All the while we live in the richest nation on earth and have multiple cars and the latest phones, computers, and multitude other gadgets and gizmos to keep us constantly distracted.
It's time to get grateful, get generous, get real, get happy, and throw a party.
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