Joyful Giving: Sermons on Stewarship

Rating:
Summary: Generous and graceful
Review: One of the more sensitive and difficult jobs a minister may have is to raise funds for the church. On the one hand, as the church (any church) is an institution in and of this world, it requires what any other institution in the world would require, namely, financial and physical resources to keep itself going. On the other hand, the church is an institution and community of people who look for the spiritual and non-tangible parts of life as being of central importance. Money and such can become, as in other institutions, a complicating factor.

In 'Joyful Giving', Dan Moseley has collected a series of sermons, 34 in all, each on the topic of giving. One of the things that becomes readily apparent from this collection of sermons is that a preacher should not ask for money alone -- the giving to the church is not a simple check or handful of money, but rather represents the faith and hope of the people giving. Similarly, people can give more than just money -- they can give of their time and talents in addition to their treasure, and often this can be as important toward fulfilling the needs of the church as any amount of money ever would be.

Moseley is a professor of practical ministry at my seminary, and there is little that is more 'practical' than preaching. As Moseley says in the brief introduction to this collection, theology is important and history is important, but preaching is where the church meets itself, and the congregation and minister communicate (and the good minister will learn from the congregation as much if not more than they will learn from him).

Moseley includes one of his own sermons in this collection, and it is an interesting sermon. It is a very subtle sermon in terms of asking for joyful giving to the church. It talks about the important aspects of community, particularly as that is reflected through common baptismal experiences, and the need for there to be something in common, the give and take (no one can just keep taking without giving something back). It is a classic example of a stewardship sermon, asking people to be good stewards of themselves, their families, their communities, and the church.

Ron Allen, another preaching professor at my seminary, also has a sermon in this collection, Here he looks at the concept of tithing, laying out many ideas, biblical and non-biblical, that have come down to us as divinely mandated when nothing of the sort was required, and revisits the idea by discussing it in terms of our sharing with God and others as a gift given to us. We are not saved through tithes, but our giving is a grace given to us.

The preachers in this collection come from the Christian Church - Disciples of Christ tradition. Being a denomination with a strong ecumenical character, readers from many denominations will find inspiration and points of connection here.

Rating:
Summary: Generous and graceful
Review: One of the more sensitive and difficult jobs a minister may have is to raise funds for the church. On the one hand, as the church (any church) is an institution in and of this world, it requires what any other institution in the world would require, namely, financial and physical resources to keep itself going. On the other hand, the church is an institution and community of people who look for the spiritual and non-tangible parts of life as being of central importance. Money and such can become, as in other institutions, a complicating factor.

In 'Joyful Giving', Dan Moseley has collected a series of sermons, 34 in all, each on the topic of giving. One of the things that becomes readily apparent from this collection of sermons is that a preacher should not ask for money alone -- the giving to the church is not a simple check or handful of money, but rather represents the faith and hope of the people giving. Similarly, people can give more than just money -- they can give of their time and talents in addition to their treasure, and often this can be as important toward fulfilling the needs of the church as any amount of money ever would be.

Moseley is a professor of practical ministry at my seminary, and there is little that is more 'practical' than preaching. As Moseley says in the brief introduction to this collection, theology is important and history is important, but preaching is where the church meets itself, and the congregation and minister communicate (and the good minister will learn from the congregation as much if not more than they will learn from him).

Moseley includes one of his own sermons in this collection, and it is an interesting sermon. It is a very subtle sermon in terms of asking for joyful giving to the church. It talks about the important aspects of community, particularly as that is reflected through common baptismal experiences, and the need for there to be something in common, the give and take (no one can just keep taking without giving something back). It is a classic example of a stewardship sermon, asking people to be good stewards of themselves, their families, their communities, and the church.

Ron Allen, another preaching professor at my seminary, also has a sermon in this collection, Here he looks at the concept of tithing, laying out many ideas, biblical and non-biblical, that have come down to us as divinely mandated when nothing of the sort was required, and revisits the idea by discussing it in terms of our sharing with God and others as a gift given to us. We are not saved through tithes, but our giving is a grace given to us.

The preachers in this collection come from the Christian Church - Disciples of Christ tradition. Being a denomination with a strong ecumenical character, readers from many denominations will find inspiration and points of connection here.