Why is it so hard?

     If there is one complaint that many have about the church, it is that they are always asking for money.  500 years ago at the time of the reformation, the church wasn't only asking for money, but demanding it in exchange for the promise of blessings and eternal salvation.  We've all heard stories of church leaders who go at the last hour and extract a generous gift of a wealthy person on their death bed.  We've heard stories of pastors who go to visit a friend or relative only to tell them they're not giving enough money to the church.  There are many congregations who stand up every Sunday and remind people that if they don't start giving more the doors will close.  After all this history, it is no wonder people in the church are kind of funny about money.
     That said, Jesus did talk about money more than any other subject, and in Sunday's reading from 2 Corinthians, Paul is celebrating the generous giving of the churches in Macedonia.  Now, one of the primary reasons that the church asks for money is that the church operates on donations.  Not only that, but the mission of the church takes resources, money being one of many.  It takes money to provide food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, clothes for the naked; to advocate for the poor and provide much needed education on a variety of topics; to teach people in formal settings like Sunday School and confirmation; to pay church staff - pastors, office administrators, musicians.  Now you add to this the fact that the church is not the only organization doing good work in the world.
     The American Cancer Society has Relay for Life to raise funds for research.  Food pantries, animal shelters, malaria campaigns, health kits, and not to mention the boy/girl scouts, schools, and 4-H fundraisers, all vie for a piece of our financial pie.  In fact, I will be going to 'jail' on July 24 to help raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Camp Courageous in Monticello.  (My bail has been set at $1,500 if you would like to help get me out!)  The church has become a competitor in the world as one of many places for people to give their hard-earned money and other resources like time and talents.  The church, however, is for the most part in denial of this fact.  Pastors and church leaders believe that their members should give because it is the right thing to do, and don't take into consideration that the perception of many is that other organizations can actually do mission better than the church.  And so rather than give to an organization that doesn't always know what to do with its money, people give to those organizations they can see are making a difference.
     Now, that said, let us turn to 2 Corinthians.  Paul is using the churches in Macedonia as an example for the church in Corinth.  And while it's not included in the readings for Sunday, I believe it is helpful to read the first 6 verses of chapter 8, so we know where our reading picks up.  It is a little unclear why Paul even mentions this to the Corinthians, but one can easily surmise that the Corinthians have decreased their financial giving and Paul is trying to encourage them to give more.  In so doing, he gets to the heart of why we give in the first place:
"For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich."
We give because Christ first gave to us.  In his mercy and love, taking on humanity that we might take on divinity, we have been given the ultimate gift.  And so.  And so we give out of joy and thanksgiving.  Out of gratefulness and praise.  And sometimes, yes, out of guilt that we have so much and others have so little.  And sometimes, yes, we give a little grudgingly, complaining that the church is asking for money again.
     Now we at St. John are abundantly blessed, much like the church in Corinth, and I am happy to say that we, unlike the church in Corinth, are giving generously, faithfully, and abundantly for the work of mission together.  Generous because it is not just the amount that one gives, but the amount in proportion.  Someone who makes over 50K per year giving $50 per week is different than the person who makes 25K per year and gives $50 per week.  And we are a congregation FULL of generous givers.  Faithful because we are a community of believers who give regularly, who give a little extra if they missed, and who give out of the strong faith that God will actually use our gifts to do good work in the world.  Abundant because our capacity for ministry has so increased we are giving more away, doing more ministry, and making a bigger difference in our own community as a result.
     All of this, however, still points me to a great mystery.  We know why we give.  We believe that giving makes a difference.  We have faith that God uses our gifts to further God's mission in the world.  And yet, it is sometimes terribly difficult to part with that cash.  Or to part with that check.  So why, knowing what we do, having the faith we have, is it so hard?