A Note from Morris
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:21. A close friend once noted, how it’s interesting that Jesus didn’t say it backwards, “Where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.” No, our heart follows our treasure… which then begs the question, where are you putting your treasure?
In our heavily marketed culture, where accumulation is the apex of success, our resources often remain on ourselves. Our treasures first fulfill our needs, then our wants, then sometimes we even spend beyond, accumulating more than we could truly want or realistically use. In our society, we have a way of spending more and more on ourselves. If Jesus is right, our hearts follow those expenses. Our hearts become focused on ourselves, further escalating our self-absorbed culture.
But something remarkable happens when you begin putting your treasurer into something else, something you believe in. You become invested, in the true sense of the word. One definition claims, “an act of devoting time, effort, or energy into a particular understanding with the expectation of a worthwhile result.” Another is, “a thing that is worth buying because it may be profitable or useful in the future.”
I should be clear, I’m not going to begin another Protestant Revolution by reintroducing the selling of indulgences. Rather, I’m talking about something else in this world that will be profitable and useful in our future. A product lacking in our communities, our rhetoric, and our ways in which we treat one another.
Emmanuel, our mission is to “Reflect the light of Christ from generation to generation.” It’s a way of living into the forgiveness, grace, and love of Jesus so often dismissed in our culture. It’s a challenge to ourselves and a responsibility to the generations that will follow us. And That is a mission I believe in. It is a movement into which I want to invest, and so Emily and I do.
We tithe, because for us, this is the best institution in which we know to invest. The message of Jesus changes lives; it bridges divides; it moves people into action. It can, and does, heal the broken and delight the sorrowful. This church builds disciples that go out into the community and serve as Christ taught us.
As our annual stewardship campaign comes to a close, I ask for you to become invested. Pray about your pledge. If you have never pledged before, perhaps start out small: $10/$20/$40 a month. Any amount is a beginning, your beginning. It is your commitment to this wonderful mission and church family. You are putting your treasurer in a place where I promise you will be proud for your heart to follow.
Morris+