“I the Lord do not change. So, you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’”
Malachi 3:6-7
Dear HBIC Family,
Sandwiched in the middle passage recounting all the different ways the people of God had failed (sorcery, unfaithfulness, lying and deceitfulness, and oppressing the poor, orphans, widows, and foreigners) and a new claim of stealing from God by not properly tithing, is a call for them to come back to God. Though we fall short, God is so faithful that we are not consumed. Though we turn away, God is so loving that we are invited back home. And though we gift God less than our best, God never rests until we can enjoy blessings promised to us.
The concept of tithing is one that predates Mosaic Law. We learn this in the tithe Abraham paid to the priest of God, Melchizedek. Tithing was institutionalized in the law when God covenants with Israel. It became common practice for the people of God as part of their worship, and as the primary way the priests and work at the temple were supported. Tithing also helped provide for the poor. And most of all, it reminded the people that all they had belonged to God, and all that they were must have been given back to God.
The ancients believed that your children (and the generations to come) are present with you, even before they are here on earth – because, in essence, they live inside of you. Therefore, that to which you agreed, would also then extend to all those who are in you, as well. This is why the writer of Hebrews reminds us that even the Levites (who collected the tithe) paid a tithe to God when Abraham tithed to Melchizedek.
This week as we continue our series Malachi: Faithfulness in Body & Spirit, we see yet another way the people of God were being unfaithful. God had regifted the people favor and blessing, land and life that was promised, and freedom and security. Yet again, the people fell short. They withheld the tithe called for by the law, to the point where God felt robbed.
As you prepare for this week’s service, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on Malachi 3:6-12 and also 2 Cor. 9:6-15. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:
What is one consistent way God has provided for you?
How is God calling you to give your best as part of your worship?
What is one way God has used your gifts to help others directly?
How can God use your generosity today?
How can we as a church community continue to bless others with all that God has given us?
I learned about the Brethren in Christ Core Values rather early on in my time here at HBIC. I was struck by their ability to represent what following Jesus fully looked like, as a group of churches, as HBIC, and then also as individuals. While most Christians would affirm these values, not many have grouped and implemented them as foundational to their understanding of the faith. I was also amazed that our people here at HBIC really are committed to living out these values. I remember a long-time member once telling me, “I don’t like having an older car, but it works, and besides, it allows me to give even more to the church and God’s work here.”
Sisters and brothers, God has blessed us with so much, and to all of us that much has been given…God expects us to respond in full faith. As believers, we are gifted by the Holy Spirit and empowered to use those gifts for God’s glory. As followers of Jesus, we are called to live like him, sacrificing so others may have life. As children of God our Father, we are witnesses with a testimony and lifetimes of giving back to God what God has given to us, and seeing the kingdom come to pass.
God bless you all!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Hank (Malachi 3:6-7)