It’s Not a Bill
On Sunday, we heard Jesus say, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Give to God what is God’s.” Sit with this yourself this week: What is God’s?
What is Caesar’s? is easy to answer. It comes printed on a form. A tax tells you what you owe, when it’s due, and what happens if you don’t pay. A bill works the same way. We pay them because we have to. Nobody says a prayer of thanks over the electric bill.
What is God’s? is different. There’s no form and no due date. The honest answer is a little overwhelming: everything is God’s. The coin, the hand that holds it, the breath in your lungs, the people you love, the forgiveness you woke up to today. Caesar stamped his image on coins. God put God’s image on you.
Your Estimate of Giving is not a bill. God isn’t sending an invoice. If everything already belongs to God, then giving isn’t paying what we owe. It’s giving back with thanks, like a child who proudly hands a parent a drawing made with the parent’s own crayons. We give from what God has given us, and God delights in it puts it to good use.
Your card should arrive this week, if it hasn’t already. Before you write a number on it, try this:
- Start with the question. Ask yourself, or ask it together as a family, “What is God’s?” Let the answer be thanks before it becomes a number.
- Look back. What did you give this year? If you’re not sure, the church office can help.
- Take one next step. That might mean starting a small regular gift, growing toward a tithe, or simply giving thanks for what God has already provided. The Growing in Generosity Calculator on our Stewardship 2027 page can help you picture what a step looks like.
- Write an honest estimate. It’s not a contract. If your circumstances change, your estimate can change too.
Then bring your card to worship on Celebration Sunday, November 8, when we’ll offer our estimates together. You can also mail it to the church or submit it online at ziondavenport.org/stewardship. While you’re there, consider becoming a Sustaining Giver with automatic gifts. If you already give automatically through Vanco, cancel that first, then sign up on the new platform. The office is glad to help.
Caesar’s question is about what we owe. God’s question opens up something better: what we get to do with all we’ve been given, the kingdom of love we get to invest in, the lives being changed for good. Whatever you decide, give with open hands. Open hands are also ready to receive.
Thanks be to God.
Pastor Clark Olson-Smith