The Lighthouse

In California’s Big Sur stands a lighthouse. The Point Sur lighthouse, standing 270 feet above the waves, was constructed in 1889. It’s one of the oldest lighthouses in California still in operation today, helping mariners steer clear of the rocky coast.

Whaaat? A working lighthouse in this day of pinpoint GPS and sophisticated radar systems? Isn’t that so . . . 1889?

Some things stand the test of time.

There’s growing evidence that churches are dying in the U.S., especially those of mainline denominations like Lutheran. While most Americans still believe in God, more and more of them reject any religious affiliation and less and less of them attend church.

This doesn’t bode well for an institution – the Church – that for most of American history was an important part of the fabric that kept America and Americans together. While denominations may have squabbled about certain theological distinctions, churches (especially at the local level) were places where people generally put aside their differences, came together and showed how even the big issues could be addressed by putting Jesus’s words and example into action.

In a sense, the local church was that lighthouse to help steer us away from the rocky shoals of divisive politics, discrimination, border security and income inequality. Coming together for weekly worship helped neutralize the many friction points that naturally developed in the home, the workplace, the community and even the nation. People are people, after all; we don’t always get along in everyday life. Worship became a gathering place in American life as Christians focused on their Creator and reflected on how they could make the world better.

We are on the precipice of losing that, aren’t we?

Critics often argue that we don’t need churches to worship God and to live godly lives, that encounters with the Almighty can just as easily come in solitary moments of Bible study and prayer or even in a sunrise hike. Yet they overlook the importance of being together with other followers of Jesus. There is power and grace in gathering with others. God just seems to work differently – more tangibly, more powerfully – in group settings. Perhaps, in those settings, the Holy Spirit amplifies the power of the individual, much like individual atoms gathered into a critical mass create nuclear fusion.

We know that’s true, don’t we? One of the not-so-surprising facts in church life is that worship attendance swells in a crisis. Remember 9/11? Even the balcony at Ascension was filled in the weeks after the attacks on American soil. There was something comforting and powerful in coming together to grieve and hope for the future.

If the data are correct, there’s a good chance of losing that blessing of community through the Church within the next two decades as more and more churches either close or become irrelevant. Perhaps Joni Mitchell was right: “Don’t it always seem to go/That you don’t know what you’ve got/Till it’s gone.”

Spanning centuries and geography, the local church has stood as a lighthouse. Even when we can download the Bible on our iPhones or take Communion online or watch sermons on YouTube or reach out to others on Facebook, we still need each other . . . in the flesh. Much like the triune God in whose image we were created, the need for fellowship – being together – has been built into each of us.

The writer of Hebrews was onto this: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25, emphasis added).

A lighthouse to one another and to the world.

© Ed Klodt, 2019

Keeping 90 %

By Ed Klodt 

“There are three conversions necessary to every man: the head, the heart and the purse.”

That’s from Martin Luther, who knew a thing or two about human nature. Luther understood that even those who have given their life to Christ and accepted salvation still have difficulty sharing their financial resources.

Why is generosity so difficult for us? Not just generosity, but biblical generosity.

Scripture talks about the tithe. The term means “one-tenth,” and the idea in ancient times was that God’s people were to give back to God one tenth of all that they were blessed with, whether that was income, produce, livestock or precious jewels. Even household herbs like mint and cumin were included in the percentage that would be given back to God.

The concept first shows up in Genesis (14:20) when Abram presents to Melchizedek the King one-tenth of the spoils of war he has received. We also see it later in Genesis 28:22 when Jacob, after a vision, offers a tenth of his property to God in return for the promise of safety on his journey. Tithing becomes institutionalized in the Law of Moses. Leviticus 27:30 tells us “A tithe of everything . . . belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” Ultimately the tithe was collected by the priestly tribe called the Levites.

Have your eyes glazed over? Here comes the cool stuff . . .

Even some theologians think that tithing was strictly an Old Testament requirement. After all, they argue, Jesus came to free us from the law. No more animal sacrifice or avoiding people with skin diseases or prohibitions against mixing certain foods.

Yet are they overlooking how Jesus validates the tithe when, in Matthew 23:23, he tells hypocritical religious leaders, “You give a tenth of your spices . . . But you have neglected the important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” In my reading, Jesus isn’t dissing the tithe, he’s simply deepening the ways in which we engage with God. That’s consistent with Paul in Romans 12 when he writes, “Therefore, I urge you . . . to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God . . .” God doesn’t just want our dollars; he wants us – all of us, heart, body and soul.

Some argue that a tithe would have made more sense in earlier times before the advent of income taxes, import duties, health insurance premiums, utility surcharges and countless other taxes Americans pay. They believe the tithe is simply impractical today when most people are already overtaxed and overcommitted financially.

Yet, look at the financial ledger in Jesus’s time. First Century Jews offered up to 25 percent to God 

when the temple tax, the land sabbath, Jubilee years, first-fruits and various freewill offerings were tallied. And then Roman taxes were heaped on top of that. Tithing was even more difficult in those days.

I’ll leave you with a final thought . . .

Ten percent of our earnings is a big nut. Some of us spend most of our lives trying to grow to that level of giving. It’s difficult. It involves sacrifice. It’s countercultural.

Could God have come up with the tithe so that we would have to depend on him instead of ourselves?

When we tithe or are even more generous are we not saying to God that we are thankful for the 90 percent he has allowed us to keep? Does it not acknowledge that all that we have is a gift from God anyway? Does it not require us to trust that our generosity will be repaid a thousand-fold (not necessarily financially!) and that we will be blessed in some way?

Perhaps it’s helpful to remember David’s “God owns it all anyway” prayer:

“Wealth and honor come from you (God);

you are the ruler of all things.

In your hands are strength and power

to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give you thanks,

and praise your glorious name.

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? 

Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” (1 Chron. 29: 12-14, emphasis added).

Our generosity is made possible only by the blessings of a generous God. And, in the process, we become participants in those blessings as we give of our time, our talents and our financial resources.

© Ed Klodt, 2018

(Views from the Pews are occasional insights written by Ed Klodt. He and his family are longtime members of Ascension. Ed earned his Master’s Degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, has served as an interim pastor and has been a longtime lay minister at Ascension. Questions and insights can be addressed to him in the blog post on Ascension’s website or at jonahfactor@gmail.com.)