Thought for Today
Numbers 6:2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When either men or women make a special vow, the vow of a nazirite, to separate themselves to the LORD,
Malachi 3:17 They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them.
Romans 9:21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?
2 Corinthians 10:15 We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in the labors of others; but our hope is that, as your faith increases, our sphere of action among you may be greatly enlarged,
We live in a world of specialization, “the process of concentrating on and becoming expert in a particular subject or skill.” (Bing search) Many of us encounter examples of the phenomenon most intimately in the arena of medicine. We have primary care providers (PCPs), dentists, ophthalmologists, etc. When a particular healthcare issue arises, we might be referred to a specialist, a cardiologist, a hematologist, an orthopedist or an oncologist.
Specialization is not confined to medicine. I was originally trained as a mechanical engineer. Within engineering there are numerous specializations: civil, chemical, electrical, etc. There are also subspecialties, arenas within the particular specialized field that deal with only a specific part of that field. In college, I was offered the options of ‘hard’ mechanics (gears, machines, etc.) or ‘soft’ mechanics (thermodynamics, gas dynamics, etc.). The same is true for many fields of endeavor.
It should probably not be surprising that the word specialization does not appear in the Bible. Yet, there are specialists in scripture. Certainly the prophets would qualify as specialists in bringing the word of God to the people. In the New Testament, scribes are often mentioned. They were specialists in the Law.
When I attended seminary, I found that there are specialists in the various subjects taught there. Not surprisingly, there are those who specialize in biblical history. There are even those who specialize in various timeframes in history and various geographical regions.
Interestingly, and not surprising, is the fact that churches seem to consistently request that seminaries provide ‘better’ preachers. So, seminaries have professors who specialize in homiletics, the process of writing and delivering a homily or sermon. There are also those who specialize in exegesis, the study and examination of the biblical text to determine the message. I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed both my exegesis classes and my homiletics classes.
Having entered seminary at a somewhat advanced age (58), however, I was surprised that there were no classes teaching ministers how to handle money or finances. There were no classes in developing budgets or managing cash flows. Even more critical, there were no classes in basic leadership, in how to conduct meetings or how to manage people.
When I finally graduated from seminary and I was ordained, I found my years of experience outside the church served me well; and, I sympathized for my friends and classmates who had never conducted a meeting, prepared a budget or tried to operate within a budget.
At times, it seems that we try to somehow separate the church from the world within which the church exists. We try to eliminate concerns about money from our concerns about serving God’s children and saving souls. Certainly, we need to be careful to remember, "Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” But, we also need to always be aware that even churches must pay electric bills.
I am acutely aware of how money affects the church as I serve here in New England. Many of our churches are long-established and many of our buildings are old. The quaint, archetypal white clapboard New England churches often date back to early in the 19th century. They require frequent repair and modernization. They need money.
Tithes and offerings are essential to allow churches to continue to do the important work of advancing the Kingdom of God. The church operates within the world, exists to serve God’s children in the world. We just need to make certain that the money serves God’s plan rather than our worshiping the money. Money is not evil, only the love of money is evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
Stay safe, keep your priorities focused on God, trust God,
Pastor Ray