Giving is Freedom - 13 September 2026

Dear friends of BCUC,  Quick, lock the doors—or run away! It is two weeks of a stewardship and giving series at church. Yes, that moment when we talk about money! So perhaps people’s engagement with the series may depend on what responsibilities we might have at church. In all seriousness, though, I want to personally say something to all those who have given sacrificially of their finances in worship to God, in ways that support the life and mission of BCUC. Thank you! Your giving has provided the space and resources for the Kingdom of God to have a real impact in the lives of many people through the work of BCUC. Over the next two weeks we will look at giving, particularly our financial offerings to the church, as both worship and freedom. This Sunday we will view this through the lens of Genesis and the story of the Tower of Babel. In the city of Babel, the people were more interested in building a tower to the heavens in order to ‘make a name for themselves’ rather than fulfilling God’s instruction to go and fill the earth. So the question is asked: Which kingdom are we wanting to build? Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). We may want to silo our lives into different compartments: finances, family, work, church, holidays, emotions, health, etc. Whether we like it or not, Jesus often wanted to bring everything together and make the point that every part of our lives has a spiritual link - that God is concerned with every part of us and wants to help us with it. About a third of Jesus’ parables, and a good proportion of Jesus’ sayings, use money as a way of engaging people with deeper spiritual questions. Money - and more particularly our relationship with it - can be like a window into our souls. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). So it seems that Jesus could read a person’s heart from their bank statement. That may be either comforting or troubling for some! Either way, let’s take these two weeks to stop, examine ourselves, our budgets and our priorities, and bring them before God in prayer. Let’s ask for God’s gentle, loving wisdom, praying: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Your Brother in Christ, Benji