Pastor’s Note

Generosity: Taking The Next Step

Malachi 3:1-10

This Sunday marks the final message in our stewardship series, “The Generous Church” and our Commitment Sunday, a time when we move from hearing God’s invitation to responding with faith. From the very beginning of Scripture to the very end, one truth remains constant: God is first. God loved first. God gave first. God went first. Everything we have and everything we are flows from His generous heart.

Malachi reminds God’s people that bringing the tithe, the first and best, back to God is not a donation or an act of charity. It’s an act of worship. It’s returning to God what already belongs to Him. When we bring our first and best, we declare that God, not our money, not our stuff, not our busy schedules, is first in our lives.

You see, generosity is about trust. It is about stepping past our worries, our “what-ifs,” and our desire to stay in control, and instead joining God in His generous work. As we make our commitments for next year, may we do so with faith-filled hearts, trusting that the same God who has always gone first will continue to provide and to bless.

Let us give our first and best because He first gave His best to us.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Margaret