by Jennifer Hockenbery
The autumn is falling into winter; the happy harvest time of pumpkin and apple picking retreats into hearth and home. November is the season of giving thanks for abundance and taking stock that all is ready for the winter. We give gifts to those who have given us much, and we give to those who we know need much. The stores beckon us to buy abundantly in order to give abundantly. Charities beseech us to consider the tax incentives of giving one more gift. How do we, as Christians, deal best with this season of Thanks and Giving?
Many Lutherans see Reformation Day as the beginning of the Holiday Season. October 31st, the eve of All Saint’s Day, is the celebration of the 95 Theses that Martin Luther nailed (or stuck with wax) to the Castle Church Door in Wittenberg against indulgences.
The context was that the Roman Catholic Church had started a large building project, St. Peters! But they did not have the funds to pay for it, so they had taken out quite a large loan from the Fugger family, who had become the most wealthy people in Europe and were growing their wealth through interest on loans. In order to begin to repay their debt, those in power in the Church had enlisted the services of John Tetzl, famous for his fire and brimstone sermons urging people to give money in exchange for salvation. Indulgences, promissory notes signed by the Pope, Tetzl preached, would earn one a ticket to heaven or at least knock off a few years in purgatory for oneself or a loved one. People, terrified of Hell, and desperately seeking approval in the here and now, bought them in droves.
Luther’s response was firm: God grants grace out of love and mercy; those who wish to give money should do so for their neighbor’s sake, not for the sake of their own salvation.
Luther did not think he was starting a reformation; he thought the authorities would be proud. But mired in debt, the immediate response was anger at the loss of revenue through indulgences. The rest is history.
Let’s be clear, I don’t think Luther was opposed to building projects or stewardship drives. What impassioned him was the lie that giving money would earn one Salvation and Glory. This lie made people trust their pocket books rather than Christ’s love.
This story, so familiar to us, has much to tell us in this season of Stewardship drives, gift-giving, and budget preparation. A gift to charity does not justify us. Even gifts to the Women of the ELCA does not make us more pure or more holy. Rather, gifts of our time and our talents, Thankfofferings, regular offerings, and donations to Katie’s Fund are gifts we give freely out of love of the organization, out of gratitude for what it has given us, out of joy to what it might be for others, and out of hope for its future. We give for the sake of the whole community, our sisters, and all those we serve in our ministries.
Some worried that Luther’s emphasis on grace not works would lead to greed. But Luther could hardly imagine more greed than he already saw. It is interesting that in the history of economics, it has been frequently noted that Luther’s emphasis on grace changed the way Lutheran provinces functioned. Freed from the need to give to charity for salvation, people began to create social structures and social welfare systems that lifted many out of poverty. Community chests were filled with communal wealth to be shared. Donations were made without resentment. It is abundance that creates abundance and hope not fear that is expressed in love.
As you think about your holiday gift lists, consider how generous you are with those you love. It is fun to give presents to others, to shower them with things they need and even things they don’t need that are just for joy. In this season of Thanks and Giving, let us all give thanks with joy and give generously with that same joy. Let us treat our gifts to charities and non-profits, to the church and to Women of the ELCA, with the excitement of grandmothers packing a St. Nick’s box for their college-aged grandchild and with the pleasure of little children making a handmade ornament for their teacher.
Stewardship | Women of the ELCA
Dr. Jennifer Hockenbery is interim executive director for Women of the ELCA and editor of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics.
Photo of pumpkin artwork by Susan Swaney Humphrey. Used with permission.
Well said. Thank you!