04-15-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 15, 2026
Just in case you hadn’t realized, today is tax day. If you’re reading this early enough, you might still have time to file your taxes… maybe. Early in life, after I started my first real job (I apologize for not paying taxes on my snow shoveling gigs between the ages of 10 and 12), filling out tax forms was incredibly stressful. Despite being the simplest form to complete, the questions seemed deliberately confusing. And I had a friend whose father had found himself in a tax mess, and though I knew nothing of the details, I was totally freaked out. I was quite certain that my $32 tax return would attract the attention of the tax police. Today, I am not opposed to paying taxes. In fact, I believe I receive value for my money. However, if I were the sole decision-maker, there are certain aspects that I would change. On the other hand, I acknowledge that there are individuals who deliberately evade the system. Furthermore, I recognize that the system is designed in a way that allows those with resources to creatively avoid taxes. Am I smart enough to figure out how to create a fairer and more just system? No! 

Of course, like a nation, the church requires financial resources. People often equate the church with a business, but I firmly believe that the church is not a business. However, I am quick to acknowledge that the church can benefit from applying good business principles for the purpose of being better stewards of the resources God entrusts to us. Cypress Creek Christian Church stands out as one of the most resilient churches I know when it comes to financial management. Don’t get me wrong; it has been a source of stress on numerous occasions, and I must admit that I have carried a significant portion of that stress at certain times. At the same time, God seems to make a way. Yet because God wants us to use an informed faith to guide decisions, one that most definitely uses wisdom and those good business principles, then I do not believe we can sit back and say, “God is going to take care of this.” I’m sharing this not because I’m currently stressed or because we are in a crisis, but to recognize how wisdom and those good business principles nudge us to remind people that we exist as an outpost of God’s mission because of people’s generosity; a generosity rooted in a God who first loved us. And like taxes, we do not complain about giving a portion of our income to the church, though I think of it very differently than I think of taxes. It is not about the services I get in return. Donna and I give because we fully believe in the unique mission and purpose God has entrusted to Cypress Creek Christian Church. And the value is in the lives touched because of the way God’s love was and is made real through the people of this congregation. 

In my gratitude for grace beyond measure, I offer what I can to the work of healing and transformation that you are doing in this world. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself, and I trust you to take my small gifts and do something miraculous with them, O God of Immeasurable Love. Amen.