Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence … Exodus 35:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 9, 2015): Exodus 35

When I was sixteen, my family made the move from the city to the country (cue the music for “Green Acres” – and yes, I know that many of you will have to Google “Green Acres” in order to understand the reference.) But life, for a while, was a little like a sitcom. The assets that I possessed in the city no longer served me in the country. For country living I needed a totally different talent set. And so the learning process began.

But one of steepest learning curves occurred the spring following my big move to the country. They called the event the “May Queen Competition.” Basically the senior grades of the High School (grades 9 through 12) chose a princess and then competed with each other to make money for the school. The grade which earned the most money had their princess named “May Queen.” In reality, it was a competition between the two highest grade levels because they were the ones in possession of the cars and trucks and could go anywhere to get the jobs. So as a sixteen year old I mucked out my first (and second, third and fourth) horse’s stall, went rock picking (who knew that fields that produces all kinds of various crops also grew rocks), and painting various fences (finally a job for which I could claim that I had some experience.) All to earn money for the school.

It is not an unknown method of fund raising. Many fundraising activities come with some sort of prize or recognition for those that earn the most. And every one of them is just a replay of the “May Queen” competition of my High School years. Even in church we often find ways to emotionally manipulate the situation in order to get the people to give more money.

Moses refuses to play the manipulation game. He simply outlines the need, shares the request that God has laid on his heart, and then he removes himself from the situation. He could have set the tribes against each other and created a contest as to which tribe could donate the most. He could have increased the guilt of the tribes by telling them how much the others had given. But he refuses the temptation and leaves it in hands of God and the tribes, trusting that they would bring in what was needed in order to complete the tabernacle.

In the contemporary church, often we seem to forget about Moses’ example. It almost seems more natural to follow the example of our culture and use manipulation to get the money that we need to operate - especially against the onslaught of those who believe that the church has too much money already. But the Moses model tells a different story. If we outline the need, and are accountable with money that is raised, we can trust God and the people of God to bring in the money that is needed. Probably not much more, but then Moses was not trying to do any more than what God had asked him to do. And in the end, that is all that we are trying to do as well.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 36

Note: We remember the bombing of Nagasaki on this day 70 years ago, and we weep for all those who were lost on every side during that terrible war. This was the second and last time a Weapon of Mass Destruction was used in war.