I have been reading the One Year Bible in 2025.  In fact, I am leading a Bible study of sorts on the One Year Bible and some of you are in it.  I’ve really been enjoying both reading the Bible and getting feedback from other people about it.

This last week I read a couple of verses that have been rattling around in the back of my mind ever since I read them.  The end of Exodus has instructions for building the Tabernacle.  Chapters 35 – 40 are all about building the Tabernacle, down to the size of the curtains and the amount of gold that should be used.  In Chapter 36, the people start building, according to the instructions.  They also donate the materials and precious metals needed to build.

The verses that really struck me are Chapter 36, verses 4-7.  “⁴ So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing ⁵ and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.”  ⁶ Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, ⁷ because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.“

The people are bringing more than enough.  As far as I know, this is the first and last time these words were ever used with regard to a religious building.

I was a pastor for 30 years.  During that time we would have annual stewardship campaigns.  We would tell stories and try to inspire people to give what was needed for the church for the coming year.  Never, during those 30 years, were people bringing more than was needed.  In a good year we would hope to get 75% of of what we needed pledged.  When the number fell below 50%, we knew we needed to do some serious adjusting to the budget.  An old pastor’s joke goes, “We have all the money we need to fund the budget for the next year.  Unfortunately it is still in their wallets.”  Many people gave generously but we often struggled to pay all the bills.

On the other hand, I’m not sure what a church would do if they got more than they needed.  Hire another staff person?  Start a food pantry?  Build an addition?  I have never heard of a church telling people to stop giving because they were bringing more than enough.

We are a society that has a hard time telling when we have enough.  As individuals we budget our money carefully so that we have enough.  And we always want more.  It is rare to see someone turn down a raise or take a job that pays less because they have enough.  Maybe if we learn to be content with what we have, we will find we have enough.  And that we have enough to share abundantly with others.

The people were bringing more than enough.  I pray that we might reclaim that spirit of knowing when we have enough and that desire to share freely out of what we have.  As individuals, as Christians, and as a nation.