22nd Sunday after Pentecost
October 25, 2015
Malachi 3:8-11; Psalm 34; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; John 3:16
Declarations of Your Heart:
Extravagant Generosity Is an Expression of Your Heart
(Extravagant Generosity Week 4)
[PG]
My heart has been encouraged as we have journeyed together through the program
Extravagant Generosity: The Heart of Giving. Some people have been gracious to
share their matters of the heart.
[Both]
John 3:16, which we just read, is so well-known, but have
you ever considered it from a giving standpoint? “For God so loved
the world he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him won’t perish but will have eternal life.”
The first few words of this verse clearly state that the way God
shows love for the world is by giving. Giving is part of the character of God.
Bishop Schnase puts it this way in his book Five
Practices of Fruitful Living:
“We give because we are made in the image of God,
whose essential nature is giving. We are created with God’s nature imprinted on
our souls; we are hard-wired to be social, compassionate, connected, loving,
and generous. God’s extravagant generosity is part of our essential nature as
well. But we are anxious and fearful, influenced by a culture that makes us
believe we never have enough. And we are scarred by habits that draw us away
from God and that turn us inward with a corrosive self-interest. God sent Jesus
Christ to bring us back to ourselves, and back to God. As we “have in us the
mind that was in Christ Jesus,” we become free.”[1]
Then
in 2 Corinthians 8:24, Paul says, “Show them the proof of your love and the
reason we are so proud of you, in such a way that the churches can see it.” The
entire teaching of 2 Corinthians chapter 8 is about giving. Paul concludes that
giving is proof, or evidence, of our love of God. God doesn’t require our
generosity. When we truly accept the generous gift of God’s love, our only
possible response is to live and give generously. Is it possible to love God
without giving?
There
was a column in this week’s Baltimore Sun
titled “Despite problems, still bullish on city.”[2] The columnist wrote it in response to a
question he’d received from someone moving to Baltimore next year who wanted to
know his opinion on Baltimore’s future. The
future resident “chose Baltimore for its affordability, [his] enjoyment of the
city and to pursue career opportunities in the nonprofit space. [He] thinks
Baltimore has a lot going for it despite its often negative portrayal in the
media,” and so wanted to know if the columnist, who’s lived the past 35 years
in Baltimore, is “bullish” on Baltimore’s future. As you heard from the title, the columnist’s
answer was yes. The first part of his
reply, however, was to define the term “bullish” and I found myself applying
the definition to the church instead of to the city. Are you bullish on the future of our
church? If you are bullish, it means
that you’re more than just optimistic; it means you have a “robust confidence
in a rising trend, like stock prices or the housing market.” He writes that “if
you're bullish on a city, it means
being civic-spirited and financially committed. It means you believe in a place
enough to stay for the long haul, put down roots and invest in a house or a
business. It means you're telling people about your city, suggesting it as a
good place for others to live and to work. You see potential for growth and you
want others to join you in the adventure.”
So, if we apply that to the church, to be bullish on a church means you are
church-spirited and financially committed.
It means you believe in that faith community enough to stay for the long
haul and put down roots and invest; it means not church-shopping or leaving
when the going gets rough. It means
telling people about your church, inviting them to worship and other events and
suggesting that it’s a good place for them to join. It means you see potential for growth and you
want others to join you in the adventure.
Are you bullish on our church? I
am. [Give example for each church.] Are
you financially committed? Do you tell
others about us and invite them to come, too?
Are you invested, by being generous with your time, talent, and
treasure, and do you see the potential for returns on that investment?
God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son; do you so love God that you
generously give back to God? Several of
you have recently, I know, with donations for the new HVAC [PG: Vacation Bible
School and Change the World day] and other fundraisers, like last night’s
spaghetti dinner [PG: fish fry]. Now
that 2 Corinthians passage is interesting, because Paul says to show the proof
of your love for God. Usually we
consider religion to be such a private thing, just between me and God, but here
Paul says to show the proof of your love in such a way that others can see
it! Isn’t that odd? Because Paul also writes multiple times to
not brag or boast or be arrogant or proud.
But here, we are to show evidence through
our giving that we’re Christians.
Paul starts off this chapter describing churches in Macedonia who had
“fierce troubles” that “pushed them to the limit.”[3] And Paul says that “the trial exposed their
true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure
triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous
gifts… They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading
for the privilege of [giving].”[4] I think this is an experience we can identify
with.
Over
ten years ago, before I recognized God calling me to be a pastor, I was part of
a focus group at my church with our new pastor, as she was just getting to know
us. And I said something at that group
that that new pastor loved, and I still wonder if it would be true if it
happened. We were talking about giving,
and I said that if everyone at the church gave ten percent of their time,
talent, and treasure, that the church would have enough. You see, money problems are ubiquitous,
they’re found in churches of all sizes.
At the previous church I served, where we averaged 500 people on a
Sunday morning, we frequently cut the budget in the middle of the year. And the church I came out of, whose sanctuary
seats 750 people, had major problems paying the mortgage on that
sanctuary. Money problems exist,
regardless of the size of the church. So,
I wonder, if each person were to give ten percent of their time, investing in
the ministries of the church, ten percent of their talent and abilities, of
which cooking seems to be a very popular one, and ten percent of our incomes, I
wouldn’t wonder if then we’d have enough to not always be worried about paying
the bills or unexpected expenses. And I
wonder this in part because of that reading from Malachi. There are many places the Bible says “do not
put the Lord your God to the test,” but here God says, “Bring the full amount
of your tithe… Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows
of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things.”[5] Here, God says, “Test me. Put me first, be generous in your giving, and
I will pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.” I have seen your generosity over the past
year, and I think we are beginning to see these blessings being poured
out. Have you ever been brave enough to
test God? To do what he says, like
caring for a stranger or giving food to the homeless or giving God ten percent
of your income, and then seeing what happens?
If,
as a church, we become known for our generosity, then what would happen? Sure, we might get more organizations and
individuals knocking on our door asking for help. We might be taken advantage of. But we also wouldn’t be worried about money
all the time, we also wouldn’t have to wonder how we were going to finance a
ministry.
There’s
a story in the Gospel of Mark about Jesus and his disciples hanging out by the
offering box at the Temple and they watch a poor widow put in two small
coins. Two small coins! Could that
really make a difference? But
proportionately, she didn’t give two coins out of a whole pile of coins; those
two coins were all she had.
Can you name one person you admire and respect
because of all they keep for themselves?
Leona Helmsley is well-known for leaving her fortune to her dog, in
order to spite her family. She’s famous,
but I don’t think she’s admired for leaving millions to a dog. In contrast, the number one givers to charity
in our country are Bill and Melinda Gates, who have given billions away. Now, what is even more impressive than how
much they give, is the percentage. You may think millions of dollars is nothing to them, but Bill and Melinda Gates
have donated 37% of their net worth to charities.[6] That number is quite impressive.
“Despite the outward challenges and inner
struggles, and the countercultural nature of generosity, where there is a
desire to give, there is a way. The two coins dropped in the treasury from the
hands of the poor widow, noticed by Jesus and recorded for all time as a model
of Extravagant Generosity, forever reminds us that there is always a way.
Giving helps us become who God wants us to be.”[7]
[Cowenton] I have seen many examples over the past
year of your generosity, the most recent being last night’s spaghetti dinner
and everyone who contributed their time and resources to making that a huge
success. God asks you to show the proof
of your love for him. It may be uncomfortable
(it’s not always comfortable to preach, either), but let’s try to model
ourselves more after God’s generous side during this next year. Being generous with our time, talent, and
treasure, focusing on our ministry areas of children, youth, education, music,
and Streets of Hope, and let’s see what happens.
[PG] Last night’s Halloween dance was a very
successful outreach effort because of the generosity of those involved. Because of sharing their time, talent, and
treasure, folks from outside the church came to the church, including 25 kids. Generosity makes a difference,
not just in the present, but for the next generation. This week we will each make a critical
decision about how we will express and grow in our generosity. Our leaders have
already responded to the call and have pledged $25,000 in giving for 2016. When you receive the Estimate of Giving card,
please be in prayer and seek God’s direction for your expression of generosity
toward the life and vision of God’s ministry through this church. This is important. It’s an estimate, and God understands that
things may come up and you may have expensive unexpected expenses. That’s why it’s an estimate. You can call the church office at any time to
update your estimate, whether to decrease it or increase it, but God knows that
sometimes we receive into unexpected resources, like a bonus or tax
refund. If you’re ready to turn it in
today, great. If you need some time,
bring it by the church office this week or turn it in next week’s offering
plate. God asks you to show how much you
love him, give the proof of your love. Strive
to become more like him, and take this next year to model his generous
side. Being generous with our time,
talent, and treasure, focusing on our ministry areas of children and feeding, and let’s see what happens.
[Both] I don’t think we’ll be disappointed. I think we’ll be blessed beyond measure. I think being bullish on our church will pay off. There’s a passage in Luke where Jesus says,
“Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give to others, and God will give
to you. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”[8] Thanks be to God. Amen.
[1] P. 120
[2] By Dan Rodricks, October
21, 2015; for full column, see: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-1021-20151020-column.html
[3] 2 Corinthians 8:2, MSG
[4] 2 Corinthians 8:3-4, MSG
[5] Malachi 3:10
[7] Practicing Extravagant Generosity, Robert Schnase, p. 72
[8] Luke 6:37-38
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