February 9, 2003
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Today is the fourth in a series of sermons titled “What Do Christians Do?” In previous weeks the answer to the question has been that Christians pray, we worship, and we study scripture. Today we answer the question what do Christians do with this response: we give with joy. Because we love God and we love the church, we give joyfully of our time and our talent. We give in service to each other and to the church. Mike Bougher puts out signs, and sets up microphones for us just about every week. The banners that adorn this room today represents Mary Lou Voneida’s act of joyful giving to this congregation. Today the focus of this time is on giving money to the church with joy. During
Vacation Bible School last summer, I taught an adult class called “The
Stewardship of Money”. The class was a lively five night Bible study on
stewardship, on how we handle the things that God has put in our care, including
money. Early in the week we did an art exercise. You are probably happy to know
that I will not ask you to do the exercise here. Our exercise was to draw a
picture of the first lessons we learned about money. It was wonderful and
fascinating. One
participant drew a picture of the living room in her grandparents house. When
she was a little girl, she and her brother were given the responsibility of
cleaning their grandparent’s house each Saturday. They soon learned that there
was bonus money to be made if they actually lifted place mats, candy dishes, and
other knick knacks in order to dust under them. They learned about the bonus
money because that is where their grandfather would put an extra dime or
quarter. If they did not lift an item to dust under it, they would not get the
extra change. Many of us learned our first lessons about money when we were given money for Sunday School. Several of us had the same experience. We would be given around 25 cents for the church school offering. A quarter isn’t much, but it was the 1960’s – and it was enough to tempt us because as it happened my home church was a block away from a little store. It was always special when our parents gave us two dimes and a nickel for Sunday school. That meant that some money would go to the classroom, but that rest of the money would be spent at the store on a peppermint stick or a bag of potato chips. Of course there was a flaw in this plan. Our red tongues or salty, greasy fingers would betray the fact that we had given to the corner store with joy while we gave to church reluctantly. And there were always those times when one of the adults at church would make sure that part of the Sunday School money had been given to the local store instead of the church. I have long since learned that joy comes when what is intended for the church goes to the church. We know that there are nevertheless other occasions when we give with joy. We give with joy when we buy concert tickets, plane tickets, new cars, and new clothes. We make these purchases because we know there is a joy-filled reward in store for us. We get an evening out, a nice vacation, compliments on our good taste, and that brings us joy. What do I mean by joy? James Forbes reminded us at the Ohio Ministries Convocation that joy is not about giddiness. Joy is much deeper. Joy is that condition of the soul in which our spirit bonds with God’s spirit in a way that helps us to face anything that comes upon us, so we give to the church with joy. The reading from Isaiah asks us to consider how the joy bond with God is formed. Writing to a people who have long been in exile, away from all that is familiar to them, these questions are asked. “Do you know what God has done? Is there anyone on this earth you would compare to God? Have you not heard who God is and what God has done?" It
is God who called the world into being. It is God who wants to rescue our souls
from aimlessness, restlessness, and loneliness. It is God who spread a tent
around the earth in order to live with us. Even in exile God is here. I
know you feel alienated right now, I know that you are a stranger in a strange
land, but remember God and God alone has the ultimate power, controls nature,
keeps us from total despair, and uses divine strength to strengthen us. There
will be days when even the youngest and most energetic among us will run out of
energy. There will be days when all of us will feel impatient for something
different to happen in our church and in our lives. Hold on. God really is here,
and joy-filled change is on the way. But the ones who wait, who are patient and
faithful, those who understand that God is the Master steward, and has made a
promise to us. When
we put our trust in God, we grow stronger, and our strength will be restored so
much so that our spirits can soar. One writer puts it this way: “The
non-fainting God ministers to fainting creation. The non-weary God gives life to
weary creatures. Thus the words are used in order to establish a contrast
between God and the exiles and all of creation. The exiles are indeed faint,
weary, powerless, exhausted. But God is none of these. “The
faint, weary, powerless exiles are to wait, that is to hope and expect, to
remain silent and passive. This waiting is an act of confident faith, a
willingness to accept the authority, buoyancy, and advocacy of God. Those who
wait so vibrantly have their life transformed, for the creator God will do for
exiles what has been done for creation. This God will give life where there was
none” (Texts for Preaching.
Louisville. Westminster John Knox Press, 1993, p.136). If
Isaiah wants us to anticipate a joy-filled relationship with God, one that makes
our bond stronger, Paul wants us to understand that the bond has practical
implications. A
year ago, the church in Achaia, the primary city in Corinth promised to send an
offering to the church in
Jerusalem. Paul told the Macedonians about the Corinthians and their offering,
and the Macedonians begged for the opportunity to participate too. Now the
Macedonians, a church of limited means has raised more money than the
Corinthians and Paul is concerned that the Corinthians may not be able to keep
their commitment. Paul
seems to know the amount they have pledged to the offering, and when the
offering is scheduled to be sent to Jerusalem. The date for the offering is fast
approaching. But there is some hesitation on the part of the Corinthians. Maybe
the local economy has slowed down, or the roof of the church in Achaia sprung a
leak, or a dispute about whether sending more money all the way to Jerusalem was
the best use the Corinthians church’s money. Whatever
the reason, Paul’s solution is to write to the Corinthians to remind them that
they have made a commitment and he wants them to keep it.
“Just in case there is a problem, I’m sending you a little help”.
This part of the letter reads like an episode of the Sopranos. He says, “Look,
none of us wants to be embarrassed. You don’t and we don’t. We do want to
make sure everything is in order so that you don’t feel forced to give, but
rather can give voluntarily. We
understand the Corinthians reading this letter for the first time may have felt
a little pressure from Paul. But his intent is not to put pressure on the
Corinthians, but to help them share his passion about supporting the church in
Jerusalem. He knows that their offering will help alleviate the poverty of the
Jerusalem church. And he wants to be sure the Corinthians know that if they will
be accountable for their gift, there will be a good result. The poverty of the
church in Jerusalem will be alleviated. This
is a Week of Compassion offering and Paul wants them to share in it. That is why
he speaks of giving as a gift we give back to the church. And he is saying
something else. “The word Paul
uses here for ‘gift’ is unusual. It is normally rendered ‘blessing.’ God
blesses us and we can bless others. Here the blessing is not verbal but
expressed in concrete terms: money. Words of blessing come easily; to bless by
sharing our material possessions requires quite another attitude”
(Interpretation series. Second Corinthians. Ernest Best, Louisville, John
Knox Press, p. 84). We give with joy when we
take on an attitude of accountability to one another and our well being depends
on all of us doing all we can to support the church. And in that support there
is joy. But
there are other congregations that know full well the joy of giving. The time of
offering is one more moment of high celebration. The worship leader announces
that it’s offering time, and the congregation praises God for the opportunity
to give. They applaud, they say, “Amen”, many of them give generously.
Several of them tithe. They
give with joy as many in this congregation do because they know that these
giving is a way of worshiping God. They give with joy because they have
developed an attitude about giving that understands giving to be a form of
ministry. What do Christians do? We
give with joy. We
give with joy when we are accountable to each other. In the church
accountability means that we are dependent on each other. This congregation
cannot be all that God intends for it to be if we are not accountable and
responsible to each other. We need the resources all of bring because our reach
far exceeds what happens in this building. Our giving helps to support the
ministries of the Christian Church in Ohio and the church in the United States
and Canada. Our giving supports colleges and seminaries, missionaries and new
church starts. It is a joy to give because giving connects to the church around
the world. In
addition to accountability, there is another attitude we are called to adopt. We
are called to live with an attitude of abundance rather than from a sense of
scarcity. Abundance is about enjoying the fullness of the world God has given
us. Abundance is not always about money. It
is about an attitude of well being, of having more than enough of what you need.
On Christmas day, you will see the same things happening in neighborhoods
regardless of income. Friends and family have gathered to enjoy the abundance of
the day. Gifts will be exchanged, food will be consumed, and the abundance of
the day will be felt in a way that requires the bounty and good will of the day
to be shared. There is more than enough and when there is there is abundance and
joy. Why do we give our money to the church with joy? We do it because God has already given so much to us. We have family and friends, memories to treasure and work to do. God has already given us a savior in Jesus Christ who gave up his life that we might find our own. Because we are disciples of his, God will do for us what God has already done. God will give us more than enough for us to be able to share in the abundance of every good thing God has for us, and as we give with joy to God’s church, we will reap a reward of more joy, more hope, more courage, more salvation than we can ever count. God
loves the ones who take delight in helping to support the church. So we want you
to be as generous as you can be. We want you to give with no remorse, no
regrets, no second thoughts. So as you continue your giving, think about what
you can give. Pray about it so that your mind can be made up, not reluctantly or
by force but with joy. Eugene
Peterson understands the joy of giving this way. “God can pour on the
blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and
everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist
puts it, ‘He
throws caution to the winds, “You
show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and
sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God
in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession
for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise
it enough” (Eugene Peterson, The Message.
Colorado Springs, NavPress, p. 380-381). Thanks be to God for the gift of joy and for the opportunity to give. Amen. Dr.
LaTaunya M. Bynum |
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Broad
Street Christian Church
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