Stewardship pt2Stewardship,
Stage Two: Giving Out
November
12, 2006
Text: 2 Corinthians
9:6-15
The point is this: the one
who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully
will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up
your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance,
so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly
in every good work. As it is written,
"He scatters abroad,
he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures
forever."
He who supplies seed to
the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for
sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will
be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce
thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry
not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many
thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify
God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and
by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others,
while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace
of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable
gift!
NRSV
Who
is this man?
He’s
Robert Kennedy, brother to President John F. Kennedy.
Now,
being a Kennedy meant that he was born into wealth and privilege. He
rarely carried cash. Instead, he relied on various members of his entourage
to pick up his tabs.
One
day Kennedy, a devout Catholic, was attending church with a friend.
When the collection plate came by, his friend put in a $1 bill on Kennedy’s
behalf. Robert leaned over and muttered to him, “Don’t you think
I’d be more generous than that?” [Source: Robert Kennedy: His
Life, quoted in Homiletics, 10/3/04]
Which raises the question: If a friend were to put something in the
offering plate for you, how much would it be? Your friend, knowing you
and your lifestyle and spending habits: how generous would that friend
be?
Let
me get personal. Can we talk? This is our secret, and I don’t want
it going out of this sanctuary. OK. Can you keep a secret?
If
a friend who knows my lifestyle were to put in an amount for me, it
probably wouldn’t be very much. I’m a fairly conservative sort of
guy financially…[I use Quicken software for my finances. Barb and
I have savings goals, we set a family budget, that sort of thing.]
And
so a person who sees my lifestyle and finances from the outside would
think, “OK, Weeks would put a buck or two into the offering plate.”
You
know what? My friend would be dead wrong. Because he/she would not see
something that Barb and I do each time I deposit my paycheck.
It’s
something so many of you do, so you know what I’m talking about.
The
very first thing we do after my paycheck is deposited is to record in
our checkbook what we give to God. I don’t actually write a check—it’s
an automatic withdrawal from our checking account that’s sent twice
a month to the church by the bank. [You see, the bank pays for the postage…!]
This
is our “step of faith.” For us, that step is a tithe, 10% of our
income. That’s a fairly steep chunk of change for us.
But…here’s
another secret. Can you keep it?
As
we record that amount around the 15th and the 30th
of each month, deep down…we feel…a sense of …FUN!
FUN!
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
No,
I’ve not lost my mind. And no, I didn’t put anything unusual in
my coffee this morning.
Fun
just bubbles up and bursts forth when we record our gift to God. You
know what I mean. You’ve felt it, too. When you’re paid, and the
first check you write isn’t to Ameren or Laclede or the mortgage company—but
the first check you write is to God: you simply feel a sense of …FUN!
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
That’s
what Paul is describing in that famous verse he wrote:
“Each of you must give
as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The
Greek word for “cheerful” is “hilaros.”
That’s
where our English word for “hilarious” comes from.
So,
a better translation is,
“God
loves an ‘hilarious’ giver—one who gives with spontaneous joy
and laughter.”
And
“hilarious-ness” happens when you give first to God.
Which
raises another question.
Why?
Why,
when you make a point of giving to God first, do you feel hilarious?
I
think there are two reasons.
YOU’RE
MAKING A STATEMENT OF FAITH.
You
are saying that your ultimate allegiance is not to yourself—it’s
to your God.
Think
about it. When you buy something, you’re making a statement. You buy
groceries, you say you need food. You go to the movies, you say you
need to relax.
You
give to God, you say you need to affirm what’s ultimately important.
You’re
saying that you understand that you’re not alive if it’s
not for God. Who, after all, formed you, breathed life into you, and
started your heart beating? No one but God.
You
give to God, you say you support God’s
kingdom of justice and compassion—not the kingdom of this world,
torn by politics, power, sex, and violence.
You
give to God, you say you’re a member of a unique political party.
You are saying that regardless of the outcome of the elections last
Tuesday, YOUR candidate will win—YOUR candidate is the Prince of Peace,
this world’s only hope.
It’s
absolutely important for Christians to make a statement like this.
Many
years ago, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the head of the church
in East Germany made a trip to the West. This church was desperately
trying to survive behind the Iron Curtain. The economic and political
pressures of communism were stifling, suffocating the church there.
And yet the church leader made this surprising statement to a group
of students:
“Almost every time
I come to the West, I am asked by serious and well-meaning church people,
‘How are you able to be a Christian in a communist society, with so
many pressures and impositions from the state?’ My usual response
is to ask, ‘How are you able to be a Christian in a capitalist society?
With every pressure to self-centered consumption and self-gratifying
indulgence?” ...
—Christine Chakoian, “With
glad and generous hearts,” April 21, 2002, Clarendon Hills Community
Presbyterian Web Site, chcpc.org.
“Self-centered
consumption and self-gratifying indulgence.”
Of
course we know the lure of stuff—especially bigger, better, best stuff.
We
know how easy it is to get credit, and to expand the credit limit.
BUT…how
much more satisfying—how much more radical—how much more hilarious
it is—to give to God first, in the midst of all these pressures.
This
is one reason you’re a “cheerful” giver.
Here’s
another.
YOU’RE
MAKING SMILES HAPPEN.
I
already gave you a “Do you know this man” test.
I’m
going to give you another. It’ll be much tougher. I don’t know if
you’ve ever seen or heard of this man before.
Here
he is:
We
all have heard so many stories about this Cardinals’ broadcast legend.
He was known for his legendary generosity. The late Bob Broeg of the
Post said this about him:
Above all with his time,
talent and money linked with so many charities, Jack Buck was just about
the biggest tipper I ever saw…Every buck Buck gave was a reminder
of how tough it was to get one that matched his surname. He made many
a day or night for a doorman, bellman, waiter, waitress or any other
service person he figured underpaid or overlooked.
[in foreword to That’s
a Winner]
Why
did he tip so generously? Because he loved to see a person’s face
light up with a smile of surprise. He once gave a bellhop $50 for carrying
his suitcase an extra flight of stairs. Can you imagine the smile on
that bellhop’s face?
A
person’s smile of gratitude is just about the most beautiful sight
you can see.
Don’t
you love to see such smiles?
When
you give to God’s work, YOU ARE MAKING SMILES HAPPEN! God uses your
gifts to put smiles on faces, all sorts of faces.
Well,
maybe not on Dirk Snively’s face, that politician who lost last Tuesday.
But your gift to God through this church DOES make smiles break out:
And
who knows?
Maybe
miracles CAN happen!
NEVER
forget. When you give to the church, you’re not just enabling the
church to pay the utility bills. You’re making SMILES stretch across
faces. Remember that, and you’ll smile yourself—because you’re
an “hilarious” giver!
The
time has come for us to present our promises to God for the next year.
I
want you to come, present your promises, with a smile on your face.
Here’s
the music we’ll use to present our pledges…[dirge]
No,
that’s not exactly right. We’ll use something much more appropriate—[Lord
of Dance]
As
we sing that hymn, bring your promise cards and place them in the baskets.
I
know many of you have already returned your cards, having received them
in the mail earlier. I invite you to come forward too, though…
…Because
when you come forward today, you’re saying that you are an “hilarious”
giver. You have a smile on your face because you’re saying to the
world that you KNOW what—WHO—is important in life. You have a smile
on your face because you can’t wait to let God put smiles on the faces
of others.
So
with or without a promise card in hand, come and make this “hilarious”
statement. You may kneel at the rail if you’d like, and thank God
personally, privately. When you do, pick up and put on a sticker that
sort of sums up everything we’ve talked about today…
It’s
been said that there are three types of “givers”—the flint, the
sponge, and the honeycomb.
For
the flint to give, you have to hammer it—and then you get only chips
and sparks.
For
the sponge to give water, you must squeeze it.
And
the honeycomb? Well, it just overflows, sweetly and abundantly. Can
we talk? This is our secret. Can you keep it?
Here’s
the secret:
YOU
are honeycombs!
Come!
| 
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