Enjoy Giving
Dr. Larry Thorson
2 Corinthians 9:6-10
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart
to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all
things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good
work. 9 As it is written:
"They have scattered abroad their
gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever."
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for
food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the
harvest of your righteousness.
Today’s New International Version Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society
Today is what we call Commitment Sunday. Once a year in November members of this
church bring to worship a card they should have received in the mail called an
“Estimate of Giving” card. The card says
“I/We believe God is working through His
people to achieve the goals of First Presbyterian Church. With God’s help, I/we will be a part of this
ministry and will endeavor to give to our church accordingly.” It has a box to mark “weekly” or “monthly” or
a one time gift.
There’s a Bible verse on the card from I Peter
4:10 that says “…serve one another with
whatever gift you have received.” We
believe that verse and take it very seriously. You can only give what you have received. Nothing else.
I don’t badger you to give. No
one gets up here and tries to shame you into giving. We don’t try to prove to you all the things
we could do if you would just increase your giving. We don’t do any of that.
As your pastor I have no idea whatsoever what any
of you pledge or give. I do believe that
those serving as elders are held to a higher standard of commitment but I don’t
cater to anyone based on what money you give to the church. Your commitment to God’s church is between
you and God.
You can only give what you have received. Let’s say you expect your income to be
$50,000 this year, then you would pledge a portion of that amount for
2009. Let’s say in March you lose one of
your incomes due to health or the volatile economy. Relax, you can only give what you have been
given and you can revise your pledge. There’s
no going out and putting your offering on a credit card that you can’t pay
back. The opposite is true when you
receive more than you expected to receive.
You can only give what you have received.
In our Scripture today the Apostle Paul was writing
as chair of the mission campaign. He was
trying to collect money for the struggling mother church in
Prior to last week’s election the Sacramento Bee
ran a story about a middle class Mormon couple in
Thus far in Paul’s campaign the church in
But giving just wasn’t close to the heart of the
Corinthians. “Why give,” they wondered, “if the giver
didn’t get something out of it?” That
was the predominate thinking in their Hellenistic culture. There were few causes they were willing to
sacrifice for that didn’t directly benefit them.
This weekend our nation needs to pause and
remember the sacrifice and dedication of its veterans. Why did they set aside
their lives to serve the country in distant places? Not for what they got out
of it. Not because they completely agreed with their leader’s policies and
politics. No, they gave their lives to service because they believed in what
their nation claims to believe. Veterans Day is important because it reminds us
of the ideals to which we have to remain committed to survive as a people.
What we don’t want to become is like the
Corinthians who lost their ability to make commitments to ideals and dreams. That’s what happened to us after the Vietnam
War and Watergate. We became
narcissistic and looked out for our own best interest. Instead we want to be able to say, “I believe
in this country and I give myself to its cause” regardless of whether your
particular political party is in power or you find yourself the new
minority. We know that the political
pendulum will always swing.
We give to a church because we’re committed to the
Gospel that is being proclaimed there.
We give to this church because it’s the only church that many of the
children in our Home Away from Home know.
We give to this church because for many of the 115 children and their
families in the Upward Sports program this is the only place where they are
hearing the good news of Jesus Christ dying for their sins. The only church.
We give to this church because about 25 preteens
and teens are being trained to be future youth directors who will multiply
their faith in Jesus Christ to the generation coming up behind them. Of those 25, at least three fourths were not
being reached by any other church anywhere.
We give to this church because when an elderly
person moves here without family we become their family. When an elderly person loses the love of
their live and is all alone we’re there, we’re their family.
We give to this church because people are being
fed at Valley Restart and through our contributions to Community Pantry. Thirteen families have received houses
through our efforts with the local Habitat for Humanity chapter.
We give to this church because we know, not just
feel, that God is here when we come on Sunday morning. It’s not television caliber preaching that
draws you or concert hall ready music but what you hear is genuine and
sincere. If you give us half a chance
you’ll see Christ in the person sitting next to you.
From everything we know about the feisty Apostle
Paul, who was not known for his sensitivity to people’s feelings, you would
think that he would chew out the
up
your mind. Don’t give reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver.” In other words, making a pledge to the church isn’t something you have
to do. It is something you get to do as a way of finding joy.
On Christmas morning when you are gathered by the
tree and the wrapping paper and bows are scattered on the ground, your greatest
joy comes not from the gifts you receive but from the delight you see on the
faces of those who open your gifts. You give because you love, and you love
because you are committed.
Paul is simply inviting us to have that same
devotion in giving to our ideals, to the gospel that we believe can make a
world of difference. We give not because we have to but because we get to and
because we love the Gospel. We give because we are committed and have pledged
ourselves to it. That is cheerful
giving.
In calling us to give joyfully, Paul is trying to
save us from anxious giving. The anxious giver hears about a need and frets: “I
probably ought to do something. What will I get from this? Will that put my name
in the ‘Director’s Circle’? Will I still have enough left for me?” God has
little interest in this kind of
giving.
By contrast, the joyful giver hears about an opportunity for the Gospel to be
strengthened and says, “Yes! This is who I am and what I stand for. Giving to
it is what I get to do. Nothing could make me happier.” “The point is this:” Paul claims, “The one
who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. The one who sows bountifully will
also reap bountifully.”
You sow a committed pledge to the Gospel. You reap
bountiful joy as you watch the delight of Jesus Christ unwrapping your gift. He
will unwrap it within these walls through worship, education, and fellowship.
He will unwrap it every time the sick and homebound are visited by a pastor or
deacon. He will unwrap your gift in ministries to the poor all over our community.
He will unwrap it in distant fields of mission. And heaven and earth will come
a bit closer together because of your commitment. Amen.