Sermon
preached by the Rector on 11 September 2005Bible
Readings: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 and Luke 21:1-4
There's
a weekly paper called the Church Times which has at the back a page or
two of advertisements setting out the latest vacancies for vicars. Not
that I'm looking for somewhere else to go, I hasten to add. I'm very
happy to continue serving as the Rector of St Nicolas. But it's
interesting to glance through and see what's coming up where. The thing
is, of course, that churches which are looking for a new minister
generally try and portray themselves in the most positive light they
can. They do this in order to encourage as many potential candidates as
possible to apply - or at least to send in for the details and have a
look.
Well, there's one group of churches in the New
Testament which I suspect would have ministers falling over themselves
to apply if a vacancy came up. They're mentioned in today's first
reading - where, for the benefit of his readers in Corinth, Paul draws
attention to 'the Macedonian churches'. Have a look at the beginning of
2 Corinthians 8. The apostle Paul paints a wonderful picture of what
these Macedonian Christians were like. And he focuses in particular on
their attitude to money and giving. Verses 3-4, for example: '...they
gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely
on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of
sharing in this service to the saints...' Imagine that. A congregation
which begs to be allowed to put more money in the collection. A group
of people whose 'Hallelujahs' get even louder as they see the offertory
bag coming round.
It's all the more remarkable
because of their situation. For the mathematically inclined, there's a
wonderful equation to work out in verse 2. Did you notice? It's really
profound and well worth reflecting on. ST + OJ + EP = RG. Severe Trial
+ Overflowing Joy + Extreme Poverty = Rich Generosity. Not at all what
we would expect. I mean the 'overflowing joy' bit is OK. But it's a
surprise to see 'severe trial' and 'extreme poverty' having such a
positive effect. Yet that is so often what tends to be the case. Ever
since the time when Jesus observed people putting their gifts into the
temple treasury. The rich produce their cheque books with a flourish
and reach out for a minion to place a pen in their outstretched hand.
The poor widow quietly sidles up and pops in what Luke emphasizes as
being two 'very small' copper coins - hardly worth the bother of
minting. And yet, Luke 21:3-4: "I tell you the truth," he said, "this
poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave
their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all
she had to live on." Rich generosity indeed...
So
let's do something we don't do very often in church - and talk a bit
about money...
Unlike many churches, here at St
Nicolas we don't pass round a bag or a plate during our morning service
and invite everyone to put something in. That's because the decision
was taken some time ago not to make visitors and guests feel obliged to
contribute something when they would really rather not do so. That's
great - except, of course, that it has the disadvantage of drawing
virtually no attention at all to money in our worship. With the result
that people can perhaps assume that we don't need any. As if the
coffers of St Nicolas were already full to overflowing. As if money
grows on the trees in the churchyard and is harvested by the
churchwardens at the dead of night every second Tuesday.
Well,
let me assure you that this is not the case. In fact, just so that you
know, the reverse is becoming true. Although there was a very good
response to last year's letter to members of the congregation about
money, we're facing the very real prospect of having to cut things back
if we don't get some more coming in. Not immediately. We don't need to
panic. But, at the moment, the long-term trend isn't looking
particularly healthy. I'm going to ask our treasurer, Andrew Smith, to
set out the facts for us in the next couple of weeks. And then we're
going to have the opportunity, for those who would like to, to indicate
what we'd be prepared to give over the next year on what we'll call
Pledge Sunday, October 9th.
Perhaps it's worth just
mentioning to those of you who are new or recent members here that
there's a note about giving to the church inside the welcome pack.
Instead of passing a bag or plate round, what we do is to put out a box
on a table by the main door in which you can put some money as you come
in. Or you can do what many people prefer to do these days and set up a
regular standing order from your bank account. And you don't have to
wait until October 9th before you start!
Now I want
us to imagine that we were able to invite the apostle Paul to come as
guest preacher and talk about this. What would he say to us?
I
think he'd emphasize that the ability to give generously is most
certainly not about being manipulated or made to feel guilty. I think
he'd begin by reminding us that the ability to give like the
Macedonians did is a spiritual gift. It's what Paul calls here in verse
6 an 'act of grace' and in verse 7 the 'grace of giving'. It's one of
the ways in which God enables us to share in the joy of what he does
all the time as he gives of himself in love.
Paul
goes on to say a bit more about how this works in chapter 9. Look at
the contrast he draws in verse 5 between a gift that is 'generous' and
one that is 'grudgingly given'. He makes the point very clearly in
verse 7: 'Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to
give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver.' So if you feel manipulated or sense that someone is out to make
you feel guilty about this, leave your purse unopened and keep your
wallet firmly shut. This isn't for you!
You see, the
money we give to the church isn't the fee we pay as members of a club.
The money we give to the church isn't payment for services rendered.
The money we give to the church isn't an investment on which we can
expect to make a clear financial profit in the future. The money we
give to the church is simply one of the ways in which God enables us to
say 'thank you' to him.
This is why this first
talk on giving has the title that it has: 'Giving: First to the Lord'.
For this is where we begin. Giving is just part of our response of
worship to a God who has given everything for us. Paul sums it up
beautifully here in verse 9: 'For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so
that you through his poverty might become rich.'
It's
a great summary of the message at the heart of the Christian Faith.
First, it focuses fair and square on our Lord Jesus Christ. The human
face of a God who stepped down from unimaginable glory - 'though he was
rich' - to walk with us in what is by comparison the muddy squalor of
the human condition - 'he became poor'. More that that though. For
secondly, this verse hints strongly at what becoming poor really meant
for Jesus. It was 'for your sakes' that 'he became poor'. Paul is
pointing us clearly in the direction of the cross on which Jesus died.
That's how poor he became. And he did it for us. He did it 'so that you
through his poverty might become rich.' And so, thirdly, Paul subtly
but powerfully draws our attention to this great exchange that Jesus
gave himself to bring about. He took our poverty so that we might
inherit his riches. He wore our rags of sin so that we might receive
the perfection of his righteousness. He experienced our separation from
God so that we might share his enjoyment of his Father's presence for
ever. How can we be anything but generous to one who has been so
generous to us?
We're trying to teach our two boys
something of what this is about. Our weekly trek through Tesco's - one
in a trolley pushed by me and the other in a trolley pushed by Buff -
is helped along by each of them being given a little pot of sultanas
and sweeties to sustain them along the way. I always prefer to push
Timothy. Because when I suggest that he might like to give me one of
his sultanas (not a sweetie: I don't push my luck too far!) he
generally decides to be generous with what he has been given and share
one with me. Whereas Alastair refuses point blank. They are his and he
is going to hang on to every last one of them! I'm not going to draw
the parallels too closely. But I know what I as their father am hoping
for...
Let me conclude with some of the practical
hints Paul gives in this chapter about how to go about giving
cheerfully. Here are a few things:
1. Do what you
decide to do. Look at verses 10-11: 'And here is my advice about what
is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only
to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so
that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion
of it, according to your means'. One of the problems that Paul ran into
with the Corinthians is that although they had said one thing they had
actually done another. So: whatever you decide before God to do - do!
That's why we're focusing on the subject today so that we have a few
weeks in which to think about it before Pledge Sunday in October.
2.
What matters is not the amount, but the spirit in which it is given.
This is the message of verse 12: '...if the willingness is there, the
gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he
does not have'. You see, how much we give is not primarily what God is
interested in. It's how we give it that's important. Willingness and
cheerfulness are what he is looking for. The way we give is a sensitive
thermometer to our spiritual health. Is our giving grudging and
reluctant? Then we know there's something wrong somewhere, just as a
high temperature indicates disease somewhere in the body. Cheerful
giving reflects spiritual health.
3. How much then
should we give? Verses 13-15 set out the principle of proportionality:
'Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard
pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your
plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will
supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written:
"He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little
did not have too little.' In other words, our giving should be in
proportion to what we receive. Some Christians like to be guided by the
Old Testament laws on tithing - and give 10% of their income, perhaps
5% to the local church and 5% to other causes that God lays on their
hearts. Other Christians prefer not to be bound by guidelines and to
work it out a different way. But the principle is clear. Those who have
a lot give a lot. Those who have a little give a little.
4.
Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:2 is that God's people should
save as they go: 'On the first day of every week, each one of you
should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it
up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made'. In our
situation, one-off gifts are very welcome, of course, but what we
really need is planned giving, commitments to give regularly week by
wqeek and month by month.
These are just a few of
the practical hints that Paul gives about the exercise of the gift of
giving. I'll say a bit more about some other aspects of giving next
week. But as we conclude now, let's return to the basic challenge Paul
lays before us here. Let us dare to ask God to open our hearts afresh
to his generosity, and ask for the spiritual gift of being able to give
generously back to him. For his glory's sake. Amen.
©
2005 David
Stone |