Cheerful Sacrifice—Nov. 11, 20072 Corinthians 9:6-8 "Cheerful Sacrifice." That’s our direction for today, which is the fourth Sunday in our stewardship series, under the overarching theme of "Stories to Tell; Gifts to Share." We began three weeks ago with "Graceful Living." Then we heard about "Grateful Living." And last Sunday, it was "Giving to the Church." Today we’re all about "Cheerful Sacrifice." Our stewardship text for this morning is from the apostle Paul. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8:
What’s Paul up to this morning? Well, here’s the context: Paul’s visiting congregations throughout the Mediterranean basin, taking up an offering, collecting money for the church in Jerusalem. Those Jerusalem Christians were mostly poor to begin with, and a famine may have made a difficult situation even worse. So Paul’s making stewardship calls on various congregations, asking them to help support their sisters and brothers in the faith. And now he’s coming to the city of Corinth. He’s boasted to others about the Corinthian’s generosity and now he’s counting on it. He’s sending an advance team, some of the brothers in the faith, who will help the Corinthians take up their offerings so that they’re ready when Paul arrives. That way he can take what’s been given and be on his way because the situation in Jerusalem is so dire. Paul begins with a proverb that has an agricultural twist:
And it’s so true, isn’t it? Of course it’s not always 100% true. I mean you can sow seeds aplenty but have your crops ruined by drought or hail. But, by and large, there is truth here, because if we want a bountiful crop, we do have to sow bountifully. If we want a flourishing marriage, we have to put our whole selves into the relationship. If we want our kids to grow up in the faith—to believe in Jesus and be active in the church— we have to sow the seeds of faith through worship, prayer, the reading of Scripture. If we want to be a part of a thriving congregation that does incredible ministry both inside and outside its walls, then we have to give our money generously. And, generous giving, writes Paul, means that we’ve made up our minds to give,
Have you ever given your money to someone or to an organization or to a cause, and you found great delight in doing so? I have. Monday morning is my time with the checkbook. I pay the bills and the first check I write every Monday is to Christ Lutheran Church. I put the check in our offering envelope and put the envelope on Carol’s dresser, so she can bring it with her on Sunday. And I can tell you in all honesty that I find a lot of joy in being able to write that weekly check to the church. We’ve been so blessed by God and by your ministry that it’s an absolute delight to make that offering each and every week.
When I hear these words, I recall the words in Psalm 23, "my cup overflows." When I hear these words, I recall the words of our Lord’s Prayer, "give us this day or daily bread." And God does! In abundance! Martin Luther, in his Small Catechism, reminds us just what "daily bread" is: all the necessities of life: food, drink, clothing, shelter, money, property, good government, good friends. And the list goes on and on. And in thanksgiving for this daily bread, we’re invited to put our gratitude in tangible form. We call it money. And next Sunday we’re invited to pledge a portion of our money to the work of Christ’s ministry in this place and beyond. And we’re invited to give sacrificially. And just what does that mean? To give "sacrificially" means we give generously, abundantly. It means that we tithe, giving away at least 10% of our income. And, if we’re not tithing, it means we’re growing in our giving so that we can tithe. Giving sacrificially is knowing that our security doesn’t rest in our stuff but in the God who blesses and sustains us. Now, last week, I told you that we’d take some time this morning to have a bit of conversation with each other, reflecting together on Paul’s words to us from Second Corinthians. In your bulletin there’s a pink insert on which are printed today’s text and three questions. Pick any one of the three. I’m going to ask you to get up, move around, and visit with someone other than the person or persons you came with this morning. Have some conversation, and then we’ll come back together in a few minutes…. Next Sunday we’re celebrating Thanksgiving. What a wonderful time to receive pledges for ministry for 2008. For a thankful heart is a joyful heart. A joyful heart is a blessing heart. A blessing heart is a giving heart. And a giving heart is a Jesus heart. Yes. Yes, indeed. We do have stories to tell. And we do have gifts to share. Amen.
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