Abundant Giving

Deuteronomy 14: 22-29 & 2 Corinthians 9: 6-10

Roger Lynn

November 13, 2016

Stewardship Commitment Sunday

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

Last Sunday I warned you that I was preaching a stewardship sermon, and that I would be preaching another one this Sunday. That warning is still in effect. And this week, in contrast with last week, I will actually be talking about giving. So, consider yourself warned.

There is a long list of things I could say in a stewardship sermon about giving. I could tell you that you should give because the church needs the money. I could tell you that you should give because the Bible says so. I could tell you that you should give because it is more blessed to give than to receive. This list could go on and on, and if you have spent very much time in church down through the years then you have probably heard most of them, just like I have. So you will probably be happy to know that I’m not going to go there. I actually think that when it comes to the subject of giving, “should” language isn’t very helpful. Even the Apostle Paul recognized the need for some other way of approaching the topic. “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) If we are giving because we think we “should,” it might raise some funds in the short-term, but we would be a well-funded church without a soul.

Let me be clear. I firmly believe that giving is important – even vital. I believe that the need to give is built in to the very fabric of our being. But it is not something that can be forced. It is not something that can be compelled. True, genuine, abundant, faithful giving is always a response which flows out of our awareness that we have been blessed with abundance and are thus empowered to share abundantly. When giving is about “have to” then we are far less likely to even recognize the abundance or to experience the joy. When giving is about “want to” then both joy and abundance flow naturally into our awareness. 

There is something deeply satisfying about contributing to the world. I’m not necessarily talking about money at this point, although that is one very important form such contribution can take. What I’m talking about is making a difference in the world around us by giving of ourselves. I am convinced that all of us want to be a part of that kind of contribution. We want to reach out beyond ourselves and touch the world. What often prevents us from participating in such giving is fear. We think we live in a world of scarcity and therefore we must hold back or there won’t be enough. With such an understanding, any giving that does occur happens grudgingly, hesitantly, and without heart.

But when we can begin to open ourselves to the kind of reality I tried to describe in my sermon last Sunday, one in which we are aware of God’s abundant presence in the very midst of all of life, then we are freed to acknowledge and explore our deeply held desire to contribute. We can begin to let go of our fear and live into a genuine sense of having enough so that we can give ourselves away. What that looks like is going to be different for each of us. For some it may mean the exciting and energizing possibility of making large financial contributions. For some it may mean deciding to get more involved and give the gift of time. For some it will involve taking the first uncertain steps into a whole new way of living in the world. For some it will mean learning to walk even more boldly on a now very familiar path. 

Because the whole topic of giving is so fraught with unhelpful baggage for many people, I want to stop for a moment and make a disclaimer. If you are hearing anything I am saying as a demand or a “you should” or anything even remotely similar, then I am not making myself clear. If you are experiencing anything like guilt or coercion, then I am not making myself clear. My intent, simply put, is to offer you an invitation to consider for yourselves what it would mean to participate in the abundant and free-flowing reality of God’s Love. What you do with that invitation is completely and entirely up to you. How you respond or don’t respond is completely and entirely up to you.

What I believe you will discover, if you are willing to open yourself to God’s abundance, is freedom and joy and meaning and purpose. Giving ourselves away in contribution to the world enhances rather than diminishes our living. We have the privilege of touching the lives of others and being touched in return. One of the truly powerful things about faithful giving is that it really does put us in touch with the bigger picture beyond ourselves. It really does serve to remind us that we are a part of the larger whole. The instructions about the tithe which we read in Deuteronomy point us to this reality. First of all, the point of having the party is so that we will remember God’s abundance which makes the party possible in the first place. And then, at the end, the instructions to make sure that the Levites and the resident aliens are included reminds us that we are, in fact, connected to everyone else. Giving allows us to fully participate in that reality.

When you contribute to the work of this congregation, in whatever form that contribution takes, you are participating in an abundant ministry. You are a part of reaching out to touch a wide variety of needs within our community and across our planet, and you are truly making a difference – visiting the sick, comforting the grieving, speaking a word of hope in the midst of a frightened world, providing tangible aid for disaster victims, supporting Food Share and God’s Love which help to feed and care for our hungry and forgotten neighbors who live in our midst, providing space for other helping agencies in our community, and on and on the list goes. We make a difference. Through your giving you become an active and vital participant in the life-giving mission of this congregation. Because we really do live in an abundant world, we have the remarkable freedom to give abundantly. How will you choose to respond to the gift of God’s abundant Love?