8:7 Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in
knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you--so we want
you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8:8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness
of your love against the earnestness of others.
8:9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by
his poverty you might become rich.
8:10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for
you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire
to do something--
8:11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by
completing it according to your means.
8:12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according
to what one has--not according to what one does not have.
8:13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and
pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between
8:14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance
may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.
8:15 As it is written, "The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little."
As a pastor of a congregation for less than a year, I have avoided
preaching stewardship sermons (even though our giving could be
better) to keep my ministry from being define by that one theme. Now
that the lectionary has brought us to the subject, I plan to let it
fly.
The thought came to me that Paul's analogy of the Body of Christ
with the human body really brings the message home. The theological
point with which one must deal is the question, "Is grace a end unto
itself or is it the means to a greater end which I will say is the
health of the body of Christ?" If grace is an end unto itself then
it becomes a possession to hang on to. If it is a means to an end,
then we must find a way to process grace. We process grace by
finding another person in need of grace. Giving to others in need is
a way to achieve this. What keeps charity from becoming a matter of
condescending over the recepient thus dimensing his or her sense of
pride is the expression that the gift comes from God through the
giver so that God gets the credit for the act.
Extending grace to others is comparable to the circulation of blood
throughout the entire body. It is simply amazing how the health of
the body can be determined by a blood analysis. True acts of charity
represent a healthy life-blood for the body of Christ. Paul does not
make this point in his analogy directly, but it is implied in his
statement, "And now I will show you the most excellent way." In the
KJV, the word he uses is charity to express the most excellent way.
The church's mission-work in its broadest context (everything we do
for others) expresses a desire to spread God's grace to all the
peoples of earth. In a day of economic downturns, I think that it is
even more important to move the discussion of stewardship from the
question of how much money do I need to give to the church into the
area of how much grace have I received and how can I keep the grace
of God flowing through by life by extending grace to others. In the
life-blood of the church, there is but one element that must be
present as the great lab technician of the universe does the blood
analysis. That blood must be rich in the grace channeling element of
charity. TN Mack
This will be my last sermon to the churches I have pastored for the
past 5 years while attending seminary. I'm looking for connections
to my "Moving On" -- as well as theirs. Since this is a student
appointment, they will be welcoming another student in the first
week of July. I see this pericope as the best opportunity for
helping the parish see that the work they began 5 years ago when
they welcomed me is "completed." It's time for me to move on and be
placed in the care of other congregations that will continue to
teach me how to be a pastor. It's also time for them to begin a new
work -- giving their gifts of teaching to a new student who will
live among them for he next few years.
Anyone have ideas for further development of this theme?
formerly StudentPastor in KS - soon to be just Robbie in Central
Kansas
TN Mack,
I think it might be good to spend some time defining grace or better
yet, helping your congregation to "feel" grace, and then develop the
"circulation" theme.
What would be a good to do this? I'll have to think about this one
throughout the week. Nothing comes to mind right off the bat for me
today.
Blessings, John near Pitts
Peace & blessings friends - I too was pleased to see this reference
come up in the lectionary. I also plan to use another reference that
talks about God giving blessings that would be shaken down and
overflowing. (I'm away from my home PC at the moment and can't quote
that exact source.) Anyway, I plan to title my message, "Shaken, not
Stirred" as a takeoff on the James Bond series. I might go in the
direction of how being stirred up with desire to serve will cause us
to give of our money AND our talents. For the first time in many
years our church is on track to give its full share of connectional
askings (the church's tithe to it's association). I will encourage
the individuals of the church to follow their leaders in giving the
full tithe of money and talents. We don't do a stewardship program
as such, so this will be the main thrust of stewardship efforts for
a pretty good while. I'd be interested in the group's thougths and
input -- Rich in Bama
I like how Paul mentions that the gift is acceptable when given with
eagerness. We discount our gifts. Shoot, we discount others' gifts,
too.
I mentioned this a couple weeks ago, but it bears repeating: there's
a Baptist church just off the freeway in South Atlanta. At night, on
one side people driving by at night can see Turner Field all lit up,
and on the other side of the freeway, people can see a blue neon
"Jesus Saves" sign lit up on that church's steeple. My first
reaction was that it was tacky and almost comical. Later, I came to
hink of what that sign says about that church and the - eagerness -
someone must have had to propose putting it up there! By whose
authority do I consider someone's witness "tacky?" The truth is,
anyone who looks at it comes into contact with the simple message of
the gospel. That blue neon "Jesus Saves" sign is a gift of an eager,
overflowing love.
And we just won't go there about trickle-down economics! :o)
Sally in GA
PS - Congratulations to Robbie!
This is a great preaching text, but I am having trouble coming up
with sermon illustrations. I know there have to be some good ones
out there. Any ideas? Help! Thanks always. ~Desiree in Sacramento~
Like Robbie this will be my last Sunday in this congregation where I
have served the past 5 years. (I'm moving to another state and
conference.) Where the Spirit has led so far in preparation, is to
remind the congregation that they are blessed by Christ and "excel
in everything." As they truly are a blessed and wonderful
congregation, examples of the congregation's spiritual gifts will be
the primary illustrations. As they will likely be served by a series
of interim pastors over the next year, hopefully I can then
encourage them to continue and/or "finish doing" the work we've
begun, for the strength of a Christ-centered congregation is not the
pastor, but the Spirit of the Living God working in and through the
whole church.
The message can be summed up this way: Christ has blessed you with
gifts for ministry, continue to be generous in using those gifts to
be a blessing for God's people in God's world. Ken on the Hudson
Desiree, if you don't confine your message to monetary giving alone,
but go into the gifts of self as well, there are many illustrations.
Two that come to mind are the story about the mountain climber, lost
contact lens & the ant; also, the story about the calling of a
Christian to buy a gallon of milk & then take it to a scary
neighborhood at night. If you are unfamiliar with these stories,
contact me by direct e-mail at mumcfumcprayers@aol.com. I'll hunt
them down in my files & share with you. -- Rich in Bama
Ken on the Hudson,
Thank you for your input. That's much what I had in mind to do with
this, too. The 3 little churches I serve have great potential, but
continue to view themselves as being able to "do" much because of
limited size & funds. I want to remind them of the important role
they play in educating pastors for service (especially in rural
contexts - even if those pastors have little understanding or
experience of rural life)and how vital that is for the future of the
church in "small places." This is a blessing to student pastors that
is given in Christ's name.
Still developing, but getting there. It will be a tough one to
preach for me, though, as there are many among these congregations
who have become very dear to me.
Thank you, Sally, for your good wishes.
Robbie in Central Kansas
John near Pitts, If I get your drift, one means of grace for this
Sunday will be the VBS closing which will be the main focus of the
morning worship service. The interaction of each age level in a
service like that should lead us in experiencing grace kind of like
the "Lion King's" song "The Circle of Life." When you consider the
hours of preparation and during the event itself, it is a labor of
love that helps pass grace from one generation to the next. TN Mack
Robbie in Kansas, Thank you for your input. I am a young,
out-of-seminary pastor who has been plunked in the midst of an aging
congregation. They're dear people, but like your rural folks, they
feel like they don't have anything to offer anymore. It is a very
small church in an urban setting with several larger churches down
the street, and everyone tells me the church has been struggling for
a while. They're not sure if they have anything to offer the
community, and that is one of the reasons I decided to preach 2
Corinthians this week. Best wishes to you as you move on in the
Spirit! Blessings, Desiree in Sacramento
To Desiree,
What a wonderful opportunity to lift up and value the wisdom of the
ages in your congregation. When I came my current congregation, ten
years ago, at 50 years of age, I was one of the younger people in
the congregation.
What I found was a congregation that believed in giving to missions
and the power of prayer.
The senior members of this congregation did more for my wife's faith
than any of the six churches we had been a part of during our
marriage. One woman in particular demonstrated a faith in prayer,
and an acceptance of all.
I remember the morning a woman, I had met at the detox center, came
to adult Bible study. This woman with all her tattoos and
interesting choice of clothing would have been rejected by many.
However, this saint took her by the arm and invited her to sit with
her during worship.
Another morning this same woman welcomed a boy with Downs Syndrome
in a way that brought tears to the eyes of the child's mother.
You are young, so you can relate to many that might not otherwise
choose your church. Share with your members that you will be
bringing new and possible different individual to experience worship
in your church.
Challenge them to accept them as they would their children or
grandchildren.
When they have nothing left to give but love, they will be the most
gifted people in God's Kingdom.
Ken in Somerset,MA
I am struck by how this passage connects with the 2 Samuel 1 and
Psalm 130 readings--with a focus on the community's well-being
(David's concern for the nation, even though he stood to gain from
deaths of both friend and foe; the psalm's movement from one's own
pain and need to being a sentry for the community; and now this
collection the Corinthians are to share in on behalf of Jerusalem
Christians).
We can note here how times have changed: Jerusalem was once the seat
of power for the church, but with its destruction, the widening
spread of the gospel, etc., now the Christians there (mostly Jewish)
must rely on the gifts and help of far-flung churches (mostly
gentile). (For the UMs out there, we can point out this is the first
occasion of "apportionments" in the Bible!)
This passage also helps us move "beyond tithing" (not a bad sermon
title, actually). In the OT, ONLY 10% was required as an
offering--the rest was yours to keep; in the NT, EVERYTHING is to be
given to God, indeed, our very being is to be offered up as "a holy
and living sacrifice" (Romans 12).
Hope these thoughts help...
TK in OK
Desiree,
Small churches in urban areas often have much in common with rural
churches. My specialization at seminary was in Town & Country
Minsitry, primarily with a focus on rural churches and communities.
However, many of the students in the classes I took for that
specialization were serving small inner city or urban churches that
faced the same kinds of problems that most rural churches face
today. If you can help your people see themselves as having a role
in the church beyond merely surviving as a congregation, you are
doing something vital in your ministry.
As for this final sermon, I've changed the title with which I was
originally working (Moving On) to what I hope is more positive for
my people -- Moving Forward. They have great opportunities to do
just that with the young man who begins his ministry here next week.
He is the first male pastor they have had in nearly 20 years (I'm
the 4th woman in a row) and the first pastor under the age 30 in
much longer than that! The folks here have much to teach him, even
as he leads them.
Robbie in Central Kansas
