More Blessed

Zephyr United Methodist Church

Early First United Methodist Church

November 13, 2005

Rev. Eddie Smart

Acts 20:32-35 (NIV)

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

      A mother was trying to read a serious book, and her young son wanted her attention. He touched her arm and said, "Mommy, I love you." She acknowledged him by saying rather absently, "Mommy, loves you too, son." Not to be deterred, he came back a second time, leaned against her knee, and said, "Mommy, I love you." She gently patted his head and replied, "Um, hum, I love you too. Now go play and let Mommy read her book." But this didn't satisfy the boy. Still determined to get her attention, he went to the back of the room, ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, leaped into her lap on top of the book, threw his arms around her neck, and said joyfully and excitedly, "Mommy, I love you and I just have to DO something about it!"

      Stewardship is not just giving money away. It's using our money and talents for the benefit of other people. Christian stewardship expresses our love for God. Martin Luther said, "You can't express love unless you start with your neighbor." We are reminded by today's text that, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Our Lord would have us focus on the activity of giving. We have the opportunity to be intelligent and generous givers in every area of life. We have the opportunity to be faithful stewards of all that God has graciously given us. REMEMBER, everything we have is a gift from God. Our very being is a gift.

      So... according to Luther, we can’t show our love for God without showing our love to our neighbor.

      From a heart of stewardship flows the life blood of giving. God gave. Jesus gave. Others gave. Therefore, OUR RESPONSE to God is to share ourselves and all that we have with others.

      Helen Bell sometime back, on her way to work, saw a young couple on the roadside carrying a cardboard sign that read, "Homeless and Hungry, Please Help!" She reached for her wallet with the intention of giving them several dollars and discovered that the smallest bill she had was a twenty. Her initial reaction was that she couldn't give them the twenty; it was too much. She struggled mentally, debating the pros and cons of such a gift. She prayerfully sought the Lord's direction.

      She finally remembered all that she had been given by God --the awesome beauty of God's creation, the blessings of health, home, job, family, friends, financial resources, spiritual gifts, and the opportunity to be in ministry. Most importantly, she remembered Jesus' gift of himself. That gift requires a response. Jesus said that what you do "for the least of these," you do for him (Mat 25:45). She thought, "I love you, God, and I just have to DO something about it!"

      She gave the couple the twenty dollar bill. The young woman accepted the bill with thanks. When she noticed that amount, her mouth dropped open. As Helen drove away, she saw them in her rear view mirror, pointing in her direction with looks of surprise on their faces. Helen laughed all the way to work. She had experienced once more the joy of giving.

      Giving is an outward expression of an inward working of God's grace. How does one respond to this kind of grace? A willing mind and heart are first and foremost. Acceptable giving is an act of will.

      Paul teaches in 2 Cor 9:7 that each of us must give as we have made up our minds, not reluctantly or under compulsion.

This means every Christian must decide prayerfully what she or he will give. A committed heart will love enough to give.

      Our giving is not based on any need of the church for our money. Yes, the church has a budget and can't exist without money. BUT our giving should be in response to God's grace showered upon us. In our bulletins, I have used the words of a former pastor of mine-- Spiritual Growth Through Giving. He wrote, “Tithing is a spiritual discipline. The decision to tithe is a spiritual one rather than a financial one. Giving brings to money the power of grace.” I now use the idea of “giving in a way that honors God.”

      Our giving--the amount of our giving--is a spiritual issue. Does God love us? Do we love God?

      Yes, we each have a limited budget. But do we give God the first dollars or the last dollars? The spiritual discipline is one of priority. What is most important to us? Christian stewardship requires discipline. And as with any discipline, we need from time to time to evaluate our giving. Could we give more to God than we do? God's money flows through our hands, where does it go? When is the last time we considered the amount we give to God's church? How long have we been giving the same ole amount?

      I have also quoted Will Willimon in our communion bulletins. He wrote:

"Every time we receive the offering, we are giving visible, tangible expression to the materiality of the Christian faith. We are lifting up ordinary things like bread, wine, and money and saying that because of the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus, these ordinary things take on new significance for us."

      For Christians ordinary things take on a new significance, because God graced our lives with Jesus Christ. For Christians, stewardship means more than caring for someone else's property. For Christians, stewardship means recognizing that ALL we have is a gift from God and in response to God's love for us, we give God's money toward God's work.

      On the occasion of my ordination a dear friend, George Sutton, shared with me one of his favorite passages of scripture: "You Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands..."Psalm 16:5 (Good News : Today's English Version)

      Giving is not an elective in the Christian curriculum. Our offering of ourselves and all that we have is an act of joyful praise and thanksgiving -- an admission of trust. Giving affirms God's Lordship and our stewardship. God's people giving together is like a mighty anthem of praise affirming, "Worthy is the Lamb!"

      Oh God, we love you, and we "just have to DO something about it!"