Sermon #17 @ St. Paris UMC (10.18.09)

Pastor Dave Kepple

Text: 2 Cor. 8:1-12 and Mark 14:3-4

Title: “Cultivating Fruitfulness – Part 5: Extravagant Generosity”

Date: Oct. 18, 2009 (20th Sunday after Pentecost)

Internet Link for primary scripture texts used in this sermon:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Cor.%208:1-12&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2014:3-4&version=NIV

This past week, Rev. Dan R. Dick told a story on his blog that gives an interesting example of what we might call “extravagant generosity.”
Dick, a United Methodist minister now serving in Wisconsin, wrote about a time years ago he attended worship in a small New England church in the fall of the year during the annual “stewardship” campaign. Listen to the story in his own words:
“The pastor was a quiet gentle man who obviously cared for his congregation, which is a good thing because he was a poor preacher. He read his sermon from a manuscript in a soft monotone voice, uhm-ing and uh-ing every few words, and rarely looking up at the congregation. Approximately 50 people sat in the pews, and shortly after worship began many developed ‘the nods’ and drifted into sleep.
“Drowsiness spread like a virus, affecting just about everyone but one young boy – maybe 3 or 4 years old – attending church with his dad. While the preacher droned on and on, and the congregation battled sleep, the little boy climbed up and down on the pew, waved to people, flipped through the Bible and Hymnal – just as chipper and alert as he could be.
“The young boy’s dad, however, lost his fight with sleep and fell into a deep, bracing unconsciousness. The pastor was speaking of the importance of “giving all to Jesus,” and tied this concept to the weekly offering. He wrapped up his comments and called the ushers forward to pass the plates.
“The little boy looked at his sleeping father, then snaked his hand into his father’s jacket and came out with his dad’s wallet. As the plate came by, the boy took the entire wad of cash out of dad’s wallet, and he didn’t just place it in the offering plate, he slam-dunked it with both hands, making the metal plate clang.
“Dad came to with a start, just in time to see his worldly wealth pass away down the pew – and from where I was, it looked to be a sizeable amount, with twenties, fifties, and hundreds in evidence. He looked at his son, then at the plate, then at his son, then at the plate – undecided what to do. It was obvious he wanted to dive down the pew and tackle the usher and retrieve his cash, but his son was watching him closely – beaming with smiles and laughter. Truly, if God loves a cheerful giver, at that moment he must have loved that little boy best of all.”
Dick then comments: “The little boy knew what the offering was – he was ready to give. But being young as he was, he didn’t for a moment debate how much to give. He didn’t think about what he could afford. He didn’t worry about what would be left over. He wasn’t thinking of all he couldn’t buy if he gave too much away. No, when the opportunity came, he gave it all, with a laugh, and a smile, and an unreserved joy.” (1) . . .
OK, I could be wrong, but I have a hunch no one here is going to fall sleep during today’s sermon!
I’ve preached a few sermons on stewardship from time to time – especially in the fall of the year. But I’m now in my 11th year as a fulltime pastor, and you know what? I’ve decided I don’t want to preach on stewardship anymore.
On the other hand, I’ll be happy to preach about generosity. And when I preach on generosity – extravagant generosity -- it won’t be as a means of stoking your contributions to the church coffers, desirable though that may be. But rather, I will strive to joyfully preach the message of extravagant generosity as a lifestyle – a way of life. It is the Jesus Way, and with God in control, anyone can do it.
I thought this was well-illustrated by the story told Friday in the “Cultivating Fruitfulness” books we’ve been reading as a congregation. The author tells of a downtown church in a moderately-sized community where they often had transients and homeless persons come to seek handouts. I think the story bears repeating.
Here’s how Bishop Robert Schnase tells it:
“As the pastor was leaving the church one afternoon, he noticed the part-time custodian carrying out the garbage to the large trash bin in the alley. There was a homeless person sprawled out beside the bin, looking barely conscious. As the custodian approached the trash bin, he set down the garbage bag he was carrying, pulled out his wallet, and removed a few dollar bills.
“Without having been asked, he walked over to the homeless person and gave him the money, said something, then continued his work and returned to the church. The pastor was amazed and humbled by this extraordinary display of generosity. The part-time janitor who earned less than anyone else on staff gave generously without even being asked, while the staff had spent hours trying to figure out policies and procedures.
“The pastor asked the custodian why he gave the money without even being asked and also pressed him about whether he thought the homeless person might misuse the money for alcohol or drugs.
“ ‘I always do that when I can,’ the janitor answered. ‘I give them a little money and say, God bless you, because I figure they are some mother’s son, some father’s child, and so I give them something. What they do with the money – well, they have to answer to God about that. I just have to answer to God about what I do with mine.” (2)
There are many examples of extravagant generosity in the Bible, a couple of which we just read for you. One of the most wonderful is the passage Gene shared from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church.
The subject matter is a special offering being collected for the "mother church" back in Jerusalem, which has become destitute. The Church in Jerusalem and its people are in desperate financial straits -- they are clinging to survival. So Paul and others have been working on a special collection as they visit the developing Christian communities, in the Gentile regions of Turkey and Greece.
And this special fundraising project has been going on for a while. Indeed, when writing his first letter to the Corinthian Church some time before, Paul already made reference to this unique offering, in I Cor. 16:1-4.
But a year or so has passed since that time. Paul is now on his third missionary journey, and he continues to collect donations, to send this special gift on to Jerusalem. Paul has become concerned about the Corinthians and their commitment. For as dedicated as they are to God, it seems those in Corinth may have lost heart for meeting this special need.
Ah, but what a different story Paul has found in the Macedonian churches -- including those in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. Paul can hardly believe what he's seeing unfold among these Macedonian believers, who are facing severe trials and their own "extreme poverty."
Listen to how Eugene Peterson puts Paul's words, in Peterson's biblical paraphrase, The Message:
"Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could -- far more than they could afford! -- pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians. This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard."
What explains this astounding desire to share from what little they had?
The Apostle Paul continues: "What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God . . . the other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives."
Oswald Chambers, the great Bible teacher who authored “My Utmost for His Highest,” wrote that if we believe in Jesus, “it is not what we gain but what he pours through us that really counts.” Then Chambers noted something that fits rather nicely with our “Cultivating Fruitfulness” theme: “God’s purpose,” he wrote, “is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that he may squeeze the sweetness out of us.” (3)
In one of his devotionals, Chambers alludes to the extravagant generosity of Mary of Bethany, who broke a flask of very expensive perfume – made of pure nard – and used it to anoint Jesus.
“It was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, there were some who said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, ‘Wherever this gospel is preached, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.’
Chambers added: “Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever he sees any of us doing what Mary did – not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him . . . Now is the time for us to break ‘the flask’ of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him.” (4)
Take a look at this envelope I’m holding in my hand. I know it’s hard to see, but let me tell you about it. It’s addressed simply to God, and it has a number of stickers attached to it. In fact, the word “God” is surrounded on all four sides by pictures of flowers. There are also a couple scripture passages on the envelope, like this one in the corner from Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Last Sunday morning, I spent some time in Sunday School with our older group of children, who were being led by Mary Tron. Mary asked the youth to write thank-you notes to God – thanking Him for His forgiveness and for any blessings that they may have.
Mary told the kids to place the notes somewhere as a reminder of what God has done for them.
Kelly Bailey placed his note on the altar, which is where I found it.
You know, it is a good thing – a very good thing – to say thank you to the Most High God, the most extravagant Giver of them all. I’ve heard people say “it’s impossible to outgive God,” and I believe it.
After all, as we read in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
No one is more generous than God, who gave his beloved Son for each of us – indeed for the whole world.
Maybe one of the ways we can thank the Lord is through our response – by living lives of extravagant generosity. Remember, it’s a lifestyle we can adopt – it’s a way of life we can embrace – when Jesus comes into our hearts.
There’s a great old hymn I was thinking of the other day, called “How Can I Keep From Singing?” – written by a fellow named Robert Lowry.
Listen to the last lines of the song:

“The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His –
How can I keep from singing?”

To which I might add:

Since Christ is Lord of Heav’n and earth,
How can I keep from giving?
How can we keep from giving?

Let us pray . . .

_______________________

1. Dan R. Dick, “The Joy of Giving,” United Methodeviations blog, Oct. 12, 2009, http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/the-joy-of-giving/
2. Robert Schnase, “Cultivating Fruitfulness: Five Weeks of Prayer and Practice for Congregations,” pp. 91-92, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2008.
3. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, “The Sacrament of Sacrifice,” p. 246, Barbour & Company. Inc., Uhrichsville, OH, 1963.
4. Ibid.