Good morning Sunrise! I am Tim Roberts and I have the great joy of being the pastor of such a warm and loving church here at Sunrise. One of the joys that I a pastor has is seeing children grow. Though I’ve only been here a little over a year, I am astonished to see the growth of some. Like Evan, who I think has doubled his height, and Jake, whom I would not dare to pick on anymore. But even more than those are the ones who were just born or about to be when I came here. Marleigh, Carter, and Eva are the three that I have had the honor of baptizing over the last year. I can’t think of anything that is more special than to be a part of God marking one as His own. Each time we take part in the sacrament, we, as the church, do something; do you recall what that is? We covenant together to help raise these children to know and love God and to know what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It is easy to say we’ll do that, but when we really think about it, that usually requires a life change for us.
Today, we are continuing with a series of messages that are tools to help us live out this life transformation. I call this Holy ConneXions because often we need some device to remind us of who we are and to strengthen our love of and for God. This series is also serves as our stewardship campaign, because I tend to have a very broad view of stewardship. It’s not just about money, but also about our prayer life, our presence within the community of faith, our serving others, and our witness of our faith. But today, we are going to consider the money aspect, that is our gifts.
Watching babies grow up is a wondrous thing. Somewhere, usually around nine months or so, one of the greatest things happen – they start to form words, like “mama” or “dada.” Those words are probably the most precious sounds to a parent. We encourage them to say them often (although we aren’t so filled with joy when they utter them at two in the morning). Still, we are excited to hear them start to expand their vocabulary. Soon they pick up the words, cookie, cracker, and juice. Then, another word sneaks in. At first, it seems to be a rather innocuous word, but the implications are great. I hear parents, siblings, grandparents, friends teach this word to the child, not realizing the damage the word can cause. Do you know to which word I am referring? – “Mine.”
Think about that for just a moment. The concept of that word, mine, has impregnated itself into just about every area of our lives. We claim things as ours and do our best to make sure everybody knows that this stuff is ours. My mom would put “Roberts” on the bottom of butter containers when we would take food to my aunt’s house for Mother’s Day. I am no better! If you were to look, I believe “Roberts” is etched into this remote that I am holding. Why? Because it is mine! I bought it! I know it can be like some of my books that wander off from my office and seemingly can’t find their way back. Maybe I am the only one, but I rather doubt it.
There is a problem with this mentality though. Is it really mine? Well, that becomes a theological issue. Psalm 24 starts off by with this assertion:
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
What? It’s not mine? How can that be? I bought this stuff with my own money? I mean, my house is mine – my name is on the deed (well, along with Wells Fargo). So, it is mine, right?
Well, let’s think of it another way. Who used to own that property? Go far back – back before the Indians. God – who created this land. Who will this land be passed on to – far into the future. God – who created this land.
Who has heard the old adage, “He who dies with the most toys (or stuff) wins!”? I thinks if we were to put this into a proper theological framework it would go like this: “He who dies with the most stuff – is still dead – just like the ones who died with nothing.”
Consequently, what does this say about all our stuff? Ultimately, what do we possess? Nothing. It’s God’s stuff – always has been, always will be. Humbling notion, isn’t it. So, where does this leave us? It leaves as stewards of God’s possessions.
What is a steward? The biblical understanding of a steward is:
One who “oversees” the possessions, business affairs, property, servants, and the training of the children of an owner or master.
Armed with this definition, let’s take a few moments to consider how this relates to Gifts as a Holy ConneXion.
The media is filled with financial experts that offer advice to help us get ahead. From the meek Clark Howard, to the outrageous Jim Cramer, to the faithful Dave Ramsey, each has a well thought-out formulas and methods to bring about financial stability. Yet, many seem to so far in debt, they are barely able to squeak by.
So, when a pastor begins speaking about tithing, it sounds like another bill, another obligation in a mountain of debt.
Even for those who aren’t financially struggling, the word tithe resonates as a four-letter word (which, by the way, it’s five). Our culture views money as a private matter. I have heard numerous times that when I have spoken about money, I have gone from “preaching to meddling.” Yet, it is something that must be addressed, because it can be a major interference in our connexion with God. I know this may cause some to be a bit uneasy, but please bear with me as we look at what the bible has to say about this issue.
The term tithe, which means “tenth” is a concept that first appears in Genesis 14, when Abram (later known as Abraham) had defeated Kedorlaomer and those kings who sided with him. As Melchizedek, King of Salem and priest of the Most High God, came and praised him, Abram gave to him a tenth of everything he had. It was his way of honoring God by putting God first. He gave it to support the work of the temple in caring for people and worshiping God. Even today, removed from this event by several millennia, the concept of giving to the church remains the same. But, many have a problem with the idea of giving a tenth to the church.
Likewise, many believe the church speaks too much about money. Yet, Jesus spoke more about money, possessions, and giving than about prayer. Why? Jesus knew that we would be challenged by money, possessions, and our incessant desire to acquire more rather than to give.
In Matthew 6, Jesus is addressing how those who don’t know God run after material things as he says:
Matthew 6:32
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But, to us he says:
Matthew 6:33
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
This understanding of the relation between giving and receiving becomes most apparent in Paul’s second letter to the Church at Corinth, which is a follow-up, a reminder to the Corinthians about what they previously promised to do.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
You see, while the Old Testament teaches about the tithe – that is the giving of 10%, the New Testament speaks more about our attitude towards giving and why giving is important.
For many, tithes and offerings are seen as our part of keeping the church running. It is seen as meeting the budget to pay the pastor and staff and paying the utility bills. For many churches, this may be true. But brothers and sisters, it can be more than that – it must be more than that
Video Clip from Pay It Forward
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kMkR7vizCYM
The teacher’s question was this:
“Think of an idea to change our world - and put it into action!”
What if the idea was referring to the church budget? Would it be just about the maintenance of an institution? Or would it be about the transformation of the world?
Friends, that’s the vision that God is laying out before us here at Sunrise. I envision the day when each Sunday, a good proportion of our time together was celebrating the transformation of lives that we witness on a daily business. I can see the day when additional staff, such as a youth pastor, Christian Educator, is not only needed but almost overworked as lives and families are being strengthened by God’s love. I can imagine the day a new building is rising out front because of the lack of space our current facilities provides. I can envision the day that we are the home base for many mission and ministry groups because we are living out the promise of being a blessing to the world because we are blessed by God. I can see all of this, and more, brothers and sisters, because we are not that far from this being a reality. The teacher said to “Think Possible.” We know it is possible, because that’s what comes with being faithful followers of Jesus.
Let’s bring it in focus by looking in hindsight. Who was here and helped start Sunrise?
[Allow response]
For the majority of us, we are here because of the faithful and trusting response of someone else.
The question for this morning is, what about tomorrow? What does the future hold for Sunrise, for the community, for the world? If the church is going to be an agent of transformation of the world, then we must be willing to invest in it.
But, let’s put this in the proper perspective – as a Holy ConneXion. Let’s go back and look at our focus verse – 2 Corinthians 9:7:
2 Corinthians 9:7
7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
The Holy ConneXion of giving is not about giving out of duress nor out of guilt. Instead, it is giving out of sheer joy for God and how God will use our faithfulness for transforming lives.
The Holy ConneXion of giving is also not predicated on a mandatory percentage. Tithing is something we strive for and grow into as our lives are changed by God’s love.
Next Sunday, we will begin passing out our ConneXional Stewardship packets. In each packet, there will be two different cards. One will be an Estimate of Financial Investment and the other will be a Estimate of Investment of Prayer, Presence, Service, and Witness. For both of these, we will ask that you take time and earnestly pray about your response so that you will give what you have decided in your heart.
The Holy ConneXion of giving is simply giving back to God, because God gave His all to us.
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