The Art of Generosity Year B, Pentecost 24, 1 Kings 17.8-16, Mark 12.38-44

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen

Two widows.

Two examples of generosity and grace.

But first a little background to the lesson from Kings.

These were not good times in Israel.  King Ahab had just married Jesebel, a foreigner, and then had served and worshipped their God, Baal. 

Things were so bad that it is recorded that “Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.”  And considering how sinful the Kings who had gone before him were, Ahab must have been particularly evil.

In response, Elijah commanded according to the word of the Lord, that the rain and dew stop, except by his word.  And so a great famine came upon the land.

During the famine, God provided for his servant, Elijah.

The first thing he did was to command the ravens to take care of Elijah as he camped out in a wadi, or ravine, east of the Jordan.

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Then God sent Elijah to Zarephath where he had commanded a widow to take care of him.

What we find out is that this widow has next to nothing, in fact, she is so destitute because of the famine, that she is preparing to bake the last cake so that she and her son might eat it, and then die.

At first Elijah’s request of her seems cruel.

“Go, do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.”

But then he offers to her a promise:

“The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."

There are two things I like for you to consider about this story:

First, that when God calls us to do something, God also provides the means for us to do it.

The Bible states that God had commanded this widow to feed Elijah, and in order that she might do so, God saw to it that her food never ran out.

And the second thing is that it takes faith, a profound trust in God, to believe the promise.

Not only that, but it takes faith to believe that God does in fact have a purpose, a mission, for us to fulfill.

I would rather imagine that this widow had a few choice thoughts when she heard Elijah’s command.

“I have nothing.  How can I feed you as well?”

But God had a purpose for her, and so, provided her the means to do as he commanded.

Does God have a purpose for us as a congregation?

And if so, will God provide?

We believe that we have a purpose.  And we constantly remind ourselves of what that purpose is.

You know it.  Say it with me.

“God’s purpose for our congregation is to welcome, love, and serve all in our local and global community.”

If we truly believe that, then we are faced with a question of faith.

Do we trust that God will provide us with the means to fulfill that purpose as God did so for the widow of Zarephath?

Today we are having a congregational meeting.

Last year, as we adopted our budget, we shared that our congregation had enough in reserve to cover a projected deficit for about three more years.

I kind of regret that statement, because it is eerily similar to the widow’s statement.  It’s as though we said that we have just a little left in the jar, which we will use up, and then die as a congregation.

In fact, one of you stated following the meeting that at least you knew now, how much longer we could hold on.

Well, this is the thing.

We have gone about our business of welcoming, loving, and serving.

The Gospel is preached.  A warm welcome is offered.  We care for others.

And as we are able, we serve, doing things like making quilts to send around the world to those in need.

And today, at our meeting, we will report to you that rather than having used up the reserves ‘in the jar’, we have more than we had last year.

The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

Has God provided for us as he did for the widow and Elijah?

That’s a question of faith.

And it requires a response of faith.

The widow of Zarephath acted in faith.  She did as Elijah instructed her even though conventional wisdom would have said that there simply was not enough.

In this matter, I’m going to commend you for your faithful response.

We are not receiving support from other congregations or the synod.  We are entirely dependent on you and what you faithfully offer each Sunday.

And because of your faithfulness, and the grace of God, the jar is not empty.

That, more than anything else, is for me a sign that God continues to have a purpose for our congregation.

And so we will continue to welcome, love, and serve all in our local and global community.

And God will continue to provide for us that we might fulfill that purpose.

I should probably leave it at that, but I will risk saying one more thing, and that is a warning.

If we are not faithful to that purpose, if we no longer “welcome, love, and serve all”, then the jar of meal may be expended.

It is simply a fact that when congregations die, it is most often the result of having failed to remain faithful to the purpose that God gave them.  And one of the most common failures is that they turned inward.  They became more concerned about their own survival than their purpose.

Imagine, for example, if the widow had told Elijah that there wasn’t enough for him.  If she had did what she had planned, and baked the last cake for her son and then, waited to die.

Well, that’s what many congregations do, and the result is predictable.  If all you want to do is bake your last cake and die, God will let you.

But if you recognize that God has a purpose for you and this congregation, God will provide the means to fulfill that purpose.

Now, I’d like to share a few comments about the widow in the Gospel lesson, whose generosity is noted by Jesus.

This particular widow, gave a penny, all that she had, as an offering to the Lord.

My experience is a bit different, but the generosity of people is much the same.

Over the course of my ministry one of the statements that has been made time and time again, usually by people of great means, is “Pastor, we can’t do that because we have so many people on fixed incomes that just can’t afford any more.”

And the truth was that the most generous people in all of the congregations I have served were those people on fixed incomes.

Just saying.  .  .

There are a couple of practical reasons for this.  People on fixed income aren’t raising families, often have paid off their mortgages, and in many cases have reached a point in their lives that they are content with what they already have.

Add to that the fact that many of these people, precisely because they are on fixed incomes, budget well and include their offerings in their budgets, and what you have is a recipe for faithful stewardship.

One final note:

Sometimes those of apparently meager means have much to offer and their generosity is overwhelming.

Two women come to mind that I want to acknowledge today.

Eleanor Moody and Joy O’Donnell.

Eleanor was a bookkeeper at the local lumber company in Sandpoint.  Never married.  No family.

She was thrifty, and a character.  One of the memories I have of Eleanor is that she had pet skunks.  Actually, the skunks were wild, it’s just she feed them on her back porch.  That was Eleanor.

She served as the Church Treasurer for years, maintaining hand written ledgers.

Her property, located in Ponderay, was sold when she had to go into assisted living.  But because of its potential for commercial development it brought a good price.

After she died, the totality of her estate was given to the congregation and established the congregation’s endowment.

Joy O’Donnell was a teacher in Sandpoint throughout her life.  She too was single.

When I visited her in her home on Euclid Street, she asked if I would like to live there.  It was her way of informing me that the congregation was the sole beneficiary of her estate.

When she died, a scholarship fund was established to support young people in our congregation.

And also, because we had these gifts in our endowment fund, nearly half a million dollars, we were able to build Luther Park, an assisted living facility.

Their legacy lives on.

Two elderly women, with generous hearts, shaping the world to come.

God had a purpose for them.

And they were faithful to that purpose.

Do you believe that God has a purpose for your life, and for the life of this congregation?

And if so, will we trust in God to provide the means to accomplish the purpose to which he has called us.

That, to me, is the question of faith that we answer with our lives, each and every day.

Amen

Year B, Pentecost 10, John 6.1-21, Abundant Grace

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen

One of the things Martin Luther taught us is how to pray.  In his catechism the following prayers are suggested:

Luther writes:

The children and servants should present themselves before the table with folded hands and good manners and say:

The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and gratify everything that lives with satisfaction.^2 3

Then they should say the Lord’s Prayer and the following prayer:

Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these gifts you have given us, which we enjoy from your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Prayer of Thanks⁴

So too after the meal they should likewise fold their hands and politely say:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is kind and his goodness endures forever. He gives food to all flesh. He gives the cattle their fodder, and feeds the young ravens who call on him. He does not take delight in the strength of the steed or take pleasure in anyone’s legs. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him and who wait upon his goodness.⁵

Then they should say the Lord’s Prayer and the following prayer:

We thank you, Lord God our Father, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, for all the favor you show us, you who live and reign forever. Amen.

What a wonderful, prayerful, way to receive the blessing of food.

In our lessons for today we hear of God’s generous goodness, and the abundance that is offered to us.

Elisha offers the people food, a “small” amount, with the promise that the people shall eat and have some left over, and it was so.

In the Psalm we hear the words that Luther quoted, about God opening his hand and satisfying the needs of every living creature.

And then in the Gospel, again we have the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand with just a few loaves of bread, and two fish, a young lad’s lunch.

There are two distinct ways that these passages have been interpreted over the years.

The first way, has been to see the feeding that took place as extraordinary, a miracle, something quite beyond that which is naturally possible.

And the second way is to understand that rather than this being a miracle, a onetime manifestation of the power of God, this is in fact the way God always works if we but trust in him.

Underlying the understanding of this second way is the conviction that God has and will provide every living creature with all that we need.  Not necessarily all that we want, mind you, but all that we need.

It is our human nature to focus on all that we do not have, to fear that we will not have enough, and then to hoard that which we do have. 

The consequence of this is a self fulfilling prophesy.  If we believe that there will not be enough, there won’t be.  But if we trust that God has and will provide to each according to their need, there will be enough.

A wonderful and humorous example of this occurred in 1973,

The Great Toilet Paper Shortage.

Johnny Carson is credited in part with setting it off.  He made a joke during his monologue about a toilet paper shortage.

Everyone panicked.  They went to the stores and bought all that they could, and low and behold, there was none left on the shelves.

There actually never was a shortage at all, it was simply caused by a rumor and though at the end of the day, there wasn’t any toilet paper left in the stores, there was plenty in people’s pantries.

Unless of course, you were one of the poor blokes who didn’t hear Johnny Carson that night and didn’t get to the store in time to buy some.

In the end, the problem wasn’t one of supply, but of distribution.  There was plenty, it’s just that some had far more than they needed, and some were left without any.

Bread for the World, a Christian organization dedicated to the effort to end hunger in our world, both locally and abroad, has long maintained that the problem is not that there is not enough food; the problem is that it is not distributed to each according to their need.

They have interpreted Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand as a miracle of sharing and generosity, not a miracle of doing the impossible.

As Jesus lifted up the loaves and the fish, gifts from one boy’s lunch, others were motivated to share as well, and in the end there was an abundance.

One of the questions that we might ask, is which would be the greater miracle?

Would God’s multiplying the loaves and fish through an act of supernatural power be the greater miracle?

Or would God’s changing the hearts of those who were present so that they might all share and be satisfied be the greater miracle?

I suppose our answer to that question will in part be determined by whether we think it is easier to change the laws of nature than to change the human heart.

One of the issues is whether we live our lives with a spirit of scarcity, or abundance.

Do we believe that God satisfies the desire of every living thing, or do we believe that there is simply not enough to go around?

If we believe the latter, are we hoarders, making sure that we have stocked up to supply our need, even as others go wanting?

One of the problems that the world faces is the disparity between the rich and the poor.  It is getting worse, we are being told.  The rich are getting richer, the poor poorer.

Throughout history the disparity between the rich and the poor has often been the breeding ground for revolution and wars.

It’s no accident that in places like Africa and South America where there are such vast disparity between the rich and the poor that there is also such great political instability.

This difference between the rich and the poor was pointed out to me once as someone shared the experience of a foreign exchange student who went to Rio de Janeiro to study.

Her host family was well to do, the student realized.  But she had no idea just how well to do until one weekend when it was announced that they would go shopping as a family.  So Saturday morning they all boarded a private jet and flew to Paris to shop.

Families like this, in a land that also has millions living in abject poverty.

So the bottom line: 

One question that these texts raise is whether we are willing to be generous, as the young boy was generous, and to trust that as we share with one another there will be sufficient for all.

The second question is whether we do, in fact, have faith in God’s abundance, or are we convinced that there will not be enough.

Here I have a confession.

I’m an anxious worrier, at times.

The disparity that I have lived with over the course of my life is this:

Whenever I looked forward to the future, I have always been concerned that there would not be enough, that financial ruin was a distinct possibility, and wondered how we would ever make it.

And then, on the other hand, whenever I look back at my life, I’m struck with how there has in fact, always been plenty.

I haven’t always had everything I wanted, but I’ve never been without anything I needed.

At our pastor’s text study this last week, Seth, an intern who is completing his work and now will be waiting for a call and placement in a parish shared his experience.

He had shared his own anxiety about not knowing what the next few months would bring, and whether they’d have enough to get by.

His family simply responded, that “you are not alone, we will help you if you need it.”

Oh, Yeah, there is that.

This brings up another side to the story of the feeding of the five thousand.

We can talk about Jesus’ power in the blessing of the loaves.

And we can talk about the generosity of the young boy, and all who like him, shared what they had.

There is another issue though and that is this:  Are we willing to accept help and the generosity of others when we need it?  Or does our pride get in the way?

I’ve had to struggle with that.

On two separate occasions this last year my family has offered to help me out.

The last time it was a simple matter.  My sister recognized that my recent hospitalization and recovery would mean that I’d be off work for a week or so, and lose those wages.  This, together with the hospital bills would be a burden.

And so she offered to help.

Pride says “No, I can do it myself.”

Gratitude says “The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD, and you give them their food in due season. You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Can we receive with a gracious heart the gifts that God provides?

And then also, can we in turn, share out of our abundance?

One of the things I don’t remember ever hearing about in the story of the feeding of the five thousand, is this:

Imagine Jesus taking the loaves, blessing them, and then passing them out to the crowd.

Each one in turn, would receive the loaf, take what they needed, and then would pass it on. 

It’s what we call “paying it forward”.

As we have been blessed by the generosity of others, we too can be a blessing.

This is what it means to live in God’s grace.  Amen

Year A, Proper 24, Matthew 22.15-25, “To God the things that are God’s”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen

“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Jake was the husband of the matriarch of my congregation in Thompson Falls.

Though Elsie never missed something at church, Jake never darkened the door of the Church.

He did, however, like pastors.  He would take us fishing.  He would enjoy having us out to the place along the Clark Fork River for dinner.

In short, Jake was a good guy, just not a church goer.

But Jake taught me  something about generosity that I’ll never forget. 

“Pastor,” Jake said, “Pastor, there’s one thing I’ll never understand about people.  They’re constantly complaining about having to pay taxes.  I just don’t understand it.”

“You know, one year I had to pay $25,000 in taxes.  Imagine that, just me and my Cat building roads in the forest, and I had to pay $25,000 in taxes.”

“There were other years that I didn’t have to pay any taxes at all.”

“Pastor, the years I had to pay a lot in taxes were a whole lot better years than when I didn’t.  People should be grateful to pay taxes, because it means they had a good year.  They shouldn’t complain.”

Gratitude.

That’s what Jake’s comments were all about.

Gratitude.

Whether it’s paying taxes, or making our offerings, we should do so with a grateful heart.

What a blessing it is to have received enough to be taxed, or to be able to make an offering.

Gratitude.

One more word about taxes.

One theologian remarked once that if we consider all that is God’s, there is little left for the Emporer.

How much should we give as an offering to God?

That’s the question for today.

And why should we give?

That’s another good question.

Giving has an interesting history, and the Church has done a variety of things throughout the ages to meet its financial obligations.

In the Old Testament times, God’s people were expected to bring their tithes, the first fruits of the harvest and offer them in gratitude to God.  It was straight forward.  10% up front.

Since then, many Christians have adopted this as a mandate for their own giving.

My mother and father-in-law told their story from when they were first married.  They were going to Church one Sunday morning, and between them they had only $1.  Could they give anything?

They prayed about it, and came to the conclusion that they’d give a dime.  10%.  And that they did throughout the rest of their lives. 

Many Christians have found this to be a rich discipline, and have reported many blessings from doing so.

One of the best pieces of advice  I’ve ever heard, and one that unfortunately I’ve not been able to adopt, was to give 10%, save 10%, and live off the rest.  If I had my life to live over, I’d like to do that.

At any rate, many Christians have answered those two questions of how much we should give and why, by saying that we are to give 10% of all we have received, and do so both out of gratitude and obedience.

One of the problems with these answers is that they can become a legalistic burden.  Sometimes, 10% is too much, and at other times 10% is far too little.

Pastor Herb Knutson, whom I knew in Montana, was deeply concerned about viewing our giving from such a legalistic point of view. 

His father experienced all sorts of guilt because he didn’t feel he was able to give as much as he was required to give.

Herb studied the scripture in depth, and realized that the Old Testament tithe, actually funded BOTH the Church and the State. 

It was a flat rate that covered everything, both giving and taxation.  Actually, when you think about it, submitting to a flat tax of 10% that supported the entire government and the Church would be quite desirable to many in our age.  Wouldn’t it.

But before we go there, there is another part of the Biblical witness to bear in mind.

In the New Testament, specifically in Acts, the early Christians were expect to give, not 10%, but 100% to the Lord. 

In Acts 2.44 & 45 it is written:

“All who believed were together and had all things in common;  they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

And again in Chapter 4 it is written:

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

This was a radical concept.

It was radical in its day, and especially radical for us today as our entire culture is built around private ownership of things, from the land we live on to the money we have in the bank.

Many will say, “Well, that’s communism, and it’s been proven it just doesn’t work.  It didn’t work for the early Christians, and it won’t work now.”

Maybe so, but there is a truth that this points to, and that is this.

Our whole lives are lived as Stewards, caretakers of all that God has given to  us.

What we do with our lives, and with all that we have, determines whether we are good stewards or bad.

Yes, it is our responsibility to provide for ourselves and our families, food and clothing, home and shelter, transportation, health care, and all that is part of living today.

But support for the mission of the Church is also part of that responsibility that we as Christians have.

And, to put it bluntly, if one owns a $500,000 dollar home, two $50,000 cars, an RV or two, and countless other things, yet only gives as much to the Church as they might as a tip to a waiter following a fine meal out—well, that says something.

This brings up another point, about why we give and how much we should give.

Our giving is a witness to what we believe in, and who or what is truly our God.

Giving is an act of worship, with it we are acknowledging that the Lord is our God, and the Lord alone.

There’s a good news, bad news, joke about this.

The good news is that Jesus has returned to the earth.

The bad news is that he’s mad and has brought his accountants.

The point being, that there is probably no truer indicator of what we value in life, than our checkbooks.  And if our giving is merely an afterthought, well, that says something about us and what we believe.

Having said all that, I go back to Jake and Herb.

Jake’s observation is that we should be delighted to be able to pay taxes, and give generously, because it indicates that we have been blessed with a very good year.  Wise Words.

But Herb’s point is also well taken, it is wrong to approach giving legalistically.  The truth is that there are times in our lives when we will be able to give a lot, and at other times, only a little.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians:

“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”

That last line, is another point about why we give.

“That you may share abundantly in every good work.”

When we give, we participate in the mission of the Church.  It’s an act of Christian service.

And our gifts make ministry possible.

The Church wasn’t always dependent on free will offerings.

During the Middle Ages the Church owned massive amounts of land and profited off of it, supporting itself.

In Europe, even to this day, taxation supports the Church.

And I remember reading about the first Pastor of one of the congregations my Dad served.

His compensation was $200 annually, plus two offerings of his choice, and, we might add, all of his living expenses were basically covered.  If a farmer butchered an animal, part of it went to the pastor.  Pastors were given free medical care by doctors.  This even continued into my Dad’s ministry.  He paid a total of $35 to have six children, and that only because the obstetrician for one of the kids was Jewish, not Christian.

Today, though, our ministry is dependent on our charitable giving.  Buildings need to be heated.  Pastors need to be paid a salary.  And the wider mission of the Church is dependent on our giving.

The bottom line is that it is through the generosity of our members that our congregation is able to continue its ministry.  That’s simply a fact.

Why do we give?

Because Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”

In order to do that in today’s world, and today’s economy, the Church needs cash. 

One final story.

There was a wealthy man who had a sense of calling to the ministry.  He was capable of making a lot of money, but felt the need to be a pastor, instead.

As he evaluated his gifts for ministry, though, he realized that what he really was gifted at was making money.  He wasn’t particularly suited for the ministry at all.

After much prayer and consideration he decided that the best thing he could do, was to make as much money as he could, and then give generously to support the ministry of those who were truly gifted as pastors and evangelists.

He decided he would live on just a small portion of his annual income, and give the rest to support the ministry of the Church.

It was a wonderful and faithful response.

We give, in order to support those who have the gift of ministry.

“Why do you give?” and “How much will you give?”

These are two questions each of us must answer for ourselves. 

And however you answer those questions, just remember this:

That whether we are able to  give a lot, or a little, we are always simply giving back to God what he has first given us.

That’s what the hymn we will sing next makes clear.

We give thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be.

All that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee.

Amen