“Unrestrained Exuberant Joy“  2013

1 Chronicles 29:10-17        Mark 12:38-44

 

1 Chronicles 29:10-17

10Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, forever and ever. 11Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name. 14“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.

 

Mark 12:38-44

38As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 41He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

 

Mornings around our household

            start with all-out, unrestrained,  absolute exuberant joy.

It’s not me,  but when I let our two little dogs back in the house,

            they scoot right past me,

                    past their favorite squeaky toys and even their food dish

                            in a mad dash sprint  to jump on the bed with Kathy.

 

And at that moment all is wonderful and right in their world,

     as they fulfill their place and purpose in God’s universe

               with energetic jumping up and down in wild excitement;

and as Cloe’s tail wags so hard she can barely walk, life is good …

   … it is absolute unrestrained, all-out exuberant happy-dog joy!

 

In my Christian experience,

            there have been some wonderful moments of such grateful joy,

                        of my relationship and walk with God being in-synch…

 

… of a life well-aware of God’s gracious presence and promise,

               confident and amazed at how faithfully God provides

                 in loving abundance for our needs, for our good and growth.

           

I think King David was having

            such a moment of all-out grateful joy when he declares, vs. 14

                        "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill offering?  For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.

 

This text comes from a time late in King David’s life.

                He has risen from an insignificant young shepherd boy

                        to have become the nation of Israel’s greatest king,

and from a few scattered tribes hiding from Philistines in hills,

              they became a nation that now dominates the region,

                        as they were now enjoying the golden age of Israel.

 

    David and the people recognize and acknowledge

            that it is all  entirely the gracious blessings from the Lord,

                        and in joyful gratitude   they are gathering resources

                                    for Solomon to build his magnificent temple

                                       in response to the goodness and generosity of God.

 

As David reflects on how far he and the nation have come,

            and he sees the incredible wealth given toward the temple,

                        he expresses the heart of faithful stewardship,   vs. 16

            O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand   and is   all your own.

 

     It is true that all and everything that any of us has,

            was first given and entrusted to us by God…

… or as the Apostle Paul instructs the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 4:7

            …  What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you act as if it were not a gift?

                       

In David’s time,

            the people realize they have been abundantly blessed by God,

                        and in response they are generous in their giving,

                                    in supporting the project of building the temple.

 

I am reminded of a time

            when we had an unusually high number of 3^rd and 6^th graders,

                        and it was time to present them with their new Bibles.

The moderator of the CE committee was concerned about what that

           unusually high expense would do to the rest of their budget.

 

So one Sunday, I announced the need in worship

    inviting contributions to help with the cost of student Bibles…

 

… and you gave joyfully and generously, 

            more than double the amount we needed to buy all those Bibles,

                        and in fact, some thanked me for the opportunity to give.

 

It is natural & appropriate that when we know we have been blessed

    that we want to express our joy and gratitude;

and as a pastor, it is a great privilege

            to serve such a faithful, generous and amazing church à

                        for you are very generous in sharing

                             your time, your talents and your financial resources…

            … and you don't hear me say "thank you" nearly often enough.

 

By your efforts,

            your gifts of time, talents and financial support,

   God is using this church to accomplish some wonderful things,

            and truly we are making a real difference in lot of lives,

                           and serving the work of building up God’s kingdom

                                    here in our community and around the world.

 

We can echo David’s prayer, praise and gratitude,

            But who are we, that we should be able to make this freewill offering?   For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is   all your own.

 

In Chronicles, David and the people of Israel are responding

    to the blessings of God by giving generously toward the Temple.

*           Their giving became an expression of their joy & gratitude.

 

Last week you should have received a stewardship letter,

            along with a pledge card to help with planning the budget

                    and a second sheet listing some volunteer opportunities.

 

Like David, I look around amazed by how richly God has blessed us,

            and the incredible abundance that God has entrusted to us,

                      but it runs much deeper

                             than just the amount of money and time that we give.

 

A few years ago, Ted Turner was all over the news;

            when he announced his plans to give a billion dollars

                        to the United Nations for some special projects.

 

Such huge contributions always capture the world’s attention

            because we are very impressed by the largest contributions,

               assuming that more is better, and a lot more is a lot better.

 

But in Luke's gospel, 

   Jesus challenges this world's understanding of value and worth.

 

               He and the disciples are at the Temple in Jerusalem watching

                        as folks are contributing their money into the treasury.

 

Archeologists and biblical historians write that there

            was in a large courtyard area near the temple entrance,         

                where along one wall there were 13 curled brass receptacles 

                        that looked like metal ram’s horns,  called “shofars”.

 

When people dropped their coins into them,

    they banged and clanged going down these trumpet-like spouts;

            so that everyone nearby could hear the offering,

                        with the sound indicating the amount they had given.

 

vs. 41-44

            He (Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury.  Many rich people put in large sums.  A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.  

            Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.  

 

Apparently, 

   Jesus did not understand the arithmetic of fundraising…

 

… for the widow’s pitiful offering was an insignificant amount;

            far too little   for anyone even to bother take notice…

               … surely not enough

                        to make any difference in the Temple operations budget.

**      So in what sense  had   she given  more than all the others?

 

Jesus explains it in  vs. 44b                     

            for all of them have contributed out of their abundance,   but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

 

His point was, that even after

    the wealthier folks had made their more substantial offerings

                        they would still continue to be very wealthy people,

                            for they were giving from their surplus and excess

                                      in amounts that would hardly be missed at all.

 

But the tiny and insignificant offering made by this poor widow

      was an offering of trust, her total self, a sacrificial gift,

                        for she gave  ALL  that she had -   ALL she had to live on.

She was holding back nothing in reserve,

            totally trusting God to provide what she needed…

          … so her gift was given at great personal sacrifice and risk.

 

While the crowd was impressed by the amount of the larger gifts,

   Jesus is impressed by the amount of this one impoverished giver;

            which reveals something of how God views true worth & value.

It's not the amount given, but it's the cost to the giver

    as an expression  of the giver's gratitude and trust toward God…

                … for it’s that sort of giving that leads to exuberant joy!

 

Ted Turner’s billion dollar gift got lots of public recognition.

            But God is more impressed and pleased by those who quietly

                and consistently give offerings though smaller in amount,

                                        yet whose delight

                                                is to give more than they can easily afford.

 

It’s not that Jesus wants us all to give all we have to live on,

          … but at the same time,  if there is no sacrifice on our part,

                    then our offering may be   quite a bit less than we think.

 

When I was a young boy, on the way to Sunday School each week,

            Dad would give me a dime to drop into the offering plate,

                        and the offering was a fairly meaningless gesture to me.

 

Later, when I earned my own money shoveling neighbors’ driveways

            my offering became a joyful and meaningful part of worship,

               an expression of commitment that helped me grow in my faith.

 

You see, I needed for my offering to come at a personal cost,

     to give of my own resources, to have some a sacrificial aspect,

            and I needed to make that choice to give   for myself.

 

The question is,   is there any real self-sacrifice involved? à

            And,  can I point to anything that I am willing to forgo,

                        so that I can  give that money, that time, that talent? …

 

… for if my giving is simply   a little excess from my surplus,

            if there is no effort, creativity, or sacrifice on my part,

                        then I am shorting the benefit that might have accrued,

                        I will miss the blessing that might have been mine.

 

There is far more to faithful & meaningful Christian stewardship

            than just the amount we give toward the mission of the church…

… for it’s really not

            about having money enough for our church to pay the bills,

                nor all the volunteers needed to accomplish every task.

 

It has something to do with making a sacrifice,

            some pleasure or desire, something we might have purchased,

                        except that we chose to respond more generously to God…

… it’s not the amount or size of my offering,

            but the seriousness of my commitment, it’s impact on my life.

 

Stewardship is not just putting money into an offering plate.

            It's our involvement in the life and ministry of the church.

    It includes everything about us,  

            who we are,  what we do   and the attitudes by which we live.

 

My pledge is an opportunity  to refresh and renew that commitment,

   and to self-examine, to see if my life  is in synch with my faith.

 

In Ghana, a favorite and joyful part of the worship service

            is when they celebrate receiving the offering.

 

When the drums and music start, the whole church stands

            and there are smiles, greetings and laughter

                        singing, dancing, swaying and waving handkerchiefs;

and then everyone dances their way

            to a big plastic washtub in the front

                        where with great flourish and joy,

                                    they drop in whatever money they can.

 

You see, its really isn’t the money, certainly not the amount,

    but rather, the exuberant joy of giving, - participating with God;

         - the money, it’s only a symbol of the contents of our hearts.

 

So when we bring our pledge cards up to the front,

            the amount on the card is just to help with budget planning,

                and the volunteer sheets to help connect people with tasks…

 

… the more important part

            is that when we get up from our comfortable seats,

                   we are offering for God’s purpose, our whole selves.

 

During our choir anthem, I invite those who are able

            to come forward and place your offering ,your pledge card,

                        and your volunteer sheet in the basket up front…

              {If getting to the front is difficult,

                        just raise your hand and a deacon will come to you}

 

…  and let that symbolize   gratefully-joyfully presenting to God,

            all that we have, all that we value, and all that we are.

 

I want to grow spiritually, and let Jesus be first in my life.

            I want to participate in whatever God is up to in this place,

                and I want to be numbered with God's people,

                        and to be in on all the cool stuff

                                    that God is doing in and through this church…

 

          … so together

                       let’s find out what happens when we say “yes” to God.

    … and may it be for each of us

          absolute unrestrained and all-out exuberant happy-dog joy!