The Joy of Giving!
You may have heard it said: we give to get God’s blessings.
I first heard that message when I was about 10 years old. My family was visiting relatives and we went to their church on Stewardship Sunday. The visiting preacher’s message was: “Give to Get.” He told a story about a time when things were fight for him but he went to church and it was stewardship Sunday. So, when the offering plate went by, he reached for his wallet, intending to put in a dollar. But when he opened his wallet, he saw two bills – a one dollar bill and a $100 dollar bill. He wrestled with what to do. The day’s message had been “Give to Get.” He decided to risk it. He put in the $100 dollars. He wondered if he would regret it. The next day he got a new job, blessings and ever since, he’s been out preaching, “Give to Get.” He must have said that phrase a hundred times. Give to Get. Give to Get.
I know it’s weird for a 10 year old to not only listen but remember a sermon. But I remember being so bothered by this phrase “we give to get” and thinking, “That’s not right.” We don’t give to God in order to get God’s blessings. God’s blessings aren’t for sale! The phrase sounded manipulative.
As we heard in our Gospel reading, Jesus encourages us “not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. For just as God takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers in the field, so too God provides abundantly for us. In response to God’s giving, we don’t give to get, we get to give because God has entrusted us with an abundance of gifts to share.
You may have heard it said that the job of the stewardship committee is to wring money out of people. But sharing the gifts that God has entrusted to us is not meant to be forced. As Paul writes to the Corinthians, so I say to you, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God has provided more than enough – for all of the people in the world.
So let’s begin by giving thanks. We give thanks because all that we have comes from God. And let us give thanks – for Jesus. For Jesus has called you and me to be his disciples, his followers. And being a disciple, a follower of Christ, affects how we see God’s gifts.
Seeing God’s gifts is kind of like when I first got a contact. When my eyes started to get worse, I began using cheaters because I needed them to read from my worship bulletin. But then, when I looked up to see you, you were very blurry. So I went to the ophthalmologist (eye doctor), and she offered me a contact – I was amazed. Suddenly, I could see both my bulletin and the people in the congregation. For those of you who have grown up with contacts or glasses this may be old news for you. But I was so thankful for the change that this little tiny contact made – so that I could see.
As followers of Christ, we are wearing Christ-colored glasses which changes how we see and what we do with the gifts that God has given us. God gives us many gifts – everything that we see, everything that we have and all of life is a gift!
It is all gift. However, Crossways Director and Pastor Harry Wendt points out the way God gives gifts to us is different from the way that we give gifts to one another. 1
For example, if I were to give you this pen, it’s not mine anymore. I’m transferring ownership of this pen to you. It’s now your pen and you can do anything you like with it. You can write with it, you can put it behind your ear, you can even break it or throw it away. Afterall, it’s your pen now. But, when God gives us the gifts of food and water, land and sea, God isn’t transferring the deed of that piece of the earth to you. It still belongs to God. You may have to pay taxes on the land you live on to the state and federal governments… but…ultimately, it is still God’s. As we read in Psalm 24: The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” God hasn’t transferred the deed to us.2
Instead, when God gives us gifts – what that means is that God entrusts us with caring for the world and our neighbor. That is what the word “stewardship” means. We are stewards, caretakers of God’s world and one another. And, as God generously entrusts us with blessings, God calls us to generously share those blessings with others. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “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.”
We get to give in response to God’s gifts to us and in doing so, we grow in faith and in relationship with Jesus. As Pastor Charles (Chick) Lane writes in his book, “Ask, Thank, Tell,” “the goal of our stewardship ministry is to help God’s people grow in their relationship with Jesus through the use of the time, talents and finances God has entrusted to them.” 3
This is what discipleship is all about- growing in faith and in relationship with Jesus. At Faith-Lilac Way we have our core values written on the wall in our narthex. There is a picture of it on your bulletin cover. We are growing disciples of Christ through serving, worshipping, giving, encouraging, learning, inviting, and praying. These are the marks of discipleship.
I think I would add one more – and that is JOY. Dave Fernelius, in kicking off the stewardship appeal quoted the mission of the ELCA: “Together in Jesus Christ we are freed by grace to live faithfully, witness boldly and serve joyfully.” Joy comes from giving, giving of our time, our talents and our finances. All of these are the treasures we share. And, as Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be.”
If you were here two weeks ago, you could see the joy with which Brenda Tiber, a member since birth, shared not one but several mission moments that she has experienced here at Faith-Lilac Way. She said that as she reflected back on her life, she discovered that in all of her mission moments she was filled with: “Love for God, love for my family, friends, and church community. A love so deep, that tears fill my eyes, a lump forms in my throat and deep joy fills my heart.” Joy echoed throughout her talk.
Last week, Grant Galarneau-Becker, a relatively new member, shared that he and his fiancé- now his wife – were searching for an officiant for their wedding. They came to check me out - but when they visited Faith-Lilac Way, they also found all of you -- a welcoming community of Christ that they wanted as a part of their life. Being a welcoming community in Christ means sharing the gifts that God has entrusted to us. It is a mark of discipleship. And it brings us all joy.
There is much that we can celebrate here at Faith-Lilac Way for the ministry that has been nourished here for the past 80 years this Fall. But we are not done. God is still at work here and in our neighborhood. Our challenge, yours and mine, is to discern how God is calling you and me to support Christ’s mission here in this place and how together we can further Christ’s mission in the world around us? That is the task to which we are called. Can you support our mission together? Would you consider increasing your financial support so that we can fully live into our mission as Christ’s church in this place?
Growing in faith, growing in grace, let us serve the Lord by joyfully sharing the gifts that God has entrusted to us. Together, let us join with Paul in proclaiming, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” Amen.”
Sunday, October 15, 2023 Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane
1Ask, Thank Tell, improving Stewardship Ministry in Your Congregation; Charles [Chick] Lane, 2006.
2 Ibid p. 21
3 Ibid p. 20