The Way of Gratitude: Expect A Miracle

2 Corinthians 8:1-7    (The Message)

Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. 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 it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That’s what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too.

Like many of you, I like to pride myself on being a realist --- not overly pessimistic (only seeing doom and gloom ahead) and not overly optimistic (seeing only sugar and spice)

I like to think that I see things THE WAY THEY REALLY ARE

The problem with being a realist --- is that it doesn't allow much room for miracles to happen.

A miracle, according to the Oxford dictionary, is "a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency."

As we read the scriptures we come across many events that are defined as miracles.

Depending on how you want to count them there are 30-40 events that people see a miracles performed by Jesus.

healing leapers

healing blind people

healing mentally ill people

healing deaf people

turning water into wine

feeding stories

walking on the water

raising both Lazarus and Jairus' daughter from the dead

Now while we can more easily accept that Jesus may have performed miracles 2000 years ago --- most of us have a hard time believing miracles still happen today.

We search for rational explanations of things that some might see as a miracle today --- and --- truth be told --- we often do the same with the miracles that Jesus performed.

That is not a new phenomenon --- the people in Jesus day had the same challenge.

Both Matthew and Luke share the story of Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth

Jesus had grown up there and the people had known him as a child --- it was not a BIG city, but rather a very small town of a couple hundred people

Matthew shares how the people were astonished by this boy wonder: (Matt 13:54-57)

They were surprised and said, “Where did he get this wisdom? Where did he get the power to work miracles? Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? Aren’t James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? And his sisters, aren’t they here with us? Where did this man get all this?” They were repulsed by him and fell into sin.

Peterson in his translation The Message says that they all got their noses out of joint because of him.

Luke's Gospel tells the same story but adds an interesting detail.  After Jesus spoke to them he tells us: (Luke 4:20-30)

That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger. They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom, but he gave them the slip and was on his way.

And then we are told that "He was unable to do many miracles there because of their disbelief."

It makes you wonder --- how many miracles WERE NOT performed in Nazareth, long ago because they were not willing to believe?

And how many miracles have failed to happen in our lives --- because we too are just not willing to believe that they can really happen here and now

So let me ask you: Do you believe miracles can happen?

          Seriously -- do you?

In our lesson from Paul this morning, he is writing to the Church at Corinth about a project that they started which was now nearing completion.

Paul was taking up a collection for the believers in Jerusalem, and he was going around to all the churches he had previously been a part of and asking them to participate.

The story continues through verse 15

Paul in this passage seems to be offering the people of Corinth and the people of Meridian Street some powerful messages about giving and faith.

First, and foremost, Paul wants to share all the biblical reasons why we are to give --- and that is really what we have been talking about these last three weeks

Paul wants to remind us of the sacrificial nature of following Jesus and that our giving is really a reflection of the love and passion that we have for Jesus and his Way

And the second message Paul wants to get across is really a note of encouragement

He wants to remind us to finish what we start

The Corinthians had been the first to contribute to this project when it started.

They were the first to give and even the first to have the desire to support it.

It would have been easy for them to say, “We already did our part. Now it’s someone else’s turn.”

Paul encourages them to have a different attitude.

They should take that eager willingness they showed at the start of the project and now match it with their desire to bring the project to completion.

The same applies to us today.

Sometimes we have a lot of enthusiasm at the beginning of a project and then not so much when it comes to the end.

It is a lesson that I have learned in running.

I really do enjoy running but usually about mile 8 or 9, I have run enough --- I am ready to stop.

But Nancy and I like to run half-marathons and unfortunately they are 13.1 miles long not 8 or 9. 

Every time I get to that point in a race I have to say to myself

          I know you are ready to be done

          But you only have . . . miles to go

          Keep going --- don't quit

          Finish what you started

In any marathon the last mile is always the hardest.

If it was worth getting up early every morning and training for --- it certainly is also worth seeing it through to the end

Finish what we start!

Paul also wants us to know that we should give according to our means

This is a very sensible piece of advice.

You can’t give what you don’t have,

but each of us can give from what we do have.

Those who have little are not able to give as much as those who have a lot and those who have a lot are able to give far more than those who have a little

Paul wants to understand that this is each of our responsibilities

In his first letter to the Corinthians, when he first invited them to participate he told them:

1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Regarding the relief offering for poor Christians that is being collected, you get the same instructions I gave the churches in Galatia. Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. Be as generous as you can. When I get there you’ll have it ready, and I won’t have to make a special appeal.

What Paul is sharing here is not equal contributions but equal participation.

In other words, everyone can give something, and so let each one give what they can according to their means.

          Each of us doing our part is what makes the whole happen

Paul even encourages them to plan out their giving, setting something aside each week so that when they come to the end of the project, all the funds will be in place and no additional collections will need to be made.

Each one is to practice generous, sacrificial giving that is a reflection of our love for God and others.

But that giving will look different for each person according to their means.

For some people a small amount will be a great sacrifice, and for another person a much larger amount may not be a sacrifice at all.

So the amount will be different for each and every person.

But God wants us to do our part

I asked you earlier if you believe miracles are possible

For Paul, he saw the sacrifice made by the Corinthian community as a miracle

          He believed that they went beyond themselves in their generosity

                   They were miracle workers for the Jerusalem Church

I shared earlier a definition of a miracle, here is another definition “visible interruption of the laws of nature understood as divine intervention often accompanied by a miracle worker.”

So a miracle is a unique event in the world that God does through people like you and me.

You are God’s miracle worker. God wants to birth a miracle through us --- through you and me.

But we have to believe it is possible.

          Miracles require a level of trust on our part --- and hard work

Usually I get comments on my sermons --- last week as I preached on tithing --- I got crickets!

Someone said to me that they could not see any way that they could increase their giving to the church. 

And as long as you don't believe --- or aren't willing to conceive of it --- they are right --- it will never happen.

But Nancy and I are proof that it can happen if you are willing to commit to it.

I am always amazed by what separates inventors from the rest of us --- they see where you and I don't

But more importantly --- they have a tenacity to never give up and keep on trying

When they succeed it appears to be a miracle to us --- but they know that miracle happened because of hard work

What Paul did at Corinth --- to get the people to give beyond themselves is nothing short of miraculous

Albert Einstein said: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Which way do you want to live?

Mary believed

The Leper believed

The blind man believed

What are you missing out on because you refuse to see?

George Bernard Shaw once remarked: "Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles."

May God give us eyes to see the miracles that surround us every day.

The Way of Gratitude: Give and It Will Be Given To You

Luke 6:32-38          (NRSV))

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” 

Way back when I was in confirmation we had the pastor come into our class and talk about tithing.

         Do any of you remember when you first heard that concept?

He shared that as followers of Jesus we are asked to tithe our income to support the work of the church

I thought that is no big deal --- my parents had always taught me to set aside part of my allowance and any money that I earned to take to Sunday School class and put in the offering

Then he explained exactly what a tithe is

         Dave Ramsey defines it this way:

Simply put, the tithe is the first 10% of your income that should be given to your local church. It’s strictly measured in money, so you can’t replace it with giving your time or your talents.

And the first thing that came to my mind was NO WAY!

         I am happy to share --- but 10% --- you have got to be kidding me

Fast forward probably about 10 or 15 years --- I am a recent seminary graduate

         And as far as I remember I was not taught anything about "giving" in school

                  If I was, I must have slept through that class

Now I am sitting at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary attending a continuing education event on evangelism.

Bob Tuttle was leading the class and he made a couple of rather distinct points that have always stuck with me

First --- he said that unless you become generous and give as the biblical text teaches your spirituality will always be stunted.

Second --- that you cannot ask other people to support the biblical concept of the tithe if you are not willing to do it yourself.

I remember when I got home I began to wrestle with this idea of a tithe. 

The verses he had shared with us were stuck in my mind.

According to Leviticus 27:30, “A tenth of the land’s produce, whether grain from the ground or fruit from the trees, is God’s. It is holy to God.”

And 2 Corinthians 9:7, says, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

And also Luke 6:38  (CEB)

Give, and it will be given to you. A good portion—packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing—will fall into your lap. The portion you give will determine the portion you receive in return.”

But that passage poses some interesting questions --- do we give so that we can receive?

If we are tithing to God so that we can get more blessings from God in return --- it is clear that our motive is selfish and self-serving.

We give --- we tithe to God --- simply to express our honest thanks and gratitude for all that God has already given us. 

Tithing forces us to not focus on ourselves and our own needs --- but to focus on God and how everything we have --- everything we are ---- is a gift from the hands of a generous God.

Repeatedly scripture reminds us that God owns it all

         Everything that you have comes from God

Giving 10% back to God is just a practical way for us to say thanks for the 100% that God has given to us

Tithing is not a legalistic requirement like paying dues to the Rotary Club or some other service organization or social club.

Tithing is an act of obedience and should be given freely with pure motives. In other words, we give without expecting anything back in return. And it teaches us to be good stewards of what God has given us.

As much as I was struggling to originally believe it: tithing was created for our benefit.

It teaches us how to keep God first in our lives and how to live unselfishly.

Unselfish people make better spouses, friends, relatives, employees and employers.

And they usually have better finances.

In order to tithe we must take the spiritual stance that Henri Nouwen wrote about in his little book: With Open Hands.  We must open up our lives and our hearts and trust God by not holding on so tightly to the blessings --- the things --- we have received.

When we open our hands and give generously to God then we are in the open handed position in which we can receive from God.

If we live with our fists tightly closed --- keeping our resources to ourselves --- keep our love to ourselves ---- we close ourselves off from receiving that which God wishes to put into our lives.

The only way we can truly give to God is with open hands

         And it is the only way that we can receive

We live in a society that encourages greed --- encourages us to grab as much as we can and to hold on to it tightly.

         The only antidote for greed is generosity

         One cannot be generous and greedy at the same time

Let’s go back to this passage from Luke, because I find it fascinating. 

Jesus says: “A good portion—packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing—will fall into your lap”

In order to grasp the meaning, we need to know that it is set in the context of a Middle Eastern market where the buyers and sellers would haggle together over prices, quality, and amount.

It is a scene often repeated in many developing countries today.

Farmers bring their grain—wheat, corn, barley—and spread it on a mat on the ground. Potential customers examine the grain, make an offer, and the haggling begins.

When a price is finally set, the customer offers his container—usually a large bowl or pot—and the seller uses a scoop to fill the container.

It’s exactly at this point that the process becomes fascinating.

In Jesus’ day there were basically four stages of measuring grain for a customer:

         First, the seller fills the container to the top.

         Second, he presses the grain down and fills some more.

         Third, he shake the container so the grain will settle and then fills some more.

         Finally, he fills the container until it overflows.

The seller would catch the overflow grain and pour it into the pouch of his robe.

Jesus is describing a situation that took place every time a person went to market.

It’s unusual to us because everything we buy at the store is already measured, sealed, and wrapped with shrink wrap.

         It’s also labeled on the outside: “Contents sold by weight not by volume.”

But in Jesus’ day grain was sold by volume not by weight.

Hence why we are told that the grain was pressed down and shaken together.

What exactly is Jesus trying to teach us here about Christian giving?

Let me suggest two things

         1. When you give, God gives back to you

         2. God uses the same measure you use!

Or to put it in modern terms …

If you are stingy, God will be stingy in return!

If you are generous, God will be generous in return!

When I came home from that continuing education event Nancy and I made the commitment to tithe ---- my salary at the time was $13,300

         We had not been married all that long

                  And soon three little girls would start coming along

I can tell you this --- it wasn't always easy

But we made the conscious choice that God would get the first fruits.  We gave our tithe to the church --- along with offerings above the tithe and gifts to many other agencies.

Even when the church I was serving didn't have the funds in the bank to pay me, we found a way to give our tithe on what I should have (and eventually would) been paid.

All I can say is --- it was the best decision we have ever made

Tithing forces us to put God first.

         And then our wants and desires can fall into their proper places

Let me close with this story:

A pastor came to Mr. Jones and asked him, "If you had a million dollars would you give half of it to the Lord?" Mr. Jones replied, "Of course I would, pastor!" "If you had two houses would you give one of them to the Lord?" "Of course I would, pastor!" Then he asked, "If you had two cows would you give one of them to the Lord?" Mr. Jones answered, "Now pastor, that's not fair! You know I have two cows!"

God doesn't want what we cannot give.

God however desires for us to learn to be generous --- just as God has been generous to us.

The Way of Gratitude: Give Thanks In Every Situation

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18    (Common English Bible)

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

November 9th, 1985 is a day that I will always remember

Just like this year, it was a Saturday

I was a student at Duke Divinity School and serving two wonderful congregations in rural Western North Carolina --- Richfield and New Mt Tabor. 

Richfield was a town of 225 people, had a flashing light, gas station with a convenience store, post office, school and hardware store --- and two United Methodist congregations.

I was getting ready to have a lock-in for the youth of the two churches that evening at my house

          Games were planned

          Dinner and snacks were arraigned

          A hayride and bonfire were to be the highlight of the evening

I was anticipating a dozen or so youth and a couple of adults to help

Late that afternoon my phone rang

          Remember, there were no cell phones in those days

As I answered the phone, an operator on the other end said: "I have a collect call from Fred Conger, will you accept the charges?"

          That is a blast from the past

But a collect call from a father to his student son is not a good sign

          Of course, I said yes

As he came on the phone he said to me (and I will never forget these words):

"The doctor has said, that if you want to see Stewart before he dies, you need to head home."

What was I to do?

I had the youth coming to my house

And (I obviously was a lot younger back then) I had to preach at both churches the next morning.

I remember stammering and not knowing what to do or say

I remember nothing about the lock-in that night, except one thing

          During the hayride, as I stared up into the sky, I saw a shooting star

As a child, my mother would read to us, --- and at that moment I recalled the story of the Little Match Girl by Has Christian Anderson

Nancy and I were dating at the time, and her mother drove her to the Richfield Church that morning and after the service was over --- we got in my car and began the journey to Downers Grove, IL

After Stewart died, I have to admit I was in a funk

I finished Divinity School and began as the pastor of Pretty Lake Trinity UMC just outside Plymouth Indiana on January 1, 1986 with a heavy heart and plenty of doubts

During my devotions, I came across the little prophetic book of Habakkuk, and found myself drawn to Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians.

Paul writes to the community at Thessalonica probably toward the end of 51 CE, and is quite possibly his earliest letter.

Paul had left Thessalonica abruptly after a rather brief stay --- Luke tells us the story in Acts 17.

The community, of Thessalonica, was left with little external support in the midst of persecution.

·         Paul was wanting to encourage the new converts in their trials,

·         to give instruction concerning godly living and

·         to give assurance concerning the future of believers who die before the Christ returns. 

The letter ends with Paul offering instruction on how the community is to live.

And in that last section he writes:

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 

(1 Thes. 5:16-18   The Message)

or from the Common English Bible

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The devotion, I was reading, ended with Reinhold Niebuhr's prayer that many of us are familiar with:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

Give me the grace to accept the things that I cannot change

I battled with that phrase --- because quite frankly --- I wasn't yet ready to accept the fact that Stewart was dead.

But slowly ---

Maybe because my older brother couldn't accept the reality of Stewart's death and went into hiding.

Maybe because the role of the eldest son was thrust on me at that moment, and my parents needed me to accept the reality that their youngest son had just died.

I really don't know --- but for whatever reason, I began to accept the reality that Stewart was dead --- and as I did --- Paul's words kept ringing in my heart

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

How does one rejoice at a loss --- at a death?

          You have all been there

                   You have lost siblings, spouses, parents, friends, and yes children

And I remember --- as if it were yesterday --- when I read Habakkuk that it all clicked

I don't rejoice over a life that ended --- I rejoice over a life that was lived

Paul does not tell us to rejoice FOR every situation --- Paul tells us to rejoice IN every situation

God does not cause the bad things to happen in our lives

But what Paul is asking us --- is in the midst of the hard things --- what are we going to do with it? 

                   Are we going to let it make us bitter, or will it make us better?

And Paul is asking:

          What is it there in this situation for which you can give thanks to God?

Brittany Hughes tells the story of Martin Rinkart --- you probably have never heard of him.

Born to a poor coppersmith on April 23, 1586 in Eilenburg, Germany, Rinkart was determined to be a minister. He managed to scrape up enough money to put himself through the University of Leipzig, where he studied theology. After years of hard work, Rinkart was asked to return to his hometown as a Lutheran clergyman.

One year later, ignited by a religious conflict-turned-political feud, the Thirty Years’ War exploded across Europe.

A walled city, Eilenburg quickly became a place of refuge for thousands of frightened and displaced Germans fleeing the devastating conflict. The sudden overcrowding caused widespread food shortages, and starving residents soon began fighting in the streets for dead cats and birds.

On top of the famine, densely-packed humanity and filth soon led to an outbreak of plague. Rinkart and the three other town pastors began officiating ten or more funerals a day -- each. One overwhelmed pastor eventually fled and two others died, leaving Rinkart the sole minister in the desperate and overpopulated city.

Alone, Rinkart was tasked with burying up to 50 people a day, including his own wife. By the end of the ordeal, he’d conducted nearly 4,500 funerals. The dead eventually became so numerous they had to be buried in mass trenches without services.

In the face of overwhelming pressure, constant risk and horrendous conditions, Rinkart never stopped ministering to the people of his city. He gave away nearly everything he owned to the poor and needy, though he could barely clothe and feed his own children.

After nearly thirty years of ceaseless struggles, it began to look like peace was within grasp. Wanting to give his children a song to sing to God in thanks at the dinner table, Rinkart sat down and composed what would become one of the most well known Thanksgiving hymns of all time.

Now thank we all our God

With hearts and hands and voices;

Who wondrous things hath done,

In whom this world rejoices.

Who, from our mother's arms,

Hath led us on our way,

With countless gifts of love,

And still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God

through all our life be near us,

with ever joyful hearts

and blessed peace to cheer us,

to keep us in his grace,

and guide us when perplexed,

and free us from all ills

of this world in the next.

All praise and thanks to God

the Father now be given,

the Son and Spirit blest,

who reign in highest heaven

the one eternal God,

whom heaven and earth adore;

for thus it was, is now,

and shall be evermore.

My experience has taught me that the very act of praising and thanking God in the midst of suffering helps to lift us out of the pit of misery and into the loving embrace of God.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death --- You are with me"

God's love for us is unconditional

          How many times have I said that over these last three years?

But just in case you didn't hear me, let me say it again        

God's love for us is unconditional --- that is the love that Jesus demonstrated in his life.

God never said --- I will love you IF . . .

                             I will love you WHEN . . .

God says: I LOVE YOU

I am convinced that one of the goals of the Christian life is to get to the point where we can give God thanks and praise in every situation --- despite whatever pain and suffering we might be going through.

However, while God's love for us is unconditional

Our love and gratitude back toward God is often very conditional

          We bargain with God --- I will love you IF . . .

                                                I will love you WHEN . . .

Our love and gratitude to God is frequently conditioned on how things are going in our lives.

When things are good --- with our families, our business, our relationships, our church community, etc. we are eager to give God our thanks and praise

But when the storms of life rage --- when things don't go like we planned --- we often find little reason to give God our thanks and praise.

Paul want to teach us that we must practice unconditional gratitude --- and give God thanks and praise in every situation of life.

In a few minutes --- we are going to remember the lives of the saints of Meridian Street United Methodist Church, who have gone on to their eternal home.  And I am sure you have many other people on your minds and hearts today --- I know I do.

I want you to take a moment, and offer God thanks

          thanks for them and their lives

                   for how they intersected with yours

and for how God is making you a better person because you knew them

Silence

We give thanks O God, for those who have blessed our lives.  May we see the blessing and be thankful.  Teach us unconditional gratitude so that we might give thanks IN every situation.  Amen.