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.
No comments:
Post a Comment