Fearless Giving
Luke 6:32-38
Once I read
a parable about a man lost in the desert, dying from thirst. He wandered aimlessly through the burning
sand for many days and was growing weaker by the moment. At long last he saw an oasis far in the
distance. Palm trees indicated a source
of water!
Finally he
might find something to drink. But when
he arrived he noticed something strange about this particular oasis. Instead of a pool of water or a spring
bubbling up from the ground, he found a pump.
Next to the pump was a small jar of water and a note. The note said the leather gasket within the
pump must be damp or it will not work and that the water in the jar was just
enough to get it to work. He had to
prime the pump.
So, this
thirsty man faced a dilemma. Drink the
water and quench his thirst or have faith in the written word which promised
that if he gave he would be given in return; all that he would need, pressed
down, shaken together and running out all over.[1]
That’s the
dilemma we all face when we write a number on a pledge card or place an
offering in the plate and the question we’ll seek to answer today. Let us pray:
Lord, you have shown your love by
the giving of your only begotten son, that who ever believes in him shall not
perish, but have everlasting life. So we see giving and living and loving as
being so intertwined it is hard to know where one ends and the other
begins. Grant us the same spirit of
generosity so we may express your love within these walls and without. Amen.
Do you
remember the first time you ever gave a gift to someone? Chances are you were three or four and you
gave your Mom something made with Popsicle sticks and Elmer’s glue. It didn’t cost very much, a few pennies maybe
and a little time and effort, but she gave you a big hug and a smile and told
you how much she loved it. You felt all warm inside but, then went out to play
and promptly forgot all about it.
Years later
after she passed away you were going through her belongings and you discovered
an old box and inside was everything little thing you ever made and those
childhood memories came rushing in and that’s when you realized that what real treasure
that childhood gift was. The memory of
that moment brings a smile to your face and a tear in your eye.
Jesus said,
“Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, running
out all over.
You may not know the name, Dick
Hoyt, but you may have heard his story. It began in Winchester
Massachusetts. When Dick’s son Richard was
born he was strangled by the umbilical cord, leaving him brain damaged and
unable to control his limbs. Dick and
his wife Judy were told Richard would be a “vegetable the rest of his life” and
should be put into an institution. Well,
they weren’t going to do that. They took him home only to discover that though
his body was not working his mind clearly was.
Eventually they rigged up a computer that allowed him to communicate and
attend classes. After a high school
classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run
for him, Richard typed out, “Dad, I want to be part of that.”
There was
no way Richard could run, but his father could. Dick was never one for exercise
and carried more weight than he should, but he could not refuse his son, so he loaded
up Richard in a wheel chair and pushed him for that five mile run. Afterwards Richard typed, “Dad, when we were
running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!” That sentence changed Dick’s life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling
as often as he could. He ran and pushed
him everyday and eventually entered the 1979 Boston Marathon.
Since then
this father and son have entered countless marathons and 212 triathlons which
encompass swimming, running and bicycling.
When asked why he does it he says simply, “It is for the smile I see on
my son’s face when we run and swim and ride together.”
A few years
ago, Dick got something else out of this other than the smile on his son’s face. He had a heart attack and afterwards the doctors
told him that one of his major arteries was almost completely blocked and if he
hadn’t been in such great shape he would never have survived. All that running paid off for him as well.
Jesus said,
Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and running
out all over.
In the winter of 1971, Larry Stewart was working as a
door-to-door salesman. The company he was working for went out of business, and
he quickly ran out of money. Stewart hadn't eaten in two days when he went to
Dixie Diner and ordered a breakfast he eventually admitted he couldn't pay for.
Ted Horn, the restaurant owner, sympathized with Stewart. He acted as though he
found a $20 bill on the floor underneath of Stewart's chair. "Son, you
must have dropped this," Horn said.
"It was like a fortune to me," Stewart reflected.
"I said to myself, 'Thank you, Lord.' Right then, I just made a promise. I
said, 'Lord, if you ever put me in a position to help other people, I will do
it.'"
He kept his promise. He made his fortune in the cable and
communications industry. Over the years, Stewart estimates that he has given
away around $1.3 million. He says he has been amply rewarded in return. "I
see the smiles and looks of hopelessness turn to looks of hope in an
instant," he says. "After all, isn't that what we're put here on
earth for—to help one another?"[2]
Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given, pressed down,
shaken together, running out all over.”
While working
as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel was assigned to
report on the struggles of an impoverished, inner-city family during the weeks
leading up to Christmas. A devout atheist at the time, Strobel was mildly
surprised by the family's attitude in spite of their circumstances:
The Delgados—60-year-old Perfecta and her granddaughters,
Lydia and Jenny—had been burned out of their roach-infested tenement and were
now living in a tiny, two-room apartment on the West Side. He said, “As I
walked in, I couldn't believe how empty it was. There was no furniture, no
rugs, nothing on the walls—only a small kitchen table and one handful of rice.
That's it. They were virtually devoid of possessions.” In fact, 11-year-old
Lydia and 13-year-old Jenny owned only one short-sleeved dress each, plus one
thin, gray sweater between them. When they walked the half-mile to school
through the biting cold, Lydia would wear the sweater for part of the distance
and then hand it to her shivering sister, who would wear it the rest of the
way.
But despite their poverty and the painful arthritis that
kept Perfecta from working, she still talked confidently about her faith in
Jesus. She was convinced he had not abandoned them. I never sensed despair or
self-pity in her home; instead, there was a gentle feeling of hope and peace.
Strobel completed his article, then moved on to more
high-profile assignments. But when Christmas Eve arrived, he found his thoughts
drifting back to the Delgados and their unflinching belief in God's providence.
In his words: "I continued to wrestle with the irony of the situation.
Here was a family that had nothing but faith, and yet seemed happy, while I had
everything, but lacked faith—and inside I felt as empty and barren as their
apartment."
In the middle of a slow news day, Strobel decided to pay a
visit to the Delgados. When he arrived, he was amazed at what he saw. Readers
of his article had responded to the family's need in overwhelming fashion,
filling the small apartment with donations. Once inside, Strobel encountered
new furniture, appliances, and rugs; a large Christmas tree and stacks of
wrapped presents; bags of food; and a large selection of warm winter clothing.
Readers had even donated a generous amount of cash.
But it wasn't the gifts that shocked Lee Strobel, an
atheist in the middle of Christmas generosity. It was the family's response to
those gifts. In his words:
As surprised as I was by this outpouring, I was even more
astonished by what my visit was interrupting: Perfecta and her granddaughters
were getting ready to give away much of their newfound wealth. When I asked
Perfecta why, she replied in halting English: "Our neighbors are still in
need. We cannot have plenty while they have nothing. This is what Jesus would
want us to do."
Strobel said, “That blew me away! If I had been in their position
at that time in my life, I would have been hoarding everything. I asked
Perfecta what she thought about the generosity of the people who had sent all
of these goodies, and again her response amazed me.” "This is wonderful;
this is very good," she said, gesturing toward the largess. "We did
nothing to deserve this—it's a gift from God. But," she added, "It is
not his greatest gift. No, we celebrate that tomorrow. That is Jesus."
To her, this child in the manger was the undeserved gift
that meant everything—more than material possessions, more than comfort, more
than security. And at that moment, something inside of me wanted desperately to
know this Jesus—because, in a sense, I saw him in Perfecta and her
granddaughters.
They had peace despite poverty, while I had anxiety despite
plenty; they knew the joy of generosity, while I only knew the loneliness of
ambition; they looked heavenward for hope, while I only looked out for myself;
they experienced the wonder of the spiritual, while I was shackled to the
shallowness of the material—and something made me long for what they had. Or,
more accurately, for the One they knew.[3] It was not long after Lee gave his life and
all that means to Christ.
Give and it shall be given, pressed down shaken together, running
out all over.
All of us hear two voices:
One tells us to hold onto what we have because we do not know what
tomorrow may bring, so it’s better to be prepared, better to be safe than
sorry. The other voice tells us that we
are here for a purpose and that purpose lies somewhere beyond ourselves. It tells us to step out in faith and try to
make a difference even if it means we must let go of a little money, a little
time, a part of ourselves that we were keeping to ourselves.
Jesus tells us that when we do that, when we give we’ll
find we’ll get something back, even if it only in the satisfaction we feel when
we become part of something greater than ourselves.
Everything we have has come to us from God. We merely take care of it for the next generation.
God has given and asks that you give as well and that when
we give the pump is primed so that all of his blessings may flow.
Our next hymn was written by Thomas Chisolm. Thomas had a difficult beginning
in life. His health was so fragile that there were periods of time when he was
confined to bed, unable to work. Between bouts of illness he would have to push
himself to put in extra hours at various jobs in order to make ends meet.
After coming to Christ at age 27, Thomas found great comfort in the Scriptures, and in the fact that God was faithful to be his strength in time of illness and weakness, and to provide his needs. Lamentations 3:22-23 was one of his favorite scriptures: “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”
Great is Thy Faithfulness was published in 1923. This hymn was not written for stewardship, but it contains a promise, assurance I’d like you to remember the next time you think about what you should hold onto and what you should let go. Pay attention to the words, “Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed thy hand has provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”
After coming to Christ at age 27, Thomas found great comfort in the Scriptures, and in the fact that God was faithful to be his strength in time of illness and weakness, and to provide his needs. Lamentations 3:22-23 was one of his favorite scriptures: “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”
Great is Thy Faithfulness was published in 1923. This hymn was not written for stewardship, but it contains a promise, assurance I’d like you to remember the next time you think about what you should hold onto and what you should let go. Pay attention to the words, “Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed thy hand has provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”
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