Sunday Oct. 28, 2012 Sermon
Mark 12:41-44
Father’s… maybe you can relate with this… The
father of the bride kissed his daughter after he walked her down the aisle, after
which the daughter placed something in her father's hand and gave him a kiss.
The congregation erupted into laughter. What
she had placed in her father's hand, that the pastor couldn't see, was his
American Express Card.
Made any costly choices in your life lately?
Made any costly choices in your life lately?
Prayer:
We continue our
series Generosity In Faith Together as a way to understand the biblical
narrative of stewardship and what it means to live a generous life. We’re doing
this using the acronym GIFT…. Generosity I Faith Together… as a way to reflect
on how God has blessed each of us and How God challenges each of us to use
these gifts as a blessing to others.
Last week we
reflected on the G… Generosity… portion of the acronym on what it means to live
a generous life.
Today… our focus will be on the I & F..
“In Faith” portion.
Often… we equate
going to church with having faith, or that going to church makes me a
Christian. Faith or being a Christian doesn’t come because we go to church each
week, nor from the rites, rituals, or traditions we have. Faith comes when we
make a concerted effort to turning our hearts towards God. The Greek word “Metanoia”…
translated as “Repent”… means to “Turn Back to God.” Only then… will we begin
to grow in faith.
In all of our Bible readings today… being faithful is the emphasis.
OT reading King David praises God that the people were faithful in
their generosity to build a temple.
Our 2nd reading Paul, tells the people not to judge peoples
generosity, but to be faithful to the one we work for.
And in the Gospel story the widow gives her last pennies, not out of
duty, but out of faith. The
context of our gospel story is Jesus and the widow is a contrast to the story
before where the church leaders are taking the temple offerings for themselves
and their own needs as a way to make themselves look better. Jesus uses the
widow as an example of her need and her faith compared to the wealth and
faithless of the church leaders.
Often time’s people
usually think of giving to the church and to charities as an option. Money for
charitable giving comes out of the surplus after personal expenses have been
met… and those necessary expenses often include entertainment, clothes, food,
and toys. This isn’t surprising
as it is the mantra of the church leaders in Jesus’ day…. It often happens in our day as well… To live in
faith is a challenge most of us experience. Our talk is often much better than our walk.
This shouldn’t
surprise us… throughout the bible we see God’s people being faithful…. Only to
turn and be unfaithful.
Why do you think
this happens?
Joyce Meyer has said, “Can you imagine Jesus
traveling around the country today with his disciples talking about how hard
everything was? Can you picture him discussing how difficult going to the cross
was going to be...of how he dreaded the things ahead...or how frustrating it
was to live under the conditions of their daily lives: roaming the countryside
with no place to call home, no roof over their heads, no bed to sleep in at
night? You and I have the mind of Christ, and we can handle things the way he
did: by looking at the abundance we’ve been given, not the sacristy we
perceive.”
I believe we are
less faithful because Faith requires risk. And… we often choose to be
comfortable rather than risk. What are You Risking today?
On the wall in my
office is a plaque titled “RISK” it
says,
If
you haven’t Risked, You have not gained.
If
you haven’t Gained, You have not Failed.
If
you haven’t Failed, You have not Learned,
If
you haven’t Learned, You have not Risked.
Throughout the Bible we read of the Risk God’s people took in Faith.
- Noah…
building an Ark… primarily in a desert region… think of the risk this old man
took…
- Abe… leaving
his homeland to go to a land God promised, but didn’t tell him where… and
nearly sacrificing his son.
- Moses….
Standing up to Pharaoh… taking people on a 40 year journey.
- All the
Prophets who stood against the powers of their times.
- John the
Baptist… Nicodemus…. Think of the risk Nicodemus took to have a conversation
with Jesus… think of the risk all of Jesus’ friends took… who left jobs and
family to follow someone they didn’t know.
- And the widow
in our story today…. She took the risk and give all she had.
Someone once
said, “Faith is not trusting God to get something, Faith is trusting God when
there seems to be nothing left.”
In many ways God is challenging us to put our money where our mouth
is. We tend to talk a lot about ministry, but often have trouble putting it
into action. While we’ve been
living with economic challenges in South East Mich, I believe we’ve still been
given an abundance of resources nonetheless.
- In Faith… I
left a comfortable job and life to go to college , then seminary to have a new
vocation.
- In Faith… you chose to participate in a transition
process of rediscovery.
- In Faith… you are risking serving areas that
are uncomfortable like McRest.
- In Faith… we continue learning to
be faithful followers.
I talk to people all the time who want to have a deeper faith life.
When I ask them what they are doing to have this…. They often say “Nothing”. The reason people in Jesus’ day didn’t follow
him is no different than it is today… they weren’t willing to
risk in faith.
Closing:
A couple of years
ago a 4 yr old boy named Domminc was
murdered near where I live. Perhaps you heard about this. During that horrific week our local news
channel ran a story of an unknown woman who did not know this family, but took the risk to help nonetheless. I don’t know
if this woman was responding because of her faith, but she had enough faith to
risk a response to a grieving
family.
We are living in a time, not of Faith vs Doubt, but Faith vs Belief.
People are believing anything & everything, but have faith in very little.
My friends… be encouraged to live in the abundance God has blessed us
with… “In Faith” today.
See You Out on the Road
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