God gives generously for our generosity.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 10, July 28, 2024

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:8-11  ⁸God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will overflow in every good work.  ⁹As it is written: He scattered.  He gave to the poor.  His righteousness remains forever.  ¹⁰And he who provides seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing, and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.  ¹¹You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous in every way, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. (EHV)

God gives generously for our generosity.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            A recent report claims that over half of all Americans are chronically unhappy, and furthermore, the level of happiness in this country has been dropping steadily for years.  Now, we could blame a lot of things for this.  Some politicians, especially, might suggest that it is the rich getting richer that makes people unhappy.  Yet, the level of unhappiness doesn’t seem to correlate all that well because the very well off are often just as unhappy.  Others could suggest that it is crime that makes people unhappy, but certainly the criminals are not happier than the victims either.

It is more likely that unhappiness comes from somewhere deeper, something inside us.  For whatever reason, the unhappy person assumes that he or she needs or deserves something more, something better, or perhaps just something different.

In our sermon text this morning, St. Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is addressing our willingness to be a cheerful and generous giver.  What is interesting about this is that how much to give isn’t addressed.  Rather, the Spirit addresses the motivation of our giving, giving that is good or needed by our neighbor and is pleasing to God.  It leads us to see that God gives generously for our generosity.

In our lesson this morning, we saw how the Israelites so quickly forgot that God would take care of their needs.  Within days of their rescue from slavery in Egypt and their deliverance from the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, the people assumed that God would let them starve in the wilderness.

In much the same way, when confronted by a huge crowd in need of a meal, Jesus’ disciples likewise assumed that they couldn’t possibly find a way to feed them.  In both cases, the people demonstrated a lack of trust in the Lord.

Now, is it possible that we too sometimes fall into this lack of trust?  How often have we been presented with the opportunity to give generously to some real need, but we were worried about how big our crop would be, or whether we might need that money ourselves sometime later?  How often have we had the opportunity to lend a helping hand but we found own immediate tasks too overwhelming to pause to help a neighbor?  How often when being bombarded with the multitude of organizations imploring us for contributions to what may, or may not, be truly worthy causes have we simply stopped evaluating the need and given a deaf ear to every plea?

All of this, therefore, isn’t to tell you how much to give, but rather, to teach us to examine our hearts on whether we truly relied on God’s generosity to guide is in doing truly righteous things.  Paul wrote, “God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will overflow in every good work.”  Here, the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness shows us how generous God can be.  When the Lord promised Israel that they would daily have bread and meat to fill their bellies, He provided so much that they grew tired of eating.  The manna that coated the ground every day but the Sabbath day was so much that they could have collected double what they needed each day, but only on the sixth day—the day before the Sabbath—was Israel allowed to gather enough manna for the next day or otherwise the food spoiled by the next morning.

Later in their history, when Israel was again guilty of not returning thanks to God with their commanded tithe, the Lord of heaven and earth challenged them, “Test me in this, says the Lord of Armies.  See whether I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour down blessing on you, until there is more than enough.” (Malachi 3:10)  Thus, we are taught that God isn’t commanding us how much to give, but that God gives generously for our generosity.

Probably few people in the world put more trust in the Lord than the farmer.  Each year he or she must take the seed and plant it knowing that the crop is determined precious little by our actions but mostly by God’s deliverance of rain and sunshine in the proper amounts and times.  Our own experience in the last few years is to marvel at how generously God provides for us even when the elements of earth don’t seem to cooperate.  Paul quotes Psalm 112, “As it is written: ‘He scattered.  He gave to the poor.  His righteousness remains forever.’” 

It is easy for people to assume that their own labors provide the means for making a living, but who provides the ability?  Who provided the raw materials by which so many modern marvels are manufactured?  We can go so far as to ask, “Who provided even the fossil fuels so many want to cease using, but then, who also provides the wind and sunshine that many tout as a better alternative power source?  The answer to all these type of questions is our God, the One true God who created heaven and earth and everything in them, and generously preserves and provides for us through His good gifts.  The same God created mankind and knit you, and me, together in our mothers’ wombs. 

As Paul noted, here, “He who provides seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing, and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.”  In other words, God gives us all these things in great generosity, so that we might do righteous works among our fellow people.  Just as Paul wrote to the Ephesian congregation, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)  Furthermore, it is not commanded how much we should do nor how much we must give, but that we give from a heart purified from sin through faith in Christ Jesus.  Trusting in our Savior, by whom this whole world is now ruled, we will have what we need in amounts that far exceed what might be needed for the good of all.

Now, none of this is to say that we must devote ourselves to poverty and give everything away.  Nor does God expect us to pour out a blessing on every selfish demand of the self-entitled brat.  He does, however, give to us what we need to supply the needs of those in our care, particularly our families, our neighborhood, and our country.  Most importantly to the eternal welfare of those around us, God gives to us, generously, what we need to share His saving Word with those who need to hear it.  He provides for us so that we might be His willing hands in reaching out to troubled souls with the Good News of all Jesus has done to save us.  The Lord gives to us everything needed for body and life so that we may encourage the weak, give aid to the hurting and wounded, food to the hungry, comfort to the lonely, and sure hope to the troubled.

Of course, all of this talk of giving of ourselves might make us worry about how terribly we have failed in the past.  Certainly, our weaknesses are brought to mind among the faithful.  Yet, for that we also look to the Lord.  The Spirit moved Paul to write, “You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous in every way, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.”  Finally, the greatest treasure we have is the faith that moves us to give generously, for it is that faith which has brought us into peace with God.  When we truly trust that Jesus has opened the way to Paradise for us by removing all our sin and guilt, then we know there is nothing on this earth that is too valuable for us to part with.  When we trust the Word of our Lord, then we have sure hope that all our sins are forgiven and whether we live or die here on earth, we have a Savior who will take us home to live forever in heaven where we will never again suffer any need or want.

In our Gospel lesson, we heard again the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand using only five loaves of bread and two small fish.  In that account, Jesus isn’t teaching people to reach into their pockets to share what little they have.  He is rather teaching us to trust that He will provide every possible thing we might truly need.  At times, that is food for the body.  Other times, it may be healing.  Always, Jesus provides the blood that washed away our sins at the cross.  Always, Jesus intercedes for us with the Father in heaven so that those who believe in Jesus as their Savior are welcomed into God’s presence as beloved children of the promise.

This morning, dear friends, Jesus again provides us with a meal to comfort our souls and nourish our faith.  By giving us His own precious body and blood in the bread and wine, Jesus is assuring us that He has fully and completely atoned for all of our sins, and that He is and will be with us throughout whatever this world might bring.  No matter the present state of your bank account, or your fields, come to Jesus with full assurance and faith that God gives generously for our generosity.  Amen.

Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen.