Minister: Rev. Olon M. Lindemood

November 5 and 6, 2011

Mark 12: 41-44

The Widow’s Offering

41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴²A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. ⁴⁴For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’

TO BE A DISCIPLE IS TO BE GENEROUS:

Disciples of Jesus Christ give generously!

Give

Live

Strive

GIVE

As a Disciple of Jesus Christ we GIVE.

Genesis Chapter ONE:  Everything is created by God and on loan to us.  Each generation learns how we live with the resources that God provides.  In the ancient world it was about Hunting / Gathering / and agriculture.  And that is how the biblical principles of Tithing / first fruits began.

To be a disciple is to Give … Let me offer three ways:

1. The tithe is 10% of what we make.  The Christian Tradition has often put this biblical principle at the forefront of our ways of life.  So… To quote a Brother in the faith:  Brother Claud:  “I have always tithed to the Church.  With my first job as a teenager. I gave 10% of my check to the church, put 10% in savings, and lived on the remaining 80%.  I have continued that Holy Habit for 60 years and have never regretted it a single day.”
2. First fruits.  Is a Biblical understanding of giving that is not based on percentage of what is received, but instead on the principle that When I sit down and pay bills, the first check each pay period is to the church. Some give more that the tithe, and some focus their life into giving first fruits dedicated to God. Some use it to match their financial commitment for each month.
3. TODAY’s Scripture is a well-known story of Jesus.  This reinforces a principle of sacrificial giving.  The Lord does not demand everything.  But the Lord reminds us of what The scriptures tell us… All of creation belongs to God.

How are you as a disciple of Jesus motivated to Give…

LIVE

As Disciples of Jesus we LIVE.

And to live is to be human and understand our motivations:

(One commentator shares that Human beings give for many reasons:

1. Miracle (if/ then more)
2. Thanksgiving (wow)
3. Hope (bring the kingdom)
4. Fair share (one of the whole)
5. Institutional investment (keep the church afloat)
6. Fear (God’s demand)
7. Guilt (if I don’t then trouble)
8. Competition (keeping up)
9. Spiritual need (to be faithful)
10. Ability (Because we can)

Luke 16: 13

¹³No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’^*

1 Timothy 6:18-19

The Message (MSG)

^17-19Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

2 Corinthians 9: 6-7

6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

STRIVE

As a Disciple of Jesus Christ we STRIVE.

Like Peter, we are always wanting to please the Lord a little bit more…

Always wanting to increase the work of the Lord…

Roberta Messner (Guidepost Friend) 

Replaced her LapTop Computer.  She had it on the kitchen Table when the Computer Store Technician showed up to work on her new one with her… They joked about Attention Deficit Disorder that they shared.  Jake the tech through the manual to the side … and said… let’s get a piece a paper and I will create a check list that will help you every time!

Jake spotted the old laptop… are you selling it?  … His wife, a stay at home mom, is a writer and if she had a laptop, she could be closer to the three small children each day.

Roberta finding a piece of paper then came across a photo of her first apartment.  It showed a kitchen stove.  The stove had been given to her by a doctor who was replacing the stove in his home.  She asked … Why would you give it away when you can sell it?

And he said… “Why sell it when I can give it away?”

All at once I knew: I had a computer to give away. And I knew just the technician who could refurbish it!  Roberta prayed, “With you, Lord, There is always more than enough. Help me to give freely.”

All of us will be asked to consider …  As a disciple I will give:

What’s you thinking … when you sit down with God and your online checking ledgers…

You will consider along with Prayers, Presence, (NOW your gifts) Also … you can pray your way to Service and Witness.

For today… You will see something resembling this sort of card…

Specifics of your discipleship response:

Take a moments to Declare

Your way of giving …

• The tithe? 10%
• First Fruits?  Your first Checks that give to the work of the Lord … more or less than a tithe?
• Focus your amount and pray what God will do through you…

Disciples of Jesus Christ

Give,

Live,

And Strive …

How about you?

It's a Gift

It's a gift to be simple!
It's a gift to be free!
It's a gift to be just who you ought to be!
No, you don't have to struggle now
To live just right.
Just walk with Me,
And you walk in the Light.

Refrain:
Come, come, whoever you may be;
O come be as free as free can be.
You can breathe in the open;
You can dance in the Light,
For I am the Lord, and I am Life.

Tell me, what are you searching for
And what do you seek?
I am all you want and all you want to be!
It's a gift to be simple!
It's a gift to be free!
It's a gift to be holy,
And the gift is Me!

Words and Music by Ken Bible,
based on a Shaker hymn