The Message, November 21, 2021, "Blessed and Blessing"
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
November 23, 2021
“Blessed
and Blessing”
A
Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Matthew
6:25-34
Well … here it is Consecration
Sunday, so you know what that means. It is time for the pastor to give the “give
until it hurts” stewardship sermon.
Here comes the guilt trip about all
of the comforts and extravagances that we all enjoy but should NOT enjoy … or
should at least feel guilty about enjoying.
Here comes that heavy, “it is our
Christian obligation” to give message.
There is a reason that many pastors
do not like offering stewardship messages. Almost as many reasons as why church
members to not want to HEAR those messages. The reality is that nobody enjoys
taking about money or giving. It makes us feel uncomfortable. Some of you are
probably feeling a little squirmy right now. But that is not what this message
is all about this morning. This is a “give until it feels good” message!
Yes … Jesus did say that we should
practice sacrificial giving. We just heard the message about the widow that
placed her two thin, copper coins into the treasury a couple of weeks ago. She
gave all that she had to live on. That message is still fresh in our minds.
But let us also remember the words
of Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians: “Each one must give as he has decided in his
heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
[2 Corinthians9:7 (ESV)]
God loves a cheerful giver. Giving should be a joy, not a
burden.
We should give because it feels good. Helping others
feels good. Caring for our neighbors feels good.
Yes … our giving supports all of the ministries of this
church. But let us look at it from a purely self-centered perspective … giving
makes us feel good. It gives us joy!
We give of our resources because it is what we are called
to do. Jesus was very clear about that. We give sacrificially, rather than out
of our abundance.
We give as an act of gratitude and thanksgiving for all
of the blessings that we have received.
And we give because it brings us joy!
Our passage this morning is from the Sermon on the Mount.
It is the foundational sermon for Jesus’ teaching and preaching ministry. And
it is the foundation of our faith and practice. The passage that we just heard
follows immediately after the verses about mammon … money. That is the passage
in which Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters.
So then, why not deliver a stewardship message using THAT
passage?
Is it because we know that Jesus really did not like
talking about money either? Not really, because he talked about money and
giving more that just about any other topic. Eleven of the thirty-nine parables
that he told were about finances or giving.
No, we are considering this passage about considering the
flowers and the birds because Jesus also knew intimately about the love and
caring providence of God. And he knew the joy of beauty.
Jesus was also well aware of the school of philosophy
that believed that the world was a corrupt, dark and evil place. He knew that
practitioners of that school sought to remove themselves from it. And Jesus
knew the truth about the world. The world is God-given, created by God and
blessed by God. He knows that the world is full of love and beauty.
Just like the flowers of the field and the birds of the
air, God called us into existence as well. Therefore, God loves us just as
much, if not more than those, and God will take care of us.
The heart of Jesus’ message is that we should not allow worry
to be the central focus of our lives. Jesus was not telling us that we should
not work, or that we should adopt reckless or thoughtless attitudes toward
life. Rather, he was telling us that we should not allow worry to remove the
joy from our lives.
This was not new teaching for those gathered on the
hillside that day. It was familiar Jewish teaching. The great rabbis taught
that one ought to meet life with a combination of prudence and serenity. Jesus
was reinforcing this lesson. His point was not that the birds and the flowers
do not work, it is that they do not worry.
Again, it is not that work does not matter. It does not
mean that providing for ourselves and our families does not matter. Of course,
they do. It is a matter of priorities.
If we focus our hearts and our minds upon the Kingdom of
God, if we do the work of the Kingdom, we push worry to the side. The power of
love is that it can drive out every other concern. Following God and the Way of
God helps us eliminate worry in our lives. It brings us peace, and it bring us
joy!
We live in joy, work with joy, serve with joy.
By “seeking first the Kingdom and God’s righteousness” we
do not adopt an otherworldly view of economics and money, but we assess their
usefulness in relation to more serious matters. (Douglas R. A. Hare, Interpretation:
Matthew, p. 76)
Now, that does not mean that there will not be difficult
days. It does not mean that there will not be pain or struggles. It does not
mean that there will not be sadness. It DOES mean that God will see us through.
Remember that Jesus sent his disciples forth and
instructed them to take nothing with them. They were to rely upon the
hospitality of the communities that they visited. Jesus knew that God and God’s
people would provide. He knew that God cared for them and would care for their
needs.
This season always makes me reflect upon my life and the
blessings that I have received. As I look back, I recognize that I have never
had to worry about anything. I have never gone hungry. (Obviously.) I have
never had to worry about having a roof over my head. I have never had to worry
about where my next paycheck was coming from. I live in a warm and comfortable
house. I have more clothes in my closet than I need. When I want to but
something, I do not need to think of what I have to give up first. I do to have
to decide between a bag of groceries or my car payment.
However, when Renee was diagnosed with cancer … I
worried. My life had never been touched by something as serious previously. But
I was not consumed by my worry. The community of God provided for us and cared
for us. The people of God wrapped us in prayer.
After Renee’s surgery, this community supported us in
love and prayer, and you BURIED us in food! We did not have to worry about what
we would eat. We worried how we could possibly eat it all!
We have been truly blessed. We have been blessed and we
share our blessings with others.
On Wednesday morning, I received a call from the General
Assistance office about a woman in desperate need. She is a single mom with a
four-year-old daughter. They had been evicted from their apartment and were
faced with the prospect of living in their car until they could secure lodging.
They came to the church to meet with me. The
four-year-old ran around as carefree as the flowers of the field as the mom
shared her story with trembling hands and tear-filled eyes. She worried. She
worried about caring for her precious child.
But God provided. YOU provided. I told her that there was
no way that she was going to sleep in her car with her daughter. We helper her get
into warm and safe lodging.
You did not even realize that you were doing that. You
did not even know that you offered care and shelter for this desperate mother
and her beautiful daughter. But you did. She thanked you with tears in her
eyes.
Why do we give? We give because we are blessed. And we
give because giving offers joy. Giving offers joy to the giver and to the
recipient. We give so that we may bless others.
We bless in the obvious ways: the story that I just
shared is one example. We bless with all of our mission ministries: the diaper
bank, the shoe ministry, our support for the Saco food pantry, Seeds of Hope,
and Bon Appetit. We bless with the MLK, Jr. Day of Service, and Thanksgiving
Baskets, and Christmas gifts. And so much more.
When we give, we bless all of our wonderful Sunday school
children. They learn about God’s love and the FEEL God’s love. They see it at
work all around them.
When we give, we bless the children that sing in the
choir. They not only sing about ‘This Little Light of Mine,’ but they learn how,
and are prepared to let it shine.
When we give, we bless the youth that go through youth
fellowship and Confirmation classes. They do not affirm their faith because mom
and dad tell them to, they do it because their faith is an integral part of
their lives. It is in their DNA.
When we give, we bless through our worship services that
comfort, encourage, inspire and nurture all who gather here and also all of
those who watch online. We cannot possibly know all of the ways that our
worship services touch the lives of others. But we do know how much it touches
our lives.
When we give, we bless the young couple that will stand
in this spot and exchange their wedding vows. This church family will always be
a part of their beautiful celebration.
When we give, we bless the young family that gathers
around the baptistry to dedicate their child to God. They feel the love and
care of this church family.
When we give, we bless that family that gathers here with
broken hearts and wadded up tissues because they suffered the loss of someone
precious. We embrace them with our care and our compassion.
When we give, we bless the entire community through the
use of our physical space. We make this space available as a gathering space.
Girl Scouts and Alcoholics Anonymous gather here. Guiding Eyes for the Blind is
now using our building to train their dogs.
It would be a wonderful thing if our giving enabled us to
make this space available at no cost to the community. What an incredible gift
that would be!
Yes, we give because Jesus calls us to give in meaningful
and sacrificial ways.
We give because we are so grateful to God for all of the
blessings that we have received.
And we give because it makes us feel good. It brings joy!
Serving God and serving in God’s name pushes away worry.
Now, let me pause for a moment. The intent of this
message is not to shame those who cannot give financially or cannot increase their
giving. We give in many other ways. We give every time we lift someone up in
our prayers, every time that we offer a prayer shawl, or deliver a meal to
someone that has just had surgery. We give every time that we volunteer our
time, make a phone call, write a card, or visit someone.
In whatever way that we give, we give with joy. We give
with thanksgiving for all of the blessings that we have received. And we bless
others though our giving.
May we live faithfully. May we live generously. And may
we share the wonderful joy that we have received. Let us give until we feel
good! Amen.
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