Oct.
28 2012 straight talk – about money Luke 19:1-10 zacchaeus =
19
Jesus entered Jericho(A) and was passing through. 2 A
man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was
wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he
could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a
sycamore-fig(B) tree to see him, since Jesus was
coming that way.(C) 5 When Jesus reached the
spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must
stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed
him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has
gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”(D) 8 But Zacchaeus stood up
and said to the Lord,(E) “Look, Lord! Here and now I give
half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of
anything,(F) I will pay back four times the
amount.”(G) 9 Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of
Abraham.(H) 10 For the Son of Man
came to seek and to save what was lost.”(I)
The
annual sermon on giving-
I
hope you hear these themes the rest of the year.
Sacrifice,
living the generous life, living outside of one’s self
But
because our budget team needs to be able to plan for next year,
and
because it is important from time to time for us to consider or giving, here we
go…….
Zacchaeus-
Encountered jesus and changed
His
approach to how he treated people, and how he used money changed when he had
lunch with jesus
Every
step that we take closer to jesus, changes how we think what we do, and how we
use our resources.
How
we spend our money says everything about what we believe in
Paul
told timothy that when we get our living and giving in proper perspective, we
find the life that truly is life.
1
timothy 6
17
Command
those who are rich(AM) in this present world not to be
arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth,(AN) which is so uncertain, but to put
their hope in God,(AO) who richly provides us with
everything for our enjoyment.(AP) 18 Command them to do
good, to be rich in good deeds,(AQ) and to be generous and willing to
share.(AR) 19 In this way they
will lay up treasure for themselves(AS) as a firm foundation for the coming
age, so that they may take hold of(AT) the life that is truly life
The
bishop has written some wonderful things about living the generous life-
Why
Give?
1.
Giving
helps congregations thrive – we get to do wonderful things to help others.
2.
Giving
aligns us with God’s purposes- we participate in his will
3.
Giving
changes us inside- it Rewires us from acquiring to giving; our motivations
change; drawn closer to God
4.
Giving
mirrors God’s nature – we Become more like the giving God and less anxious,
less fearful, less influenced by a culture that drives us to consume
5.
Giving
fosters a healthier relationship to money - Establishes priorities and balance
6.
Giving
deepens our relationship with God as we consecrate material goods to
God’s purposes
7.
Giving
honors Christ’s sacrifice- Giving of one’s self is to participate in Christ’s
self-giving
The
bishop also talks about Tithing- giving 10%
It is Biblical/historical
It is Simple
It is Consistent
While it may stretch us, it is Attainable
When
people as me about tithing, I encourage them to look at their level of giving
as a percent and simply raise it a step at a time.
Other
quotes from the bishop on extravagant generosity-
People who
practice Extravagant Generosity give with unexpected liberality; they make
giving a first priority; and they plan their giving with great energy and
passion. They go the second mile. They do not give from a “what
remains” mentality, but from a “what comes first” priority. Giving
seriously becomes a personal spiritual discipline, a way of serving God, and a
means of helping the church fulfill its God-appointed mission. Focused
conviction and intention causes them to give in a more pronounced way, without
fear and with greater trust. Giving changes their lives.
Extravagant
does not correspond with giving that is merely dutiful, required, burdensome,
mandated, or simply doing one’s part. Extravagant denotes a style and
attitude of giving that is unexpectedly joyous, without predetermined limits,
from the heart, extraordinary, over-the-top, and propelled by great
passion. Extravagant is the generosity seen in those who appreciate the
beauty of giving, the awe and joy of making a difference for the purposes of
Christ. Extravagant Generosity is giving to God as God has given to us.
People who
practice Extravagant Generosity change their lives in order to become more
generous. They shift things around so that they can do more. Their
generosity opens them to projects they never dreamed God would involve them
in! They become rich in giving.
You
have many choices about where to give & even where to attend
Today
I want to spend a few moments to help you understand
why
woods chapel is worth investing in, worth giving to
We
are doing marvelous things for children
We
care- Treehouse
Tree
house kids
We
are providing room for people to worship
In
2009 we were full
Worship
center
Labyrinth
- contemplative
Attendance
up – 10-15%
We
are creating space for people to be in community
Do
you remember when our foyer was 20’ deep?
Coffee
bar
Furniture
in foyer
Converge
here sept 12 2000 pastors
Our
Adult education department is strong
100
in disciple b study
Our
youth group is thriving
40-50
in each group, jr and sr high
We
are reaching people outside of our church
Food
pantry – emergency relief
Focus
ministry
We
are reaching beyond ourselves
Missions
teams to Jamacia and Russia,
Family
trip to st Louis
from
May 2011 to May 2012...we sent 58 teams, and 484 people from our coungregation
to Joplin. A lot of folks went many times. A few went and are still going
every week.
The
greatest stories are not about buildings and grounds, but about the lives that
are changed thru this place….
Nicodemus-
says, ah. Now I get it.
I
hear from people all the time who tell me that they are getting it.
A
young man gives away a car
Ivan
Lindner in joplin
Missy
Nance in Joplin
Joplin
Here
is just an excerpt from a poem one of you wrote after being touched by how we
are sent by Jesus:
Holy Spirit thick as it moves within my soul
Fingers curved in tension raised up with inspired words
To rattle the status quo of my mind
And look through different eyes
To whom have I been sent?
Names and faces come alive
Reach out my hands, spend the time!
For they may be who Jesus sent for me!
And
then…and you are passing this culture, this mission onto the next generations.
Just look at a few of our youth and how they are learning to live the life that
truly is life. (video)
Video
of youth group
What
we are simply asking you to do today is understand that Your gifts are changing
lives.
And
we have the opportunity at this time of year to think about what we want to
give.
Step
chart
Please
take a look at the step chart. Find where you are. Don’t worry
about those who are giving nothing. Everyone was there at one time or
another. I am not upset by the number of folks there, these are our
opportunities to grow and help folks grow in generosity.
Pledge
card
Please
take home the pledge card attached to your bulletin and prayerfully consider
what you would like to do in 2013. And then bring your pledge back to church
the next Sunday or two and place in the offering plate.
1.
Your
gifts help us plan for effective ministry- so the budget team can prepare
2.
Your
electronic gifts help keep your church stable during the summer
3.
Your
gifts are doing much good for the sake of Christ.
Today
I want to say thank you….
·
Thank
you, my friends, for the great love and grace you show in connecting people to
Christ.
·
Thank
you in advance for your generous support of the ministries of woods chapel.
·
Thanks
for wanting to be a part of God’s work, something that is bigger than we are
·
Thank
you for grasping your life and putting things in proper perspective
·
Thank
you for pursuing the life that truly is life.
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