Do You Want To Add Your Two Cents?
Sermon
From Every Angle
A Compendium Of Stewardship Resources
One Sunday as a family was driving home from church they all started to make comments about the worship service. The father said, "I sure didn't like the minister's sermon today. It was awfully boring." The mother said: "And how about those hymns they picked out! I couldn't sing any of them." But then the son chimed in, saying: "It wasn't all that bad. After all, what do you expect for a dollar?"
Money is a subject that many people just don't want to talk about. Most people figure that what they do with their money is their business, that it's a private matter. But as you read the Bible, especially the New Testament, you quickly discover that what we do with our money isn't just a private matter. Instead, it's a matter that concerns God very much.
And that's what we see in the reading today from the Gospel of Mark. One day as Jesus and his disciples were sitting in the Temple area, they noticed the different people who came by and put money into the collection boxes. Now you need to understand that those collection boxes were made out of metal. There was also something that resembled a trumpet that you deposited your coins into. As Jesus and his disciples sat there, they noticed that some wealthy people came by and put large amounts of money into those collection boxes. As they did, the metal boxes rattled and clinked as the coins went inside, so that everyone around noticed the large amount of money that was being given. Probably the people who saw and heard those gifts smiled at those rich people and nodded their approval.
Recently, in Australia, a man who said that he was an exiled prince from Borneo, announced at a United Nations conference that he was going to give one billion dollars to help the poorer countries of the world. When that gift was announced, everyone at the U.N. conference began to applaud, and the fellow became a real celebrity. Later it was discovered that the man was not a prince, that he wasn't from Borneo, and that he did not have a billion dollars to give. In fact, family members came forward and said that the fellow not only didn't have a billion dollars to donate, but also he had about $7,000 of debt.
As they sat there in the Temple, Jesus showed his disciples that a person doesn't have to be rich to be able to give something meaningful. He called their attention to a little old lady, as she dropped two small pennies into the collection box. When she had done that, Jesus told his disciples that she had given far more than all the others. Now when Jesus said that, his disciples wondered what he meant, because they had seen how much money those rich people had put in. They had heard the noise of all those metal coins as they had dropped into the container. So how could Jesus say that the little old lady had put in more? She had given so little, they couldn't even hear her coins dropping inside.
And the disciples were right. In terms of dollars, that woman had not put in much. In fact, it would have taken 128 times what she gave to equal one day's wages. But even so, Jesus pointed to her as an example to be followed. Jesus did that because he realized that after rich people had put their money into the collection box, they still had a great deal of money left over that they kept for themselves. But when the poor widow put her money into the box, she put in everything she had. Jesus was forcing his disciples to consider who made the more faithful gift: the rich people who made their gifts and still went home rich, or the poor woman who made her gift and kept nothing back. Which one of those gifts, asked Jesus, showed the greater trust in God?
Jesus accepted people no matter whether they were rich or poor, because he realized that either way people are in a position to be faithful with what they have. But sometimes, like the disciples, we start to think that it's only the rich people who are able to give large amounts of money, that are important to the church. But Jesus says: "No. Rich or poor, there's an equally important place in the church for everyone."
I recently read a story about a husband and wife who had worked in the theater. When they retired, they moved to a small town in the country. To help them decide which church they would join, one Sunday they dressed themselves up to look like they didn't have much money. They went to the local church and appeared to be rather plain and quiet. They noticed that almost no one in the church talked to them.
The next Sunday, the couple dressed themselves up to look like they were rather wealthy. As they went into church, they made comments to give people the idea that they were well-off. When they did that, the couple noticed that the congregation warmly received them, with many of the church members making a point of inviting them to come back again. So when the husband and wife saw how they were treated differently, based on how wealthy the church members thought there were, they decided not to go back to that church again.
What Jesus showed his disciples, as he pointed to the old widow as she put her two pennies into the collection box, was that God isn't so much concerned with the amount of money that we give. Instead, God is more concerned with what that amount says about our commitment to God. The reason Jesus criticized those rich people was because they were simply giving from their surplus. They were giving what was left over. Even after they made their gifts, they still had plenty.
Isn't that the way most people give? We give what's left over. We give what we don't want to the church and charity. After all, when people give clothing to Salvation Army or Goodwill, they're giving away the clothes they don't want. They give away what's extra. Their closets are still filled with newer and better clothes. People make sure that they have money for movies and eating out and vacations and all sorts of things. And if there happens to be any money left over, maybe, just maybe, they'll give some of that.
When we're only willing to give what's left over, to give what we don't want, what does that say about our commitment to God? Are we putting God first or are we putting God last?
I remember one day when I was about twelve years old. I was over at my friend's house, and his parents had just given him some money for cutting their lawn. As soon as he got the money, he went into his room and put part of it into a jar that was sitting near his bed. So I asked him what that jar was for. He told me that was where he kept his tithes. At that time, I had never heard of what a tithe was, so I had to ask him. He explained to me that every time he received some money, he set aside one tenth of it, and then gave that money to his church the following Sunday. It was later that I learned the idea of tithing is based on the Old Testament guideline as to what the people were expected to give. The idea was that the first and best ten percent of whatever you received was to be given to God as a sign that God comes first before anything else.
When we receive the offering during worship, the point in doing that is not to take in money so that we can pay the electric bill. No, the point of the offering is to give us an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is. It's an opportunity for us to show God where God stands in our lives. So the offering isn't just some unfortunate but necessary disruption in the worship service. It's an important way of showing our commitment to God.
There's a story about an airliner that was having trouble and was starting to go down. The flight attendant ran over to a minister who was on the plane and in a panic said: "Quick, do something religious." And the minister did. He got out a collection plate and took up an offering.
Those who are familiar with horses will probably know what a ground hitch is. Normally when you get off a horse, you'll tie the horse's reins to a fence or a post or a tree. But if nothing like that is around, and if the horse is well-trained, you can simply drop the reins so that they touch the ground, and by doing that, the horse will stay put. Now, of course, nothing is really forcing the horse to stay there. Nothing is keeping the horse from wandering off. But even so, the horse stays where it should be.
That's what it's like for us when it comes to giving money. God drops our reins to the ground and says to us: "I'd like it very much if you showed your commitment by what you give." But then God leaves it up to us to decide what we'll actually do. Because with our money, it's entirely within our power to wander off by ourselves and spend our money any old way we want.
Where does God stand in your life? Is God first? Or is God somewhere a lot further down the scale? That old widow didn't have a lot of money to give, just two copper pennies. But she gave what she could. What about us? Are we ready to add our two cents?
Money is a subject that many people just don't want to talk about. Most people figure that what they do with their money is their business, that it's a private matter. But as you read the Bible, especially the New Testament, you quickly discover that what we do with our money isn't just a private matter. Instead, it's a matter that concerns God very much.
And that's what we see in the reading today from the Gospel of Mark. One day as Jesus and his disciples were sitting in the Temple area, they noticed the different people who came by and put money into the collection boxes. Now you need to understand that those collection boxes were made out of metal. There was also something that resembled a trumpet that you deposited your coins into. As Jesus and his disciples sat there, they noticed that some wealthy people came by and put large amounts of money into those collection boxes. As they did, the metal boxes rattled and clinked as the coins went inside, so that everyone around noticed the large amount of money that was being given. Probably the people who saw and heard those gifts smiled at those rich people and nodded their approval.
Recently, in Australia, a man who said that he was an exiled prince from Borneo, announced at a United Nations conference that he was going to give one billion dollars to help the poorer countries of the world. When that gift was announced, everyone at the U.N. conference began to applaud, and the fellow became a real celebrity. Later it was discovered that the man was not a prince, that he wasn't from Borneo, and that he did not have a billion dollars to give. In fact, family members came forward and said that the fellow not only didn't have a billion dollars to donate, but also he had about $7,000 of debt.
As they sat there in the Temple, Jesus showed his disciples that a person doesn't have to be rich to be able to give something meaningful. He called their attention to a little old lady, as she dropped two small pennies into the collection box. When she had done that, Jesus told his disciples that she had given far more than all the others. Now when Jesus said that, his disciples wondered what he meant, because they had seen how much money those rich people had put in. They had heard the noise of all those metal coins as they had dropped into the container. So how could Jesus say that the little old lady had put in more? She had given so little, they couldn't even hear her coins dropping inside.
And the disciples were right. In terms of dollars, that woman had not put in much. In fact, it would have taken 128 times what she gave to equal one day's wages. But even so, Jesus pointed to her as an example to be followed. Jesus did that because he realized that after rich people had put their money into the collection box, they still had a great deal of money left over that they kept for themselves. But when the poor widow put her money into the box, she put in everything she had. Jesus was forcing his disciples to consider who made the more faithful gift: the rich people who made their gifts and still went home rich, or the poor woman who made her gift and kept nothing back. Which one of those gifts, asked Jesus, showed the greater trust in God?
Jesus accepted people no matter whether they were rich or poor, because he realized that either way people are in a position to be faithful with what they have. But sometimes, like the disciples, we start to think that it's only the rich people who are able to give large amounts of money, that are important to the church. But Jesus says: "No. Rich or poor, there's an equally important place in the church for everyone."
I recently read a story about a husband and wife who had worked in the theater. When they retired, they moved to a small town in the country. To help them decide which church they would join, one Sunday they dressed themselves up to look like they didn't have much money. They went to the local church and appeared to be rather plain and quiet. They noticed that almost no one in the church talked to them.
The next Sunday, the couple dressed themselves up to look like they were rather wealthy. As they went into church, they made comments to give people the idea that they were well-off. When they did that, the couple noticed that the congregation warmly received them, with many of the church members making a point of inviting them to come back again. So when the husband and wife saw how they were treated differently, based on how wealthy the church members thought there were, they decided not to go back to that church again.
What Jesus showed his disciples, as he pointed to the old widow as she put her two pennies into the collection box, was that God isn't so much concerned with the amount of money that we give. Instead, God is more concerned with what that amount says about our commitment to God. The reason Jesus criticized those rich people was because they were simply giving from their surplus. They were giving what was left over. Even after they made their gifts, they still had plenty.
Isn't that the way most people give? We give what's left over. We give what we don't want to the church and charity. After all, when people give clothing to Salvation Army or Goodwill, they're giving away the clothes they don't want. They give away what's extra. Their closets are still filled with newer and better clothes. People make sure that they have money for movies and eating out and vacations and all sorts of things. And if there happens to be any money left over, maybe, just maybe, they'll give some of that.
When we're only willing to give what's left over, to give what we don't want, what does that say about our commitment to God? Are we putting God first or are we putting God last?
I remember one day when I was about twelve years old. I was over at my friend's house, and his parents had just given him some money for cutting their lawn. As soon as he got the money, he went into his room and put part of it into a jar that was sitting near his bed. So I asked him what that jar was for. He told me that was where he kept his tithes. At that time, I had never heard of what a tithe was, so I had to ask him. He explained to me that every time he received some money, he set aside one tenth of it, and then gave that money to his church the following Sunday. It was later that I learned the idea of tithing is based on the Old Testament guideline as to what the people were expected to give. The idea was that the first and best ten percent of whatever you received was to be given to God as a sign that God comes first before anything else.
When we receive the offering during worship, the point in doing that is not to take in money so that we can pay the electric bill. No, the point of the offering is to give us an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is. It's an opportunity for us to show God where God stands in our lives. So the offering isn't just some unfortunate but necessary disruption in the worship service. It's an important way of showing our commitment to God.
There's a story about an airliner that was having trouble and was starting to go down. The flight attendant ran over to a minister who was on the plane and in a panic said: "Quick, do something religious." And the minister did. He got out a collection plate and took up an offering.
Those who are familiar with horses will probably know what a ground hitch is. Normally when you get off a horse, you'll tie the horse's reins to a fence or a post or a tree. But if nothing like that is around, and if the horse is well-trained, you can simply drop the reins so that they touch the ground, and by doing that, the horse will stay put. Now, of course, nothing is really forcing the horse to stay there. Nothing is keeping the horse from wandering off. But even so, the horse stays where it should be.
That's what it's like for us when it comes to giving money. God drops our reins to the ground and says to us: "I'd like it very much if you showed your commitment by what you give." But then God leaves it up to us to decide what we'll actually do. Because with our money, it's entirely within our power to wander off by ourselves and spend our money any old way we want.
Where does God stand in your life? Is God first? Or is God somewhere a lot further down the scale? That old widow didn't have a lot of money to give, just two copper pennies. But she gave what she could. What about us? Are we ready to add our two cents?
