Meditations

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

“Jesus commended the incredible sacrifice which even this small gift represented…Our giving is ultimately not about meeting the church budget. Obviously, we have a responsibility to maintain and nurture the church ministries to which we are connected. But even if the budgetary needs are met, it is still our responsibility to give…Mathematically, the two coins the widow offered added practically nothing to the total offering. It is about obedience and sacrifice…I have called the widow’s gift “the mighty mite.” We can learn much from this poor widow. The owner of nothing, being watched by the owner of all things.”

Timothy C. Tennent in “The Mighty Mite” blog post dated 7 August 2016.

More and more voices are echoing the truth that giving is not about meeting the church budget but about obedience and sacrifice. Perhaps the most profound statement by Tennent was his last line: “The owner of nothing, being watched by the owner of all things.” The only kind of giving Jesus celebrated was the kind that left the giver completely dependent on the LORD. In that light, what each of us does not give reveals more about our hearts that what we do give. Take inventory. Are you holding anything back from the Lord?

Make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. 2 Peter 1:5b-8

“Generosity describes the Christian’s unselfish willingness to give in order to make a positive difference. Extravagant Generosity describes practices of sharing and giving that exceed all expectations and extend to unexpected measures. Fruitful congregations thrive because of extraordinary sharing, willing sacrifice, and joyous giving out of love for God and neighbor.

Such churches focus on the abundance of God’s grace and emphasize the Christians need to give rather than the church’s need for money. In the spirit and manner of Christ, congregations that practice extravagant generosity explicitly talk about money in the Christian’s walk of faith. They are driven to be generous by a high sense of mission and a keen desire to please God by making a positive difference in the world.”

Robert Schnase in Cultivating Fruitfulness: Five Weeks of Prayer and Practice for Congregations (Nashville: Abingdon, 2008).

The Apostle Peter desired that the Jewish Christians dispersed across the ancient world were effective and productive in their pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ. To do this they had to make every effort to put on specific virtues, and ultimately, unselfish love.

Likewise today, Schnase urges to make a positive difference but cultivating congregations with an “unselfish willingness to give.” I especially like how the talk about money in these churches is not about the church budget but about each Christian’s walk of faith.

Read through the Apostle Peter’s list again in the biblical text above. He says make every effort to add all those virtues to your life. It seems that unselfish love is listed last because it binds them all together. God help each of us to exhibit unselfish love so that our willingness to give looks like You to the world. Amen.

But since you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you–see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7

“Your people need to give more importantly than your church needs to receive offering. People need to grow spiritually more than church bank accounts need to be filled financially. Yes, there are salaries to pay, buildings to maintain, ministries to fund. Those are critical. But more important than all those things, God’s children need to be reminded that giving is essential to a real walk and relationship with Him. Don’t let messaging on giving orbit around the needs of your church. Your folks need it more than your church does.”

Jeff Anderson in Acceptable Gift email dated 12 July 2016.

Jeff is a an author and speaker I deeply respect in the generosity space. I also consider him a friend and brother as we have spent much time together talking, eating pizza, and fly fishing.

His words on this Lord’s day ring so true. Don’t talk about giving at your church because you need money or because the church budget is in the red. Talk about it because it’s a vital aspect of spiritual growth.

When we give, it changes us. It conforms us into the image of the Giver. Sure, needs are met, budgets are funded, but those are secondary to the work God wants to do in each of our lives.

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Corinthians 4:7

“What do you have in your hands, heart and life today? I believe you have enough to do whatever it is that God wants you to do, today. Not necessarily tomorrow. Today. Take a look around you. Take stock. What do you already have? Who do you already know? What gifts, talents, skills have you already been given? Use those. Today. But use them for God’s glory, because they all came from Him.”

Vanessa Hall in 1 August 2016 blog post entitled ‘Enough’ is a ‘trust’ word.

Hall serves on the advisory board of the CMA Standards Council. CMASC is the Australian equivalent to ECFA in the USA. It’s been a privilege for me to get acquainted with her. She’s passionate about trust, and in this post, rightly connects faithful stewardship and trust.

All we have in our hands, our abilities and resources, are gifts from God to use to make known His grace. Today, that means each of us has enough for whatever God has in store for us. As the parable of the talents reminds us, let us put what he has entrusted to us to work. Today! To do this obediently requires trust.

What stops us? We believe (wrongly!) the messages of the world. They are lies. In today’s NT reading above, it appears that the Apostle Paul had to combat such wrong thinking in Corinth.

One lie says, “You don’t have enough.” So fear of lacking immobilizes us to put what we have to work and even causes us to accumulate what we are supposed to be distributing for God. We forget that five loaves and two fish fed 5,000 people when put to work for God.

Another lie adds “All you have is yours and came from your own hard work.” This lie denies the truth that God gave us the ability to be fruitful and productive in the first place (cf. Deuteronomy 8:18).

Father, forgive us for focusing on what we don’t have. Open our eyes to realize that what is in our hands, heart and lives is ‘enough’. Show us by your Holy Spirit how to put these gifts to work today for your glory. Strengthen our trust in You! Do this work in our lives I pray in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

“Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me…and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property–along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.” Mark 10:21b, 29-30

“Jesus was always talking about a reverse economy. He talked about how if you want to receive, you give. If you want to lead, you follow. That the poor are rich and you only really live for certain things if you are willing to die to them…following Jesus means doing the math differently…”

Bob Goff in Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 112.

I hope you have enjoyed the recent thoughts from the saints of old. For the near future, I am shifting the attention of my research and reading to the modern era.

Today’s meditation comes from Bob Goff via my daughter, Sophie Hoag, who shared it with me from her summer reading. Thankfully she said it reminded her of me and how we have taught her to live. Goff is spot on in this excerpt she shared with me. The teachings of Jesus require followers to do math differently!

In the economy of this world, which says “money solves all our problems,” many Christians (wrongly!) teach the opposite of Jesus. They say that good stewards accumulate money and store up treasures on earth. Don’t fall into that trap. If you have, get out now! Someday you will have to give an account for your stewardship.

Instead, we must do the opposite! We can function, no, we can flourish, in a “reverse economy” knowing that in Christ we have everything we need. In Christ, we are made to work in order to have something to return to God, to enjoy with our families, and to share with others.

Don’t live this way because Goff or I say so!

Do it because it’s what Jesus says all over the Gospels. In the NT Greek of the First Letter to Timothy it’s referred to as the oikonomian theou, the economy of God. The teachings of Jesus on money are not vague. They point to a reverse economy. For years I only selectively followed them.

What about you? Is it time to shift in reverse?

He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God His Father. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:6

“Like many people who enjoy their work, the Rev. Jacques Hamel did not want to stop. At 85, he was well past retirement age, but he kept in shape and kept on going — baptizing infants, celebrating Mass and tending to parishioners in St.-Étienne-du-Rouvray, the working-class town in Normandy where he had spent much of his life.

He could have retired at 75 years old, but seeing how few priests were around he decided to stay and work, to continue to be of service to people, up until it all ended, tragically,” the Rev. Auguste Moanda-Phuati, the parish priest of the Église St.-Étienne, where Father Hamel worked as an auxiliary priest, said in a phone interview.

“He was loved by all. He was a little like a grandfather. We were happy when he was around and worried when we hadn’t seen him in a while.” Father Hamel was celebrating Mass on Tuesday morning when two men with knives entered the small church and slit his throat, an attack that horrified France and the world…

Another priest in the Rouen archdiocese, the Rev. Aimé-Rémi Mputu Amba, told the newspaper Le Figaro: “Even in his old age, he was still just as invested with the parish life. We used to joke around and tell him ‘Jacques, you’re doing too much! It’s high time you retire!’ And he would always laugh it off and say, ‘Have you ever met a retired priest? I’ll work until my last breath.'”

By Adam Nossiter and Hannah Olivennes in NY Times article “Jacques Hamel, 85, a Beloved French Priest, Killed in His Church” dated July 26, 2016.

What a testimony! I am honoring the generous life of Jacques Hamel today for two reasons.

First, I want to transition from the saints of old to the modern era and this profound statement from an old saint accomplishes that purpose perfectly: ‘Have you ever met a retired priest? I’ll work until my last breath.'”

God has made us as a kingdom of priests, because of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. We get to introduce others to God. That’s why we are here on this earth. It’s also our greatest act of generosity.

Second, I get asked often about retirement. It came up twice this week. So here’s a blog post I wrote on the topic: “Should Christians save for retirement?” I hope it challenges you to align your life with the Word rather than the world.

Jacques Hamel modeled the way for us! Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your Lord!

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2

“If we are able to enter the church day and night and implore God to hear our prayers, how careful should we be to hear and grant the petitions of our neighbor in need.”

John the Merciful (c. 550-616) a.k.a. John the Almsgiver, in The Voice of the Saints: Counsels from the Saints to Bring Comfort and Guidance in Daily Living, ed. Francis W. Johnston (London: Burns & Oates, 1965).

Over five years ago I cited a different quote from John the Almsgiver in a Christianity Today article, “Give to Street People?” My thoughts then still ring true today.

We want God to hear our prayers in crisis, so we must be attentive to the cries of others. Rather than judge those who are hurting, let us use the measure of love and grace. And if they appear undeserving, pray for more love and more grace.

Looking back, this article was written before we knew Jenni had cancer and was released just after Jenni was diagnosed. We went from serving the needy to being in great need virtually overnight. Today we would testify as a family that Jesus acted toward us as His Word states above.

We urged others to live openhanded lives and help others in need, and in real time, God extended that same measure to us. He moved six people we never asked to help us with our $10,000 in medical bills. We are grateful to this day and resolve to listen for the petitions of our neighbors in need.

And in case you missed it from yesterday, here is a suggestion of someone to aid, click here to give according to your ability to help Peter Gomez study to be a pastor. As of yesterday he was at $4,400 toward the $12,000 he needs for school. Join us in showing him charity.

How do we know him? He’s our daughter’s boyfriend from San Diego Christian College. We are thankful for their special friendship which honors the Lord. He has limited family support and has had a tough summer earning money for school with a recent emergency appendectomy.

Please hear his prayer to God for help, or respond to someone else in need in your life. Extend the measure to them that you would want others to extend to you in your time of need.

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:12-13

“We must show charity towards the sick, who are in great need of help. Let us take them some small gift if they are poor, or, at least, let us go and wait on them and comfort them.”

Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) in The Voice of the Saints: Counsels from the Saints to Bring Comfort and Guidance in Daily Living, ed. Francis W. Johnston (London: Burns & Oates, 1965).

Jesus words are instructive: “But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” History reveals Liguori planted a congregation that focused on serving others in a time when people were forgetting to put to practice what Jesus taught. Times have not changed much.

Let’s not overcomplicate the gospel by window-dressing it in modernity. Let’s simply follow it. In so doing we will learn what it means to extend merciful generosity. For we were once sick and nursed to health. Likewise, let’s aid others.

Father in heaven, show each of us (by your Holy Spirit) one person this week that is in need. From the resources in our stewardship, may our sharing with them cause them to feel your divine love and comfort. Help us extend merciful generosity that brings you glory, I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

For a suggestion of someone to aid, click here to give according to your ability, to help Peter Gomez study to be a pastor. He’s had a tough summer earning money for school with a recent emergency appendectomy. As of this morning he was at $4,000 toward the $12,000 he needs to receive. Join us in showing him charity by making a gift.

Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. Romans 15:2

“I saw how imperfect was the love I bore my sisters in religion. I understood that I did not love them as our Lord loves them. I know now that true charity consists in bearing all our neighbours’ defects—not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues. Above all, I know that charity must not remain shut up in the heart.”

Thérèse de Lisieux (1873-1897) in Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux (Astern Press, 2015)

We are making our way from the saints of old to the present. Today, Thérèse de Lisieux reminds us to love others as our Lord loves them. That’s true charity!

When our lives reflect true charity all is peaceful and beautiful, just like the lake (pictured above) behind the home of Raymond Suen, who graciously hosted the board meetings I attended in Seattle this past weekend.

Lord, teach us to love others as you love us. May our generosity in extending your kindness not be shut up in our hearts but exhibited in every aspect of our lives for your glory. Amen.

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

“Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved.”

Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) in The Voice of the Saints: Counsels from the Saints to Bring Comfort and Guidance in Daily Living, ed. Francis W. Johnston (London: Burns & Oates, 1965).

As I explore generosity through saints in the Middle Ages and Reformation eras, I am finding charity as a key theme. Remember it’s the divine love of God that is grace-filled and generously extended to humankind.

Our role as Christ followers is to receive charity from God and distribute it widely to people.

Again, because it is the one thing that brings life and saves the lost, receiving it and sharing it is precisely our greatest act of generosity.