Wellspring UMC; Sixth Sunday after Pentecost; July 8, 2007: “The Result of Giving”:

-Galatians 6: 7-10; Philippians 4: 10-20

For those who are visiting with us today, we are in the middle of a sermon series where we have been living life with an attitude of giving. We’re praying daily, “Lord make me an instrument of your love everyday, and use me to give your love away.” Then we’re listening, responding, and living out our mission as a church, which is ‘to care as Jesus cares.’ It’s been a powerful and insightful experience for many of us.

For those of you who have been living out this call, what has been the result of your giving? [take stories, and ask for specific examples of what they did that resulted in why they felt called to share.]

When I began thinking about what might be the result of this series, I didn’t think about the strong correlation between giving and receiving, though if I’d thought about it a little harder it would have been a no-brainer. What I had expected was that from giving of ourselves and what we have, we’d develop our giving muscles.

Much like an athlete, in order to get into shape and excel, we have to develop our muscles for service. Through giving, we’d begin to lay the groundwork for thinking and acting outwardly, which is central to caring as Jesus cares. We’d develop a habit of thinking and acting less for ourselves and more for those whom God has placed on our path. Through giving, we’d discover that the greatest gifts of life are realized when we open our eyes and lives, look around, and reach out to those around us.

What quickly and inevitably came to the fore, is that in giving, there is receiving. Through giving we receive far more than we give. By giving, we begin to recognize that when God put creation together, God’s giving became central, and when there is a giver, there is always a receiver. Those receivers are us. The result of giving? Receiving, and when that giving and receiving is in response to the Gospel, it is incredible.

What is interesting, however, is that this can become a cycle. That is, the giving is done, the receiving is experienced, and often the desire is to want more of the same. Oh we have the choice to simply accept the give and take as a one time gift and leave it at that, and often we make that choice, but there are times when it becomes more than that. It becomes the impetus to give again, and for some, it becomes a way of life. For Christ-followers, God desires that it is our way of life...a way which emulates the life of Christ, the ultimate giver.

When I was in seminary I was a member of a Covenant Discipleship, or CD, group, which is a group of people who meet weekly to share prayer concerns and hold one another accountable to live by the ways of Christ. Central to each CD group is the Covenant – a promise, or list of promises, that are made with one another. A covenant might include praying daily and reading the bible, being more aware of and responding to injustices in the world, or attending church each week. Each covenant is unique, and each fulfills and expresses the needs of the group. One of the promises this CD group added to our covenant was that we would perform at least one anonymous act of kindness.

Part of the sharing in a CD group is to report back on how we fulfilled the covenant, and we always loved hearing the stories of what God had led each of us to do for others. They ranged from stories which bordered on being fun pranks to amazing witnesses to the grace of God.

At first there were weeks when we racked our brains for something to do and even forgot a few times, but after a few months striving to fulfill that promise, giving became second nature. It was as if our eyes were opened to opportunities to share. It was, at least for me, as if Christ’s eyes became our eyes.

I remember when I began to fulfill this part of that covenant, I would feel good about what I’d done and discovered a twinge of pride. At the beginning, it was about what I’d done, and I couldn’t wait to get back to the group and talk about the experience and share how good it made me feel.

A couple of months into our meetings, however, a discussion arose about this very thing. We realized that this was not about us, but it was about sharing Christ. It was about giving in response to grace, not because it made us feel good, nor because it was simply what we were supposed to do. We shared the tension we felt in fulfilling that promise, in wanting to do this for the right reasons but naming how easy it was to make it “our” thing, rather than “God’s” thing.

That discussion became pivotal to who we grew to become as a group, and in some ways it was key to who I became as a follower of Jesus Christ. It solidified for me, first how easy it is to make things about us, and secondly, that everything should be about God and our response to God’s love and grace.

Our scripture passage today is written by Paul to the church in Philippi. This was Paul’s first church. They held a special place in his heart, and they in turn held a special place in their hearts for Paul. As one reads the letter, one discovers that the central theme is Joy. It is a letter to his beloved friends, expressing his Joy in them.

Paul writes this letter while imprisoned in Rome, saying, “I rejoice in the Lord that you care for me, and in fact, you never gave up on praying for and thinking about me...When I first left you, venturing out to share the Good News, not one church helped out, except for you. You were the only ones who gave, so the Message would be shared with the world.”

Can you can just imagine how cathartic it was for him to be remembering and expressing his Joy? And he was sharing this while serving time in jail, which would not have been a breeding ground for Joy. And yet, because of their love for God and love for him, they have responded in love.

He goes on to say, “The gifts you sent were more than enough...like sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, and pleasing God to no end.” In other words, through those gifts, he recognized God’s work through them, and that alone brought Him the Joy of experiencing God’s love through their actions. He is pouring himself into this letter, just as he’s fully invested himself and Christ’s love in them. The result of his giving is his own Joy and thanksgiving for what Christ has done.

The members of that church were a unique crowd. They were the least Jewish of any of the churches Paul established, because Philippi was the farthest north of any of the churches established, furthest away from Jerusalem and Jewish influence. Secondly, it was made up of mostly poor converts to the faith. They didn’t have much, except the ability to depend upon one another, and in turn share what they had with one another, those around them, and Paul.

Paul thanks them, for they sent him money to live on, but what makes this so special is that their generosity was not out of obligation for him or even given as a personal gift, but they responded to the Gospel. “You can be sure,” he says, “that God will take care of your needs, God’s generosity exceeds theirs but pours from Jesus onto and through them.” Their response was from their heart and God’s heart, and for Paul, that was the his reason for rejoicing so profoundly. God was the center of their gift, not them and not him, but Jesus Christ.

Earlier in this book Paul writes, “Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus,” but here at the end he affirms that that indeed is what they have done. Their attitude has been the same as Christ’s, and the result of their giving is life given and received out of response to the great Good News of Christ’s hope and love! The result of his giving to them, led to them giving to him, which in turn led to the spreading of the Gospel across the world.

When we think about our lives and reflect upon gifts we’ve received, to whom do we attribute those gifts? Are they gifts for our birthday or Christmas? Are they presents from a friend? Or are they ultimately gifts from God?

When we think about how we feel in receiving those gifts, how do we respond? If it’s for a special occasion do we expect it? If it’s given for no apparent reason, do we want to reciprocate, and reciprocate immediately? Or do we recognize where God is in the mix?

Ultimately, what is the result of our giving? Do we say thank you, use it and move on, or does the receiving of that gift linger with us? Does it spark us to think about paying forward a bit of what we’ve received? Or even, is it, like this gift given by the Philippians to Paul, a response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?...an opportunity to pass on the gift of the Gospel to generations to come?

I have a special file in my office, my ‘uplifter’ file. It’s a file folder filled with special notes or gifts that folks have given me throughout my ministry. It’s invaluable to me, because not everyday is a good one, and in fact bad times can linger. But it is during those difficult days that I step away, if just for a few moments, and read the notes and thanks that others and you have sent to me. They are gifts that keep on giving, and the result is that my faith and resolve is bolstered so that I can continue to do what God needs me to do.

I learned about an uplifter file when I entered my first church. A wise elder said to me, “It’s easy to get distracted from the Gospel, but always remember that the Gospel truth is yours everyday. One way to remember that is to keep an uplifter file. The result will be renewed focus, energy, and the assurance that Christ can accomplish anything through you.” This advice had been given to him by a wise elder when that person entered the ministry, who I imagine had learned the same from another wise elder.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving, and that just like the Gospel of Jesus Christ which resides at the core of our souls. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, given, received, then shared by us, so that others would know and experience the love of God through Christ Jesus, Our Lord for generations to come.

The result of giving? Receiving...then giving more...then receiving...then giving more...to where eventually our life is Christ’s life, Christ’s life is our life, and true life is revealed, received, shared, and passed from one generation to the next. May this be so in your life, and in mine. Amen.