"Is Your Gift Big or Small?"
November 7, 2004

The Old Testament Lesson: I Kings 17: 8 - 14
The New Testament Lesson: Luke 21: 1 - 4

To remind people of the principle of sacrifice in giving and encourage them to evaluate their stewardship by it

I.  It sure helps us to see sacrificial giving in action
    A. In education, there is something called “The teachable moment”
        1. It is the state when a person’s mind and heart is open to learning.
            a. Often it is because something has happened to make the point.
            b. They become receptive to the truth you want to express.
            c. the teacher simply points out the obvious.
            d. When a child touches a hot stove, they are open to learning about hot stoves!
        2. Jesus was a master of both creating and using teachable moments.
        3. Today’s passage is an excellent example.
    B. Jesus used a poor widow bringing her offering to teach God’s values.
        1. There was an interesting comparison to make of givers
            a. One very wealthy patron comes forward.
            b. Places his money in with an understandable amount of pride.
            c. A widow puts in two copper coins: pennies! people throw them away.
            d. Perhaps she gives her gift with a sense of shame, hoping they don’t clank and draw attention to her.  (I’ve been there!)
            e. Jesus says hers is really the big gift for she reached deeper.
            f. The others just gave what was left over after their spending.
        2. The contrast is made between institutional values and Kingdom values.
            a. I have to admit that institutions like the big givers!
            b. We have organizations to run, people to pay, programs to fund.
            c. We can’t do that on pennies, regardless of what it might symbolize.
            d. The big givers support all that, even if their gift doesn’t touch them.
        3. But in the Kingdom, it is always the heart that matters!
            a. The big givers have an abundance.
            b. They give much, but it doesn’t effect their standard of living one bit.
            c. They can write their checks and give them without a second thought.
        4. When the widow gives, she offers everything to God.
            a. This is her living substance that she offers to God.
            b. Don’t you think she had second thoughts as she dropped her coins?
            c. Perhaps she even had third and fourth thoughts.
            d. Her fingers nearly reached back in to snatch back the coins!
            e. Her gift came from a heart of devotion to God and Kingdom work.

II.  True measure of Stewardship is that your gift means something to you!
    A. The point is simple: our offering should really matter to us.
        1. We need to have a sense of sacrifice as we give to God.
        2. We should know that this gift could be used in other ways.
        3. If it doesn’t effect our lives, we aren’t sacrificing.
    B. This week, I ran across a story from Paul Harvey
        1. A women called the Butterball co. with a question
        2. If a turkey has been in the freezer for 23 years, can it still be eaten?
        3. Somewhat shaken, the expert answered: If it has been kept below freezing the entire time, it is safe.  But the flavor quality has probably deteriorated to the point it wouldn’t taste very good.
        4. “That’s what I thought,” she replied.  “I’ll give it to the church!”
        5. How many of us are making a flavorless gift to the church?
    C. If we can write our check without thinking about it, it isn’t meaningful.
        1. It might be very welcomed by the church professionals.
            a. organizations compare the size of gifts, after all.
            b. We have a church to run.
            c. But it probably doesn’t please God all that much.
        2. If we give our gifts as an act of devotion, knowing we are giving something up for a greater good, we have sacrificed!
            a. That makes it a gift that comes from the heart.
            b. And that is where God’s attention is focused!

     Friends, sacrifice doesn’t mean that we are impoverishing ourselves!  But it does mean that we really put some thought into our giving.  We aren’t trying to pull up the turkey at the bottom of the freezer and giving it because we wouldn’t use it.  Instead, we are reaching into the bottom of our hearts and giving a gift that really means something to us.  For in the Kingdom of God, it really is the thought that counts!

And as you go from this place, may you walk in the way of Christ Jesus and May God always find you faithful!