Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
November 8, 2009

Psalms 127:1-5 (NRSV) Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. 3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one's youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Mark 12:38-44 (NRSV) As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." 41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

“Why Give?’

A man called the church office and asked if he could speak to the Head Hog at the Trough. The secretary said, “WHO?” then gathered herself and said, “Sir, if you mean our minister, you will have to treat him with a little more respect than that. Hus title is ‘Reverend’ or ‘Pastor.’ Certainly calling him Head Hog at the Trough is inappropriate. The man said, “I understand. I was calling because I have $10,000 I would like to donate to the church.” The secretary said, “Hold on just a minute – I think the Big Pig just walked in the door.”
            I am certain that Georgie would not treat me or Pastor Alfred like that – nor would any of you! But don’t we find ourselves changing our tune – even just a bit – when substantial amounts of money are in question. Don’t we look up to people like Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump…more for what they have than what they do? (Even though they do a lot!)
            Sometimes it’s important to put things in perspective. Think about this: Suppose Bill Gates bought a $250,000 Lamborghini. In terms of the percentage of his wealth, the purchase would set Mr. Gates back what a purchase of 63 cents would cost the average American! Now suppose Mr. and Mrs. Gates go to the movies. If Bill Gates were to spend the same proportion of his net worth as the average moviegoer spends, he would spend nearly 50 million dollars to go into the movie, and that’s before refreshments and the babysitter. It has been noted that Mr. Gates’ time in the office is so valuable that if he saw a $1.00 bill on the sidewalk – he would actually lose money if he took time to stoop down and pick it up.
            In our reading this morning, we find Jesus using proportionate calculations of wealth. Though the rich gave enormous sums to the temple treasury, it was the poor widow’s gift of two measly copper coins that got Jesus’ attention. “Jesus called his disciples over and said, ‘The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all.’” (43-44)
            There are many who have criticized the church for extorting people out of money. In some cases it is a legitimate concern. It should not be the church or its leaders that motivate giving. Like the widow, people need to give from the heart. We need to give our all to God.
            The focus of Mark’s story is not about draining our wallets or about putting ourselves in financial difficulty as we overextend in our giving. The crux of the story is about sacrifice. The Kingdom of God recognizes the level of our sacrifice rather than the amount of our giving.
“It’s like the young fellow in Sunday School whose teacher asked her eight eager students if they would give $1,000,000 to the missionaries. “Yes!” they all screamed. “Would you give $1,000?” Again they shouted, “Yes!” “How about $100?” “Oh, yes we would!” “Would you give a dollar to the missionaries?” The class exclaimed “YES!” just as before - except for Johnny. “Johnny,” the teacher said as she noticed the boy clutching his pocket, “why didn’t you say ‘YES’ this time? “Well,” Johnny stammered, “I have a dollar...”
Haven’t we all dreamt about giving large sums of money away – maybe fantasizing about winning the lottery or striking it rich? Haven’t we hoped that someday we could make a difference in our world; our community; our church? We wish we would could yet we think we can’t.
Friends, think about this: we have a dollar. Right now, in our wallets, we have a dollar. We need to start there. We have a talent, a skill – we need to apply it; we need to sign on to a ministry here at Calvary, we need to commit. Right now, in our pocket, we have a hand – we need to lend it. We can find the time – if we want. We can make the sacrifice – if we want. We CAN make a difference – if we want.
In this church, as in many others, each person’s annual giving is kept confidential. Only the person that tallies the pledges sees the amounts. This makes many people feel more comfortable in their giving. I have heard it said, “What I give to the church is between me and God.” That is profound and it’s accurate. God knows what we give.
This morning’s Gospel reading confirms this. We find Jesus sitting across from the offering box, observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Jesus knew what each person gave.
Do you think it is any different now? Just because our pledge giving is held in confidence; just because we put our offering in sealed envelopes; just because we don’t talk about what we give to the church, we think no one knows. Guess again! Jesus knows. He knows what we give and he knows how we give. If we are reluctant – He knows. If we are joyful – He knows. And remember, God loves a cheerful giver!
W. A. Tozer, a modern day prophet, was a prolific author and pastor. He was known for his emphasis on the deeper life movement. Listen to his words on giving and serving: “Before the judgment seat of Christ, my service will be judged, not by how much I have done, but by how much I could have done. In God's sight, my giving is measured, not by how much I have given, but by how much I could have given and how much I had left after I made my gift. The needs of the world, and my total ability to minister to those needs, decide the worth of my service.
“Not by its size is my gift judged, but by how much of me there is in it. No man gives at all until he has given all. No man gives anything acceptable to God until he has first given himself in love and sacrifice....
“In the work of the church, the amount one must do to accomplish a given task is determined by how much or how little the rest of the company is willing to do. It is a rare church whose members all put their shoulders to the wheel. The typical church is composed of the few whose shoulders are bruised by their faithful labors, and the many who are unwilling to raise a blister in the service of God and their neighbor. There may be a bit of wry humor in all this, but it is quite certain that there will be no laughter when each of us gives account to God of the deeds done in the body.”
Today we bring our pledges of financial commitment for this church to God. We have thought about this; we have prayed about this. The question now is, “Have we listened to God?” God does not want us to give reluctantly or recklessly. Rather, God wants us to give sacrificially.  
Our giving is not about impacting the church or God’s work. Our giving must impact us. If we give our offering and not notice it is missing, it isn’t a sacrificial gift. Sacrifice is present when something about our lives has to change in order for us to give the gift.
When we give sacrificially, we walk in the footsteps of our Lord, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us. When we give away something that we think we might need to survive, we bear witness to the reality that God alone is our provider. It is then that our giving reflects our gratitude for what God in Christ has done for us. The Apostle Paul reminds us: “I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.”
Friends, remember the widow. When Jesus saw her drop the two copper coins, He said, “All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all." (44) Give knowing that God knows. Give your time; give your skills; give your financial support. Today, as you make your financial pledge for 2010, give sacrificially to the work of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen and amen.