Sermon

Almost Giving

by The Very Rev. Terry White, Dean

Since the 1940s, the Ad Council has been the leading producer of public service announcements.  Their creative messages have urged us to be better stewards of the environment, better citizens of our communities and nation, and better parents. I commend to your viewing one such ad of a father helping his young daughter work on her cheerleading routine.  (http://www.bvblackspin.com/2009/02/25/the-funniest-psa-you-will-ever-see-on-a-fathers-involvement/)

Of the thousands of commercials the Ad Council has produced, their work for the "Don't Almost Give" campaign has been particularly powerful.

One ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of concrete stairs. The narrator says, "This is a man who almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money." After a brief pause, the announcer continues: "Almost gave. How good is almost giving? About as good as almost walking."

Another ad shows a homeless man curled up in a ball on a pile of rags. One ratty bed sheet shields him from the cold. The narrator says, "This is Jack Thomas. Today someone almost brought Jack something to eat. Someone almost brought him to a shelter. And someone else almost brought him a warm blanket." After a brief pause, the narrator continues: "And Jack Thomas? Well, he almost made it through the night."

A third ad features an older woman sitting alone in a room, staring out a window. The narrator says, "This is Sarah Watkins. A lot of people almost helped her. One almost cooked for her. Another almost drove her to the doctor. Still another almost stopped by to say hello. They almost helped. They almost gave of themselves. But almost giving is the same as not giving at all."

Each ad ends with a simple, direct message: "Don't almost give. Give."  (PreachingToday.com) The ad calls us to give of our time, our money, and our heart.

This morning’s second reading from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians is not just a theoretical tract on how good Christians should live. He's talking to a group of people about a specific issue. Paul is urging the Corinthians to continue collecting money to help the Christians in Jerusalem who are facing a city-wide famine.  To be sure, the Corinthians have in the past year given a lot. But Paul says it's not yet enough, they're not yet finished.

He writes that it is appropriate for you who began last year to do something to now finish the task, so that your eagerness may be matched by giving according to your means. Paul’s argument is that they have not yet given enough to make a difference for the hungry in Jerusalem. Paul insists he just wants things to be fair.  He says in effect: You Corinthians, you have an abundance; give more to help the starving who have not nearly enough.

This is precisely the life Jesus calls us to. Our Lord was a living example, using his abundant surplus to meet the needs of others.

In today’s gospel lesson from Mark, Jesus hears from a prominent synagogue leader that his daughter has fallen seriously ill. He asks Jesus to come with him to lay hands on her. On the way, a crowd forms around Jesus, people press in on him, wanting to get a look at him. A woman, hemorrhaging for years, touches the Lord’s cloak, hoping for healing. She is made instantly whole.

And Jesus stops. He makes time to talk to the woman, speaks to her personally, commends her faith, and sends her off in peace. And then he continues on to meet the little girl.

Jesus is criticized by some because he wasted valuable time to speak to the woman. Some said he might as well give up - the girl is already dead. But Jesus continues on - he knows he has more to give before needs are met. He knows that his work is not yet finished.

The Lord enters the house, and restores the girl, saying simply, 'Little girl, get up!' She is restored to life. The Savior commands she be given something to eat, and then he continues his journey, healing and restoring and meeting the needs of all those who sought him out.

Paul writes that Christ, though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich. Jesus empties himself, giving of his abundance, reaching out of his own closeness with God, to meet the needs of those famished for God, to give life, to finish the ministry God set him out to do.

We, like Jesus, are called to live in such a way, out of our abundance, drawing on our relationship with God, completing that which we have been called to do, carrying out God's work in the world.  Using language from the ads mentioned earlier:  We are not called to almost give. We are to give.

That is the essence of Baptism. As Christ’s body, the Church, we are to give. To empty ourselves. There is no shortage of need around us. There is a need for food for the body. Cold water and shade on an oppressively hot day. Shelter and safety for those who have no place to call home.

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to give money. Encouraged? Shoot, he shamed. But he also led them to understand that giving our money, our time, giving compassionately and genuinely, are signs of grace at work in us.  The Church of Jesus Christ is healthiest when we are giving.

This afternoon a Habitat House will be blessed in the 3500 block of Flora Ave. This is a special house. Congregations of Jews, Muslims, and Christian have worked together to build this house. Today, it becomes a home, as a family takes ownership.  Healing will be a part of the ceremony, not primarily because the family now has a home. The family of Abraham will be a bit healthier, a bit more whole because children of Abraham in Kansas City shared our abundance, worked until a need was met, and found we could agree on something: all God’s children deserve the dignity a home conveys.

Almost giving is not a part of our faith. In Baptism, we are called to empty ourselves, to be agents of healing and bearers of light and hope.

As these four children enter the waters of Baptism, their parents and godparents and families commit them to a life of seeking and serving Christ in all people, respecting the God-given dignity found in every human being. These children will know this life, not by the way we almost give, but as we joyfully and generously meet the needs of others.  When we as congregation promise to do all in our power to support these children in their life in Christ, we commit ourselves to a mission of radical generosity and living with undefended hearts.

I leave you with this story: During one of the most volatile periods of the economic crisis — a week in which global stock markets declined by $7 trillion — Christian author Philip Yancey received a call from an editor at Time magazine asking how a person of faith can pray and cope with the realities and stress of these times. Yancey’s response included the following:

A time of crisis presents a good opportunity to identify the foundation on which I construct my life. If I place my ultimate trust in financial security or in the government's ability to solve my problems, I will surely watch the basement flood and the walls crumble.

The same week that global wealth shrank by $7 trillion, Zimbabwe's inflation rate hit a record 231 million percent. In other words, if you had saved $1 million Zimbabwean dollars by Monday, on Tuesday it was worth $158. This sobering fact means we need God's help to take our eyes off our own problems in order to look with compassion on the truly desperate.

Yancey concluded:  What a testimony it would be if, in 2009, Christians resolved to increase their giving to build houses for the poor, combat AIDS in Africa, and announce kingdom values to a decadent, celebrity-driven culture. Such a response defies all logic and common sense — unless, of course, we take seriously the moral of Jesus' simple tale about building houses on a sure foundation. (PreachingToday.com)

We prayed this morning:  Almighty God, you have built your Church on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.  The Cornerstone says to each of us:  Don’t almost give.

© Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral