Fuente de Amor

You know what I wish? I really wish we knew the rest of this story. The gospel writer, Mark, shows the widow to us. Shows her giving away (literally) her last two pennies. And that's all she was giving, just a couple pennies. We see Jesus praising her, but that's all we get. We never hear from this widow again. What happened to this giant of the faith?
Church tradition says that as she was walking home from the temple, a gleam of light from the ground caught her eye. She bent down to investigate and found two pennies sticking out of a crack in the sidewalk. It was the exact amount she'd just given away to God. She could sense God's divine providence, so she took those two pennies to a financial advisor and invested them in the Roman stock market. And the stock she just so happened to buy skyrocketed. She cashed out the stock ten years later and retired on the greek island of Malta.
That's what church tradition tells us about the widow. Wait, now that I think about it, I may not have read that in a church history book, it may have come from some tv preacher.
We don't know what happens to this widow. Folks, for all we know, she went back home and died of starvation the next day. Wouldn't it have been great if Jesus had assured his disciples, "because she gave everything, God will bless her financially." But Jesus doesn't say it. That bugs me.
You know what else bugs me? The end of verse 41, Many rich people put in large amounts. How did everyone know the rich people were putting in large amounts? In our culture, a check for a dollar weighs the same as a check for $1,000. But they were a coin-only culture. So I imagine the rich people, standing over the collection box, dropping in one coin at a time, making sure everyone noticed how much they were giving.
And then the widow comes through and drops in her two pennies. It's great that Jesus told his disciples about it, but why just them? Wouldn't it have been great if Jesus had announced it to the entire temple?
"Hey listen up, you need to know that this poor widow here just gave away everything she has. She's not sure how she's going to buy bread tomorrow. So all of you rich people can wipe that smug smile off your face" But instead he just tells his disciples and that bugs me, too.
That really bothers me, but I don't think the widow minded. I don't think the widow was impressed nor was she intimidated by the gifts of the rich. She wasn't looking at the rich, she wasn't looking at the disciples, she wasn't looking at the priest, she wasn't looking at her empty refrigerator or empty checking account. As she walked up to that offering box, as she dropped in those two pennies, her focus was on God.
When I first read this passage, I felt kind of sorry for the widow. Now I'm kind of jealous. Can you imagine being that focused upon God? Can you imagine having that type of freedom from our constant need to get more stuff? Can you imagine trusting God enough to say, "everything I have is yours - take it." Can you imagine being so in love with God that you literally give away everything you have? I am kind of jealous, This widow loved God.
Trinity Family, there's a reason that sacrificial giving is one of our "5." There's a reason we consider sacrificial giving a mark of a Christ-follower. We can come to worship, we can serve others, we can connect with other believers through a small group (and those are all very important disciplines) but God doesn't really have our hearts until he has control of our checkbook. Jesus said exactly that in the sermon on the mount; "where you invest your money demonstrates the values of your heart." It's through our wallet that God gains access to our heart.
This obscure preacher named Billy Graham had this to say about money, "If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life." The more we invest in God's kingdom, the more we'll value God's kingdom. Our heart will follow our money. It's just like any discipline, if we do it even when we don't feel like it, we'll still be shaped and strengthened and the feelings will eventually follow.
David Brush
David mentioned the idea of a "full tithe." If you've been around long, you've heard me talk about this before. The standard set in both scripture and church history is the tithe. Tithe means 10%. We take the first 10% right off the top and give it to God's work through the local church. We're not all called to be widows, to give away everything we have. But we are called to give sacrificially, to give until it hurts. Not throwing down a tip, but giving away a significant portion of our income. Enough that it affects our monthly budget. If you want some more info about tithing, there's a brochure scattered among some of the chairs.
The tithe is sacrificial, it affects our income. I'll be honest and say I've been thinking about that some as Erin and I are facing the huge task of paying for an adoption. We could get there a lot quicker if we weren't tithing. A tithe is sacrificial, but I also know 90% is plenty of money to meet our needs and then some. At least, it can be.
But unfortunately, way too many of us have bought into the lies of our materialistic culture, "you need the new cell phone, you can't live without car payments, you have an inalienable right to a vacation." We're so overextended that a tithe seems overwhelming if not impossible. Which is why only 3% of Christians give a full tithe. We can all live at that level, but it requires intentionality. Tracking our spending, eliminating impulse buys, taking control of our money.
That 3% number really disturbs me, but there's a number that disturbs me even more. Research shows that giving patterns among Church-goers tends to stay the same, varying only a half percent of their income. That some one giving 100 bucks will still be giving 100 bucks 3 years later. That disturbs me not because I'm worried about churches not having enough money, it's heart-breaking to know there are churches full of people with a half-hearted commitment to Jesus. That we haven't fallen so in love with Jesus that we're growing in our giving. That the new tv, the family vacation, the meal at Applebees looks so much better than Jesus.
Being a disciple means that we give sacrificially. Giving in faith. Giving enough that we're left wondering how God will meet our needs. This week I read a sarcastically funny quote, from an anonymous source, "When it comes to giving until it hurts, most people have a very low threshold of pain." In fact, the average donation of adults in Protestant churches is $17 a week. A disciple is so in love with Jesus that they give sacrificially.
Here's why sacrificial giving matters. Why giving until it hurts shapes us as followers of Jesus.
1) Strengthens our faith George Barna, the guru of church stats and research, reports that the per capita giving of a Christ-follower is much higher than an unbeliever. I'm very glad to hear that. He also found some significant differences between church-goers who give and church-goers who don't give. Givers are much more likely than non-givers to affirm the deity of Jesus Christ, to believe that the Holy Spirit is working in their lives, to say that God can be trusted and givers are more likely to see a connection between church and everyday life.
Those stats go both ways. Your giving comes out of your faith, so it makes sense that the stronger your faith the more likely you'll give. But the reverse is also true, that as you give more, your faith grows stronger. If I'm giving sacrificially and still paying my bills, then you'd better believe my faith will grow. Your money demonstrates your values and your values follow your money.
2) Reorders our priorities Our culture trains us to think like this, "my needs first, wants second and if there's anything left over, then I'll give to others." Have I ever mentioned that following Jesus is a counter-cultural way of living? The scriptural expectation of a Christ-follower is that before we pay any bill or spend money on anything else, we give to God. We give to God first and trust him with what's left over. When we give to God first, he will meet our needs. But we may get a new definition of a need.
I gave in the offering, so I don't have enough money to go out to lunch after church, but that's okay. Our tithe means we don't have enough money left over for t-ball. But that's okay, because I'm teaching my kids something much more important than how to run the bases. We're following Jesus' teaching to lay up treasures in heaven, so it's okay that we weren't able to go on vacation this summer. Sacrificial giving reorders our priorities and redefines our needs.
3) Helps us worship God Worship is the reminder that life isn't all about me. It's taking the focus off self and placing it upon God. It's one thing to sing and lift our hands but writing a check is a whole other level of worship.
Everything we have is a gift from God. Living in a country with a strong economy, having the ability to earn a living is a gift from God. In allowing us to earn a paycheck, God is entrusting us with resources. And he's given us the freedom to decide how we'll use the money he's given us. Does our money management demonstrate that God really is God. That he's creator, the giver of all things. Or do our spending habits reveal that we are the ultimate deity of our lives?
4) Advances God's kingdom Your giving allows us to rent this space. Your giving helps feed and clothe the poor in Gardner. Your giving helps fill the gift bags for our Love Wins ministry. Your giving is allowing us to save money in preparation of Trinity Family birthing a new church someday. Your giving allows us to support the church-planting efforts of our district. Your giving supports Nazarene missionaries. Your giving supports Nazarene colleges.
The role of the local church is to bring the kingdom of God into their little corner of the world. Your giving is advancing God's kingdom. And if you're ever curious about our church budget, I'll email it to you.
But even with all of this head-knowledge, it can still be hard and scary to give sacrificially. I want you hear from a couple families who are living out the discipline of sacrificial giving, despite some tough financial situations.
Interview

There ya' go, honesty. It's not easy, we don't get all our questions answered, but sacrificial giving is a mark of a Christ-follower. God is using their commitment to sacrificial giving to shape them and to shape our church.
If you're willing to live out that discipline, then I challenge you to take the next step. The next step may be cutting up your credit cards, getting control of your life and paying off debt so you can start giving. Maybe the next step is to start giving something. Maybe the next step is increasing your giving from 3% to 5%. Maybe it's to go from giving $100 to giving $150. Maybe it's to go from 5% to a full tithe. If you're willing to take a step of faith and give a full tithe, then the church is willing to offer you a money-back guarantee. We know God will meet your needs. Maybe 10% doesn't hurt and the next step is to start giving away 12%. Wherever you are this morning, you can take another step in your journey with Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 8, the Apostle Paul is doing the same thing I'm doing right now. He's challenging the church he started to give sacrificially. 2 Corinthians 8:7-9.
Out of love for Jesus, let's give. Out of gratitude to the One gave up his entire life for us, let's give till it hurts. Let's give out of love,


Blessing
"Make all you can, save all you can so you can give all you can."
- John Wesley
Let's be a people marked by the discipline of sacrificial giving.