"The Love of Giving"

How wonderful it was to be back in my ministry home to celebrate with Mary Marshall residents and staff at the "One Body" worship service. I was asked to open the event with a brief talk on the love of giving.

The Love of Giving

· Generous giving is a cornerstone of the Christian faith.

· Scripture talks a great deal about giving…giving to the poor, homeless, sick, hungry, and any of God’s children in need.

· This ideology is captured in Matthew 25, closing with Jesus’ profound words, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

· Did you know that giving is mentioned over 1500 times in the Bible? Although this number varies depending on your version, Scripture emphasizes generosity and selflessness and encourages believers to give cheerfully, sacrificially, and with a willing heart.

· But quite often, we see giving as something strictly material.

· We empty our closets and drop off items at the local thrift shop or shelter.

· We tithe to churches and donate money to charities.

· We drop a few dollars and loose change in buckets throughout the “giving” season outside of our local grocery and department stores.

· And that’s all well and good. It’s commendable.

· Giving is good!

· But that type of giving is also at arm’s length.

· There is a distancing in this type of generosity that doesn’t put us in touch with those we give to.

· Simply put, many of us love to give as long as we don’t have to come in contact with those in need.

· Theologically, this type of giving is antithetical, mutually incompatible, to the example Jesus sets for us.

· Ideally, we do both. We give financial support, but we also engage.

· Jesus demonstrates how to share one of the most valuable things we must give one another—the gift of time.

· He took time to be with those most in need when others wouldn’t give them the time of day.

· He made the time and showed us if you want to give, give of yourself.

· God demonstrates by extreme example, giving His only begotten Son for our sake.

· When I was younger, I spent most of my holiday dinners with strangers around the table. My father, a Navy Master Chief and veteran of three wars insisted on bringing home any sailors with no family or holiday meal plans.

· I confess that in my youth, I was naïve and annoyed by this. After all, I thought, this should be strictly family time.

· I brought this up to my dad, who devoutly and without missing a beat, quoted Luke 14:13, “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”

· “Those guys looked fine to me, Daddy,” I said.

· He smiled and patiently replied, “Hope, nothing is more important than giving time to lift others. These young men are far from home and those they love. We have enough food and love to share with them in this home.”

· Years later, one of those men returned to visit my father. He made the time to come back and say thank you. After all those years, he never forgot what that time around our holiday table meant to him.

· You see, giving is also an act of reciprocity.

· You get back what you give. Luke 6:38 assures us, “Give, and it will be given to you,” and Proverbs 11:24, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;” Jesus is quoted in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

· When I first came to Mary Marshall, I had no idea how those words would impact my life and the residents' lives.

· Giving the gift of time to one another brought us closer and built a spiritual bond that lives on today. . . here in this very place. We are eternally a family.

· And that is precisely what Jesus wants us to do. Yes, let’s continue to give financially! Give to provide the necessities to those in need, but, if possible, let’s go beyond fulfilling those basic needs and give the gift of time.

· The love of giving begins in our hearts and should spread outward, touching the lives of our fellow image-bearers.

· Making eye contact, smiling at someone, offering a handshake and nod to a stranger, and having honest conversations with our brothers and sisters can make all the difference in their lives and ours.

· This, my friends, is the love of giving.

· And, I thank You for your time!