Central Presbyterian Church,
Russellville, Arkansas
Sunday,
Nov. 16, 2008
11/16/08 (4) "THE GIVING WORDS" Colossians 3:12-17
Philippians 4:4-9
WE ARE TO BE GIVING PEOPLE.
What did Jesus tell the young man who wanted to
find eternal life?
"Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be
perfect, go, sell what you (have) and
give it all away to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven’"
(Matthew 19.21).
and the man went away sad, because he
was not a giving person and he didn’t want
to become one.
Shel Silverstein has written a children’s book
that I just love; he wrote a story called "The
Giving Tree." A big. proud tree stood in
the yard; it had long branches and was covered with
green leaves. A little boy came out with his mother
and rested in the tree’s shade. Some time later, the
boy’s father asked the tree if he might make a swing
for his son--of course, said the happy tree, because
she liked to give. When the boy grew up, he wanted
to cut off some branches and sell the wood so he
could go off to college. The tree was happy to
oblige. Then the young man wanted to build a boat
and he cut off a few more branches. One day the man
came to his tree and said he had a very big favor to
ask: might he cut down the great trunk of the tree
to build a house for he had gotten married. When the
man became old, he now walked with a cane, also
supplied by his friend the tree. Finally, he came
back to his tree, very old and he said he was tired.
Why don’t you sit on my stump, his tree said; it is
all I have left to give you. The old man sat on her
stump with tears in his eyes. His tree had been the
best friend he ever had, for she had given all of
herself to him.
I gave a copy of this book to my
mother for her birthday 12 years ago,
because she is the most giving person I
know.
Who is the most giving person
you know?
I think Shel Silverstein’s book also
tells us that besides giving of ourselves,
we must also let others give to us. If we do
not learn how to receive in love, then like
the tree stump, there will be almost nothing
left of us.
The meaning of each word enriches the
meaning of the other word.
You cannot forgive or be forgiven
without being thankful; or, try being
thankful without knowing forgiveness!
In Colossians Paul says we "put on" forgiveness
and thanksgiving like we put on new clothes.
Clothed in these two giving words,
there is a deep and transforming inner
experience which reflects itself outwardly.
We become new persons, giving persons.
Let us look at FORGIVENESS in Colossians. Paul
introduces it with "forbearing one another." In the
New Living Translation, it says, "Make allowance for
another person’s faults, and
forgive anyone who offends you."
It means not just putting up with your
neighbor’s imperfections, but being
patiently tolerant of his/her weaknesses and
complaints, perhaps even thankful for them!
Forgiveness is at the very heart of
our Gospel. If you don’t forgive, you are
not a Christian, and you do not know
salvation!
At the core of my experience of
salvation is my acceptance of God’s
forgiveness extravagantly provided through
Jesus Christ.
This is most powerfully
illustrated by Matthew’s parable
(18.23) of the king who forgave his
servant a great debt of 10,000
talents (one million silver coins!).
That servant had not even left the
king’s palace when he saw someone
who had failed to pay off a small
pocket loan of $100 and he flew into
a rage and had him thrown into jail
Both the Old and New Testament words
for "forgiveness" come from words meaning "to
send away."
In forgiveness and also in
giving thanks, I send away from self
toward my neighbor.
Forgiven persons must always be
forgiving, giving persons.
I like to say that a friend
never counts favors, never keeps
track.
So we come to the second giving word that you and I
put on within us, Thanksgiving.
Paul tells the Colossians that the only way to
give thanks is "with grace in your hearts." That is
really what thanksgiving is all about.
In Philippians it is the only way to
pray: "don’t worry about anything, but in
everything you pray about, be patient, and
bring what you are asking for before God
with thankfulness in your hearts" (my
translation).
Then what you will know is
that "peace of God which
passes all understanding,"
and that same peace and grace will
keep your hearts and all your
thinking in Christ.
In the beginning of his letter
Paul assures his readers that "
in
every prayer of mine ...I am
thankful for your partnership in the
gospel."
It is likewise grace that gives us
power to forgive, to give of ourselves
graciously, generously, gladly. (page 2)
It is not our own power and
idea that makes us able to forgive,
it is what God’s Spirit does to us.
In a Dennis the Menace cartoon, Dennis
is talking to one of his little friends, as
they gaze into a department store window
which is decorated for Christmas. Dennis
explains, "Last month was our giving thanks
holiday, and Christmas is God’s ‘You’re
welcome.’"
It is Paul who really gives substance
and meaning to the term, "Thanksgiving" or
"thankfulness."
At the center of this world
is our thankfulness to God, as stated so
eloquently in the psalms.
When you and I become God’s giving community, Paul
says something wonderful starts to happen to us.
We are bound in mutuality.
We are bound together "in perfect
harmony."
For these giving words take us beyond
ourselves into the midst of the needs of
others.
"She drew a circle
that excluded me out; but I drew a
circle that included her in."
Paul’s language of being bound
together is suggestive of the organs of a
human body and their synergy.
One Thanksgiving in the
nursing home, the small resident
population were gathered about their
humble dinner table and the Director
asked how many of them had something
for which they were thankful. A
sparkling gleam entered the eye of
one little old lady, whose mouth
turned up in an infectious but
nearly toothless smile. "Yes," the
Director prompted her. She said, "I
thank you, Lord, for two perfectly
good teeth, one in my upper jaw and
one in my lower jaw that match so
that I can chew my food.."
There is such a richness and
full-ness of our Christian life together
that we share as giving people...a
completion like the perfection Jesus
requires if we would be like him or like his
Father in heaven.
As we clothe ourselves in giving, as we are
slowly transformed within, like the Giving Tree,
Paul says the quality which now characterizes our
life is that of holiness.
not our own holiness, but God’s very
nature that clothes us.
"
For
giving is living, the messenger said,
Go feed the hungry love’s sweet bread.
Must I keep giving again and again?
My selfish and quarrelsome answer ran.
‘Oh no,’ said the angel, piercing me
through and through,
‘Just give until the Master stops giving to
you
!’"
(unknown, SF 9/87)
C. Martin Rinckart was a pastor in
the town of Eilenburg. He had started out
as a son of a poor cooper and earned his way through
the University and seminary. He returned as pastor
to his home town of Eilenburg. The plague of 1637
was sweeping through the country; it visited
Eilenburg with extraordinary severity. The town had
taken in fugitives from the country districts where
the war with Sweden was also spreading devastation.
The pestilence was followed by a horrible
famine. Martin Rinckart worked at the beds of the
sick and dying. He buried more than 4,000, but
throughout it all he remained healthy. Now the
Swedish general arrived and demanded a tribute of
30,000 dollars. (page 3)
Rinckart made his way to their camp
and begged for mercy. It was refused.
He turned to those who were with him and said,
"Come my children, we can find no hearing, no mercy
with men, let us take refuge with God." He had to
bury his own wife. Much later he sat on the
hillside, when the hope of a general peace was
dawning on his country, and Martin Rinckart wrote a
powerful hymn.