Meeting Jesus - the widow’s offering

Pastor Marty shared a story with us recently and I thought it was worth passing along. Marty's uncle attended this church, and one Sunday the pastor announced that a fellow member was in the hospital, and they needed a special offering for medical expenses. The congregation passed the collection basket around once, twice, and even a third time. It seemed like the pastor was not satisfied with the amount collected until that third round.

Now, I'm sure some of you, upon hearing today's message about the witness offering, might have thought, "Here comes another money talk." I won't ask for a show of hands if that crossed your minds; we're all good here.

But let me assure you, that's not my message today. Pastor Joe gets the money talk next week – just kidding. Let's dive into the Word. Turn with me to Luke 21, verses 1-4. Jesus is in the temple, observing people dropping gifts in the collection box. The rich toss in large sums, but then a poor widow enters and puts in two small coins.

Luke 21:1-4

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Jesus says, "This poor widow has given more than all of them, for they have given a tiny part of their surplus. But she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."

Now, let me share a bit of history. In the '80s, there was this guy, Lee Iacocca, an automotive executive. He helped Ford with the Mustang and the Pinto and revived Chrysler. During a Statue of Liberty fundraising effort, he received unusual gifts, including a $10,000 check from an 80-year-old woman requesting his book for free. Another woman sent $1,000, got a thank-you note, sent another $50,000, and later sent three checks totaling $201,000. Iacocca joked, "There's no telling where we'd be if we just sent her flowers."

But the most touching gift was from 78 homeless Vietnamese refugees. They pooled $114.19, everything they had, to contribute to the Statue of Liberty refurbishment.

Their gift was a lot like the widow's in today's scripture. You see, Jesus singled out the poor widow, recognizing her sacrificial giving. Her two small coins were worth about $0.75 each by today's standards. She gave all she had to live on, showing an extraordinary level of faith, trust, and love for God. Most of us may never reach that level, but we can learn valuable lessons from her. First, the Lord observes our giving. Jesus watched as the rich gave, but He saw the widow and her gift. He sees every giver and every gift.

The giving experience in Jesus' time was different – no offering plates, just collection boxes with trumpet-like tops. People made noise to draw attention to their generosity. But the widow, with her faint clink, went unnoticed, except by the Lord. Remember, Jesus observes our giving – the amount, the motive, everything. Don't seek recognition; give out of love.

Next, generosity desires confidentiality, not credit. Give without seeking acknowledgment. Jesus evaluates our giving based on what's left after we give. The widow gave everything, while the rich gave from their surplus. God evaluates our generosity by the leftovers.

Think about it – David refused to offer burnt offerings that cost him nothing. Generosity isn't just about the amount; it's about the cost to the giver. Motive matters; God knows our hearts.

Finally, Jesus evaluates and commends sacrificial giving. The widow's gift wasn't necessary for the temple budget, but her generosity moved Jesus. She gave until it hurt, giving God the leftovers. We should all feel a pinch when we give, not just offering sacrifices that cost us nothing.

Remember, Jesus gave it all for us. His sacrificial love sets the standard. We're called to be generous, not just with our money but with our hearts. God isn't after our money; He's after our hearts. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So, as we talk about giving, let's reflect on the widow's example. She gave everything, voluntarily, out of love for God. Let's be inspired by her generosity as we consider our own giving. Remember, God loves a cheerful giver.

Meeting Jesus - Spontaneous Generosity

Are you a generous person? On a regular basis, do you demonstrate generosity in your life?

Now, before you roll your eyes and say to yourself, “Here we go. The Pastor is talking about money.” I am not.

Would your family, friends, and neighbors consider you to be a generous person? 

Are you generous with your time? 

Are you generous with food?  

Here is a story about how I made a decision to be greedy with my time instead of living generously.

On Friday morning around 8:30, I put on my bike helmet and hopped on my bike to ride from my house to the beach. As I was passing the church, I saw cars and tables in the parking lot and remembered that it was “Food Distribution” day. I felt the compulsion, the desire in me to stay…then I heard the voice that said, “Its your day off. Keep riding your Bike.” So I pedaled off on my bike. I rode down to the beach, and up the coast to 48th. I used Google Maps to discover bike paths to ride to River Oaks Elementary.

But instead of taking me down nice, smooth, paved bike paths, my friend Google took me to Mountain Bike trails, with jumps, sudden down hill bursts, tight twists and turns…this was a trail for seasoned Mountain Bike riders, of which I am not!

My hands slipped off the handlebars a few times, I almost crashed. 

I kept peddling, kept pushing, and kept pressing into my near death experience. I was exhausted. Cut through the underbrush and pedaled down the highway that had no bike trail…and you know how crazy the drivers are. By the time I made it to the school, my 50 year old body was worn out. My butt hurt. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. My eyelids hurt.

And I thought, “I sure wish I had been generous with my time and stayed at the church to help out.” 

Today, all of my lower body is in pain! Greed can hurt! In more ways than one. Sometimes, when a loved one passes away, greed steps in and families fight over the property left behind, and relationships are strained or destroyed.

We can all learn lessons from a boy in Luke 9 that demonstrated generosity.

Luke 9:10-13a 

10  When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11  But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. 12  Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.” 13  But Jesus said, “You feed them.” John 6:8-9 (NLT2) 8  Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. 9  “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” Luke 9:13b-17 (NLT2) “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” 14  For there were about 5,000 men there. Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15  So the people all sat down. 16  Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. 17  They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers! 

We see in the first few verses that Jesus did not plan on spending his day with this crowd of 5,000. Jesus wanted to spend time alone with his disciples talking with them about what they had just experienced. In the first few verses of chapter 9, Jesus gave his disciples the authority to heal diseases and cast out demons, then he sent them into neighboring towns and village. The disciples came back and they were so excited about what they had been able to do. They cast out demons, they healed people, they were excited, so Jesus pulled them aside to spend time listening to their joy and excitement. But the crowd found out where Jesus was going and followed him. So Jesus, gave generously of His time. 

Jesus WELCOMED them and taught them about the Kingdom of God. While Jesus walked on the planet, his mission was to tell people about God’s love for them. The people were HUNGRY for the words of truth about God.  Everywhere Jesus went, the crowds pressed in around him and followed him. People are still spiritually hungry to hear about God’s Kingdom of Love, forgiveness, hope and peace. Despite what we see on social media, I believe people are hungry to know God and the truth. People are hungry for church to focus on the mission of leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.

LIVING GENEROUSLY SUPPORTS THE MISSION OF JESUS

The mission of Jesus was to teach people about God’s Kingdom and communicate God’s love for them. If it had not been for this young boy willing to be generous with his food, some would not have experienced the mission of Jesus being unfolded in their lives.

Luke 9:12-13 (NLT2) 

12  Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.” 13  But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” 

If the disciples had their way, they would have allowed their limited resources to end the dramatic life-change that was happening to the people in the crowd. Like parents of screaming toddlers, it was the end of the day and they were ready for their kids to be in bed. The crowd was tired and hungry. The Disciples were tired and hungry. Maybe they were all “hangry.” Hangry is when you get hungry and angry because there ain’t no food yet.

So, because everybody was hangry and there was no food, the disciples thought “send them away to find food and rest.” The crowd was tired and hungry, but it never dawned on the disciples that the crowd did not need Jesus permission to leave. Each person could have left anytime to go eat and rest.

They chose to stay because they were hearing about God’s Kingdom in a way that made sense. They were being fed spiritually, so they lingered in the presence of Jesus. I am so grateful that when Beach Church walked through the hard a couple of years ago with Covid and division, that the staff stuck it out because the mission of Jesus mattered!

Despite resources being limited, peoples lives were changed, baptisms increased, and the mission of Jesus continued. Similarly, this boy takes his lunch, his limited resources, gives it to Jesus, and the mission of Jesus continued. He could have been greedy, found a shady spot under a tree and stuffed his face. But somehow, this boy knew that if he was generous with his food, Jesus would be able to do something great with it.

Are you living generously like this?

Do you live generously in your home?

Are you generous in your time with your spouse? 

Do you put down the remote, turn away from the television? 

Do you put down your cell phone and live generously with your attention on your children?

You may think, “My time is limited. I do not have time to be generous.”

Let me say this, “You do NOT have time to NOT be generous.”

LIVING GENEROUSLY PROVIDES FOR YOU AND OTHERS

Luke 9:17 (NLT2) 

17  They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!

The boy, the one had had given away everything, ate as much as he wanted, too. When we live generously, God provides for our needs as well. When we seek to bless those around us, God provides for us as well. Feeding the 5,000 is an example of what Jesus taught in Luke 6:38 about generosity.

Luke 6:38 (NLT2) 

38  Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

This boy’s generosity is a clear example of God’s promise to bless those who are generous. He gave away his food. He put it in the hands of Jesus. And Jesus did far more with it than the boy ever could. The boy was fed. The crowd was fed and the mission of Jesus continued.

When we choose to live generously, we are choosing to trust God with our resources. 

So, live generously.

If you have ever received bad service at a restaurant.

If a driver behind you at a light blew their horn when you did not accelerate immediately when the light turned green.

Live generously. 

Bless the servers at your restaurant today with a generous tip, even if your food and service is bad.

Bless other drivers with a generous amount of patience. Instead of tooting your horn because the driver in front of you does not accelerate the second the light turns green, give them 5 seconds. Bless your family with generosity. 

Leave the last slice of pizza for somebody else. 

Do the laundry. Wash the dishes. Practice living generously because…

GENEROUS LIVING OFFSETS OUR INCLINATION TOWARD GREED.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 

6  Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7  You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

When we are generous, we radiate God’s character.  Think about how God has been generous to you.

God GAVE you life.

God GAVE you family. 

God GAVE up his own son to die on the cross for you.  

God GIVES you blessing after blessing after blessing.

When we are GENEROUS it allows God to BLESS US more.

Generosity says: I will bless others and trust God to bless me.

Greed lies and says: When I have enough, Ill bless others.

Generosity helps fulfill our mission to lead people to Jesus and aligns our heart with God.

Greed is never satisfied and always desires more. The only way to overcome the temptation to live out greediness is to practice generosity.

When we are generous on a regular basis – it opens the door to more of God’s blessings. Whoever sows BOUNTIFULLY will REEP BOUNTIFULLY. WHEN your HAND is OPENED and EMPTY GOD is going to put MORE in it to give to others. BUT there is a CAVEAT. YOU have to WANT to GIVE! God blesses CHEERFUL givers. God is not going to BLESS sour puss givers.  He is not going to bless SCROOGE like givers.  God is going to BLESS GIVERS who GIVE JOYFULLY.  Not out of obligation.  Not out of necessity.

Give joyfully because when we give we are reflecting the character of God.