Sacrificial Giving

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, March 3, 2024
John 2:13-22

    Did you know that Jesus talks about money more than any other topic in the gospels?  When we think about taboo topics for polite conversation, we know to avoid discussing religion and politics, but it makes people pretty uncomfortable to talk about money, too.  Jesus almost certainly made people uncomfortable talking about money so much.  Even more so, Jesus overturning the money changers’ tables in the temple had to have created quite a stir.  This is one of the events that leads to his arrest and crucifixion in fact, because Jesus points out the religious institution has become a for-profit business instead of a faith-focused mission.  Jesus is very direct about money; you cannot serve both God and money, Jesus says in Matthew 6. And in John’s gospel for today, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”  Jesus challenges people of faith to reexamine their relationship with money – do they just want to make money for their own ends, or are they using money to live out their faith in God?  Do they spend more time worrying about money – how to make it, how to spend it, whether there will be enough of it – or more time setting their mind on divine things, as we talked about last week.  Jesus’ words and actions may make us uncomfortable, too, when we think about our own relationship to money.  Yet Jesus is clear that we should be talking about and thinking about how our relationship with money aligns with our faith in God.
    This Lent, I’m walking us through different faith practices you can try any time of year but especially for the forty days of Lent. We’ve discussed fasting – giving up something you love whether it be social media or chocolate.  Last week, we talked about self-examination and repentance, and today, I’d like to talk about sacrificial giving, which is perhaps the most challenging of the faith practices I’ll be talking about.  Many of us know we can live out our faith through giving financially to support the work of the church and other charities and most of us do so.  I want to thank you for trusting the church and supporting our mission, because there are many great organizations to give to charitably, and the church, like any organization, does need money.  
It is interesting that like fasting and prayer, all major religions emphasize giving charitably, especially to care for the poor, what is sometimes called “giving alms.”  I wonder if you’ve ever thought about financial giving as a spiritual practice?  It certainly can be a very meaningful one; after all, there is a reason we collect financial offerings during a worship service – not just because we have a captive audience, but because giving what we have received from God is a spiritual experience.  We recognize that God has given us everything we have including our money.  We give back a portion of what God has given us, trusting that what we have left will be enough.  We make a sacrifice, even if it may feel small, in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us, especially in thanking Jesus for his ultimate sacrifice on the cross for us.  Offering our money to God is a sign of trust – that God will care for us, and that we as the church will use what you generously give us to further Christ’s mission.  We give because we recognize that we have actually more than enough, and through giving we not only show our love for God but also for others, especially for the poor.
    Jesus overturns the money changers tables in the temple to challenge the religious practice of his day that has turned giving back to God as a spiritual practice into a money-making institution existing for its own ends.  Animal sacrifice was a part of worship at the temple, and you needed to change your foreign currency into money that was acceptable to be used in the temple.  So, why not make it convenient for people and sell animals needed for sacrifice just right there in the temple walls, with a bank exchange besides?  The requirement for animal sacrifice became cost-prohibitive and kept poor people out of the temple for worship as well as took advantage of others.  Jesus is confronting a system that needs to change so that people can worship God in the temple without worrying about and focusing on money more so than God. Jesus wants people to give generously and even sacrificially to worship God as they are able, freely, not out of compulsion or guilt to meet a religious worship requirement.  
Today, the most common way to give as a spiritual practice is with money.  You might consider tying several Lenten faith practices together – for example, some people might give up Starbucks or fast food for Lent and then donate whatever money they would have spent on those things to a favorite charity.  Now might be a good time to evaluate what portion of your budget you allocate for charitable giving, and prayerfully discern if it is intentional, generous, and sacrificial or an afterthought. We might try to intentionally shop local to support small businesses or consider paying a little more for ethically-sourced products that are better for our physical health and the environment.  For some of us, time is money, and giving our time is sacrificial and honestly more doable– taking on extra volunteer work or carving out extra time for prayer with God.  Whatever we decide to do, reflecting on how God would like us to use these gifts of time and money can be a powerful spiritual experience.
While we today don’t practice animal sacrifice as a part of worship anymore, thank goodness, we as the church need to keep our focus on the business of the church rather than running the church as a business.  Our mission is to change lives for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ – to preach, teach and share God’s love in Christ, as we say every week.  We celebrate Christian Junior’s baptism today as a reminder of what we are called to do as followers of Jesus – to nurture our young ones in the faith, continue to grow and learn no matter how old we are, and seek positive change in the world through our sacrificial giving.  We ask God to help us use our money wisely without worshipping it.  Certainly, we know that God can do great things through us including using what we give back to God to change lives for the better.  May the Holy Spirit strengthen our mission for the sake of the gospel, and let our lights shine.  Amen.