This Week's Light Service Sermon

Light Service Sermons for the Month
Developing Qualities of Character
Joy
DATE: March 29, 1998
TEXT: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 9:6-8

In 1923 eight of the richest men in the United States gathered for a meeting in Chicago. Their money combined added up to more than was in the U.S. Treasury at the time. The group included men like Charles Schwab, the president of a steel company; Richard Whitney, the president of the New York Stock Exchange; Arthur Cutton, a wheat speculator; and Albert Fall, a presidential cabinet member and a very wealthy man.

Years later Charles Schwab died penniless. Richard Whitney spent the rest of his life serving a sentence in Sing-Sing prison. Arthur Cutton went bankrupt. Albert Fall received a pardon from a Federal prison so that he could go home to die. Three of the other men committed suicide. Of those eight wealthy men gathered together in 1923, 7 of them saw their lives end in disaster.

Now contrast that with the people in our Bible reading for today. This group of Christians living in Macedonia almost 2000 years ago was going through some tough times. They were extremely poor. And yet the writer of our passage for today says something incredible. He ways that these poor people sacrificed what little they had financially and gave it away. And that they were glad to do so. Isn't giving and being glad a contradiction in terms? But more than that, the writer says that these poor people begged to give. Usually it's the fundraisers who are accused of begging. Not the givers. And yet these people begged to give and enjoyed doing so.

And when the writer characterizes these people he uses one word—joy.

The difference between the wealthy men gathered in 1923 and those poor Christians living 2000 years ago was that one of those groups was rich. And one was wealthy. Though the Macedonian Christians were poor financially, their lives were rich with joy and energy. Though the men in 1923 were wealthy financially, their lives were devoid of true joy and life. In other words, the Macedonian Christians had somewhere along the line discovered the secret of being rich. Somewhere along the line they had discovered the secret of how to unlock true joy.

As we continue our series on building the qualities of character, we're going to take a few moments to look more closely at how the Macedonians unlocked the character quality of joy in their lives. For what they learned can transform our lives and make us rich, no matter how much or how little we have. But before we talk about it, let's pray together.

All creation joins to praise you, Lord our God! Dogs and seals bark in joy as puppies yap and kittens purr; panthers roar their thanks as hyenas chuckle happy praise; waves break and clap their hands as sea foam bubbles up in joy; chipmunks chatter with the squirrels and howler monkeys whoop their glad hosannas. "You are Lord," creation cries. "You are Lord," we can not help but join in. "You, our Lord, we praise." AMEN

We live in a society that places a high value on money. The more we have, theoretically, the better we feel about ourselves and the happier we should be. And yet, as the story of the wealthy men suggests, that's not always the case. For joy and happiness, as the Macedonians discovered, are not found in what we have, but in what we give away. In other words, giving people are joy-filled people. Though they may or may not be wealthy, they're always rich.

So today, as we talk about how to develop the quality of joy, I want to look with you at how the financially strapped Macedonians unlocked joy in their own lives and how we can do the same.

1) First of all, as we look at the Macedonian Christians, we see that the first key to unlocking the quality of joy is to give ourselves to Jesus.

Almost 31 years ago now I gave my heart away in marriage to Linda. I didn't do it because I had to. I wasn't forced into it. I did it gladly because for some reason she loved me. She always saw the best in me. She believed in me and valued me. And because of her love for me I wanted to give my heart to her. I wanted to invest all that I am and I have into a relationship with her. I was delighted to do so. And continue to be these many years later.

One of the secrets to developing joy in our lives is to give our hearts away to someone who loves us. Someone who will stand by us no matter what. Someone who will give themselves for us. For people who are loved are joy-filled people.

In Jesus, the Macedonians found that kind of person. They found one who promised to meet their every need. Someone who loved them unconditionally, who could make them rich in joy no matter how much or how little they had, someone who gave them ultimate meaning in life. And overwhelmed by his generosity, they gave their hearts to him.

A favorite story of mine is about two sisters who, when hearing dad was home, rushed to greet him. The older sister, being faster, reached dad first and gave him a great big hub. She arrogantly turned to her little sister and said, "I've got all there is of Daddy." Dad could see that that hurt his youngest daughter so he reached out his arm and gave her a hug. The little sister then looked up at her big sister and said, "You may have all there is of Daddy, but Daddy's got all there is for me!"

When our hearts are captured by the love of Christ, when he has all of us there is to have, he changes us and sets us free to be rich with hope, peace, and confidence, no matter how much or how little we have. He heals our hurts, he frees us from our failures and shortcoming, and he inspires meaning and purpose in us. He opens our eyes to the possibilities of life and gives us a heart that's open to joy.

Joy begins by getting to know the source of Joy, Jesus Christ.

2) The second key to unlocking joy is to invest ourselves in something great.

The Macedonians, even though they were poor, begged for the opportunity to help others who were struggling financially. They did so because they enjoyed the happiness that comes from helping others. Though it goes against everything our culture says, there is more joy in giving than in hoarding.

Ken, in our drama, got the scare of his life. It forced him to ask, "what's it all about?" Ken answered his own question when he was shocked into the realization that "It" is about giving, helping people, share our good fortune with others. You see, a hoarding heart is a closed heart. It can't receive anything. A giving heart, on the other hand, is an open heart and it can receive all the joy that God has for us. That's because giving, investing ourselves in something great frees us from our self-centeredness. It turns our focus outward. And as we give we find ourselves filled with joy because it feels good to do something significant.

There's a true story about a man who gave $100,000 to a college in Africa. As a result of that gift the college grew and was able to meet the educational and spiritual needs of African young people. Several years later, the college decided to invite that man to a special anniversary celebration. It took them awhile to track him down but once they did they discovered that he had lost everything.

They flew him over to the college and as he looked over the campus and observed the smiles on the faces of the hundreds of students, tears filled his eyes and he said, "The only thing I have kept is what I gave away." While his possessions had been taken from him, the result of his giving was something that no once could take away from him.

When we give, when we invest in something great, we do something that no one or nothing can take away from us. We make a difference—a difference for eternity. And there's nothing more gratifying than that.

3) The third key to unlocking joy is to visualize the delight in God's heart when we give.

It's important to note that even though God talks a lot about money, because it hits us right where we live, he doesn't strong-arm us into giving. He simply puts the invitation out there and hopes we'll respond. He knows the joy that giving gives us—the freedom it offers us. Giving makes us vibrant and alive. But more than that, it brings joy to God's heart.

There's a story about a football coach who received word that the father of one of his players had just died. The coach had the unpleasant task of telling the young man.

The young man was a good kid but not a great player. In fact, he'd never played in a game. The coach shared the news with him and said, "I know this is a tough time for you, so take as much time off as you need."

To his surprise the young man showed up for the game the next day. And he begged the coach to let him play. The coach decided to put him in on the first play of the game figuring the young man couldn't do much damage that early in the game.

The young man ran onto the field and the coach couldn't believe his eyes. The young man ran like a tornado. He played his heart out. And the coach kept him in the whole game. After the game the coach asked, "What happened to you?"

And the young man said, "Well, coach, my dad was blind. And this was the first chance he had to see me play."

When we give, we bring joy to the heart of God. Our giving delights him. And as we visualize the delight in his heart when we give, it in turn fills our hearts with joy.

4) Finally, we unlock the quality of joy when we expect God to multiply what we've given

The writer of our Bible reading compares giving to planting seeds. As we give, the gift multiplies. And as we see the impact of our giving grow, it fills us with joy.

This church is a living example of that principle. This congregation began 43 years ago with a handful of people—people who generously gave of their time and financial resources to build a church. Over the years we have received over 3400 persons into membership. We have touched the lives of countless others through our work with Habitat, Good Neighbors, OPEN M, Children's Services, Lutheran Children's Aid, our worship services, Sunday School, Vacation Church School, the preschool, our Scouting program and now the new Youth Director and this Light Service. And the list goes on. What has happened here has been multiplied over and over. We have created a ripple effect that goes far beyond the boundaries of our community.

God invites you to unlock that quality joy in your life. And he has provided the family of Faith an opportunity to do just that. Three years ago, each one of us had the opportunity to plant some seeds for the future, to invest in something great by being part of the New Dimensions. As we made a three year commitment to this remodeling project, we had the opportunity to invest in a project that will impact people's lives long after we're gone. It's an opportunity to invest to use some of our resources to change the world by building a place where people can meet Christ. And as we give, we'll experience the joy of doing something significant and we'll discover the happiness that comes with delighting God's heart.

We all come from different financial backgrounds. Some of us, like the Macedonian Christians, are barely making ends meet. But, like them, we can still do something, and God will honor us. Some of us have significant resources and we can give more. But again, the point isn't the amount we give; it's the attitude of our hearts.

Back in high school, I was on the track team. I wasn't much of a track star. My forte was the shot put and the discus. Oh, how could you guess? At one meet, I came in third, way third, behind two junior Schwartzeneggers. I was pretty disappointed. I had contributed just two points to the team total. We won that meet by one point. Without my two points we would have lost the meet. Every gift counts. We all make a difference. It takes all of us to make a church happen.

So I encourage you not to miss the joy. It's a gift God wants to give you first of all as you welcome Jesus into your life, and then as you develop a giving heart. Give God a chance to fill you with joy. You'll be glad you did.

AMEN