A Sermon
preached on Sunday, June 27, 2021 at St. Augustine’s, Weisbaden and St. Christoph, Mainz
2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43
Today is our annual United Thank Offering (UTO) Ingathering and this part of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians could almost have been written for this occasion. Don’t just think about giving money to help others, in this case the church in Jerusalem, do it, he says. Or in his words: “now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means!” (2 Cor. 8:11) I am almost sorry we’re hearing this passage now, and not later in the year when we have our annual stewardship campaign! Then I could be really direct about money and giving, and blame it all on Paul.
Let’s take a closer look at the reasons Paul identifies for giving as they can be helpful for us too, and not just today. “As you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you-- so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.” (8:7) The things that Paul lists at the beginning are all spiritual gifts that he names in many other letters. Giving is therefore also a spiritual practice he says, just as the idea of the UTO is to out money in the blue box whenever we feel grateful to God for something that has happened in our lives, which is a spiritual practice.
Secondly, we are called to generous giving in response to God’s own generosity: “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (8:9) Paul focuses here particularly on the gift of the incarnation, God’s Son giving up his divinity to become human, whereby we, following his way and his example, can become like him. This is the same concept he refers to in his letter to the Philippians (2:7) when he writes about Christ Jesus who “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness,” and instructs them – and us – to have the same mind or mindset in us as was in Christ Jesus: an attitude of humble service and sacrifice.
Finally, he highlights the mutuality of giving “it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.” (2 Cor. 8:13-14) before reminding the Corinthians that in the end all good things come from God. That’s the meaning of final quote (“as it is written”) taken from Exodus (16:18), where it was about God’s gift of food, in the form of Manna and quails, to the wandering Israelites. Mutuality is also part of the concept of the UTO: Many people and churches give, often just small amounts, to finance other churches and communities’ needs, just as this program once financed a particular need of this community some years ago.
But Paul’s teaching is about more than just money. It is a call to action based on faith. Faith and action, faith and works, have a mutual relationship. Faith empowers us to act, action reinforces our faith. It seems that the Corinthians were holding back, were reluctant to act [quite unlike you!] We’re not even sure it’s because they didn’t want to give, it might be because they thought they had not collected enough and were embarrassed. It doesn’t matter, Paul says, you need to put your faith into action: now finish doing it.
The passage from Mark’s Gospel is all about faith. We heard about two people who were very willing to act based on their faith. Jairus, who wants Jesus to heal his daughter and who despite his role and status forgets any prejudices he might have about this wandering preacher, forgets his dignity and pride to beg for help, even falling to Jesus’ feet. And the unnamed woman (I do wish we had more of their names – there are far too many unnamed women in the Bible), who wants healing for herself after 12 long years and who has to overcome her fear and the prejudices of her community, who exclude her as unclean, to be healed just by touching Jesus’ cloak. They both want God’s help, and they know where and from whom it is available. Whoever this Jesus is, he is, they believe, a channel of vehicle of God’s power and someone they can turn to for healing.
There’s a joke I’m sure some of you’ve heard – in one or another version – about a religious man who does not see or understand where his help is coming from. In one version, this man goes out to sea fishing, when, all of a sudden, a wave came and flipped his boat and destroyed it. His boat having been smashed to pieces, our friend finds a wooden board to cling to. He is not worried, rather he remains calm, faithful in his God who will surely save him. A few hours after he’d been thrown into the water, a cruise ship comes by, sees him stranded, and offers to rescue him. The man responds, “No worries, God will save me!” and shoos them away. A few hours later, a helicopter flies by, spots the man, hovers, and calls out to him. Again, he shoos them away, confident that God will save him. Lastly, a fishing boat happens by the man, tries to save him, and like the others is refused, told that, “My God will save me.” Needless to say, after a good long while in the water, clinging to this board, our friend slips away and is lost to the sea. Upon entering heaven, our friend has a bone to pick. He turns to God and demands to know why he was not saved. Had he not been a good religious man? Had he not had faith in his Saviour? God retorts, “I DID TRY TO SAVE YOU. I SENT YOU A BOAT, A HELICOPTER, AND EVEN ANOTHER BOAT! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!”
Jairus and the woman did not make that mistake. They knew not to wait, they acted, they reached out, and they took God’s helping hand in Jesus. They responded in faith to God’s previous action in sending God’s Son into the world to teach, preach and heal. “Your faith has made you well,” (Mark 5:34) Jesus says to the woman. “Do not fear, only believe,” (5:36) is what he says to Jairus even after he learns that his daughter has died.
Sometimes our faith calls us to act for others, to be God’s hands in the world. There may be things standing in the way of that action: doubt, fear, a sense of inadequacy. That’s when faith needs to kick in and help us overcome those mental barriers and to trust that God will make good use of our offering, whether we see it or not.
And sometimes that faith calls us to act for ourselves, for our needs, to ask for help from God and those who serve God. There may well be things standing in the way of this action too. Also doubt, pride, an overreliance on our self-sufficiency, and fear that it will fail. And once again we need our faith to help us overcome these barriers too and to trust that we will be helped and healed in some way – expected or unexpected.
In either case: Do not fear, only believe, and act in God’s name!
Amen.
