Tag Archives: abundance

photo of three pairs of hands reaching into an empty wooden bowl

The Poverty of Greed – Sermon on Luke 12:13-21

August 4, 2019

Last week’s reading started out as a lesson in prayer, but shifted into a reminder that God wants to provide for us, if we will only ask. But asking God to give us his Spirit is a lot different from asking God to give us stuff. This week, Jesus carries the lesson a step further. Continue reading

Selfless in Extravagant Generosity – sermon on 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

January 21, 2018

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. Now 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. I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 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. (2 Corinthians 8:1-9)

Here’s a Random Question: How many of you prefer the window seat on a plane? Aisle? How about the Middle – is there anyone who really loves to sit in the middle seat? Continue reading

It’s Not About the Dirt – Sermon on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

[To the children:] This story Jesus tells is called a parable. A parable is a simple story about everyday things that teaches us a lesson. Jesus liked to use parables to help people understand what he called the Kingdom of God. That’s kind of a hard thing to understand, not just for children, but for grown-ups, too. Jesus knew that, so he told a lot of stories that started out, “The kingdom of God is like….” This parable about the different kinds of soil is more about how we receive the good news. And it would be easy to think that it’s really a story about us. But what you have to remember whenever Jesus tells a story is this: it’s always about God. So when you hear a parable, especially if it seems to make things more confusing than easy to understand, look for what the story says about God, and it might make more sense. Let’s pray.
Jesus, thank you for teaching us about God. Help us to listen with our hearts as well as our minds, so that we can know God better. Amen.


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