St Augustine's, Dumbarton - Scottish Episcopal Church

In today’s epistle, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Paul talks about “excelling in giving.” It’s hard to talk about giving when the country is going through uncertain times, and the Credit Crunch seems to be on the front of every newspaper..

I don’t know how you felt as you watched the financial meltdown happening lately. For some people it was a very helpless feeling. Some of you watched the money in your pensions or small investments slowly disappeared.

One member of St Aug’s said she took a kind of Zen attitude towards it all. We started off with £500,000, Zen we had £400,000, Zen we had £300,000, and Davie McWhinnie’s legacy was quickly frittering away.

Of course, every cloud has its silver lining. There were some bargains. One man said he went to buy a toaster, and it came with a free bank.

Oh well. We laugh to keep us from crying. It’s better to laugh about some of the things that happen in our modern world than to have a nervous breakdown.

And this probably isn’t the best time to be talking about giving. Let me tell you, though, there are millions of people in the world today who would be thrilled to have the problems you and I have. We have our health, most of us. We have people who love us. We still sleep in nice houses. We have food on our tables and live rather comfortable lives, even in this recession and credit crunch time.
There are lots of people who would like to have our problems. And most important of all, we still have our faith in Jesus Christ. So, even though it may not be the best time to talk about giving. I’m certainly not going to apologize for talking about it.

St. Paul certainly didn’t apologize for talking about giving, and he was appealing to people who had far less in the way of material possessions than we have today.

St. Paul didn’t apologize for talking about giving to Christ’s work. He told the Corinthian church that they needed to excel in giving. What does Paul mean by “excel in giving”?

Well, think about it. It means that some people are sloppy in their giving. That’s the opposite of excellence sloppiness. Some people are sloppy eaters. Some people are sloppy dressers. And some people are sloppy in their giving to God.

And some people are sloppy in their giving because they give God only what’s left over.

It’s hard to get these people to pledge to the church because they wait to see if they are going to have anything left after they pay for what they want rather than what they need.

Some people are sloppy in their giving because they do not give God their best. Some are sloppy because they give God only what is leftover. But St. Paul would have none of that. He encourages us to excel in giving.

We’re sitting here in this beautiful church. Do you think we could have this wonderful facility if other people had given only their second best? Do you think we would have what we have today if other people had given only what was left over? We have the blessings we have because others before us sacrificed, did without, gave of their very best.

The truth is that today we will have a Vestry Meeting after the service, and we will look hard at our finances. We have some really hefty bills coming in between now and the end of August. By then we’ll have shelled out over £330,000 for our new hall, had to replace the boilers at over £10,000, and pay the bill for the collapse of the gable end through the office roof. Another £4-5k.
Did you read the appropriate part in The Epistle?

It is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something– now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.

I know that when we add it all up, the cost of the hall and all that, and look at what we have left, there will be very little left.

The reality is that we have lost around £100,000 in share values, and we need to find £50,000 before September!

It had been hoped that there would be enough left over to top up the stipend of a full-time priest, but that is now highly unlikely. I’m lying in bed at night thinking that I sjould just go part-time. We are leaking over £1,200 or more every month and we needed our investments to yield that amount to keep us going. That is not now going to happen.

Maybe we don’t have all that much spare cash, but at St Silas’ in Glasgow, they pray for money when they need it. They needed £1m last year and they prayed for it and got it and more. And maybe that’s what we need to do as we enter into a period when things are going to get really sticky. We maybe need to pray and pray and pray again that God will provide us with the money we need. If we don’t ask, then we might not get!!!

So, St. Paul calls us to excel in our giving, he would also want us to excel in our praying at the same time. He reminds us of what others have given on our behalf, but I’ll tell you that this place and the restoration of this place was built on praying as much as it was in giving.

Paul adds the ultimate comparison. He reminds us of what Christ gave in our behalf. He writes, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich . . .”

Christ has made us rich. Do you realize that? He’s given us the greatest gift that we can receive, the gift of eternal life, his graces and his forgiveness.

But he paid an awful price in order for us to have these great gifts. That is what the cross is all about. And when it comes right down to it, this is the most important motivation for giving.

It isn’t how you feel about the Rector or the Vestry, or the Music Group or the economy or even about how life is treating you right now. We give because he has first given to us.
And I’d soon be able to tell you how much God and this church means to you by looking at your bank statement or Credit Card statements. They tell me where your priorities lie!

There are some who will look at the uncertain times we live in and say, “This is a time to look out for myself.” Other will look at these uncertain times and will say, “No. This is the time to give.” Guess which of these has the heart of Jesus?

You know the needs of our church. You know how important your faith in Jesus Christ is to you and how grateful you are for all we have been given. That is all that matters when it comes to giving. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich . . .”

In response to such love, as God’s love and the bounty we are given, how can you not excel in your giving? And how can we not pray and pray and ask God Himself to help us provide the shortfall. If we do our bit, then he’ll do His bit too.