Are We Living Out Our Thanksgiving? - 2nd Corinthians 9:6-15

How many of us are ready to trust our future into the hands of today’s youth?  I mean, we hear all the stories of addiction to violent video games, hands that seem glued to smart phones, or stories of out of control partying.  I mean, really, that’s who holds our future.  How many of you are really ready to trust our future into the hands of those who are now under the age of twenty-one?

I would.  Why?  Because while the young folks we’ve just described are out there, they are only a few of the generation that is coming up behind us.  I also know that there are other, remarkable young folks that will be the generation caring for us in the future.  For example, there was the group of young folks that I encountered at Summer Breakaway this summer, there was a core group of three, with others floating in and out, that asked another staff member and myself to spend time talking with them about understanding Scripture and how it related to life in society today.  It started out to be about thirty minutes of our free time on the first day, but turned into all of free time and supper time (about two and a half hours) every day (on top of their spiritual growth group and worship times) as they sought to grow in their faith to be responsible leaders in the future. 

Those youth aren’t just in other places though, they are here as well.  I have always been impressed with our youth, after all, they are our youth.   A few weeks ago, I was truly heartened by our youth during one of our youth group discussions.  We have a set of questions called “Cardversations”.  A few weeks ago we were going through some of the questions.  This question came up, “What if you were to receive an unexpected $1000 check as a gift from a long-lost relative?  How would you use the money?  How would your faith affect how you use the money?”  It just so happens that for this particular meeting, we only had two youth present.  The first thing they would do with their money?  It was not to go out and buy the latest video game or latest phone.  It was not to go buy the coolest clothes or any other status symbol.  The first of our youth said that they would set aside $200-300 of it to give to the Wounded Warriors Project, the second said he would set aside $200-300 to give to St. Jude’s Hospital.  My heart was warmed, they were not thinking of themselves first, but to care for those who were less fortunate, those who were struggling.  I did push them a little, though.  I said, “Those are both great things, but I have to ask, why did neither of you think of giving to the church?”  Their reaction?  Even more amazing.  “Oh, I guess we do need to remember the church, after all it was about how our faith would affect things.”  Rather than suggest replacing their initial gifts to Wounded Warriors or St. Jude’s, they both suggested they would set aside another $200 or so dollars for the church.  Here are two of our young people, with the opportunity to do anything they wanted with $1000 each, suggesting that their first actions were to bless others with up to 50% of the gift they received.

Why share this today?  Because unknowingly those two youth offer to the rest of us a picture of what Paul is telling the church in Corinth in the passage we read this morning.  The youth were offered a scenario in which they found themselves provided for, and their first instinct was to use it to provide for others.  Paul writes, “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”    Paul is explaining to the church in Corinth, and explaining to us, that we find ourselves abundantly provided for, not in order that we may hoard it and keep it for our own good pleasure, but in order that we may use it to provide for others.  It is over and over again in this passage. 

Paul talks about sowing the resources God has given us, scattering them out---suggesting that if we take what we have and hold tight to it, only sharing only sparingly we will find ourselves only blessed sparingly…yet. if we sow bountifully, we will reap bountifully. 

Paul reminds us that the seed we have, the resources we have, did not come from us…anything we have comes from God—for the purpose of being sown into the lives of others.  “He [God] who supplies the seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”  Paul says that God gives us seed for sowing, and when we reap the bounty of that planting, it is not to stuff our barns with, it is to use to sow even more.  Paul offers us that polar opposite of the farmer in the parable that Jesus told.  The farmer who had a bountiful harvest and built bigger barns to retain a bigger harvest, and stored it all away, and died.  Paul says, plant the seed, receive the harvest, give away the harvest, and find that God will increase it even more.

Now let me point out, though, this is not a Wall Street investment plan.  It is not investing $100 and reaping $1000 dollars.  God does promise in other passages that whatever we give to Him we will receive back tenfold, fiftyfold, or even one hundredfold.  However, the capital God puts back into our lives is not necessarily going to be the kind we take to the bank or credit union.  We might sow $50 or 5 hours into Vacation Bible School.  That does mean that we will suddenly find $250 in our checking account or 25 extra hours in our week.  However, it may result in new relationships, new persons entering a relationship with Jesus, or changed lives—someone else, or even ours…every one of those worth more than $50, $500, or even $5 billion.

Paul points this out when he says that one of the things that grows out of our being willing to sow what God has given us, our being willing to share the abundance that God has blessed us with, is that it will lead other folks to see and understand that God is providing for them.  Paul says, “…your great generosity…will produce thanksgiving to God…[supplying] the needs of the saints…[and overflowing] with many thanksgivings to God.”  As we live out our thanksgiving by sowing our blessings into the lives of others, it leads to more thanksgiving…and as that thanksgiving is lived out…more are lives are blessed…and more thanksgiving erupts from the lives of those around us.

Through being willing to give in this way, Paul says, we are able to glorify God, by being obedient to the Gospel…we are obedient to the Gospel not because we give a certain amount in the collection plate, but when we offer all that God has given us back to God…we are obedient to the Gospel when we operate not out of fear of not having enough, but out of trust that the one took five loaves and two fish and fed the multitude and continue to provide all that we need with baskets left over…we are obedient to the Gospel when we remember it is not about being provided for, not about being served, but about offering all that we are in service…we are obedient to the Gospel when we willingly sacrifice all that we are, all that we have, for the sake of the bringing others to understand the saving grace of God available to them through Jesus Christ…and when we are obedient to the Gospel of Christ in this way…we find that we are living out our thanksgiving, honoring God for his indescribable gift of  being able to give…Thanks be to God…

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.