“Get Set” 2 Chronicles 31: 2-10; SAPC; Denton; October 16, 2022; Richard B. Culp
This was the second of three stewardship sermons. I had someone ask me if there is a liturgical season called stewardship!. there is not, of course, but we generally spend some time each fall on stewardship topics, I would like to think that we have stewardship themes running through sermons, worship, and the life of the church all year long, but we may not be as good at that as I would like to think we are.
I do no think I have preached the 2 Chronicles passage previously. I really enjoyed working through it a bit. It had lots of stewardship themes for us.
2 Chronicles 31: 2-10 2Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, division by division, everyone according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and offerings of well-being, to minister in the gates of the camp of the Lord and to give thanks and praise. 3The contribution of the king from his own possessions was for the burnt offerings: the burnt offerings of morning and evening, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed festivals, as it is written in the law of the Lord. 4He commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to the law of the Lord. 5As soon as the word spread, the people of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the dedicated things that had been consecrated to the Lord their God, and laid them in heaps. 7In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. 8When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and his people Israel. 9Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps. 10The chief priest Azariah, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and have plenty to spare; for the Lord has blessed his people, so that we have this great supply left over.”
Introduction: Second week of stewardship reflections.
Last week, we were in “On Your Mark” mode, that assessment of our financial situation and thinking in terms of God’s abundance instead of scarcity as we began the stewardship season.
This week, we “Get Set” for making our commitment.
Imagine, if you will, the starter’s gun or loud beep these days is about to go off and there you are, In the blocks, sights set on the end line - the race is about to go from that which you have imagined you would run to the actual race you will run.
A moment when you commit to being in the race.
As we move through our stewardship season, this is the week we “Get Set” intentionally reflect on our commitment.
We have assessed our financial situation, seen God’s abundance, and now we think about how we want to make a commitment in return.
A few thoughts on making a commitment.
Move 1: Shared commitment
a. Both Scripture passages we read this morning point to everyone being involved in making a commitment.
1. Paul notes that “Each of you must give…”
not a few of you,
or only the ones who are the leaders,
but each of you.
Everyone in the community makes a commitment.
2. When King Hezekiah decides there needs to be an offering to support the ministries of the Temple and work of the priests, he sees is as a shared commitment.
3. He leads the commitment by giving of his own resources, but he extends the expectation that everyone should give.
4. The work of the community needs everyone to be committed to giving for the work.
b. WE could probably come up with good reasons why everyone should participate in giving.
1. Shared responsibility.
2. If they all benefit, they should all give.
3. It’s good for the community to share in this task together.
4. But the primary reason is because all have been blessed by God so all should return back to God from their blessings.
c. Likewise, when we think about stewardship here at St. Andrew, it is a shared commitment.
1. We are in this together.
2. All of us have received gifts from God.
3. We all give back to God.
A shared commitment.
Move 2: We also see in these stories a concrete commitment
a. King Hezekiah has a plan for giving.
1. Everyone will give their first fruits.
Very concrete language.
We can envision a pile of corn or wheat or grapes and imagine taking a portion of the stalks or grapes to return back to God in thanksgiving for the harvest.
2. Hezekiah also uses the language fo tithe.
again, concrete language.
tithe is first 10%
Now, our image of corn and wheat or grapes becomes clearer as we imagine taking one out of ten of every stalk or grape and giving it back to God.
3. Making the expectation concrete allows people to see the commitment.
b. No one is going to command what your commitment will be here at St. Andrew
1. But, I do encourage you to be concrete as you imagine what your commitment might be.
2. Making a concrete commitment gives us a goal and helps us measure how we are doing.
3. “Some years ago the biographer Philip Guedella wrote of the definitive biographies of the great military and political leaders, the Duke of Wellington. When asked about the task of writing a biography, Guedella explained that the hardest part is to get behind the public persona of the person to the real person. He said he found a gold mine when he found Wellington’s checkbook – the check stubs provided the real priorities and loyalties in Wellington’s life.” (Read in a W. Frank Harrington sermon, Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta)
c. A concrete commitment can be part of our intentional discipleship.
1. Discipleship is not always easy. I do not think Jesus ever tells his disciples, “follow me, it will be easy.”
2. Being a disciple demands intentionality.
3. Making our stewardship commitment concrete, creating that goal for our giving, helps us bring our call to discipleship to the financial part of our lives.
move 3: Finally, we see how commitment leads to abundance
a. Paul lifts up the image of sowing abundantly and reaping abundantly.
1. he does not talk in scarcity terms, but about abundance.
2. He understands God to give abundantly, so we respond abundantly.
b. The story from 2 Chronicles reveals the same discovery.
1. When the people give their first fruits, they discover there is an abundance of gifts.
2. Why? Because God has given to them abundantly, so tithe is also an abundant amount.
3. But, the abundance grows.
4. After several months, they look around and there are heaps of firstfruits.
5. It is almost comical - imagine, standing there, looking around and the gifts the people have given back to God, and seeing heap after heap.
6. I can hear the leadership looking around and seeing such plenty.
6. it’s almost comical - The story finishes with abundance.
7. when people make their commitment and live out their commitment, they end up with heaps and heaps of gifts.
8. I can hear the leaders gazing in amazement at the heaps, the abundance before them and asking: “What are we going to do with all this?”
Conclusion: Paul writes: 7Each of you must give as you have made up your mind,
“Get Set”
make up your mind.
make a concrete commitment to give abundantly out of the abundance God has given you.
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