Our committee working on the annual stewardship committee this year is being led by Chrissy, our Dickson Pastoral Resident. They developed the theme of "Woven Together through Giving," which feels like an interesting angle on stewardship. they also chose the emphasis for each of the weeks we focus on stewardship in worship.
This sermon was the first sermon in the series, and its theme was "woven in love." Originally, our Associate Pastor was going to preach this week, but she been out sick this fall, so I preached the sermon. It is interesting to preach a sermon in a series that I did not design! I was not particularly satisfied with the sermon. I did help pick the texts, and I think this was a hard text to preach for this particular theme.
“Woven Together through Giving: Woven in Love” I Kings 17: 8-16; Mark 12: 38-44; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; September 27, 2026; Fall 2026 Vision and Stewardship; Richard B. Culp
I Kings 17: 8-16 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there, for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Introduction: As I mentioned last week, this fall, most of our sermons will be in two categories: stewardship and visioning
some weeks, like last week, we will reflect on how we vision together as St. Andrew
other weeks, like this week, we will reflect on our stewardship theme for the fall.
and, Of course, don’t forget world communion Sunday next week
and fall festival of faith at the end of October.
Move 1: This week, we being exploring our stewardship theme “Woven Together through Giving
a. Our annual campaign committee,
under the leadership of our pastoral resident Chrissy Stevens,
invites us to reflect this fall on how St. Andrew is woven together in all things, including our stewardship.
each week when we focus on stewardship, we will have the evolving tapestry before us
we will watch as our weaving creates this beautiful mosaic of color and cloth
and we will surely have scintillating sermons!
1. most of us here know what it is like to be bound together in community.
If you were to share your stories of why each of you choose to gather here week after week at St. Andrew,
there would be many stories to tell
Perhaps the top of the list would be stories of how we live out our calling as disciples of Christ,
the the blue cross that will be the center of our weaving
but then, I suspect, we would hear lots of stories of how we share our lives with those who gather with us each week at St. Andrew
2. Stories of Medical journeys we have taken with people from St. Andrew traveling alongside side us,
praying for us,
feeding us,
sending us cards of encouragement,
listening to us as we share our fears and our hopes for the future.
3. Or stories of learning more about the Bible and who God is alongside of others as we
study God’s word together in Sunday school
or at Presbyterian women
or at Vacation Bible school
4. Or stories of serving others in the world together
as we pack kits for Presbyterian disaster assistance or bags of food for kids in the fellowship hall
or go on mission trips together
or work side by side on a hearts for homes or Habitat house.
4. Like the weaving we began this morning with the young disciples,
we have our stories of how our lives are woven together here at St. Andrew.
at the center of the weaving and the center of our lives, is the cross, which reminds us of our connectedness in Christ,
and over the coming weeks, we will see colors and fabrics weave together to create a visual image of how we are woven together here at St. Andrew.
b. We are also woven together in our giving.
1. Our individual gifts come together to be the work of this community of faith in living out our calling as disciples of Christ.
the gifts we make provide for the programs and staff that lead the programs that enable us to learn together,
celebrate together,
worship together,
go into the world to serve others together.
2. As we spend time this fall considering our financial pledge to St. Andrew for next year, we are reminded that we are in this together.
the pledges we make
the gifts we give
are woven together to become the ongoing work of St. Andrew as we live out are calling as the body of Christ.
Move 2: In the familiar story of Elijah and the widow, we see how giving binds people together.
a. Elijah is having a rough time.
1. He has been called as a prophet for Israel,
but King Ahab and his wife Queen Jezebel has chosen to follow the gods of Baal.
Elijah has prophesied that a drought would take place,
which puts him in conflict with Ahab and Jezebel.
They, of course, have no desire to listen to a prophet who is talking about droughts
and since Baal was the god of fertility and the rain clouds,
Elijah is in effect calling out their gods.
2. Remember, prophets typically relied on wealthy patrons or Israelite hospitality.
but that will not be the case for Elijah,
who from the outset will be at odds with the Ahab and jezebel authorities.
b. So God sends Elijah to Zarephath, what would be considered enemy territory
to go to the household of this foreign widow
who barely has enough food, oil, and drink to keep herself and her son alive.
2. and together,
in that moment,
Elijah and the widow discover that in giving to each other,
their lives Rw not only woven together,
but they discover God’s hope and promise for their lives
together.
2. Elijah asks the widow for a little water.
Apparently, she can spare some water, so she goes to bring him some,
but then he asks for some food.
and discovers the limits of her giving.
3. she is down to her last handful of meal,
so she is gathering sticks to cook it,
so she and her son can eat it for their last meal before they die.
in this moment when all the widow can see is the scarcity of food that is leading to the death of her and her son,
Elijah gives her something more - the hope and promise that God will provide food and drink every day until the drought ends.
so the widow has to decide,
does she bind herself to this man and offer what little she has
trusting in Elijah and the God whom he proclaims?
in that moment, the widow feeds Elijah and ties herself to him
and food and drink arrive every day.
4. When the widow dares to give of her very limited resources to Elijah,
she discovers how God’s giving to her and Elijah will sustain them.
In Elijah’s and the widow’s both need for more,
and their willingness to give what they have to the other
they are bound together and discover new life.
As we hear of Elijah’s and widows lives being woven together in their giving,
we recognize that in our own lives of faith.
Move 3: we also see how God’s love is discovered as Elijah and the widow give to each other.
a. God’s love for Elijah
God’s concern for him as he faces off against Ahab and Jezebel sends Elijah to Zarephath in the first place.
God’s love for the widow and her son brings Elijah into her midst when death is near,
not once, but twice, for the widow’s son, who Elijah will bring back to life from illness later in the story.
As we see the many ways we are bound together,
we see the love of God at work in our lives weaving us together so that we can discover anew the hope and promise God has for us.
b. As we prayerfully reflect on our financial giving commitment to St Andrew for 2027, we recognize that in our giving we are connected to one another,
and through our giving we share God’s love with others.
1. As I mentioned, Each week this fall when we reflect on stewardship, we will have a Moment for Mission in which we are reminded of the the ministries our giving supports.
As you listen, you will hear about ways in which our giving binds us together and sends us out to to share God’s love.
the worship that binds us together and proclaims God’s love each week
the mission work that sends us into the world together to serve others.
the pasotoral cre we extend to each other and those in need in the world
the Christian education opportunities that shape and mold us as disciples of Christ.
our giving supports our work together.
c. In the Gospel of Mark, we read the familiar story about the widow who is commended by Jesus for her giving, even though her giving is much less than others.
1. We know the story, but take a moment and think about the scribes, who Jesus talks about in contrast to the widow.
the scribes have their flowing robes;
they are recognized by everyone in the market places as important people
they have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!
but
but They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers.
2. the scribes do not recognize their connectedness with the people.
they do not see how their gifts should bring them together with others;
their gifts do not open up the possibilities for others to discover God’s love and the new life God has for them.
their Giving is not about weaving their lives together with others,
their giving is only about themselves and what it shows off about them.
Jesus does not commend them,
but instead commends the widow who humbly gives what little she has.
Conclusion: back to the widow of zarephath
did you notice that the widow’s jar of meal is not filled to the brim forever,
nor does the oil overflow into a market surplus.
but everyday it has something in it.
Everyday, we called to give of ourselves and our resources so that our lives can be woven together with others as we seek and share God’s love.
Mark 12: 38-44. As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Time with young Disciples:
Dedication Sunday - write ribbon in pews
- Stewardship giving ourselves, our talents, our money back to God
- After worship, it will go to narthex and you can weave a piece of cloth
3. Different color each stewardship week
Only in sanctuary on stewardship weeks
Why does this represent giving
Shows how we are connected, or woven together
Weaving = stewardship
In/out together
Might make mistakes
Different directions
At the center is cross
Can start and just do part
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