In the book of 2 Samuel, King David wants to make an offering to God. So, he visits a man named Araunah. He wants to buy some of his property to build an altar. Araunah says, “You’re the King. You don’t have to give me any money.  I’ll give you the property. I’ll even give you the animals to sacrifice!” But, David insists on paying for them. He says, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord that cost me nothing.”

David is an older man at this point. And he clearly understands that there is something about sacrificial giving – something about giving gifts that cost us something – that is both pleasing to God and good for our souls.

I recently heard Joseph Goldstein talk about cultivating generosity. He said that he set the intention for himself to give whenever he initially felt a nudge. “Don’t overthink it. Don’t go back and second guess. The more we give, the easier it gets.” 

Let us pray: God it feels good to give. It feels good to help and to serve. Open our eyes today to see ways in which we can give at a sacrificial level.  We pray today for those who do give sacrificially all the time. Through our giving, help us to notice the many gifts you have given us – not least of which is your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.

There is an interesting passage in the book of Ezra (chapter 3). The people are rebuilding the Temple after years of exile. As they do so, they find they are threatened by the neighboring tribes, and they are terrified. Their response to this fear is to set up an altar and worship God.

They did what they always had done. They set up an altar as Moses prescribed. They brought the offering. They worshiped. And then they continued to rebuild the temple.

I completely understand that response. There is a sense of peace that often comes from worship, even from just the familiar act itself. 

I remember after September 11, 2001, gathering with my church family, hearing Psalm 46 read. I remember, singing Amazing Grace at my Uncle David’s untimely funeral. I remember, praying silently in the sanctuary, and feeling the prayers of those around me as I carried in my heart deep anxiety for my daughter’s well-being.

When we follow the steps of our ancestors, say the prayers, sing the hymns, and hear the Word, we fall back into a rhythm, and we draw near to the Presence that brings assurance and peace. 

Our prayer today is based on Psalm 46. Let us pray: O God,  you are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.  Even when the nations are in an uproar, we will listen for your voice. We will return again to worship you together. We will be still and know that you are God; that you are with us; and that you are our refuge. Amen.

“God so loved the world that he gave…” begins the most familiar statement in Scripture. Giving is how love expresses itself. Giving is to love what eating is to hunger. The test of love is that it gives even when there is no expectation of a return. Ann Lamott wrote of an eight-year-old boy who had a younger sister dying of leukemia. He was told that without a blood transfusion she would die. His parents asked if they could test his blood to see if it was compatible with his sister. He said sure. They tested, and it was a match. 

Then they asked if he would give his sister a pint of his own blood, that it could be her only chance of living. He said he would have to think about it overnight. The next day he told his parents he was willing to donate the blood. They took him to the hospital; he was put on a gurney beside his six-year-old sister. Both were hooked up to IVs. A nurse took a pint of blood from the boy, which was given to his sister. The boy lay in silence as the blood that would save his sister dripped from the IV until the doctor came over to see how he was doing. Then the boy opened his eyes and asked, “How soon until I start to die?” Love is never so fully love as when it gives — even when there is no expectation of a return. 

Let us pray: Loving How Great Thou Art! Your love to us in Jesus Christ is beyond our wildest imagination. Thank you for the rainbow covenant of your unconditional love and for walking with us each step of life’s way. Now hear our myopia, our hesitation, our pride that we may learn to love with no expectation of return… like the little boy who thought he was going to die when he gave a pint of blood to his sister. May the gentle breath of your spirit renew every part of our being that we may become more like Jesus, in whose spirit we pray. Amen.

Psalm 78 reads, “I will utter sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from our children; we will tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord… so that they should set their hope in God.”

I’m so thankful for those people who handed on their faith to me – particularly for my grandfather who spent time with me when I was a teenager. I’m sure he wondered whether it made any difference at all because I wasn’t in the church then. Unfortunately, he died before he really saw my faith take hold. But, he was always there to answer my questions and to share his own faith. And I thank God for him. 

This psalm reminds me that we all received our faith from someone.  At some point in our lives, someone cared enough about us to share their faith, their stories, their experience, their way of life. Maybe for you, it was a Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, mom, grandpa, or friend.

 Today let us give thanks for those people. And, may we never lose sight of who may be looking to hear from us. 

Let us pray: Loving God, there is a profound longing in each of us for a life that is deep and meaningful. Thank you for all those people who have loved us, guided us, and helped us find a path. Give us the courage to reach out and help others. In our own seeking, remind us that it is in giving that we receive.  We set our hope in you again this day. Amen.

Last year, I had a pretty significant back injury. In the weeks that follow the injury, when I couldn’t run, couldn’t surf, couldn’t help around the house, so much of my life was called in question. All these things I love suddenly gone. I remember my daughter saying, “Dad, this is gonna be your biggest spiritual challenge yet.”

She was exactly right.

When she said this, she was getting at the fact that there can be growth in crisis. Not that there are any guarantees, but there can be a deepening that is forged in the fires of suffering. Though it’s hard to even imagine when we are in the midst of it. I think my daughter also recognized that that there are moments in life that not only raise fear in us, fear of loss, fear of what’s next, but in fact call into question our very identity.

Without the temple, without our homeland, who are we? Who are we living in this foreign land?

Without surfing, without running who am I? I’m not a surfer… I’m not a runner.

You might ask: Without this job… without this marriage…. without my son, my daughter… without my ability to drive or travel any longer, or walk… what is there?

In Isaiah chapter 43, God says:

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…

Biblical scholar Kathleen O’Connor claims that even though this beautiful text was written for exiles in Babylon, it also carries quintessential claims that Christian baptism makes on believers.

Though sometimes it is hard to see it, at our core, deep within, there is a belonging, a worthiness, a dignity, a strength that comes from God.

I heard John O’Donohue talking about the 14th-century Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart. He said Eckart claimed that there is a place in the soul that neither time nor space nor no created thing can touch. There is a place within you where there is still a sureness in you, where there’s a seamlessness in you, where there is a confidence and tranquility in you. And… the intention of prayer… is now and again to visit that inner sanctuary.

Let us pray: We thank you, O God, for walking with us, for loving us, forgiving us. Meet us today at the deepest point of our need, and grant us your strength and peace. Amen.