Faithful, Hopeful, Loving Series

October 18, 2020

Hope Lutheran Church

Rev. Mary Erickson

Sermon Series: “Faithful, Hopeful, Loving”

Psalm 145:1-9; Philippians 1:3-11

Faithful, Hopeful, Loving

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

For the past several weeks we’ve been exploring our fall stewardship theme, “Faithful, Hopeful, Loving.” Grounded in the steadfast love of God, our faith guides us each and every day. And we can face the future in hope, knowing that God is with us through all things. God’s future is filled with abundant life and mercy, and God will overcome all things.

Each week we’ve reflected on a passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I chose this letter for a couple of reasons. First of all, Paul had such a warm relationship with the Philippians! You can feel the bond of affection they had for one another. And secondly, Paul writes to them in such a confident tone. Even though he himself is in prison, he knows that all is well in the hands of his crucified and risen Lord. He tells the Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Today we hear the beginning portion of his letter. In terms of the structure for an ancient letter, this is the section known as the Thanksgiving. It was common practice the letter writer to share a word of gratitude at the very beginning of the correspondence. And Paul is effusive in his praise to the Philippians!

“I thank God every time I remember you!” he writes. He’s so grateful for the friendship they share and their partnership in mission. He ends this Thanksgiving section with a prayer:

“This is my prayer,” he writes, “that your love may overflow more and more.” It’s a prayer of abundance. He prays that their love may teem forth in copious amounts. And it will bear two fruits:

• The first fruit is discernment. This abundant love will direct their wisdom and understanding. What does that mean? He prays that love, the love of Christ, shall be their North Star. Through all the winding pathways of life, this overwhelming divine love inform and direct their decision making. They will look to Christ’s love for their bearings.

• And secondly, their lives shall bear an abundant harvest of goodness. Jesus depicted himself as the vine. We are the branches, he said. When we’re tapped into the abundant love of Christ, our lives will bear the fruits of his goodness.

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians resonates with us today. We pray that our lives may also be shaped by this divine abundance. Paul depicts an image where our very lives become an offering. Life isn’t segmented into different and unrelated sections. We don’t pigeonhole our lives. This abundant love from God pours down over ALL of who we are – over all of the multiple hats we each wear, our varied responsibilities, all of our relationships, our interests and cares. This love from above transforms our entire life into an offering. Our life is an offering given in faith, hope and love.

This morning, I’d like to spend a little time focusing on one of these portions of our being, our financial selves. I’ve found that my check register tells me a lot about who I am. When I go to balance my bank account, I review all of the payments I’ve made in the previous month. Or when I get ready for tax time, that scope takes in an entire year. A year’s reflection on “where did my money go?”

How I spend my money tells me a lot about who I am, and I always find it very enlightening to look at the big picture. You know, there have been purchases I’ve made that I’ve ended up regretting. If I could have done it over again, I would have avoided that impulsive splurge. But I’ve never once regretted a gift I’ve made to help others. I’ve never lamented the money I’ve given to my church or to a food pantry or a Bible camp. When I’m viewing my check register and my eye rolls over those expenditures, what I feel inside is joy. I feel joy in that gift.

And that spark of joy tells me something very important. I need to give! A lot of times we look at the giving picture from the opposite angle. The organizations we give to need our gifts. And they do. Our congregation definitely needs our gifts. It’s what fuels our mission here. Without the gifts of our members, we couldn’t proclaim Christ’s love or act in service.

But even more importantly, I need to give! Giving opens me up. It opens me to God and to my neighbor. Giving is naturally outward in motion. It’s tied to that overflowing love in Paul’s prayer. Giving ties me into abundance. Even when I have very little, when I share what I have, I live out of abundance.