The internet is a wonderful source of information; although some is trivial, some useless, some is motivational, and some mind-numbing. Just for fun I went to a site called "Global Rich List." On this site there is a block where you insert your annual income, click on another button and it will tell you where you rank in monetary wealth within the world population. As of Wednesday afternoon, when I researched this, there were 6,937,726,825 people in the world and there were 307,280,298 in the United States. When I keyed in my annual income at Global Rich List I was surprised to find Ok and I are the 58,641,004th richest people in the world. That puts us in the top 1% of the world’s richest population and around the top 19% of the American population.
Here are some more staggering statistics I came across. If we have food in the refrigerator, clothes on our back, a roof over our head, and a dry place to sleep, we are richer than 75% of the people in the world. If we have money in the bank, in our wallets, and spare change in a dish, we are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. 3 billion people in the world live on less than $2 per day, while 1.3 billion live on less than $1 per day; and 70% of those living on less than $1 per day are women with children. Rutherford County may be the 13th most economically depressed county in the nation, yet we are still wealthier than a large majority of the world population.
When we think of how our money may be used here are some ideas. $8 will buy us 15 apples or it will buy 25 fruit trees for a farmer in Honduras to plant and sell the fruit to support his family. $40 will buy a DVD box set of the popular television show "Friends" or a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti. $80 will buy us a new cell telephone with camera and text capabilities or it will help support a new mobile health clinic to give medical assistance to AIDS orphans in Uganda. $2400 will buy us a second generation, 50 inch High Definition TV or it can provide schooling for an entire generation of children in an Angolan village. What our money is capable of doing depends heavily on where our priorities lie.
Matthew Henry says of wealth, "Worldly wealth is a withering thing. Then, let him that is rich rejoice in the grace of GOD, which makes and keeps him humble; and in the trials and exercises which teach him to seek happiness in and from GOD, not from perishing enjoyments." Money is a temporal thing. We all like to have it available; probably, many of us think we do not have sufficient amounts to maintain our lives in the manner we desire. But, is that the real truth of the matter? Aren’t most of just a bit envious of the things of others and try our best to purchase one similar or even a bit better? Matthew Henry says "worldly wealth is a withering thing." Why do we break our backs working in order to acquire a flower, which is beautiful today, but tomorrow will be withered and lifeless; just so much trash to be discarded? Worldly wealth is the same; gone before we realize it. A perfect example has been the past several months of the "economic downturn" in this country. The stock market has lost many people’s pension savings, homes have been foreclosed, and jobs are almost nonexistent. Money seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate, yet we still seem to be able to purchase necessities as before.
James tells us, "My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing." Our Christian faith teaches us to look at these times of trial with joy because they are tests of our ability to endure all things. Yet, how can we "consider it nothing but joy" when our economic situation is so disastrous? Remember I said at the beginning Ok and I are in the top 1% of the richest people in the world. Even if we were only making minimum wage and working 40 hours per week, we would still be in the top 12.5% of the world’s richest people. If there are 50 people in this sanctuary, we would be one of the 6 richest persons here; 44 people in this congregation are economically worth less than we are. Let us rejoice in GOD’s grace toward us and seek happiness in these trials which challenge our livelihood.
The Reverend John Wesley has passed along to us this rule for giving: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can." A couple of weeks ago I told you we have been known as "singing, shouting Methodists." We have also been known to be "giving Methodists." The United Methodist Church is involved in more local, national, and world missions than any other Protestant denomination. But, why is this important to us this morning?
This past Monday evening, our Finance committee met and worked diligently to develop a budget for this church to operate from over the coming year. It was difficult and hard work. There was much discussion, especially over the Conference askings for the mission work of the Church. We struggled with where we could trim dollars without hurting our own programs and works and at the same time stay within the projected giving of this congregation. I realize some of you will not agree with the various agencies which the United Methodist Church supports and feel we should not be giving them money. Has this church not received monetary help over the years from the Western North Carolina Conference? What if other churches had felt the same way and withheld their giving for similar reasons? Friends, we may never know the good which our many gifts can bring about in other parts of the world. One of those graduates from Africa University could become the doctor who develops a cure for the cancer which is eating away at your grandchild. Or a delegation from the World Council of Churches may be able to intervene and bring a peaceful solution to the war in Afghanistan. GOD works many wonders with the gifts we provide for the Church to use.
"Do not be deceived, my beloved. Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of His own purpose He gave us birth by the Word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of His creatures." Notice, James reminds us "every perfect gift is from above," our very existence is a gift from GOD. All things which tend to holiness or to glory come from "the Father of lights." One thing I enjoy about preparing a sermon is to pick quite common words from the scripture, look them up in my concordance and see what other ways that particular word may be used. In this passage I looked up "perfect" and found it may also mean ’mature, adult, complete, or full. A similar use is in Matthew’s Gospel, "Be perfect…as your heavenly Father is perfect." Then I also looked up gift. In this usage it means "free gift" and is the only time that distinct translation is used in the New Testament. So this "perfect gift" is a complete, full, free gift from GOD the Father of lights, which by the way translates as dazzle or firelight.
GOD calls Christians to be givers. The joy of giving is an emotion which is difficult to forget. Often when we receive a gift, we will remember it for a time and eventually it will be placed by the wayside, in the back of the closet, or given to the Salvation Army. Yet when we give a gift with no expectation of a return gift, a gift of love from the heart, that giving is seldom forgotten. We may forget what the gift was, but the act itself will remain with us for a long time. Just as GOD’s gift of divine grace, "the perfect gift from above," renews us, gives us a new birth; similarly our gifts to others are also GOD’s divine grace to them through us. For this reason we should devote our abundance to GOD’s service, so we "would become a kind of first fruits of His creatures."
We must yield ourselves to the will of GOD and listen to GOD’s Word with humble, teachable minds. Scripture tells us to "be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves." As we consider this budget for our church we need to remember we are to be "doers of the Word". When we obey the will of GOD and the Word of GOD we will be blessed in many ways. Hear this statement from Matthew Henry, "It is not for his deeds, any man is blessed, but in his deed. It is not talking, but walking, which will bring us to heaven." Is that not a grand statement?
We have all heard "give until it hurts," and that is a good thought; but a better thought is to "give until it stops hurting." Only then will we be living within the graces of a loving, giving GOD. Christianity teaches us to do everything as if we were in the presence of GOD. We are to live an unspotted life which includes genuine love and sincere charity. Our faith in Christ is equal to the measure in which love and charity has a place in our hearts and conduct. "Consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete,(perfect as the perfect gift from GOD) lacking in nothing." Let the joy of giving strengthen us in our faith and build our endurance against the naysayers of this world; for we are complete in our faith in Jesus Christ and are lacking nothing in our Christian walk.
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT…AMEN.
