Give and Grow
Pentecost 23 Proper 28
November 13, 2022
Fr. Tim Nunez
The Temple at Jerusalem was a magnificent structure. The original temple that Solomon had built around 950 BC had been destroyed by the Babylonians when they conquered Israel and deported them to Babylon. But when Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylon, he returned the people of Israel to the Promised Land and helped them rebuild the Temple around 550 years before Jesus was born.
It was the sort of place that people wanted to maintain and improve over those centuries, and 30 years before Jesus was born Herod the Great embarked on a massive building project to restore and refresh the Temple that had been in place by that time almost 500 years. He enhanced it by building massive plazas, colonnades, porticos and gardens all around it.
Herod did a lot of massive building projects. His purpose was to demonstrate his prowess as a ruler to impress his boss, Caesar, and to establish himself with the Jews as a legitimate and revered local ruler. They did show his capacity to lead and the extraordinary productivity of Palestine for the empire.
The original Temple was among the wonders of the ancient world. Herod’s additions defy description. The plazas are still there and its foundation walls, including the famous “Wailing Wall” are still there. They have models to show what it was like, you can look online and get a feel for it but it was huge and it was ornate.
Herod’s Temple Mount was begun about 20 years before Jesus was born and finished about 30 years after the Resurrection.
What are we building here? Each week every family, every person associated with or visiting Good Shepherd makes a decision about what they will bring into this church. It begins with our presence. Many come as long as we are home and well. Others come on different schedules. It is hard for young families to gather the energy to get everyone ready on time on a Sunday morning. It helps that the kids want to come.
Many people come with a heart to serve in the various roles that make church church – whether part of the worship service itself or in hospitality of some sort.
Many come with a heart seeking to gain something – a word of life, an encouragement of spirit. And many come with offerings to the Lord, usually of money but also food or school supplies or Christmas gift cards, as is our custom.
Our life together is a small thing in some respects – a particular joy shared by a few hundred people in a small town. But it is enormous in other respects. We are wrestling with God’s very presence, the meaning and purpose of our lives, our children’s lives.
The temple at Jerusalem was a marvel in its time; it was gone less than 40 years after Jesus spoke these words in our Gospel today. What He is building in us and through us at Good Shepherd will never end. It goes on literally forever.
Jesus said, “But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your souls.”
This promise is a glorious gift from God. Do we grasp the importance of this promise? Everything, literally everything else will fall away. The glories and wonders of this world, as marvelous as they are, will come to dust. I don’t think anyone can dispute that. Yet we have this promise from Christ.
“But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your souls.”
We see glimpses of his life here – rather clearly and continuously. Do you doubt what he has done for you? Do you doubt his promise? Do you not see the futility of this world and His glory?
And so it falls to every one of us to consider what we bring.
It is worthy of our effort to be here. I cannot fathom the effort some of you make to simply be here to worship and serve Our Lord and be with the people you love in His church. Many would love to be here but cannot because of illness or weakness or other causes. But now we can reach most of them. Whether you are here in person or online, “By your endurance, you will gain your souls.”
It is worthy of our efforts. I am frankly humbled by the dedication and service of many. The harder you work for him, the more you lay your heart out for him, the more like you we need to be. By your endurance, you will gain your souls.”
As for giving, the Lord’s standard is the tithe. That means 10%.
I remember long ago when I was a young layman at my home parish, a friend of mine who had also grown up in the church asked my how much he should give to the church. We were both young men starting our careers and families, in Kiwanis together and active with the Chamber of Commerce and graduates of its leadership program. I said, “10%.” He said, “No, really, how much?” I am certain he wanted to know a figure based on a social standard of some sort within the church. But all I could tell him was 10%.
For much of our lives that 10% has been a goal for Meg and me. We built up to it over several years. Some years we really struggled and fell short, but that is the standard. It is easier to figure than a tip.
It is Biblical – Abraham (Genesis 14:20) and Jacob (Genesis 28:20-22) returned a tenth to God long before the Lord gave the law to Moses. The tithe is the standard given in the law. The Lord challenges us through the prophet Malachi: Mal. 3:8-12 (p. 802).
In my own experience, I have never met a single person who regretted tithing. Rather, every tithing person I know carries a witness as to the blessing. They don’t stop, and they grow and grow and grow spiritually. They’d be horribly embarrassed to raise their hand, but if you can find one ask him or her.
This is a hard teaching. We are in hard economic times, and for some of us these times are more acutely hard than for others. Remember also what Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 9:6-9 (p. 966).
Those of you who tithe, and those of you who give even though it is difficult – the harder it is, the more like you we all need to be.
The tithes and offerings we bring into his house are foundation blocks for everything about our life together. God is blessing us with a season of life and growth. It is precious and it is blessing people beyond anything we can grasp today and forever.
If 10% seems a far goal, can you set a percentage goal and plan to increase it over time until you reach 10%? Remember, I’m not making this up. It has everything to do with your life and your relationship with the Lord.
By your endurance you will gain your souls.
AMEN