The Macedonian Secret

2Cor. 8:1-9

4/26/09

Albertville MN

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How would you describe the national mood? Let me take a stab at it. How does this sound: Fed-up, uncertain, scared, and withdrawn. There are many other words that could be added of course, but I think that pretty well sums it up: Fed-up, uncertain, scared, and withdrawn.

And why are we in such a national funk? Well, “It’s the economy stupid” Ah, yes, that’s always the answer isn’t it? Our mood is directly related to how the economy is doing. For as you know, we are actually puppets. How we feel is determined by how the various strings are pulled. And if the federal Reserve and the Bankers and Lawyers and Congress and President can pull the right strings, we will no longer be fed-up, uncertain, scared, and withdrawn.

I hope you don’t really believe that! And if you do, I’ve got some good news for you: you don’t have to believe that; you don’t have to make your mood dependent on all that stuff! You can declare yourself independent of such slavery. You can cut the strings and dance to a different tune! You can be free and joyful! And this you can do regardless of your economic circumstances.

Yeah, you heard me right. I did say that. I did dare to fly in the face of what everyone considers to be the absolute truth. I did dare to say “it’s not the economy stupid” On what basis do I feel so free to do this? On the basis of what I read about the Macedonian Christians! Listen carefully. Listen to Apostle talk about them: “Out of the most severe trial, their overwhelming joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” Whaaaaa? The collective American jaw drops open! “Overwheming Joy in the midst of severe trial, no way Jose’!” “Rich generosity coming from people in extreme poverty!? Obviously, the silly macedonians don’t understand that their joy and their generosity and there overall state of well being is directly related to their economic situation.”

Obviously they DIDN’T understand, and they were much the better for it. They had a completely different outlook and understanding on life. An outlook and understanding on life that, I think, is sorely needed in these times of uncertainty. So how did they manage this? How did these Macedonians manage to swim against the current and defy all the “current economic indicators” and arrive at the place where they were “Overflowing with Joy?” It’s not so much what they did, as what God had done for them. Consider the very first sentence. Consider how Paul introduced them to us: He says “We want you know know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian Churches.” So their amazing attitude; their heart and their overall perspective finds it’s origins in Grace! And more particularly in the grace of God! And even more particularly it is the Grace of God which is found in Christ Jesus. It was Jesus who has set them free from being puppets whose mood was controlled by their economic circumstances.

Paul explains how he did it. He writes: “For you know the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” I don’t know if you know this, but Jesus owns everything. He owns Wells Fargo. He owns, GM, Ford and Chrysler too and every Corporation and every home. He owns all the gold and all the diamonds. He owns all things. The dark matter of the universe is in his back pocket and the stars are his fireflies. He has more power in his little finger then all the energy produced in all the power plants on this earth. But for our sakes, he became poor. He took all that power and wealth and put it in a sock in his top dresser drawer when he came down to live among us. When the detachment of Roman Soldiers came to nail him to the cross, he did not frantically pull open the drawer and use his power to free himself. Nope. He stood there and took the full punishment. “Though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor” He did all this so that we could be rich.

You’re rich, did you know that? You are very very rich. If Mastercard card thinks being able to see your daughter graduate from college is priceless, what would they say about being able to see your daughters and sons and all of your loved ones in heaven forever because of Jesus? And for that matter, what is the price for being able to talk directly to God in our prayers? What would be the toll charges for having such a hotline to the creator of all things? And how about the sure and certain hope that no matter what things happens in our lives, that all things work together for our good? What would that cost? When you take all this together, we are insanely wealthy; Wealthy beyond our wildest dreams! Wealthy in amounts that even our Congress and president of the United states could contemplate as they work on the national budget.

That’s how the Macedonian Churches were able to be joyful. The knew how rich they truly were; even though they had almost nothing. They saw the big picture, which of course becomes massively bigger whenever anybody comes to know the Lord Jesus! Before Jesus, all we got is our silly little economy, after Jesus the entire universe is ours...everything. And of course, when a person realizes just how rich he is in Christ Jesus all that current economic downturn stuff is diminished in his eyes.

The apostle Paul once said. “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hunger, wether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13) And the one who gives hims strength, of course, is the same one who gave the Macedonians strength and will also give you strength. Yes. Strength to go on; strength to live; strength to smile, and yes, strength also to be generous. That’s what this whole text was about, by the way, it was about the generosity of the Macedonians. You see the church in Jerusalem needed support and help. and all the churches around the known world had taken up an offering to help them. But they ignored the Macedonians. They thought they were just too poor to help. But the Macedonians protested and urged Paul to let them give too! And they gave more than anyone even imagined. It seems they wanted to help the saints in Jerusalem too!

The mission of this Church that God has given still holds. We are here to help people come to the Lord through Christ Jesus. To support all the stuff we’ve got going on does require your offerings. Offerings have gone down considerably this year. And of course, that’s completely understandable. A number of us don’t have jobs anymore. And if you don’t make any money, it’s not really possible to give it now is it?

If you have lost your job, I want to make it clear that God doesn’t expect you to give anything accept your ongoing service of loving others, your prayers, and your praise. The money can wait until such time when you are blessed with a job again. And really it’s not about the money, it’s about you, giving of yourself. We deny ourselves and give it to God instead. Of the Macedonians Paul says “They gave themselves first to the Lord” That’s where it’s at. If you don’t have any money, you still have yourself. Give yourself to God. In the morning when you rise, thank God for another day and say “God I give this day to you.” And to him, that will be just as acceptable as any offering.

But those of us who find ourselves still gainfully employed, we still need to give in the manner in which God has given to us. We are to continue giving money and even more so to take up the slack of those who can no longer give. We still have to maintain what is here. We must do as Paul says to the Corinthians and “see that” we “excel in this grace of giving”

By giving in times like this, we live in defiance of those would would captivate our mood. By giving in times like this we are doing what it says on our currency “In God we trust”. We are not puppets, we are wealthy children of God and heirs of the future. AMEN