Sunday
11/09/25 – Adams Village Baptist Church
Sermon Title: “Giving Away” (“A
Thankful & Giving Thanksgiving” - Sermon Series: Part 2 of 4) – Luke
15:11-32, Hebrews 13:6
Brothers and
sisters, this morning I am continuing our four-week sermon series called “A
Thankful & Giving Thanksgiving.” November is a month of many things, like
Veteran’s Day, but for many of us, we often associate November with the holiday
of Thanksgiving. Since this is true, this four-week sermon series once again is
called “A Thankful & Giving Thanksgiving.” During each week of this
four-week sermon series I am talking about different aspects of thankfulness
and giving.
Last Sunday,
we talked about “Receiving Thankfulness,” or allowing others to give and
express love to us. This morning however, we are talking about “Giving Away?” With
this said, I have a question for us to consider this morning. How many of us
like to give and help others? How many of us feel God’s love and blessing upon
us when we give and help others? The Apostle Paul said this about giving at the
end of the Book of Acts 20:35:
“It is more blessed to give than to
receive”’ (Acts
20:35, NRSV).
It is ok to
receive, as we talked about last Sunday, but giving is a blessing too. As we
heard in our call to worship this morning, we can all give. We can give of our time,
our talent, and our treasure. As God has blessed us, we can bless others. Guess
who reminded me of this past week? Well, my lovely wife Melissa of course!
It was Sunday
night, and I was working on something quick on my laptop for church, as usual.
I then took a break and walked into our kitchen/dining room part of our
apartment, that I call the new “AVBC Parsonage.” When I walked in, I noticed
that Melissa had begun going through her clothes and filling up a bag. I asked
her why she was doing this. She said, “Honey people are collecting winter
clothing for the Spartan’s Closet.” I realized right then, that I think I had
in the “AVBC Parsonage” like 5-6 coats. What you will learn about me is I will
give anything to others, but when it comes to me, Pastor Paul, I am a
cheapskate when I am buying stuff for me. In fact, I am excited about being
cheapskate for me. I might say to Melissa, “This coat was $80 dollars, but
guess who got it for $20 bucks? This guy Melissa!”
Did I need
the coat, or I was just really excited that I could get it for “$20 bucks”? The
other thing that struck me to, is there is a homeless woman that Melissa has
been helping. This woman is presently living under a bridge. As I remembered this,
I looked at these 5-6 coats, maybe 2-3 which I have actually worn. I then teared
up, and now I have much less coats. You see Melissa and I, as the majority of
people have roofs over our heads. We have heat, food, and basic comforts. Yet,
I got a coat for “$20 bucks,” but my deal on a coat was just a deal. I realized
at that moment, again, that some people need some of what I do not need to stay
warm in the winter and survive. People can benefit from some of the stuff I
have that I do not need or want, and some of us have probably also bought some
stuff that later we were saying, “what were we thinking!”
It is not
necessarily about how much personal wealth or possessions that we have, it is
that we are reminded to remember when Jesus told us to love our neighbor as
ourselves. If I am not careful, I can accumulate things that I might not even
need. So, in this sermon, during month of Thanksgiving, and always, I am
challenging myself and all of us to consider “Giving Away.” For example, if we
have any clothing items in our closets that are brand new, and have tags on
them from Ames Department Store, for example, I will safely say that we can
probably give those away! When Melissa and I moved from our first house I had
almost started hoarding housing improvement and building supplies, mostly
because, “I gotta deal!” I remember Melissa saying, “Paul do you really need
fifteen disposable paint brushes? When will you ever use them?” To attempt to
be quick witted I then said to Melissa, “I will us them the next fifteen times
I paint.”
One church
that I pastored for almost six years for example, even started a prom dress and
suit give away, that turned into anytime a person needed a dress, a suit, dress
shoes, purses, etc. As it turned out when we put a message out to the
community, and nearby communities, multiple people had a dress, a suit, dress
clothes, accessories, etc. sitting in a closet somewhere. At the church, an
entire large room upstairs, kind of like AVBC’s upstairs, turned into a
clothing boutique. All stuff donated, and it was like our mini “JCPenney’s” in
the church, all because we challenged the community and nearby communities to
give away things they did not need. Then K-Mart in our community closed, and
Melissa like Pastor Paul likes to do, “gotta deal” on some of the stores
clothing racks. This prom and dress clothes room was amazing, and it was all
filled with things that people did not need or often even want. Part of the
Thanksgiving is “Giving Away.” “Giving Away” of course is not just physical
things and possessions, it also time, our gifts and graces, and our treasure or
financial resources.
How can we in
this month of November, in this month Thanksgiving, and always, “Receive
Thankfulness, and be even better at “Giving Away?” Of the many scriptures in
the Bible that I love on the topic of “Giving Away,” I really like Jesus’ story
or parable of “The Prodigal and His brother” in the gospel of Luke 15:11-32. In
this story or parable, there are two brothers, and the youngest asks his father
for his share of his father’s inheritance early. Out of curiosity if one of
your children came to you today and said, “I want you to give everything that
you are going to leave to me one day today,” what would you say to them?” Let
us look at our reading from Luke 15:11-32 for this morning, once again. This is
what it says:
The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother
11 Then
Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. 12 The
younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property
that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. 13 A
few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant
country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When
he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country,
and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired
himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields
to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself
with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him
anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, “How
many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am
dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and
I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I
am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired
hands.’” 20 So he set off and went to his father. But
while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion;
he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then
the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am
no longer worthy to be called your son.” 22 But the father said
to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a
ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the
fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for
this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And
they began to celebrate.
25 ‘Now
his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he
heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves
and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, “Your brother
has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him
back safe and sound.” 28 Then he became angry and refused
to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But
he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a
slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never
given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But
when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with
prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” 31 Then
the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that
is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice,
because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and
has been found”’ (Luke 15:11-32, NRSV).
In this story
or parable that Jesus gives us in the gospel of Luke, which is only in the
gospel of Luke, a father with two sons, who is a landowner, has some wealth and
possessions. The youngest of the two sons approaches his father and asks for
his share of his inheritance now. So, the father gave the youngest son his
inheritance early, which since he was the youngest son was likely one-third of
everything his father had. Often in this ancient culture, the oldest son would
get the majority of the inheritance, and sometimes all of it. Now why the
father agreed to give his youngest son his share of his inheritance early, we
do not know, but we know that he did.
Then a few days later, the father’s youngest son gathered
his things and took his inheritance with him. The youngest son then travelled
to a distant country and spent the whole inheritance on partying and wild or
dissolute living. At this point, the father’s youngest son is penniless, and
then to add “insult to injury” as the term goes, a massive famine or no crops
growing took place throughout the country that the father’s youngest son went
to.
The youngest
son now found himself financially broke, living in a foreign country during famine,
and to survive the youngest son got to work feeding a man’s pigs. The youngest
son was feeding the pigs peapods, but even he could not eat any, as no one gave
him any food. So whatever food the youngest son could acquire was nowhere near
enough. Not only this, but devout Jews also believe that pigs are an unclean
animal, and being around pigs like the youngest son was, was sinful and unclean
for the youngest son. Since the youngest son now feels the shame of spending
his inheritance irresponsibly and since he was lowered to feeding animals his
religion say are unclean, the youngest son felt like he had hit rock bottom.
Further, the younger son realized that his father’s servants in his home
country were well fed and even had bread to spare, yet he has nothing.
In swallowing
his pride and realizing the massive mistakes he has made, the father’s youngest
son says in Luke 15:18-19, once again:
18 I
will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to
be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands’” (Lk. 15:18-19, NRSV).
Now the
father’s youngest son heads back to his own home country, hungry, starving, and
broken. He does not know if his father will even acknowledge him, let alone
take him back into his home. The youngest son likely feels shame as what he has
done in the culture in which he lived not only brought shame on his family, but
the whole community.
Here is the
shock though to many who read or hear “The Parable of the Prodigal and His
Brother” for the first time, the youngest son’s father sees him coming a way
off as he is heading home. This makes me think that the father’s property, and
likely farm was in an elevated area, with a long road below it. The father sees
his younger son a ways off, and his son likely looks dirty and looks like skin
and bones. Yet even though the youngest son had spent likely one-third of
everything the father worked hard for, the father of the youngest son was
filled with compassion, the scripture says. It was not societally acceptable
for men of the stature of the youngest son’s father to run and act super joyful
in public. Such men and women were supposed to be reserved and calm. Yet the
youngest son’s father could not contain himself. So, the father’s youngest son,
who blew probably one-third of his wealth, is noticed by his father a way off
coming towards him, and his father comes running to him. Not only this, but the
father also puts his arms around his youngest son and embraces him. The father
kisses his youngest son, and his youngest son then says in Luke 15:21, probably
with shame and tears in his eyes:
21 Then
the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am
no longer worthy to be called your son” (Lk.
15:21, NRSV).
Just then, Luke 15:23-24 says once
again of the father:
22 But
the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put
it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And
get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for
this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And
they began to celebrate (Lk.
15:22-24, NRSV).
If one of
your children had done this to you, and you didn’t even know if they were dead
or alive, how would you respond if they just showed up back one day like the
father’s youngest son did in Luke 15:11-32? It is fair to say that when it
comes to “Giving Away,” the youngest son’s father was beyond generous to him.
He could have disowned him and cast him out, yet he welcomes him home, has a robe
put on him, a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet. The father even has
the fated calf butchered for a celebration feast. For the son he thought was
likely dead had returned. Or as the father says in Luke 15:24, once again:
he was lost and is found!”
What the father did is probably not what every father would
do, but it is what he did.
So, at the celebration, the party was going on celebrating
the return of the father’s youngest son, the eldest son starts approaching the
father’s house. The eldest son is probably coming back from doing hard work,
and when he does, he hears music and sees people dancing. Not know what is
going on, the father’s eldest son asked one of his father’s slaves why suddenly
unannounced or unplanned there is a party, music, and dancing in my father’s
house. The salve told the older brother that his younger brother had suddenly
returned home. In response the slave said, that the father slaughtered the
fattened calf and they are celebrating the return of the youngest son.
The older brother
had no joy over this, and in fact he quickly became angry. So angry that older
son refused to enter the house to celebrate the return of his younger brother.
The father then came out of house and pleaded with his oldest son to not be
angry with his prodigal younger brother. The father of the two sons is clearly
a great and a compassionate man. The oldest son then says to his father, that
he has worked hard like a slave for him his whole life, never disobeyed him
once, and that the father never even gave him a young goat to eat to celebrate
with his friend. The oldest son clearly feels like the youngest son is being
favored over him. In fact, the oldest son reminds his father, do not you
remember what your son did, and you welcome him back, killed the fatted calf,
and have a party for him.
Then the
father, who is really God the father, tells his only son in Luke 15:31-32 once
again:
31 Then
the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that
is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice,
because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and
has been found”’ (Luke 15:31-32, NRSV).
The father in
“The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother,” is God the Father, and God
always will forgive us if come to Him and ask for it. God gives to us all in
various ways, and even when we disobey God, through Jesus, He will always
forgive us if we turn to Him. When it coming to “Giving Away,” “You cannot out
give God.” If God has given us so much, which God has, in response in this
month of Thanksgiving and always, we can challenge ourselves to give of our
time, our talent, and our treasure. It could be coats that I “gotta a deal” on,
but someone needs them more than I do. The father in our parable, some would say,
went too far in giving to his youngest son.
When I read
or preach on this parable, I cannot help getting a little emotional over the unbelievable
and unfathomable love of God. With what some of us have done in our past, how can
God forgive us we might ask? Further, if we have known and have tried to obey
God from day one, and if we have everything from God, do we really have any
reason to complain like the eldest son did in the parable? After all, the son
was now going to inherit everything left from his father, and the youngest son
would inherit nothing else.
How generous
are we when it comes to “Giving Away”? As we are reminded once again in Hebrews
13:16 it says:
16 Do
not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are
pleasing to God (Heb. 13:16, NRSV).
So, if we
have things that we do not need, how much is enough? The father’s youngest son
spent his whole inheritance, and the oldest son had everything he needed, but
seemed to still want more. Ever church that I have pastored over the years,
Melissa and I have always pushed ourselves to give more of our time, talent,
and treasure, and God has always more than provided for our needs.
To bring this
message on “Giving Away” around the spirit of Thanksgiving and in general home,
how can we live this out and apply this in our daily lives? How can this idea
of “Giving Away” go out the door with us this morning, and how can we bring this
into Adams and the world?
Here are some
good application points on “Giving Away:”
Benefits of giving:
· It’s Biblical: The Bible teaches us to give of our time, our
talent, and our treasure. Jesus taught this.
· Improved health: Generosity
can lead to lower stress, lower blood pressure, and a stronger immune system.
The act of giving also triggers the release of "feel-good" brain
chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.
· Increased happiness and purpose: Giving can make you feel happier, boost your
self-esteem, and lead to a greater sense of satisfaction and purpose in life.
It also fosters a sense of gratitude, which is linked to greater happiness and
life satisfaction.
· Stronger relationships: Acts
of kindness strengthen interpersonal relationships with friends, family, and
the wider community. It builds trust and creates a sense of connection with
others.
· Community impact: Generosity
helps address social problems like poverty and homelessness. It can also
inspire others to be kind, creating a ripple effect of positive behavior.
The importance of generosity across
different contexts
· Psychological: Generosity
can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by shifting focus away from
internal struggles and toward creating positive connections.
· Social: It's
fundamental to building strong and compassionate communities, fostering trust,
and strengthening relationships.
·
Spiritual
and ethical: it’s
part of who we are as followers of Christ.
Finally, I want to tell you a quick
story about a man who wanted to take all of his financial wealth to heaven. I
know that the scripture says we have come into this world with nothing, and we
will leave with nothing, but in this made-up story, one man got bring all he
had for financial wealth to heaven.
In this
story, this financially wealthy man has a terminal illness, and yet he is
determined to bring his wealth to heaven with him. When the man’s pastor would
visit him, he told the man that would not be possible according to the Bible.
The pastor did always tell the man though, have you considered giving to the
church? Well, this financially wealthy man started praying, and he said God,
“If you allow me to take all of my financial wealth to heaven with me, I will
use it all to honor you.” Then he said, “God, can you give me a sign if will
let me do this.”
The next
night as the man was in a deep sleep, a glow, which was beautiful and warm
appeared at the foot of his bed. For a moment he was scared, but he quickly
felt like he was in a holy presence. The man said, “who are you”? This angel,
said, “I am the Angel Gabriel, and God has sent me to give you a message.” Well
at this point, the very sick man felt pretty good about himself, and thought to
himself, “wait until my pastor hears that I talked God into sending the Angel
Gabriel to meet with me!”
The Angel
Gabriel then told the man, “No one can bring anything with them to heaven, but
for some reason God has decided to make an exception you.” Then the Angel
Gabriel said this, “The one condition that God has though, is that you take all
your financial wealth and put it in the form of Gold bars.” The man agrees, and
the Angel Gabriel disappears.
The next day,
the man calls his financial folks who managed all his financial wealth and
tells them that he wants all his wealth liquidated and put into gold bars. The
man then bought the finest safes, and he put these safes in the room in his house
where he spent his last days. Once all the gold bars, and the many safes that were
in the room were filled, he passed away about two weeks later.
Suddenly,
when the man died, he found himself wearing a simple white robe, and he was in
a single fill line that seemed to go on for miles. Everyone, like him, had the
same simple white rob on. The line moved slowly, and as it did, the man finally
noticed to right of the line where was standing, there was a large pile of
safes. These were his safes, which meant his gold made it to heaven. One after
another, people were checked in and admitted to eternity with Jesus.
While the line seemed endless, suddenly there was an
announcement made, like the PA system announcements in school. The announcement
was, “can the man with all the floating safes please come to the front of the
line” So the man walks for what seems like forever, and as he does he see what
looks like a table, and he gets closer and closer. Everyone in line was stunned
to see the man’s floating safes. Once the man got to the table, with the safes
floating next to him, the angel there said, “It is my day to check people into
heaven, but I asked the Apostle Peter to come out special for this one!”
The Apostle
Peter then says to the man, “how is it that I have been up here with Jesus for
about 2,000 years, and never have I seen a person come into the gates of heaven
with nothing more than a simple white robe on. Peter then said, and why to do
you have all these floating safes.” The man who had a lot of financial wealth
on earth then told the Apostle Peter how he prayed to God, and how God sent the
Angel Grabriel to him and told him that God said he could bring these safes.
Peter than said to the man, “Gabe said that, huh?” Not knowing what was in the
safes, Peter walked over, grabbed on these many floating safes, and put it on
the check-in table. Peter than said to the man, “I am just so curious, can you
one of these and show me what God is letting you bring into heaven?” The man then
said, “of course I will.” As soon as the door of the one safe opened, a
beautiful golden light streamed out. Peter then saw the gold bars and boy did Peter
laugh load and long. Then he said to the man “do all of these safes have the
same amount of gold bars in them?” The man then said yes, and the Peter laughed
so loud that tears were streaming down his face. The man was starting to get a
little annoyed with the Apostle Peter, and the man said, “what is so funny?”
With this, the Apostle Peter is now laughing so hard that he is rolling around on
the ground. The man finally firmly and loudly says to the Apostle Peter, “Why
is this so funny!”
Peter then
said, “Well, when you enter heaven here in a moment you will notice that the roads
are made of gold bricks. The main road into heaven though has some potholes it,
but I think the amount of gold bricks that God let you bring to heaven will be
just enough to fill all the potholes on that main road.” Stunned, the man with
all of his floating safes in tow enters into heaven.
The point is
brothers and sisters, whatever the reason, whether it is November,
Thanksgiving, or anytime, God calls us to be generous with our time, our
talent, and our treasure. Let us consider what we can all “Give Away.” Amen.
