You can't take it with you when you go

September 28, 2025 1 Timothy 6:6-19 16th Sunday of Pentecost You Can’t Take it with you when you Go Year C Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Come, all who live in the shelter of the Most High. Gather together, all who trust in God Almighty God reigns through all generations. We will praise God as long as we live. We trust in God, our refuge and our fortress. We can count on God’s faithfulness at all times. God lifts us up when we are threatened or afraid We call to God for protection and rescue. Worship God, who richly provides us with all things. Give thanks to the one who dwells in unapproachable light. God, who made heaven and earth, keeps faith forever. We will pour out our thankfulness in words and deeds. (Gathered by Love, Lavon Baylor) Invocation Ever-present God, let your Spirit fill this place, for we need to know that you are in charge. Throught the terrors of night, amid the arrows that fly during the day, we need to sense your power, your protection, your higher purpose. Show us here your saving, healing strength. Grant us such contentment and confidence that we may look beyond ourselves to be a blessing to others. Amen. (Gathered by Love, Lavon Baylor) Song Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus UMH 514 A Sermon for all Ages Materials Needed • A piggy bank or a small box labeled “Treasure” • A shiny coin or dollar bill • A cross or small Bible Script Start with the piggy bank/coin: (Shake it or hold it up.) “Look what I have here! A piggy bank. Do you like saving money? Maybe you’ve saved up for a toy or a game? Money is helpful — we need it for food, clothes, and to keep the lights on.” Hold up the shiny coin or bill: “But the Bible tells us something important: if we love money too much, it can trick us. We might start thinking money is the most important thing in life. Have you ever wanted a toy so badly that you forgot about your friends or even got mad at your parents? That’s kind of what happens when money becomes our treasure.” Now hold up the cross or Bible: “Paul told Timothy: ‘Be rich in good works, be generous, and ready to share.’ That means the real treasure isn’t money — the real treasure is loving God and loving people. When we help someone, share our toys, give to those in need, or say kind words, we are storing up treasure in heaven. And that’s treasure that lasts forever.” Simple Object Lesson: (Open the piggy bank/box — show it empty or with only a little inside.) “See this? If all I care about is what’s in here, I might end up empty one day. But if I fill my life with love, kindness, and Jesus — I’ll never be empty. That’s what Paul meant when he said we should take hold of the life that really is life.” Closing Question & Prayer “So kids, which treasure do you want to build? A treasure that runs out, or a treasure that lasts forever with God?” Prayer: “Dear God, thank You for giving us what we need. Help us to be content, to share what we have, and to remember that Jesus is our greatest treasure. Amen.” Would you like me to also give you a short, fun activity/game you can play with the kids after the children’s sermon that reinforces the idea of sharing and true treasure? Responsive Reading Psalm 91 UMH 810 Passing of the Peace Scripture 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Sermon You Can’t Take it With You When You Go It was the beginning of the stewardship season and the pastor came of with a very creative way to raise money for the church. Before taking the offering, he explained to the congregation that he would preach an interactive sermon Have you all heard about the Preacher who stood up one morning and told his congregation. "This morning we'll have an interactive service. I've prepared 3 different sermons for today. First I've prepared a fifty dollar fire and brimstone sermon which is about two hours long." "Second I've prepared a hundred dollar sermon on the evils of sin that should take about an hour to deliver. And finally I have a $500 fifty dollar sermon on love and generosity, it will only take about 10 or fifteen minutes. We'll take the offering and afterwards, I will let you know which message I'm going to be preaching this morning." (1) I thought that was funny, so this morning I've prepared three sermons. Just kidding. This morning is actually the kick off for our fall Stewardship Campaign titled "Called To Generosity." As I was looking at the Sunday lessons which have been prepared and thinking about generosity and giving, I kept think about what the apostle Paul wrote Timothy. By the way, I wont mention any names, but I will say that someone mentioned to me that the songs last week were absolutely awful. They may have been a little slow and hard to sing, but I thought everyone sounded good, and the words fit into the theme of the scripture. As a fundraiser, there are churches who let people block a song from being sang for a full year, if they make a donation. Our scripture for today is perfect for stewardship, this is the most direct message about money and the way we spend money in the church. In 1 Timothy – Paul tells us that money is the root of all evil, he actually says that our attitude toward money is the root of all evil. When money becomes the main focus of our life, then we are unhappy. In a television interview, Barbara Walters asked Ted Turner, “What does it feel like to be so wealthy?” He said, “It’s like a paper bag. Everyone sees the bag. Everyone wants it. Once you get the bag, you discover that the bag is empty.” (6) Contrast: Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men in America, once said, “The man who dies rich dies disgraced.” He gave away much of his fortune to build libraries and schools. He realized too late that hoarded wealth is wasted wealth. Illustration: John Wesley, founder of Methodism, said: “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Wesley made good money from his books, but he lived simply and gave most of it away. He died nearly penniless, but spiritually wealthy. Application: What are you doing with the wealth God has entrusted to you? Is it tied up in bigger barns — or invested in God’s mission, in people, in eternity? Thomas D. Lea tells of reading about a recipe book that had been recalled. It was recalled because they made a mistake in one of the recipes. In making a particular dish the way the recipe said to make it, they had neglected one of the basic elements. If you make it just as the recipe said, it would blow up in your face. They recalled the book to prevent that from happening. Some recipes for life are like that. They look good on paper, but an essential ingredient is missing. And that one essential ingredient makes all the difference in the world. There’s nothing wrong with honest hard work, with providing for your family or yourself. That’s part of the recipe for life. But that’s not everything. Paul is giving us the recipe for a happy and successful life. We will start our stewardship season next week, and we may or may not spend the next six weeks talking about money. Today, I wanted us to focus on the rest of the scripture. Where Paul is not focusing on money – but on our attitude toward life. He tells us that our attitude toward God effects every decision that we make in life, including how we spend money. The overall theme of this scripture is godliness. He starts the scripture out by saying Godliness is a great source of profit when it is combined with being happy with what you already have. “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (I Timothy 6:6, ESV) Notice the words, “great gain.” Those two words would be best translated in our vernacular today “success.” Great gain and success is what everybody is looking for. People just define it in different ways. For Wall Street, it is when the Dow goes up. For government, it is when tax revenues go up. For the nation, it is when the GDP is going up. For workers, it is when their income is going up. Then, Paul turns the tables. He says, “Do you want to know what real success is?” Amazingly he never mentions “stuff”, never mentions “wealth” and never mentions “money”. He says, “Great gain (that is success) is found in ‘godliness’ with contentment.” Do you know what real success is in God’s eyes? It is when you are surrendered to God and satisfied with what you have. Let me put it in the form of an equation. Surrender + Satisfaction = Success Now we have the wrong idea about godliness. We think godliness is going to church, being religious, keeping rules and obeying commandments. Those may be the results of godliness, but that is not godliness. Godliness is being surrendered to God and satisfied with God. That is why they go together. Real success and great gain is not found in wealth, money and stuff. It is found in godliness and contentment. Why is this true? Why is the equation Surrender + Satisfaction = Success just as true as 2+2=4? We find out in the next verse. “For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (I Timothy 6:7, ESV) Godliness is becoming or attempting to become like Christ. Paul says that the recipe for successful life is godliness, righteousness and faith. They all seem like the same quality but they are not. Righteousness--being a good person. Godliness--developing a deep relationship with God. But wait. We're just beginning. There is a third quality. That quality is faith. Now someone's thinking, "Pastor, you're being redundant. Aren't godliness and faith the same thing?" And that is the sad mistake that many people make. You can meet the definition of godliness--spending hours each day reading your Bible and communing with God. That doesn't mean you are a person of faith. Remember a few weeks ago when we were dealing with Hebrews 11? Does nobody listen when I preach? "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval . . . By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going . . ." Faith is believing God's promises and setting out to do great things in God's name. This church was built by people of faith. If you're going to be a champion, you don't simply sit around being a nice person. You don't exhaust all your spiritual energy saying your prayers and reading God's word. Those are both important. But they are just a beginning. They are preparatory. A champion of faith is a person who is actively engaged in the work of God's Kingdom on earth. Hudson Taylor founded the China Inland Mission. His life and witness have touched millions over the years. He once said something thought-provoking. "Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God," he said, "there is no need for faith." A. Rather than giving you lots of definitions about having, growing or developing a Generous Heart, I simply want to tell you about a man I knew. I want to tell you about Mr. Dick. That's what everybody called him. Mr. Dick very seldom went to church but that didn't stop him from being one of the best Christians I've ever known. Mr. Dick had a generous heart. You see, Mr. Dick worked at the local Exxon station and he was always encouraging the younger workers to go to church by saying "get yourself and your family to church so you could meet my God and Savior. Everybody needs that." Now, Mr. Dick could have been seen as a kook or a fanatic by those workers except for the fact that he always took the Sunday shift, so everyone else COULD go to church. And on Sunday morning, if you pulled into the full service bay, likely as not, you'd see Mr. Dick set his Bible down before coming out to pump your gas. I could always count on him to surprise me with his generosity. Not a lot of people knew this but Mr. Dick tithed. He tithed and he gave a generous regular offering. He tithed, gave that generous regular offering and at times gave some pretty extraordinary extra offerings as well. Why? Because Mr. Dick had a Generous Heart. And he understood what Paul meant when he wrote: "be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share." B. I got to know Mr. Dick first, because he was a member of the church and second because our Church had a set up with the local gas station. If someone came through needing gas, we'd give them a voucher which was good for $5.00 worth of gas. (This was back when gas was 79 cents a gallon.) Since I was the pastor, I was usually the one who filled out the voucher and then later went and paid for the gas out of our local missions fund or travel mercies fund. Not only that but there were times when Mr. Dick would call me because there was someone or a family in need. C. I'll never forget the family who was on their way back from Dallas to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. They had moved to Dallas nine or ten months before because of a job. The job paid well and it was well worth the move. But the job only lasted about six months. This husband and wife and teen young teenage daughters had tried to find work. Unfortunately it was in one of those down turns in the economy and a lot of people were have a hard time finding work. Finally, this family's money had completely run out and they were living hand to mouth. So much so that for the last two weeks they'd been living out of their care. In a phone call to a relative in Cape Girardeau, they found out about a job that the owner of the plant said he would hold for this man if they could get there the next day. They coasted into our community on fumes. The man asked if there was some work he could do to earn a little money for gas and to have a flat tire fixed, so he'd have a spare for the trip. D. Mr. Dick called me and Wayne, the owner of the local little store. Mr. Dick told us how this family had been living out of their car, living on water and raw potatoes. They'd sold most of their possessions to make ends meet. All they had what was in the car. He asked if we could help. I took them down to the church where we let them get cleaned up. I fixed them a hot lunch in our kitchen. And told Mr. Dick to fill their tank. Wayne began gathering the kind of groceries you can use when you travel. He made a bunch of sandwiches, gathered drinks, chips, crackers, cheese and fruit and put them all in a cooler along with a bunch of drinks. I did something I don't normally do, I gave the man money for gas. I told him, between the tank he had and what I'd given him he should make it to Little Rock, Arkansas. And I gave them the name of friend from Seminary. Who I had called and had agreed to help him get gas. When the family finished eating and we got them back to the station, the tank was full and the groceries were in the back. Mr. Dick had changed the oil and replaced all four of the man's bald tires with newer ones. They weren't new but they had about two years more tread on them than the old ones. He used the best of the old tires as a spare. Mr. Dick said he couldn't let that family leave on those old tires, it would have weighed on his conscience. E. The family was in tears. They all hugged the stuffing out of us and Dad nearly shook my arm off. Not only that, but after the family left, Mr. Dick called my friend and told him to have the car filled up so they didn't have to stop again and he'd cover it if need be. That's just the way Mr. Dick was. He had a generous heart. There was one widow in town who always came by and asked for $2.00 worth of gas. Mr. Dick knew that even $2.00 was stretching her budget out of shape. And he always put in $5.00 worth of gas and only asked for the $2.00. I know because I caught him doing it one day. F. Mr. Dick was generous and he sort of kept watch of those of us who tried to help others. I'll never forget the day I went up to settle for some of the gas vouchers. By my figures we owed $20. But Mr. Dick said we only owed $19. He said one guy came in with the voucher and asked for $4.00 worth of gas and one of the cold beers in the cooler. Mr. Dick pumped the $4.00 worth of gas and when the guy asked for the beer, Mr. Dick told him "No, you can't use my church's money for beer." So, the guy said, well put the other $1.00's worth of gas in my car. And Mr. Dick said, "Nope, you spent it on that beer I'm not giving to give you." Mr. Dick might not have been in Church very often but he had one of the most generous hearts I've ever seen. Not only that but as Paul told Timothy, Mr. Dick was "rich in good works, generous, and ready to share." And Mr. Dick was definitely "storing up for himself the treasure of a good foundation for the future." G. Now, what you need to know is that Mr. Dick's generous heart and all the good deeds he did in his life, aren't what won his salvation. Good works and giving never does. But because Mr. Dick's life had been changed, because he knew the love and forgiveness of Christ, Mr. Dick lived a joyous and generous Christian life that brought glory to God. All the good that he did, he did out of response to the love and grace he had experienced in his own life. That's the way of a generous heart. A generous heart has experienced the grace of God through Christ Jesus and gives thanks for that grace. A generous heart gives thanks by living a generous life. WE become generous because of God's generosity. When we "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness" we're able to "take hold of the life that really is life." And we're able to become a fragrant offering to God, the aroma of Christ. A mother tells how her daughter used to work for pizzeria place. And it was her job to her daughter after work each evening. When the girl would get into the car, she would smell so much like pizza that often times Mom would go back into the store and buy a pizza. When we "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness;" when we spend time with Christ and let his grace cover us, His aroma will be all over us and people will be hungry for Him. That is the essence of what the passage teaches us. It counsels us to concentrate less on what we have and more on who we are. It says to shun things like greed and to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. It tells us to fight the good fight of the faith. We can pursue those things no matter what our financial situation might be. Those things come from within. Even if we are struggling financially, that struggle cannot keep us from developing righteousness, from seeking a deeper faith, from calling up endurance from inside us, and from loving one another. Application: Friends, if we lost everything tomorrow — our homes, our jobs, even our health — would we still know who we are? Contentment means our identity isn’t tied to what we own but to Whose we are. Application: Friends, if we lost everything tomorrow — our homes, our jobs, even our health — would we still know who we are? Contentment means our identity isn’t tied to what we own but to Whose we are. Application: Where do you need to fight for faith today? Maybe it’s resisting envy. Maybe it’s choosing generosity. Maybe it’s trusting God with your future instead of worrying yourself sick. Application: What are you doing with the wealth God has entrusted to you? Is it tied up in bigger barns — or invested in God’s mission, in people, in eternity? Closing Image: Picture standing before God one day. He won’t ask, “How big was your house? How many zeros were in your account?” He’ll ask, “Did you love Me? Did you love others? Did you take hold of the life that really is life?” Conclusion So, what do we do with Paul’s words? • Practice contentment — trust that God has given you what you need today. • Resist the love of money — don’t let it rule your life. • Use your wealth — however much or little you have — to bless others and build God’s Kingdom. Closing Story: There was once a wealthy man who, when he died, was buried with all his gold. Another man at the funeral whispered, “How much did he leave behind?” His friend answered, “All of it.” Brothers and sisters — we all leave it behind. But we can send it ahead, storing up treasure in heaven by generosity, by love, by faithfulness. That is life that really is life. Song Take My Life and Let it Be UMH 399 Pastoral Prayer Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Prayer of Dedication All that we have is a gift from you. Lord, bless these gifts and inspire us to use them in ways that transform and enliven your people. May they be a blessing to those who need them most. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Rae Watson) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Receive again the promises of God: “Because you cling to me, I will deliver you; I will protect you because you acknowledge my name. You shall call upon me, and I will answer you. I will be with you in times of trouble; I will deliver you and glorify you and will show you my salvation.” Go from here with peace and confidence, knowing that God goes with you. Posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/02/benediction-psalm-91-14-15.html. Community Time Joys and Concerns Benediction Go, we cannot stay here, there is work to do. Go, there are people to love and people to serve. Go, be rich in good works for that will bring true joy! May the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit uplift and uphold you now and always. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Rae Watson) Additional Illustrations Here is your homework: 1. Spend some time this week doing something for someone who cannot return the favor. 2. Give some of your extra to someone who needs it worse than you do. It doesn’t have to be a lot. It could be a $5 gift certificate to Chick-fil-a. It could be some clothes you never wear given to people who need your clothes. It could be some extra toys your kids never play with to kids who have no toys. To illustrate this, today I've put a legal document in your Worship Guide. It's a title deed. A title deed is the written document we use to signify ownership. If you own your car, you have a title. If you own your house, you have the deed. Today I'm going to ask you to do something. It's symbolic, but it's grounded in Scripture. This deed represents your life—all that you are, your possessions, your relationships, your talents and gifts—everything that you possess. I want you to take a moment today and acknowledge God as the owner of your life by signing it over to him. Literally. Fill out this deed, sign your name, and have it witnessed by a family member or friend. Then place it somewhere as a reminder to you that in our lives “everything must go” because God is the owner and He holds the title. You will find when you are totally surrendered to God, not just who you are, but all that you have and you are satisfied with what you have and understand that God gave it to you, and giving instead of getting and sharing instead of keeping is more enjoyable and fulfilling, you will have struck it rich. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Collected Sermons, by James Merritt Paul, whom you might call “the patriarch of the early church” is writing a protégé of his named, Timothy, a young pastor, who has a heart that seeks after God, but a life relatively empty of pastoral experience. He is sharing with Timothy things he not only needs to know, but things that he needs to teach to his people. Knowing that money and stuff and wealth, then, have the same attraction for people that it does today and knowing how dangerous those things can be, Paul shares with Timothy an amazing truth – God put us here to strike it rich. Stop the presses! No, we are not talking about a health and wealth prosperity gospel, because Paul goes on to explain that God wants us to strike it rich His way which looks completely different. He boils everything down to one key lesson. Key Take Away: I can die rich if I live right. Paul, in his advice to a young pastor shares with him and his readers exactly how to do it. There are actually three groups of people that are addressed in these verses we are going to look at today. The first group are those people who are not rich. We have already learned that relatively speaking to the rest of the world we are rich, but compared to our definition of rich, most of us in this room would not consider ourselves rich. Here is the Word for you. To put it another way, everybody wants to live the American Dream. That term was first defined in 1931 by James Trumbo Adams. Here is the way he defined it: “In America, life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone. With opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” God works in mysterious ways. When you share what you have with others it always comes back to you in a blessing. It may not be monetary. It may not be a tit for a tat. In God's wisdom, the blessing comes in a form that makes your heart glad. I don't think I've ever seen a generous person lost in despair. They are often the happiest people I know. God keeps blessing them as fast as they can share what they have with others. A friend told me about a man in his congregation who accepted Christ and decided he was going to start tithing. He figured out ten percent of his income and wrote out a check to the church. That first week his check bounced. He was a little embarrassed but he made it good. He continued writing out checks for ten percent of his income and there were a few more mishaps. In time he began contributing the tithe and then made out checks for some special offerings. He also noticed that a few of his stocks started gaining rapidly. So he gave away even more. He started funneling some of his newfound wealth into the youth ministry at church. One day, he told his pastor that the scriptures were true when they said you cannot outgive God. He tried and God kept blessing him, not only with added wealth but also in the joy he had in seeing a ministry grow. He said he had never been happier in his life. Happiness has never been about money and possessions. It has to do with finding your place in life and living it. When you walk in the light of God's Word, you will always find peace and joy. You'll develop a glad attitude. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (Middle Third): God Is Rock Solid, by Clayton A. Lord Talking about money from the pulpit can end up sounding like scolding or begging. In reality, though, the passage offers us contentment. This isn't the contentment of counting our own money but not caring about the needs of others. For those who have decisions to make about money, this passage offers contentment as well. People who give are happier than those who do not. This passage offers the contentment of living with less, of spending wisely, and of investing in ways that don't trouble our conscience. It is the contentment of trusting God for our needs and not judging ourselves by our possessions. Only a financial advisor should give advice about investing money. This passage tells us that investing in our faith will always pay off. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (Middle Third): Faith, Hope, and Love: From Paul and After Paul, by Charles L. Aaron One day, the young son of humor writer Erma Bombeck surprised her with this question: “Mommy, are we rich?” This was Bombeck’s answer: • “You’re rich when you can have eight people to dinner and don’t have to wash forks between the main course and dessert.” • “You’re rich when your television set has all the knobs on it.” • “You’re rich when you can throw away a pair of pantyhose just because it has a large hole in it.” • “You’re rich when your dog is wet and it smells good.” (2) How about you? Are you rich? How would you even define the term? WE ARE A NATION OF STRIVERS. Our nation was built on the belief of self-determination, on pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. The Europeans kept score by tracing their lineage to royalty. If you weren’t born into the right family, then you were out of the race at birth. But we discovered another way of keeping score: by the amount of money in your pocket. It’s more egalitarian, but also more dangerous. There is an old Yiddish proverb that says, “With money in your pocket, you are wise and you are handsome and you sing well too.” We believe that the American dream is within anyone’s reach if they are just willing to put in the long hours. If they are willing to make money their first priority. But the price of the good life is rising at an alarming rate. So we just have to work harder, earn more, put our nose to the grindstone, whatever it takes to keep up with the Joneses. That’s the American way, isn’t it? A young man left the business world to become a monk. At first, he was shocked at how different this new life was. Suddenly, he was no longer striving for the things that society had always taught him to be important--“a good salary, a cool car and a pretty girlfriend. When all of that was suddenly gone,” he said, “and held of no account, I felt as if my whole life were a lie. It took me years to find out who God wanted me to be.” (5) This Bible passage tries to bring us back into focus. It challenges us to look at what will bring real satisfaction in life. Isaiah lived in a time when God seemed to be conspicuously absent. It was he who wrote that "the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light." (9:2) Darkness was a good description of the people's plight in Isaiah's time. Had God forsaken them? Isaiah longed for some sign of God's presence and power. The absence of God speaks almost as loudly as does God's presence. When you have been separated from the presence of God for too long, you either stop caring about it, or you hunger for a move from God that is so earth-shaking that it leaves no room for doubt or apathy. IN THIS PASSAGE, ISAIAH IS REACTING TO THE ABSENCE OF GOD AMONG THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL. You and I can appreciate that. Many of us hunger for God to show Himself in our lives. Was there ever a time when you yearned to know that God was with you? Maybe there was a season of your life when doubt and anxiety crowded your every thought. You had to convince yourself to get out of bed in the morning. You tried to pray, and the words just wouldn't come. Have you ever sent up a desperate prayer like this, "God, just show me that You are real. Just show me that You are there. I can't make it without You." Christian singer Chris Rice begins a song about searching for God with these words: "I would take "˜no' for an answer, just to know I'd heard Your voice." Newspaper reporter Dennis Hensley once researched a story on pilot training in the Air Force. In these training sessions pilots are warned about "hypoxia," or lack of oxygen to the brain. The pilots are put in a simulation chamber that simulates the atmospheric conditions at 30,000 feet in the air. Then, the pilots are told to remove their oxygen masks. Next, they are asked to write out the answers to a few questions. Within a minute after they begin writing, their partner in the training exercise will move quickly to force the oxygen mask back on the would-be pilot's head. Why? Moments after receiving the oxygen, the pilot looks down at his paper and is shocked to discover that his answers are illegible. Here's what unnerves him. He thought he was writing clearly. As Hensley says, "Similarly, (spiritually starved people) may not know anything is wrong, but unless someone explains how to obtain the "˜breath of life,' those disconnected from God will never gain spiritual "˜consciousness.'" (3) The people of Israel were so caught up in their sins that they had lost "spiritual consciousness." Isaiah was begging God to revive them. Somebody once said that people will accept what you have to say much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first. (1) With that in mind Benjamin Franklin was famous for his wit and he thoroughly enjoyed trimming hecklers down to size. During the early days of the American Republic, he spoke many times on that great document, the Constitution of the United States. After one such stirring speech, one of those hecklers stood up and boldly walked a few paces toward the platform. "Aw, them words don't mean nothin' a-tall!" he shouted. "Where's all that happiness you say it guarantees us?" Franklin smiled benevolently at the man and then Old Ben replied, "My friend, the Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it for yourself!" (2) One day, an 8 year old boy was playing beside an open window while a neighbor confided to his mother about another person. When the visitor was gone, the mother, realizing how much her son had overheard, called him to her side. "If Mrs. Brown had left her purse here just now, would you give it to someone else?" "Of course not!" the boy replied. The Mom said: "Mrs. Brown left something far more precious than her purse. The story she told could hurt many people and cause much unhappiness. That story still belongs to her, and we shall not pass it on to anyone." (4) Is it so surprising that religion costs money? Not any more so than the fact that there's a cost attached to participating in the greatest miracle of life - the birth of a baby; or that food and water - necessary to living - are accompanied by a bill. Even in the solemn and tender experience of sorrow there are funeral expenses to be considered. Money is the high cost of living and the high cost of dying. It is indispensable, and everywhere we go we're asked to put up some money. Thank God for the int angibles that money cannot buy: hope, joy, trust, forgiveness, peace, concern, eternal life, sharing. I came across a story the other day about a man who came home after a hard day at the office and fighting the traffic and greeted his wife and little 3-year old daughter. He stooped down in front of his little girl and said, "How about a kiss for Daddy?" She must have had a hard day, too, for her only response was "NO, no." Seeing the hurt look on the father, the mother said, "I'm ashamed of you, Janie. Your Daddy works hard all day to bring home a little money and you behave like that?" Taking the cue, the father asked again, "OK, honey, come on now, where's that kiss?" The little 3-year old looked him in the eye and replied, "Where's the money?" First let's look at DOLLAR SIGNS, SYMBOLS AND YOUR LIFE. A study of symbolism in the history of man is a fascinating story. Symbols can be an evaluation or verdict on a life or signify an intention. We look back to the story of Adam and Eve and, rightly or wrongly, we visualize an apple, signifying their disobedience. Noah conjures up an image of an ark of safety and salvation. Jonah carries a symbol of attempted escape from responsibility - a whale. Tradition says King David had a six-pointed star emblazoned on the shields of all his soldiers - a symbol uniting the tribes of Israel into a nation. Christians ehose the symbol of the fish as a sign of allegience to Jesus Christ as God's Son, their Saviour. The symbol for Peter has become a rooster and also an inverted cross; for Judas, a sack of money. Emperor Constantine in 312 took a new life symbol, the Chi-rho symbol for Christ, and that act changed the entire course of history. We've got our symbols today. With some we can identify - with some we cannot. Some are political, some racial, some religious, some rebellious. There's the symbol of the donkey; the symbol of the elephant; the clenched fist in the black glove; the peace symbol; a burning cross; a flag decal; a wilting flower - all symbols that take on a personal meaning for various people. Of course there are more homey symbols. One woman told me once that the symbol of her life was a refrigerator and her struggle was to put a padlock on it. During football season I have a feeling some wives may feel the most appropriate symbol for their husbands would be a TV set. Some person's lives are best symbolized by an achievement. I had a professor in college whose life symbol I'm convinced was AB BSed BD MA THM PhD - a string of six academic degrees. And what a crushing blow it was to his symbol when a man joined the faculty with seven degrees. Sometimes a personal habit can become the dominating symbol of a man's life: whether it's a glass in his hand, or a pair of dice. I remember before my wife and I were married, being in a wedding party. The service was an hour in length, but the thing I remember most vividly was one of the other ushers getting up from the pew in which he was kneeling and slipping out the side door of the church about half way through the ceremony. I figured perhaps he was ill, but soon he came back in. I found out later he just needed a smoke - needed it so badly he had to leave the wedding. Could that cigarette have been the symbol of his life at that point? Another step to take is participation in Christian stewardship. Recognizing that we are not the owners but the tenants of our wealth, our bodies, our time and talents leads us to stewardship. Stewardship is a grateful response we make to God's love and providence by using our resources and abilities to fulfill Christ's mission to the world. Giving away our wealth will help break its hold on us. That is what Jesus told the rich young ruler, but he did not want to pay that kind of a price. Every Christian should be sure he practices the art of giving. This is one of those areas where we have to learn by doing - where we act first, and then the right feelings follow. If we wait till we feel like giving generously, we may never break the stranglehold. Stewardship of giving doesn't mean salving our conscience; it's not buying God off; it's not giving till it hurts; it's not giving foolishly. It is an orderly, discerning, proportionate way of giving so that I am constantly reminding myself that God is the owner and I am his steward. Not that what I give is His and what I keep is mine - that's not it. It's all His and I am the trustee. And what I do with what I keep is just as much a part of my Christian stewardship as what I do with what I give away. Isn't it time to Christianize the use of our wealth, removing the dollar sign from our lives so that it can be reclaimed as an authentic Christian symbol? For it can be that, if it is not the symbol of the meaning of our lives. It was Pentecost Sunday. The ushers handed each worshipper a bright red carnation to symbolize the festive spirit of the day. The people listened attentively to the reading of the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts. They heard about the "powerful wind from heaven" and about the "tongues of fire." Then came the sermon. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon us," the preacher began. "Like the powerful wind from heaven!" shouted a woman sitting in the first pew. Then she threw one of the red carnations toward the altar. The preacher began again, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon us." The same woman''s voice rang out: "Like the tongues of fire, like tongues of fire!" Again, she threw a red carnation toward the altar. The preacher looked straight at her and said, "This time, instead of throwing a carnation, throw your pocketbook." The woman replied, "Preacher, you have just calmed the wind and put out the fire." (1)This morning I may calm the wind and put out the fire. Once upon a time there was a man who had nothing. So God gave him ten apples. He gave him the first three apples to eat. He gave him the second three apples to trade for shelter from the sun and rain. He gave him the third three apples to trade for clothing to wear. He gave him the last apple so that he might have something to give back to God to show his gratitude for the other nine apples. The man ate the first three apples. He traded the second three for shelter from the sun and rain. He traded the third three for clothing to wear. Then he looked at the tenth apple. It seemed bigger and juicier than the rest. He knew that God had given him the tenth apple so that he might return it to Him out of gratitude for the other nine. But the tenth apple looked bigger and juicier than the rest. And he reasoned that God had all the other apples in the world. So the man ate the tenth apple and gave back to God the core. (3) There are some of us who are taking from God blessings that would inspire awe and envy in the hearts of most of the world''s people and we are only giving Him back the core. That will rob you of your soul. 1 Timothy warns that the kind of winning that money can bring, this kind of gain and the love of things, will lead these false teachers, these would-be-winners into an endless snare, "...those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." (verse 9) Instead of succumbing to the temporary pleasures of life, the Pauline author lists those qualities possessed by true winners. "...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness." (Verse 11) These qualities don't guarantee worldly success. They don't even make you a winner every time. In fact, winning isn't the goal at all here, the epistle proclaims. What is expected of the genuinely faithful is that we "...fight the good fight of faith..." Only then will we be able to "take hold of the eternal life, to which we were called" (verse 12). This is not winning. This is an uncontested victory – the victory of eternal life over death, the victory of supreme love over ultimate evil, the victory of divine strength over human weakness. In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional Jewish schools. At a Chush fundraising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?" The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection He seeks is in the way people react to this child." He then told the following story about his son Shaya: One afternoon Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys Shaya knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shaya's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his son were chosen to play it would give him a sense of belonging. Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game's in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However, as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya should at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's teammates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya. As the pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shaya, run to first. Run to first!" Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman that would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But, the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, " Shaya run home!" Shaya did run home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a grand slam and won the game for his team. "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection." – (With thanks to Paul Stambach, via Jack Schierloh. This is the victory Christ wants us all to achieve. It's the true winning attitude. On 20 September 2001, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers met in a preseason game in Philadelphia the night President Bush spoke to the American people. As the intermission clock counted down the final seconds between the second and third periods, the speech could be seen in the outer concourses and the 19,117 fans began to chant "Leave it on. Leave it on." So they did. The President's address was put back on the scoreboard and a hush fell over the arena as the players and their coaching staffs remained on the bench and watched as the President spoke to the nation. As the Congress gave standing ovations, so the coliseum gave standing ovations. Until by the time the speech had ended, the players decided that there were more important things than playing hockey. So they called it a 2-2 tie and went home. There are some things more important than winning. ChristianGlobe Networks, Collected Sermons, by Leonard Sweet An old eastern fable tells of a man who possessed a ring with a beautiful opal. The ring bestowed upon the wearer qualities such as kindness, truthfulness, bravery and justice all the qualities to make a man much loved. The ring was passed from father to son until it happened that a man had three sons. Before his death he had two copies made so each of his sons would have a ring. The sons were disturbed. How would they know which had the original? They took the matter to court and the judge said, "We will know who has the genuine ring by the goodness of his life." (5) Somehow I believe that is also how we know that Christ genuinely lives in a person ™s heart. These, then, are the qualities of a determined disciple. Take responsibility for your life. Recognize the importance of righteous, Christlike living. Remember always that you are a representative of Jesus Christ.