September 6, 2026 Sermon

Wow. Way to be blunt - Paul. Asking for money from people you have a rocky relationship with? I am impressed!.

Now, for the rest of us, we may feel more awkward about this whole thing. We probably have all heard the saying - (insert type of person here) - can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Usually followed by a mean chuckle. However, I would argue Money - can’t live with it, can’t live without it mean chuckle.

And here we have Paul - speaking very freely about this part of ministry - the money part- and that can feel very icky.

Yet, Paul isn't really giving us a fundraising speech. He is giving us a vision of what Christian community looks like.

Paul is speaking about the church who needs money like I often do of my neighborhood in Chicago. They are experiencing systemic poverty And yet, surprisingly they are not downhearted. Paul says their joy overflowed into a “wealth of generosity.” Paul and I choosing our words carefully - to showcase the great community that is there, while also attempting to acknowledge there are true hardships.Paul speaks that their generosity isn't coming from abundance but rather bubbling up out of joy. They seem to receive God’s goodness and then with a light touch of a bubble send it into the world again.

Paul is requesting the Corinthian church to act out of God’s grace. Giving isn't about one person needing money and another one giving it. Its an honoring of what is flowing through us from God. It is what happens when God's generosity toward us begins to reshape our relationship with what we have.

And Paul isn't even commanding the Corinthians to give. He explicitly says the equivalent of “No pressure”. He is inviting them to let their love become visible in action. This is similar to Henri Nouwen’s approach in his book The Spirituality of Fundraising. Nouwen says fundraising isn’t about convincing people to give us their money—it’s about inviting people to join what God is already doing in the world. Nouwen suggests the question is not - Can you help us keep the lights on?” but, “Come be part of this amazing thing God is doing!” This builds God’s mission without creating a us and them mentality.

All good stuff. If this were a fundraising sermon, I might be done. But Paul then turns the tables a bit -

“I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of equality.”

Equality. Paul isn't asking the Corinthians to impoverish themselves so that the Jerusalem Christians can become comfortable. He is asking them to participate in a community where no one is left without what they need while others have more than they need.

We have had many elders who have worked on equality and equity die recently.

Dolly Parton maybe became more famous for sending books than her music. In several research studies, the Imagination Library program was found to have significant impact helping to prevent early literacy gaps that often persist through school. Research found that after just 10 books, children in the program were at least 4x more likely to demonstrate stronger emerging literacy skills—such as vocabulary and phonological awareness—compared to children not in the program. This program worked on equity for children.

Gloria Steinem worked courageously for equal rights for women. While equal rights, equal pay, equal treatment was the goal, Steinem acknowledged the systemic barriers and worked throughout her life to remove those barriers.

In his collection of essays: What Matters?: Economics for a Renewed Commonwealth Wendell Berry argues similarly to Paul. A true economy should meet real human needs while caring for communities, the land, and future generations. For Berry, economic systems should be judged by the way they practice stewardship, support local communities, and pass the world on to the next generation in good or better condition. This would be one definition of the equity that Paul is trying to welcome the Corinthian church into.

A current example of this sort of mutual aid can be found at a great restorative justice organization, Circles and Ciphers in Chicago or Centro de Informacion here in Elgin. Both have set up mutual aid funds. Both are set up based on solidarity - not charity - sharing money, resources, and care in ways that respect people’s dignity, choices and needs. Both programs are run and lead by people most affected (Circles would be people effected by the criminal justice system and Centro is immigrants) and both work to build a community where support and power is shared.

And while it is about money, its about so much more as well. Today, I might have enough to share time, a talent, an ear, a prayer, a bike, a car, a book, care for an elder. Tomorrow, I might need those from another. This means the relationship isn’t top down anymore, its equal. Its me knowing I will need some days, and also be able to meet a need some days. So we meet needs while building community.

So, Paul and these modern day elders take us from money to asking us to restore community.

In the part of scripture I didn’t have Ruth read, Paul brings to mind the story of God caring for those in the wilderness by sending manna that spoiled if too much was taken. God gave enough, and it was meant to be shared.

I’m not sure many would think of manna as abundance, yet having the knowledge of having needs acknowledged and cared for feels miraculous at times. The biblical vision suggests that abundance is not ultimately about how much we can accumulate. It is about whether there is enough for everyone.

On this weekend, where we celebrate workers - their right to work safely, for humane hours and to make enough for their families to live - I wonder if our work is really the question of understanding equity and what is enough.

So, instead of asking you to work for justice this weekend - for people who are marginalized, to work towards freedom and equailty for all people, for economic justice, for racial justice - which I think are all very important, I want you to do some internal work - which might be harder honestly.

“How can we become a community in which everyone's gifts, resources, wisdom, and needs matter?”

What are the ways you can give yourself to the communities you are a part of? And if you are used to be the giver in those communities, how can you let others give to you?

“Do we have enough—and are we willing to let what we have become part of God's enough for someone else?”

What does enough look like for you? And what might you do with the excess? Or ask for help when you don’t have enough - time, energy, capacity, or money?

Some tips as you process these questions:

If you have always been a giver, it can take a bit to being a receiver, and if you have always been a receiver it can take a bit to be a giver. Give yourself grace. Give others grace.That said, the true meaning of community is give and take, built on relationships. Equity means listening to people who live with the problems we are trying to address, supporting local leadership, and trusting the knowledge of people who understand their own communities. Who can you start listening to to build relationships that you want? What are meetings you can show up for? What time can you devote?

One way to consider enoughness is to consider sacrificing a convenience to see how that feels. It may be easy to see how climate change could benefit from a little inconvenience on our parts. However, it may be accompanying someone to the doctor or calling or writing an elected official. Maybe its just noticing that the convenience exists for you while it doesn’t for others.

Be ready to sit in the uncomfortable. We can listen to immigrants and refugees. We can learn about the realities faced by workers who produce the things we buy. We can challenge systems that exploit vulnerable people. We can advocate for policies that protect people whose voices are easily ignored. We can learn from Christians in other parts of the world instead of assuming that Christianity in the United States represents the center of Christian wisdom. All of those things may make us uncomfortable and get out of our norm - and that is ok.

Remember - perfection is not the goal of discipleship, its putting one foot in front of the other. Answering these questions is not one dramatic act but more like a thousand small decisions.

Its choosing to give what we could keep. It is choosing to listen when we could speak. It is choosing relationship when writing a check would be easier. It is choosing to consume less so that others might have enough. It is choosing to use our resources not simply to make our own lives more secure, but to participate in God's work of making life more abundant for others.

May we seek understanding and abundance for all of God’s children.