The Twentieth Sunday after the Festival of the Holy Trinity

also known as the Twenty-second Sunday of the Pentecost Season

October 25, 2020

What Does Jesus Think of the Gifts I Give To Him?

When I was in the fourth grade or so, my parents bought me a battle of Iwo Jima toy soldier set. It

was one of the neatest gifts I have ever received. It had all kinds of green colored Marines and tan Japanese soldiers, a couple of plastic pillboxes that looked like they were built into the side of a hill, tanks, bazookas and everything else to make up an imaginary battle scene. I had hours and hours of fun with this toy. My best friend and I would set up the Americans verses the Japanese, and then take rubber bands and try to knock down the other guy’s forces.

Did you ever receive a gift like that – something that you could never forget? It’s kind of funny – because those especially memorable gifts aren’t always the most expensive or the fanciest – but for some reason they have special meaning for us.

That’s also something that – I hope – every one of you wants to do when it comes to showing your love for your Lord, namely giving Him the kind of gifts that truly mean something to Him….gifts given from a spirit of genuine gratitude, love and trust. But more to the point today and every day, does it matter to you what you give to your Lord and does it matter what He thinks about your gifts to Him?

Today’s Scripture lessons will remind us of two very important Biblical truths: First, that everything we have comes from (and ultimately, belongs to…) God; and second, that we are responsible to be good and faithful caretakers of the varied resources which our Lord has entrusted to our care……including, our willingly returning to Him (as an expression of our trust, love and gratitude for His goodness) an appropriate (in His estimation), generous portion of our resources as offerings/gifts of love to Him.

A George Barna religious survey taken not that long ago provides some sobering information that isn’t intended to guilt us into giving more, but should provide perspective on overall Christian giving – and perhaps get each of us to re-evaluate where our resources are spent….and where they could and should be going instead. First, Barna concluded that across America – and across generational lines – “church giving” continues to drop. He noted that the average American pays $1000 a year in interest, yet gives only $754 per year in offerings to God. But, there’s more. On average we annually spend: $1,251 per person on entertainment; $1,091 per person on clothing; $1,517 per person on eating out/food away from home; $186 per person on tobacco and smoking supplies; $292 per person on alcoholic beverages, and $156 per person on non-alcoholic beverages; $5,243 per person on transportation (vehicle, gas, and insurance). And we even charge an average of $1150 per household on credit cards just during the Christmas gift-giving season. Yet the average American household gives only 2.5 percent of its income in thank-offerings to the Lord…..a far cry from the tithe/tenth that God deserves.

It might surprise some to know that Scripture has much to say about the Christian’s stewardship of the time, treasure, and talents which the Lord has placed into our care. We’ll be looking a just a few of those portions of God’s Word this morning.

In today’s Old Testament Lesson the Lord rebukes the people of Judah for their selfishness in bringing Him inadequate, dishonorable offerings. They had been robbing God by giving Him offerings of lesser quality than what they kept back for themselves. In our reading the Lord challenges them (and us) to be faithful, trusting and generous in bringing Him the best offerings possible. He further promises to be even more generous to those who are genuine in bringing best, first-fruits offerings to Him. Through our Epistle Lesson Paul encourages the Corinthians to participate in a church-wide offering for needy Christians in Jerusalem. He motivates them, not with threats or feelings of guilt, but by the example of Christ’s selfless sacrifice for their sakes. He also reminds them that those who are cheap toward God should not expect generosity from Him, while those who are generous will learn that they can’t “out give” the Giver of all things — since the Lord will even more abundantly bless their generosity…..insuring that they have all they truly need in life. Through the Gospel Lesson, Jesus’ parable of the talents, we want to learn that God will take inventory of all that He has entrusted to us. He expects us to put to good use the resources He’s placed in our care, rewarding those who are faithful in their service to Him, but rebuking those who are lazy, selfish and unfaithful. In our Children’s Lesson we will briefly talk about why it pleases our Lord (and why it’s really good for us, too) when we give Him offerings that are our “first fruits” – that is, offerings that are the biggest and best (like the first fruits of the season that come from a plant or tree). After all, those are the kind of offerings that He deserves as both the Giver of everything and as (most important) our Savior-God. Finally, today’s Sermon will focus on the story of the Widow’s Mite – particularly on how her offering showed her generous, believing heart, her gratitude to God, and her faith and trust that the Lord would continue to provide for her.

Pre-Service Prayer – In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. I thank You my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, for keeping me through the night from all harm and danger. Keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. Into Your hands I commit my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the Devil may have no power over me. Amen.

Grace Lutheran Church of Northwest Arkansas

is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, a church body which spans the United States and Canada, and which also operates a number of foreign missions.

Our Vision: Extend God’s Kingdom through His Word, serving each Soul.

Our Mission: Share the Gospel, Encourage Faith, and Prepare Souls

through Worship, Education and Fellowship.

Pre-Service Prayer

Pre-service Music

We Praise Our God

The Greeting and Invitation to Worship

after which, at the pastor’s invitation, the Congregation will rise for

The Invocation

Pastor We begin this service in the name of the Father

Congregation Who gave us our lives through His almighty power.

P: And of the Son

C: Who redeemed our lives with His precious blood.

P: And of the Holy Spirit

C: Who gave us eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.

P: Amen.

Our Psalm for Today I Chronicles 16:8-12, 23-36

P: Give thanks to the Lord. Call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him. Make music to Him. Tell about all His wonderful acts.

Praise His holy name. The hearts of those who seek the Lord will rejoice.

C: Seek the Lord and His strength. + Seek His presence continually. + Remember His wonderful acts, His signs, + and the judgments from His mouth, + you descendants of Israel, His servant, + you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones. +

P: Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful acts among all the peoples, for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.

C: He is to be feared above all gods. + For all the gods of the peoples are not gods at all. + But the Lord made the heavens. + Honor and majesty are before him.

P: Strength and joy are in his place. Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples.

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name. Bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

C: Tremble before Him, all the earth. + Surely the world stands firm. + It shall never be overthrown. + The heavens will be glad. + The earth will rejoice.

They will say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”

P: The sea and everything that fills it will roar. The fields and everything in them will celebrate. The trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth.

C: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, + for His mercy endures forever. + Say, “Save us, O God of our salvation. + Gather us and save us from the nations, + to give thanks to Your holy name, + to glorify You by praising You.” + Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, + from everlasting to everlasting.

The Opening Hymn “Beautiful Savior”

l Beautiful Savior, King of creation,

Son of God and Son of Man! Truly I’d love Thee,

Truly I’d serve Thee, Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

2 Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands,

Robed in flow’rs of blooming spring; Jesus is fairer,

Jesus is purer; He makes our sorr’wing spirit sing.

3 Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,

Bright the sparkling stars on high; Jesus shines brighter,

Jesus shines purer Than all the angels in the sky.

4 Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations,

Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor,

Praise, adoration, Now and forevermore be Thine! Amen

Hear Our Confession of Sin and Forgive Us, Lord

Pastor – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

Congregation – “And also with you.”

Pastor – “God invites us to come into His presence and worship Him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us now turn to Him, acknowledging our sinfulness and seeking His forgiveness.

Congregation – “Holy and most merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and

actions; Each day I turn away from Your Will. I have left undone those things which You have asked me to do, and I have done those things which You tell me not to do. I do not love You or my neighbor the way I should. Because of these, and all of my other sins, too numerous for me to recall, I acknowledge that I deserve nothing less than Your punishment both now and for eternity. But I am truly sorry for the evil that I have thought, spoken, and done, and trusting in the perfect life, and innocent death of my Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, forgive me all my sins, restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen my weak faith through the promises of Your divine Word that I may obtain Your promised grace.

Pastor – “Find comfort for your souls, then, in these words of our Lord: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will purify us from all

unrighteousness, because we have One Who speaks to the Father in our defense –

Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” And now, upon this, your voluntary confession, I, because of my office as a called servant of God’s Word, announce the grace of God to all of you. And, in the place of, and according to the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May the peace of God be with you. Amen.”

Our Response To God’s Forgiveness

ALL sing: to the tune of “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee For Thy forgiveness, full and free,

He, who by grace, this truth believes The blessings of Christ’s love receives

Praise God the Father, God the Son And God the Spirit, Three in One,

As ’twas, is now, and so shall be World without end, eternally! Amen.

The Prayer for the Morning

Lord God, Heavenly Father, + I humbly thank You this morning + for the countless physical, emotional, and spiritual blessings + which You have graciously entrusted to me. + Please guide me through Your Word today, + that I might become more grateful to You, + as the Source and Owner of everything, + more generous and selfless in my giving, + and more willing to make use of the Spiritual gifts + which You have given me + to faithfully serve and glorify You. + All this I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, + Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, + one God forever and ever. + Amen.

After which the Congregation may be seated

Grow Us, Lord, through Your Word

The Old Testament Lesson Malachi 3:6-12

6 Certainly I, the Lord, do not change. That is why you, sons of Jacob, have not come to an end. 7 Since the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Armies. You say, “In what way should we return?” 8 Will a man rob God? You are robbing Me! You say, “How have we robbed You?”

In regard to the tithe and the special offering. 9 You are being cursed since all of you, the whole nation, are robbing Me. 10 Bring the complete tithe to the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Just test Me in this, says the Lord of Armies. See whether I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour down blessing on you, until there is more than enough. 11 I will restrain the devouring swarm so that it will not destroy your produce from your soil. Your vine in the field will not be without fruit, says the Lord of Armies. 12 All the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of Armies.

The Epistle Lesson II Corinthians 8:1-9; 9:6-11

Now brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that was given in the churches of Macedonia: 2 In a severe test of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty overflowed into an abundance of their generosity. 3 I testify that of their own free will they gave according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, 4 pleading with us with an urgent request for the gracious privilege of joining in this service to the saints. 5 And they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us. 6 As a result we urged Titus, since he had already made a beginning, to bring to completion this gracious gift on your part. 7 But just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you also overflow in this gracious gift.

8 I do not say this as a command, but to test how genuine your love is, by comparing it with the eagerness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that through His poverty you might become rich.

……… 6 This is what I mean: The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. The one who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each one should give as he has determined in his heart, not reluctantly or under pressure, for God loves a cheerful giver.

8 God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will overflow in every good work. 9 As it is written: He scattered; He gave to the poor. His righteousness remains forever. 10 And He Who provides seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing, and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous in every way, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.

Our Sequence Hymn “We Give Thee But Thine Own”

We give Thee but Thine own, Whate’er the gift may be;

All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

May we Thy bounties thus As stewards true receive

And gladly, as Thou blessest us, To Thee our first-fruits give!

Oh, hearts are bruised and dead, And homes are bare and cold,

And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled Are straying from the fold.

To comfort and to bless, To find a balm for woe,

To tend the lone and fatherless, Is angels’ work below.

The captive to release, To God the lost to bring,

To teach the way of life and peace, It is a Christlike thing.

And we believe Thy Word, Though dim our faith may be:

Whate’er for Thine we do, O Lord, We do it unto Thee. Amen.

after which, the Congregation will rise out of respect for the words of Christ for

The Gospel Lesson Matthew 25:14-30

14 “You see, the kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a journey. He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to still another one talent, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The servant who had received the five talents immediately put them to work and gained five more talents. 17 In the same way, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 The servant who received the five talents came and brought five more talents. He said, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’

21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

22 “The servant who received the two talents came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents.’

23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

24 “Then the servant who received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 Since I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

26 “His master answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter seed? 27 Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers so that when I came I would get my money back with interest. 28 Take the talent away from him and give it to the servant who has the ten talents. 29 Because everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 Throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Apostles’ Creed to the melody of “What A Friend We Have in Jesus”

I believe in God the Father, Maker of the heav’ns and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, our Savior, God’s own Son, of human birth.

Virgin born, the Lord incarnate, Whom the Spirit did conceive,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Our salvation to achieve.

Crucified, was dead and buried, Down to hell in victory;

From the dead He rose the third day; Up to heav’n triumphantly.

There at God’s right hand He’s ruling, By His will the world is led.

He will come to judge the nations, Both the living and the dead.

I believe in God the Spirit, In His Church, His chosen band.

They are joined in close communion, Holy in His sight they stand.

I believe in sins forgiven; That the dead will rise again;

I believe in life eternal. Amen! Amen! A – – men!

The Children’s Lesson Proverbs 3:9-10

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits from your entire harvest. 10 Then your barns will be filled to capacity, and your wine vats will overflow with fresh wine.

What Does It Mean (and Why does it Matter)

For Us To Give God Our “First Fruits?”

The Hymn of the Day “Lord, At Your Word The Heav’ns Were Made”

cwh, 2006 C.M. (sung to the tune of “St. Anne”)

Lord, at Your word the heav’ns were made And all that they contain.

You spoke and everything appeared, And o’er it all You reign.

You give to us Your varied gifts – Time, talents, treasure too;

You’ve charged us with their faithful use……Employed to honor You.

Each blessing is a sacred trust From You – not ours to own;

We gratefully acknowledge, Lord, That all is Yours alone.

God keep us from all selfishness; True stewards may we be,

Of every asset that You’ve giv’n, To use them faithfully.

And let our motivation be Your love, which moved You, Lord,

To earn for us salvation free – Your grace, fore’er adored.

Your Kingdom, by our service, Lord, We pray that You’ll extend,

So precious souls, bought by Your blood, Will gain a heav’nly end.

And then, when on that Day we’ll stand Before You face to face,

Accounting all we’ve done in faith For You, our God of Grace –

May we, dear Jesus, hear You say As You speak from Your throne:

“Well-done, My faithful child and heir, Enter Your heavn’ly home.” Amen.

after which the Congregation will rise for

The Pre-Sermon Salutation

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord! May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

The Sermon Text based on Mark 12;41-44

41 Jesus sat down opposite the offering box and was watching how the crowd put money into it. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 One poor widow came and put in two small bronze coins, worth less than a penny. 43 He called His disciples together and said to them, “Amen I tell you: This poor widow put more into the offering box than all the others. 44 For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all that she had to live on.”