Earlier this week, my wife and I drove 2 hours east to visit my family in Lafayette, Indiana for Christmas. Suffice to say, it’s not the most exciting drive as it relates to scenery, especially if everything has a coat of two day old snow (it’s the same as looking at cornfield after cornfield, except now every cornfield is white, and there’s no corn). One of our usual traditions when we take road trips–whether the scenery is gorgeous or not–is to listen to NPR’s This American Life podcast. This time, however, we decided to change it up a bit and listen to a few sermon’s from Mars Hill (the one in Grand Rapids, MI). Seeing as how they were doing a series on Advent, and how it was Christmas time and all, it just made good sense.
We ended up listening to two sermons, one by Rob Bell, and the other by Shane Hipps, both on 2 Corinthians 8:1-4. We were both blown away and blessed by the Scripture and what it teaches that I couldn’t help but share it with you here. Below is the Scripture passage, and under it are a few key questions that summarize a few points from the sermons. To listen to the actual sermons, click here, and listen to “II Corinthians 8: The Rich Kind of Poor” by Rob and “Overwhelming Joy” by Shane.
2 Corinthians 8:1-4 (New International Version, ©2010)
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.
1. Because of the tense of the verb “has given” in verse one, the emphasis is not on the giver (God), but on the receiver (the Macedonian churches). It could be translated as, “the grace the Macedonian churches received.” We have a part to play in God’s grace. We can reject it or accept it. How do you respond to the grace that God shows you?
2. Verse two makes it clear that there is a joy that is independent of life’s circumstances. The verb “has given” in verse one is in the perfect tense in Greek. What do you base your joy on?
3. The overall message in verses 1-2 is that because the Macedonians received God’s grace, it resulted in inexpressible joy (God gave them the grace to be joyful), which in turn allowed them to be rich in generosity. This is a delicate pattern, and you can’t skip steps. You have to start with receiving God’s grace, and allow that to give you joy, and allow your God given joy to allow you to be generous (almost like an automatic reflex). Do you allow yourself to go through this pattern, or do you try to obtain joy only through giving?
(photo from Wonderlane)