INTRODUCTION:

There's a silly story going around about two factory workers, Joe and Lester, who were talking.

"I know how to get some time off from work," said Joe.

"How do you think you'll do that?" asked Lester.

Joe proceeded to climb up to the rafters of the factory and hang upside down by his knees. The boss walked in, saw Joe hanging from the ceiling, and asked him what on earth he was doing.

"I'm a light bulb," Joe answered.

"I think you need to take some time off," said the boss.

So, Joe jumped down and walked out of the factory. Lester started walking out, too. The boss asked him where did he think he was going.

"Home." said Lester, "I can't work in the dark." (1)

If some people used as much creativity in their work as they do trying to get out of work, the quality of work and productivity levels would sky rocket.

The reason I tell that story is that it would have been easy to be like Joe and Lester and come up with an excuse not to talk about the topic on our agenda for today. You see, some people are scandalized whenever we use the "S" word and the "F" word in church or in any Christian setting. The words I'm talking about aren't the same ones you'll hear in almost any movie nowadays.

The "S" word and the "F" word are "Stewardship" and "Finance." And no matter how much we explain that Stewardship is more about our heart and our lifestyle than giving. All some people hear when we mention "Stewardship" is "Money, money, money, money."

Stewardship and Finance are simply part of the Work of the Church. Let's look at the passage.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 (NRSV)

[6] Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.

[7] For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you,

[8] and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you.

[9] This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate.

[10] For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.

[11] For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.

[12] Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

[13] Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

While Paul doesn't talk about giving directly in the passage for today, he does talk about the responsibilities of every Christian. He encourages us to: "not be weary in doing what is right." (vs 14) And in encouraging us to work and not be idle, he really is talking about Christian Stewardship. He tells the folks at Thessalonica that they: "did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it." They did there part when he was with them, so he wouldn't be a burden.

I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but that phrase: "eating someone else bread without paying for it" kind of struck me. And when we take advantage of the ministries of the church and expect the church to continue to do what they do without our support and involvement, it's the same as "eating bread we didn't pay for." And it's probably those folks who don't like to hear the "S" word and the "F" word in church.

I read an interesting quote a couple of weeks ago that was the inspiration for the sermon title and outline. In her book God Knows My Heart, journalist Christine Wicker interviewed a man named Vincent Hall. Apparently Mr. Hall is known throughout Dallas, Texas for two things: he is chairman of the board of a major credit union, and he is a committed Christian. A particular sermon changed his life. His pastor preached on three different kinds of believers: "if," "because," and "regardless."

An "if" believer follows God if he receives blessings and rewards in return. He waits to see what God will do first, then decides whether or not to respond in obedience. Jacob is a good example of an "if" believer.

A "because" believer follows God because God blesses and rewards him. He has seen the connection between his obedience and God's blessing, and he wants to keep it going. King David is a good example of a "because" believer.

But there's a third kind of believer, said this pastor. This is the "regardless" believer. A "regardless" believer loves God no matter whether he/she ever receives any blessings or rewards in return. Job, the man whose very name is synonymous with suffering, was a "regardless" believer. A "regardless" believer loves God in spite of the circumstances, in spite of their hardships. On the day he heard that sermon, Mr. Hall devoted himself to being a "regardless" believer for the rest of his life. (2)

I got to thinking about that and realized that this analogy could be stretched to include stewardship as well. There are three kinds of givers: "If, Because, Regardless."

I. IF:

A. An "if" giver only gives if he or she is going to receive a blessing and reward in return. This person waits to see what God's going to do first, then decides whether or not to respond by giving.

There's a perfect example of this in the movie Groundhog Day.

B. Phil Connors is a self-centered weather reporter who falls under an enchantment. He has to relive Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania over and over again. Each day is exactly the same in the way it unfolds for others, but each day Phil is given another opportunity to change himself. Finally, he has come to know and love the people he once disdained. He knows their every move (he has seen them go through these motions before), and so he sets out to care for the needs of each person to the extent he is able. What he learns is that his divine-like intervention can be a thankless job.

Phil is recording what must be his thousandth Groundhog Day report, but instead of a mindless repetition, it becomes apparent that he has been honing this speech every time his day repeats, and that he truly has come to love the people of the town.

After his stirring speech, Rita, his producer, asks if he would like to get a cup of coffee. Phil says, "I'd love to. Can I have a rain check? I have some errands I've gotta run." Rita doesn't understand (to her it's just their first day there), but Phil runs off.

As Phil walks across the sidewalk, he looks at his watch and sees that he may be a few seconds late. He begins to run as he looks up to see a young boy fall from a tree. It is clear he has been doing this every day for some time. He catches the boy, but as he is putting him down he asks, "What do you say? What do you say? What do you say?" The boy squirms and runs away. Phil calls after him, "You little brat. You have NEVER thanked me. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe."

But the viewer knows he will be back again and again, as long as he is needed.

Have you ever thought about how much we take God for granted. Think about all the complex details that have to come together every day, just to sustain our lives. Yet how often do we stop to thank God for all God has done for us?

When we don't give thanks when we just take advantage of God's Providence and run off, we are "eating someone else's bread we didn't pay for" and we are being "if" Christians.

II. BECAUSE:

A. The "Because" Christian, the "Because" giver, gives because God has blessed them and wants to keep receiving that blessing. While not the best theology or the best reason, it's a good reason. There's a scene in To Kill A Mockingbird that illustrates this idea.

B. In the opening of the movie we meet one of the central characters, Scout. A grown-up Scout is recalling her youth in the South. She talks about the heat, the length of the days, and the crushing poverty that seemed to affect everyone.

A man, Mr. Cunningham, is seen taking a burlap bag, filled with nuts, off his wagon and then approaching the Finch house. Young Scout calls out to him, "Good morning, Mr. Cunningham!" He greets her. Scout offers to fetch her father, Atticus Finch, as he is getting dressed, but Mr. Cunningham says, "No miss, I don't care to bother him." Scout cheerfully replies, "It's no bother, Mr. Cunningham. He'll be happy to see you!"

Scout runs up the stairs and calls out for her father. He appears on the steps, "Good morning, Walter." Mr. Cunningham returns the greeting and says, "I brung you these here hickory nuts as part of my entailment."

Taking the nuts, Atticus tells Cunningham, "Well, I thank you. The collards we had last week were delicious." Cunningham tips his hat and takes his leave.

Scout slides up next to her father and he tells her, "Scout, I think next time Mr. Cunningham comes, you'd better not call me." Scout says that she thought he would want to thank Mr. Cunningham. Atticus says, "Oh, I do. I think it embarrasses him to be thanked."

Scout asks, "Why does he bring you all this stuff?" Atticus replies, "He's paying me for some legal work I did for him." Scout wants to know why he pays in hickory nuts, and Atticus tells her, "That's the only way he can. He has no money."

Scout asks if the Cunningham's are poor, and Atticus says they are. She then asks, "Are we poor?" Atticus replies, "We are indeed." Scout wants to know if they are as poor as the Cunninghams, and Atticus says, "No, not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folk, farmers. The crash hit them the hardest."

Mr. Cunningham owes a debt, and the only way he knows how to pay it is with his meager gifts. He is embarrassed by the payment, and would prefer to simply leave it and walk off. Atticus' attitude is different. He is able to take these modest payments and support his family while continuing to be an attorney and help the members of the community.

Mr. Cunningham probably wouldn't be bringing those meager gifts if it weren't for the work Atticus did for him. Similarly, we all know that we can never repay God for our salvation, but we bring God what we have. Our offerings are often poor, and sometimes we're embarrassed to bring them at all.

But we bring them "Because." "Because" we know God wants them and "Because" we want to say thank you. And "Because" God has blessed us.

But I wonder if we would quit giving, quit attending, quit supporting if God quit blessing. That's the danger of being only a "Because" Christian.

III. REGARDLESS:

And then there is the "Regardless" Christian. Those who are like Job. They have faith, they give, they attend, they support, they reach out, "Regardless." "Regardless" of whether they like the preacher. "Regardless" of whether they agree with all the ministries of the church or not. "Regardless" of whether or not they use the "S" word and "F" word in the church. The "Regardless" Christians stay involved regardless of whether or not they are blessed because they know that God is faithful, no matter what. So they try to be like God and remain faithful, no matter what.

The "Regardless" Christians give and participate and support and pray simply because they love God. They have experienced the unconditional love and faithfulness of God and want to share it with others. It doesn't make any difference whether life is good or life is tough, they love God and know that God is faithful in the midst of every situation life throws at us. And we are called to do and be the same.

The "Regardless" Christian is able to say with the Psalmist:

[28] You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God, I will extol you.

[29] O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

CONCLUSION:

The Good News is that God is God regardless of what we do or how we respond. "If, Because, Regardless" it doesn't make any difference to God. God is God. And I hope you noticed, too, that all of these types of Christians are still Christians. As our spiritual life and relationship with God grows, usually the "If" Christians grow to become "Because" Christians. And most "Because" Christians grow to become "Regardless" Christians."

God accepts you as you are. God may not leave you there, but God meets you there and loves you as your are. No strings attached.

And hopefully, the church lives and models that, too. Because, you see, it takes all of us. Individually, we are weak. But together, we can be unbreakable.

Have you seen the move, "The Straight Story?" It's based on a true story of Alvin Straight's epic journey from the small town of Lawrence, Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin to see his estranged brother Lyle who has had a stroke. With little money, but plenty of patience and tenacity Alvin climbs aboard his 1966 John Deere riding lawnmower and takes off on a 160 mile, 6 week journey. He meets, helps and is helped by all kinds of people along the way.

One of the characters he meets is a teenage girl, a runaway. The girl has runaway because she is expecting a child. She hasn't told anyone. She's afraid her family will hate her and disown her. Alvin begins to tell her about his kids. He says:

"When the kids were little, I used to play a game with them. I'd give each one of them a stick. And I'd say, 'You break that." And of course, they could, real easy. Then I'd say, 'Tie them sticks in a bundle. Try to break that.' Of course they couldn't."

Then I'd say, 'That bundle that's family."

The he offers to let the girl sleep in the trailer he's towing. But she declines and decides to sleep outside so she can look at the stars. Alvin goes to bed. The next morning, Alvin gets up and the girl is gone. But next to the fire is a bundle of sticks tied together.

You and I are like that bundle of sticks. Individually, we break real easy. But when we are tied together through the love of God in Christ, we are nearly unbreakable.

It doesn't matter what kind of Christian or what kind of giver we are: "If, Because, Regardless" as long as we are faithful; as long as we are tied together through the bonds of our baptism and salvation in Christ, there is nothing we can't face.

Whether it's shortfalls in the budget and giving, whether it's cancer, whether it's disagreements about how things should be done. Whatever it is, if we stick together, if we rely on God, if fuel the fire we can accomplish whatever God puts before us.

[29] O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

1. Dynamic Preaching, November 2004

2. Christine Wicker. God Knows My Heart (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999), p. 151.

3. www.movieministry.com

4. www.movieministry.com

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