Don't hoard – share
This sermon was based on an outline from www.givingingrace.org

Introduction
Last week I spoke about giving as a spiritual discipline which is part of our ministry within the worldwide church.
St.Paul wrote to the Corinthians to encourage them in their giving by pointing to the example of the church in Macedonia who, despite their poverty, still wanted the privilege of providing for their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem who were in even worse difficulties.
Spiritual issue
Within the world there will always be inequality, but it is the responsibility of Christians to use responsibly what we have, to share with those in need and to include decisions about money as part of the outworking of our faith.
Money is a spiritual issue and we shall be accountable, not just for what we give, but for all we have been blessed with in this life and how we have used it.
Manna – hoarding doesn't work
In this passage from his second letter to Corinth, Paul quotes from the Old Testament account of the manna in the desert. "The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little."
The manna in the desert reminds us that God's abundance is there to provide our daily bread – enough to thrive daily in God's blessing.
Those greedy enough to attempt to collect too much manna could not hold on to their surplus because it rotted overnight; those who could not collect enough found to their surprise they had plenty to eat.
They had all they needed through God's grace.
The Christian life is different to the world’s economy because hoarding God-given blessings does not work.
We are given these things to share with others, not to hoard for ourselves.
Illustration of the two Seas
The Sea of Galilee teams with life.
The Dead Sea has no life in it at all.
Yet the same river feeds them both.
The only difference between them is that there is no outflow from the Dead Sea.
The water evaporates away but the minerals stay put and build up, poisoning the sea and rendering it lifeless.
When we try to hold onto everything for ourselves the joy and blessings soon evaporate and our lives are poisoned.
We need to be channels of grace not pools of stagnant water.
But this means being prepared to join in God's economy of grace.
It means not hoarding but sharing.
Voluntarily and joyfully: sharing what we have in order to benefit others.
As we let the blessings flow out from us, so God is glorified in our church and our world.
Challenge
So we need to recognise that the need of the church for financial support is only half the story.
Our NEED TO GIVE is greater than the need of the church to receive our gifts.
Giving is an invitation to invest in God’s economy of giving and receiving.
To be caught up in the flow of God’s gracious giving is a blessing in itself.
Illustration of power boat course
As part of my work with the Junior Sailing at the yacht club I have to learn how to drive a motor boat.
These things have very powerful engines and can smash through the waves and into the wind.
But when we come to rescue a little boy or girl who is in the water, all that power is worse than useless.
We have to work with the wind and the tide to drift gently down to where they are.
Similarly we can use our energy and resources fighting against God, trying to go our own way, or we can be carried by the wind and tide of God's will to bring salvation to others.
Hard questions
Thinking about our giving is a challenge because it asks hard questions about how much we keep for ourselves and how much we share.
We can't have our cake and eat it, so to share more, through the church or in other ways, means that there will be less for us to hoard.
The seductive nature of money and possessions makes it really hard to choose to trust God and share with others.
Martin Luther said that there are three conversions necessary for the Christian; the heart, the head and the purse.
As part of your response to 'Giving in Grace', think through your ministry of giving.
Conclusion
It is no good us sitting in church, dreaming about being channels for the grace and generosity of God, if when we get home we don’t do anything about it!
In our living and giving, let's go with the flow of God's economy, not hoarding but sharing.