GO big: GIVE big, Christ Church Sermon, May 11 2025

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You're listening to a message from our

weekly worship at Christ Church in Bethl

Park, Pennsylvania. We're a United

Methodist congregation with the mission

of building inclusive community, sharing

Christ's transforming love. To learn

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person, visit

christummc.net. Thank you for listening.

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Good morning.

Today's scripture is Luke chapter 6

Luke 6:38

verse

38. Give and it will be given to you. A

good measure pressed down, shaken

together, and running over will be

poured into your lap. For with the

measure you use, it will be measured to

you. Hear what the Spirit saying to the

church. Thanks be to God.

Well, as you've heard, today is Mother's

Day, and we're in the midst of a sermon

series called Go Big. And what better

day, I think, to talk about giving big

than on Mother's Day. Because if there's

one group of people who understand what

it means to give big, it is mothers. You

either are one, you have acted as one,

or you have one. Right? So, we all have

a connection to mothers in some way. And

we recognize from those sleepless nights

the sacrificial love that they give.

Mothers pour themselves out physically,

emotionally, spiritually for the sake of

their families. They give of their time.

They give of their energy. They give of

their wisdom. And they often don't ask

for anything in return. Mothers remind

us that giving isn't about having a lot.

It is about giving and loving a lot.

That's the heart of the verse that Aaron

read for us this morning from Luke

Luke 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6. Jesus begins with a simple

yet powerful command. Give and it will

be given to you. But then he takes it a

little bit further and he paints us this

picture that's kind of hard to forget. A

good amount will be poured out into your

lap, pressed down, shaken together, and

running over. You see, this isn't casual

giving. This isn't throwing a few

leftovers into a bag and handing them

out. To give big means giving

uh our giving is abundant. Our giving is

intentional. Our giving shows

overflowing generosity. Giving big is

the kind of giving that goes the extra

mile. Giving big is the kind of giving

that fills something and then refills it

as many times as it takes, making sure

that nothing is held back. Picture it

like this. You're in a bustling Middle

Eastern marketplace and you're buying a

sack of grain and and a dishonest seller

may give you a bag that looks full, but

inside that bag it it's full of air

pockets. It's loosely packed. It's

deceptively full. But a fair and

generous seller, they fill it. They

press it down. They shake it. And they

make room for more. And then they keep

filling it until it is running over. You

see, God gives big. Jesus gave big. And

now God is inviting us to also give big

without hesitation or a half-hearted

effort, but with full hands and open

hearts. And if we want to see real life

examples of what it means to give big,

we only have to look at the mothers that

we know in our life. I mean, think about

how a mother serves their family. They

work. They They don't just cook a meal.

They make sure it's seasoned just right.

They make sure that your favorite side

is on the table. They make sure everyone

gets fed before they sit down. They give

their last bite of dessert to their kids

without thinking twice. They don't count

the cost. They just give because of

their love. That's what overflowing

generosity looks like. And it's that

kind of giving that Jesus is talking

about. Jesus is actually revealing in

this passage God's heart. He's not just

saying be nice and God will be nice

back. He's saying, "Step into the rhythm

of how God gives. Give big. Give with

open hands and you'll discover a kingdom

where blessings don't dry up, they

actually multiply." That's why we talk

about multiplication of our offering

every week. It's not just something nice

to say. It's because that's how God

works. This is more than a promise. It's

an invitation. It's an invitation to

experience a different economy, God's

supernatural economy, where generosity

is never wasted. And we're giving

becomes the key which unlocks unexpected

blessing. So when Jesus says, "Give and

it will be given to you," he's not

giving us a formula. He's actually

offering us a lifechanging mindset.

Giving big is a new way to live, a way

to reflect God's nature to this world.

And we can all agree that this world

needs to see a little bit more God. You

see, God doesn't just give enough. God

gives us more than enough. God gives

big. God's love overflows. God's mercy

overflows. God's grace overflows in our

lives. And when we give like God, we

display God's heart to a world that is

in desperate need of seeing God's heart.

Jesus continues in this passage, "The

same amount you give will be measured

out to you." Now, here's where it gets

real. Here's where Jesus moves from

general teaching to personal challenge.

And the give big amount that Jesus is

talking about here isn't just about

money, although that's part of it. It's

also about our mindset. It's about our

attitude. It's about our open or closed

hearts and hands. Because if we give

spir sparingly, we may experience God's

blessing in a limited way. That's not

because God is holding back from us.

It's because our hearts and our hands

are closed. So, we can't actually

receive what God is trying to give us.

But when we give freely and joyfully and

generously, God continues to pour back

in our lives with that same kind of

abundance and we are able to receive it

because we have an open heart and open

hands. You see, giving big is not about

everybody giving the same amount. It's

about giving in a way that reflects

equal sacrifice, equal faith, and equal

trust. That is what catches God's

attention. Think again about how mothers

give. A mother doesn't check a clock

before she comforts a crying child. She

doesn't weigh out exactly how much

energy she has left before making

another meal or helping with homework.

She just gives and gives and gives

because giving big doesn't come with a

limit. It's also important that mothers

give when no one is watching. Mothers

give knowing that it may go unnoticed,

knowing there may not be applause. But

here's the beautiful part. God sees how

mothers give

big. And over and over again, God

blesses in return. God strengthens her

when she's worn out. God stretches her

time and multiplies it. Multiplies the

efforts that she is giving. When she

shows love, she reaps

grace. That's the same give big

principle that Jesus is teaching to his

disciples and to us in this passage.

When we give big by faith, even when

it's hard, even when no one else is

watching, God is. And God meets us where

we are and does what only God can do.

That's the power of giving big. When we

give to others, not just because we

expect something in return, but when we

give because we actually trust God, God

shows up. And whether it's our

encouragement or our provision or our

peace, God gives that back to us in ways

we never expected. I want to tell you a

story about a young man that was sitting

in church and he felt God nudging him to

give $40 to the single woman with a

child sitting a couple rows in front of

him. So when the service was over, he

put some money in an envelope and he

just quietly gave it to her and he said,

"I felt like God was telling me to give

this to you." What he didn't know was

that that woman almost skipped church

that morning because she was running on

fumes physically and and in her car. She

was almost out of gas. It was nearly

empty. She had no money to fill it. That

$40 gave her what she needed to get to

her next paycheck. Now, here's the

twist. That young man had just paid his

last bill, and he wasn't sure how he was

going to make it to his next paycheck.

But a few days later, a friend

unexpectedly paid him back money that he

had loaned to that friend months and

months ago and he never expected to see

again. And the amount of money that that

friend paid back was double what he gave

that woman. Now, let me be clear. This

is not a formula. God is not a vending

machine. Okay? You don't say, "Hey, God,

I gave so and so 50 bucks. Now multiply

it and give me a hundred." Like, that's

not how it works. What that is is a

testimony of how God honors faith and

blesses those who trust

him. When we trust God to give big with

an open heart and with open hands, God

is going to do big things. So here's the

challenge. What measure are we using?

Are we giving with a teaspoon or a

bucket? Are we giving out falsely full

bags of grain or are we actually pushing

it down, shaking it till it's running

over? Are we giving out of comfort or

are we giving out of faith? Giving big

is not God looking at the amount we

give. God is looking at the faith in our

heart. God's inviting us to live with

open hands and open hearts and a bold

trust that as we give big, we do so

knowing that God is fully capable to

supply our needs. When we give like

that, we don't just get to reflect God's

generosity. We actually get to

experience it as well in our own lives.

As a church, we are in a season where

God is calling us to go big, to stretch

our faith, to think beyond what is

comfortable, to step in to something

greater. This is an opportunity for us

to love big, to think big, to trust big,

to give big. Kelly's going to talk about

reaching big next week. It's going to

allow us to bless people in ways that

will echo beyond our lifetime. But to do

that, we got to follow God's vision. We

need to be willing to sacrifice. And

above all, we got to have faith. Again,

taking lessons from the mothers around

us, giving

big, they do that without seeking

anything in return. They give faith.

They plant seeds of love and guidance

and sacrifice without knowing exactly

when or how that will come back to them.

But they keep giving big trusting that

if they give big, God will do the rest.

I mean, think about the mother who is

praying for a child that they will

someday come back to God. She might not

see immediate change. In fact, things

might actually get worse before they get

better.

But she keeps on loving and praying and

believing because her faith is not in

what she sees. It's in the God who sees

everything. And oftentimes God's timing

and will are more perfect than ours. But

her faithfulness allows faith to take

root and transformation to begin. That's

the same kind of faith that Jesus calls

us to live with. He invites us to give

big. Not just when we feel secure, but

also when we might feel uncertain. Not

because we have everything figured out,

but because we trust in the one who

does. We give big not from abundance,

but from a belief in a God who is always

enough. Here's the thing. God does not

need what we have. He doesn't. God just

wants who we are. That's what God is

looking for. God wants our hearts, our

trust, our willingness to let go of

control. Our belief that whatever we

give, whether it's our time, our

resources, our energy, our emotional

support, our finances, God will not only

use it, but God will multiply it. So

when we give of all of those things,

we're not actually losing anything.

We're actually planting something. And

in God's hands, that seed can grow into

a harvest that blesses others long after

we are gone. So, I want to make this a

little more practical for today. So

whether you're a mother juggling the

needs of your family and your career and

all of that or a father helping those

mothers and providing and guiding as

well or a student managing a tight

schedule and an even tighter budget or a

retiree wondering what the next chapter

of your life looks like. All of us can

live a generous life. Generosity is not

about having a certain income level or a

certain amount of free time. It's about

having a willing heart and an open hand

and a desire to give big just like

God. Take a moment and think about

somebody who has poured into your life.

Maybe it was your mother who sacrificed

her own needs so that you could have

what you needed. Maybe it was a teacher

or a pastor or a friend or a coach who

showed up when no one else did. These

people may not have much, but they gave

freely of their time, of their love, and

of their wisdom, maybe even of their

finances. Celebrate that giving spirit.

If you still know where they live and

have their information, send them a

thank you note for sewing into your

life. Say a prayer of thanks for them.

Let their example of what they did for

you motivate you to do the same thing

because generosity and giving big is

contagious. It's easy for us to start

thinking, "I don't have enough to give."

Here's the thing. God doesn't ask us to

give from what we don't have. God calls

us to give with what we do have with

faith. That could be our time, our

talents, our encouragement, and even our

finances. Ask Lord, what would

faithfilled generosity look like for me

today? Maybe it's helping a neighbor.

Maybe it's mentoring someone. Maybe it's

taking someone to lunch. Maybe it's

saying an encouraging word. I don't know

what God is calling you to do. God isn't

measuring the size of our gift. God's

looking for the size of our heart. Start

where you're at. Start with what's in

front of you. Sometimes we don't do that

because we're afraid. We're afraid we

might not have enough. We're afraid what

we do might not matter. But scripture

teaches us that God sees every gift.

Whether it's a large donation or a small

one, whether it's a quiet act of

kindness that no one sees or whether

it's something that everyone sees,

whatever it is, God promises to respond

with even greater measure than what with

what we gave. And that doesn't always

mean we get back money. It might mean we

get back peace or joy or strong

relationships or or an unex unexpected

door that opens for us. When we give

big, we trust that God is at work behind

the scenes.

Remember, we're the ones that are

planting the seeds. God is the one that

is bringing the

harvest. So, let's start today. Let's

not wait for a better time, a bigger

paycheck, a perfect situation. Start

small. Start now. And watch what God

does. Watch how God multiplies your

generosity both in your life and in the

life of the people around you. So today,

as we honor those women that shows us

shown us what it means to give

big, man, whether you're a mother, a

grandmother, an aunt, a sister, a

mentor, a spiritual mother to someone,

you've poured out your lives for others,

not for applause, but out of love.

They've given of their time when they

had no time to spare. They've given

wisdom when we were lost. They've given

hugs that have healed wounds that no one

else could see. Their sacrifices, their

quiet strength, all of it pointing to

who Jesus really is. The one who gave up

everything so we could live in

abundance. Right? Jesus didn't hold

back. Jesus gave his very

life. And the women we're here to honor

today reflect that same spirit of

selfless giving. Their lives are living

testimonies of what it means to be

generous, not just with money, but with

kindness and grace and patience and

faith. So, let's give big with open

hearts and open hands. And let's trust

that when we give big, whether it's our

time or our resources or our energy, God

takes what we offer and multiplies it in

ways we could never imagine. One small

act of love can actually ripple out and

pl and bless generations that we will

never even see. One kind word, one meal

shared, one prayer prayed, it all

matters. So whether we're giving big in

our family, in our church, in our

community, I want to encourage you to do

it with joy. Because if you're giving

miserably, it actually hurts what you're

doing. Right? I got to do this, right?

We got to give with joy. We give big not

because we have to but because we get

to. Right? When we give, we need to be

more like Jesus. Never forget those

words, give and it will be given to you.

A good amount will be poured out into

your lap. It will be pressed down,

shaken together, and running over. The

same amount you give will be measured

out to you. That's a promise that we can

build our lives on. So today, as we

honor those women that have shown us

what true giving looks like, let's go

and do the same. Let's give big because

God is big and God's blessings will

never run out. Amen. Let's pray. Lord,

we are so grateful for the example that

you have given us of what it means to

give big. We're also grateful for all

those mothers that you have put into our

lives. Whether our physical mother or

somebody who stepped in and and filled

that void or has cared and the example

that they have given about what it means

to give big. Help us to realize that

it's a privilege that we have to get to

be like them and to get to be like you.

We get the opportunity to give big. May

we do it and remember that we're not

doing it with things we don't have.

We're doing it with what we do have, but

you will multiply that and do things

that are absolutely out of this world.

Help us to continue to follow that

example and help us to do so joyfully.

We ask all this in your son's name. And

everyone said, "Amen." Amen.