reGifting
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
reGifting
reGifting
(Unwrapping a gift story.)
You’ve been waiting for the day. Everyone has your wish list. You’ve dropped all the hints in all of the strategic places. The anticipation is over the top. Now, the day has finally come!
You tear through the wrapping paper, revealing the gift and…it’s not what you wanted. Now, you’re a nice person and you have tact, so you politely express gratitude for the gift and simultaneously assign it to the “re-gifting” pile. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that pile, literally or figuratively, that is set aside to pass along to someone else who might actually want this item.
On the one hand, this might be polite and even thrifty, but...
What does it say about your care for the one receiving the gift?
Let’s take a look at our scripture passage today to help us as we consider this question. We’re all the way back in the beginning. God has created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Adam and Eve have rebelled against God. Life carries on with consequences, but God continues to be active in the life of His creation. While an unfair summary, that gets us to Genesis chapter 4.
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”
And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
Created to Work
Created to Work
While it may be subtle, a powerful truth that wasn’t lost in the fall is…we are created for work. Even after the rebellion, God continues to give His people purpose. Cain works the ground. He’s a farmer. Abel keeps the sheep. He’s a shepherd.
God has given them the responsibility to manage or steward all that He has given to them.
Offering vs. First-fruit
Offering vs. First-fruit
Take a look at what happens next.
In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,
and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,
Already in Genesis 4, we see that giving back to the Lord is a part of managing what He has given to them. Each, as they experienced the provision of the Lord, gave back to God.
As we pay close attention to the language used, there is something different about the gifts offered by Cain and Abel.
While Cain gave of the fruit of the ground, Abel gave of the FIRSTBORN. This is the earliest part of the scriptures that elude to a firstfruit offering as the expectation of God. We see this language used in many parts of the scriptures.
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s.
Cain brought an offering while Abel brought a first fruit. So, that begs the question, “Why does it matter?”
Genesis 4:4–5 (ESV)
And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
The Lord was pleased with Abel and looked with favor upon the first-fruit offering that he brought. On the other hand, the Lord could see the halfhearted offering Cain brought. As a loving father gazes upon a son that hasn’t given his best, the Lord doesn’t look upon Cain’s offering with pleasure. This produces a sense of shame in Cain and he hangs his head.
But, the Lord doesn’t just leave him there. He enters into conversation with Cain.
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
God gives guidance. This seems like a demonstration of fatherly compassion. He explains to Cain, and by extension to us, that giving our best matters. He also seems to indicate that giving anything less is a slippery slope that gets harder and harder to overcome. So, the encouragement is to rule over the sinful desire within. Do what is right and experience the joy that comes with it.
This is an idea that continues to be expressed all the way to the time of Paul as he writes to the church in Rome:
He will render to each one according to his works:
to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,
but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
For God shows no partiality.
In this life, our actions and the motives behind them matter. When our selfish motives pour out into the actions displayed before the world, we will reap what we sow. Selfish motives bread selfish actions, producing destructive and harmful outcomes. We’re left with nothing that glorifies God and experience the same shame that Cain experienced.
On the other hand, when selfless motives pour out into the actions displayed before the world, we will reap what we sow. Selfless motives bread selfless actions, producing constructive and harmonious outcomes. We’re left with something that glorifies God and experience the same glory and honor and peace that Paul describes.
God gives Cain a chance to live in new life. He gives him a chance to change trajectories.
Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
The writer of 1st John reflects back on this moment as he shares:
We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Cain responded from the shame and multiplied the shame. The story continues:
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
Again, God enters into a discussion with Cain. Perhaps it was a chance to come clean, seek forgiveness, and walk in new life. Cain attempts to evade the question. He attempts to hide the truth. And verse ten reveals a jarring truth. “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” The blood that has been shed cries out to God. Cain goes on to live with the hard consequences of his actions.
I wish I could say this doesn’t happen anymore. With all of our accomplishments and advances in society, I wish I could say we don’t behave this way.
(Story about sharing)
Perhaps you’ve had this experience. Someone comes up and gives you a couple of pieces of candy. You are grateful they thought of you and share your gratitude. Then you hear them say, “No worries, I don’t really like those anyway.” Oh, thanks…I guess.
What did that say to you about how much that person cared about you? Yes, it was kind of a moment of generosity. They thought of you! But, it was also a moment laced with selfishness. They weren’t sharing their favorite kind of candy with you. It was a regifting instead of a first fruit gift.
_____
If only we can learn from Cain’s actions. If only we can take a different path forward.
The moment of truth will come. Hiding from God is pointless. He knows. So, we might as well be honest, seek help, and walk in new life. This has always been at the heart of God’s plans. This is why He sends Jesus. The writer of Hebrews 12:24 brings this point home:
and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
The blood of Jesus speaks a better word! The blood of Jesus shed on the cross cries out to God! While that thought first brings us sadness to know our sin and rebellion put him there, this is actually good news. Instead of a message of shame, the blood of Jesus declares a message of healing, hope, forgiveness, and new life!
We don’t have to continue to act from a posture of shame. We can lift our heads up and see the loving face of the Lord gaze upon us.
God continues to give us all that we have. He continues to give us work to do. He calls us to be good stewards of all that He has given to us. And yes, He delights in our first fruits! As He takes away the impact of shame, sin, and selfishness in our lives, I believe He empowers us to give first fruits. I also believe this opens our eyes to see the work God does with those gifts from a posture of humility, giving God the glory and being filled with the joy that comes from participating in His purposes.
So, here’s how it gets really practical.
When you get paid, you give the first portion to God. It’s the first line on the budget sheet. Everything else comes after that. I’m not even telling you the amount, although I do believe scripture is pretty clear about the goal for that. I just want you to see clearly that God prioritized giving for you and for each of you to practice starting with God as He provides for you. I guarantee you, you will not feel ashamed.
The Lord look upon you with His favor as you continue to walk with Him, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
