$100.

Now I don’t normally walk around with such a roll of cash in my pocket, but I wanted you to see what a hundred one dollar bills look like. Impressive, isn’t it?

But maybe it would be more impressive to see it in another way. Would you help me this morning? Would you take this roll and unroll it down the aisle? I will hold this end.

It makes for quite a scene, doesn’t it? Fifty feet of dollar bills here before us this morning. That’s no small thing. In our family, a hundred dollars is just about the average weekly "big shop" at HEB. Or, maybe for some of you, it is the average monthly water bill or what you typically spend on a new pair of slacks and blouse. A hundred dollars is no small thing.

But for today I want you to think of this $100 as your total household income. Oh, I know all of us do far better. The average income of people in the three Zip codes closest to the church is $53,000. And if we throw in the 78413 and 78414, where many of us now live, it rises to nearly $60,000 a year, or 600 of these rolls every year. But for the moment, think of this $100 as 100 percent of your income.

How much of it do you give toward God’s work here at First Christian Church?

I can tell you. The average household in our church gives just about this--$2 out of every 100, two percent of all we make for God’s work in the church.

Let me say right up front that I am grateful for that faithfulness. That 2 percent allows First Christian Church to do many things like affording a day care, offering Godly Play to our children, opening our building to community groups, ministering to our members and friends, even supporting the work of the church around the world.

Yet for all the good we do, I have to wonder, "Why only 2 percent?" Why, on average, do we give such a relatively small amount to God’s work in this community? After all, we are disciples of our Jesus Christ. We have received his grace and committed our lives to him as Lord and Savior. We have been beneficiaries of the church’s ministry—blessed by the music of our choir, by the friendships developed in Sunday School, by the care we have received in times of need, maybe even by the sermons preached through the decades.

And we know that the church has taught faithful stewardship. From the earliest of days, pastors here have spoken of the need to give—not just for the good of the congregation’s ministry but for our own spiritual well being as well.

Yet, we find ourselves giving to the ministry here only about $2 out of every $100 we earn. Why is that?

For some, 2 percent, even 1 percent, can be the difference between financial viability and disaster.

A friend told me of a woman in his congregation. Like many women her age, she had never worked outside the home. Then her husband was seriously injured and forced to retire early. When he died a short time later, she was financially devastated. The Social Security check on which we lived was small—and she needed virtually every penny to survive.

Certainly that is the case with some. To expect more from them would be unkind.

But there are other reasons. Some feel a small amount is all the church is worth to them.

Every year one church would get a small donation from a man in their community. His name was on the church membership roll, but no one knew him. Even the congregation’s oldest and most knowledgeable members knew nothing of him. Then a new pastor arrived, and she set out to meet the man and learn his story. Do you know what he told her? He told here that he gave "just to guarantee I get a Christian burial."

His offering was small because all the church was worth to him.

Still, there are other reasons.

• Habit. Some have always given $5 a week and never really thought about what inflation has done to that gift.
• Uncertainty. Sometimes the church is awkward when talking about money and that has left some, particularly new members, uncertain as to what they should give.
• Anger. There once was a man who, when he didn’t like the restaurant’s service, would leave a nickel tip. He gave a pittance just so the waiter or waitress would know he had not just forgotten. The same can be true in the church. Sometimes people vote on the minister or the ministry with their money.

Yet these reasons don’t really explain why, on average, those who can support the church with more than about 2 percent of their income don‘t. There must be something more, but what might that be?

Jesus suggests that "anxiety" might be at the heart of our reluctance to give generously to the church. Why else would he urge us not to be "anxious?"

Daniel Patte notes that the word "anxious" means, "to have a divided mind." I love that image. It captures what many of us feel when it comes to our giving. One part of our mind recognizes the spiritual. We want to honor God. We want to share God’s grace with others. We want others to know God’s love. We trust God with who we are and what we are to be.

But another part of our mind lives in the physical world. There we desire life’s basics. We seek security for our children and comfort in our old age. That part of our mind trusts only ourselves with ourselves and those we love.

And the tension between our two minds shapes our stewardship. With divided minds we tip our hats to God and the spiritual reality, then cast our lot with ourselves and the physical.

And the cure for such anxiety, Jesus suggests, is recognition of the benevolence of God.

"Look at the birds of the air," Jesus says. "They don’t sow. They don’t reap. They don’t gather food into barns. Yet God tends to them. Or consider the lilies of the field. They neither toil nor spin. Yet they are more beautiful than King Solomon in all his glory. If God clothes grass, which comes one day and is soon nothing more than fuel for a fire, then how much more God will provide for his people. Don’t worry about food or drink or clothing. God knows your need and will provide. Because God does, you can seek the kingdom first."

The argument here is not against work or against possessions. Christ knows we will be engaged in the one and have the other. It is simply an argument from the lesser to the greater. If God tends to mere birds, flowers and grass, then certainly God will tend to the highest of God’s creation—you and me. That promise sets us free from anxiety. It frees our minds to seek the kingdom of God. In short, because God is benevolent we can be generous!

In his book "God’s Man," David Farr tells the story of Carl. Carl was an investment banker who lived on the West Coast. Each day he would take the 45-minute commute to work. Usually he would plan his work for the day, but one day, as he stopped at a light, he noticed a homeless man standing on the corner. The man’s face was old, his face showing the signs of age and sun. His clothes, well they were what you would expect of a man living on the streets.

As Carl sat in his fine car, dressed in a fine suit, he remembered a lesson from a Bible study earlier that week—one that challenged them to tend to the poor, hungry and oppressed. When Carl’s car finally crawled to the corner, he motioned for the homeless man to come. He handed him a $20. But more importantly he handed him his card on which he had written: "Give me a call. I want to help."

Carl recognized that God had been gracious to him and that meant he was free to be gracious with others.

And Carl is not unique. Peter Borgdorff is the executive director of ministries for the Christian Reform Church. Earlier this year he wrote to churches and church members announcing that the denomination’s programs were going to be cut because of a financial shortfall.

Do you know what happened?

Thousands of people, thousands of Christians, responded with generosity. Many of those echoed the sentiments of one woman, who wrote: "God has blessed me so much since I became a widow. Although I’m on a limited income, I feel I have been so blessed that I can give this one-time gift when needed the most."

What she and so many others said was because God is good we can be generous.

This morning as you came to worship, I hope you stopped in the narthex and picked up the envelope with your name on it. If you haven’t already, I would ask you to open it. Inside, you should find a Share Card for those who pledged last year or an Intention Card for those who didn’t. In a few moments, Joel is going to play and while he plays I would ask you and your family to fill out the card, to express your stewardship intentions for 2003.

But more than that, I would ask you to fill it out in the light of God’s generosity to you. Consider the abundant blessings God has given you, consider the bounty that you possess, and then ask yourself if maybe seeking after the kingdom of God isn’t worth more than two dollars out of every hundred, two percent of all that you received. Ask yourself if maybe another percent or two might best reflect the gratitude you have for what God has done for you. Amen.