Creekside Church Sermon of April 30, 2000 "Hokey Pokey Sacrifice " I Chronicles 29	Rev. David Bibbee
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There's a reason for my dislike of dancing. It's Miss Craig's fault. She was our elementary school PE teacher. Her face looked like Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies. She had the build of a linebacker. I liked PE, except for one week. That was when we did square dancing. I hated square dancing. Invariably I would draw a partner who the day before I said had cooties. Ms. Craig wouldn't let you change partners. You just had to endure through all the promenades and do-si-does. She could make me do it, but she couldn't make me like it. But there was one dance from childhood I enjoyed...the Hokey Pokey.

You remember how it goes, "You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out. You put your right hand in and you shake it all about." With each verse you add more of your anatomy until you reach the last verse. Do you remember it? Let's sing it. "You put your whole self in, you put your whole self out..."

I want to talk with you about hokey pokey sacrifice...the sacrificial giving of our whole selves to God for the sake of the ministry God has given to us. We will begin by turning back the pages of the biblical record to King David. David was a king of contrast. He was a shepherd boy and a Goliath killer. He knew victory, and he knew defeat. He was a man after God's own heart, but he had lust in his heart. He was an odd mix...much like us.

In the final chapter of I Chronicles, we find David preparing his son Solomon to take the reigns of power and begin building the temple; the largest building project in Israel's history. It was David's dream and Solomon made that dream come true. The time was right to do it. A Gallup Poll indicated that the Israelites gave David a high approval rating. Personal income was up. The borders were secure. A time of unparalleled opportunity was upon them, and if they were to realize the dream of a place of worship, they would have to act on the opportunity given and make significant sacrifices.

In chapter 29, David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced and the work is great, for the palace won't be for man but for the Lord God." David knew why the temple should be built...not as a monument to David or not to showcase how talented Hebrew architects were. It would be built for the worship of God. A project that called for a tremendous commitment.

Our motivation in inviting each other to make sacrifices for our capital stewardship campaign is not to take pride in a glorious structure we will one day build. Sacrifice makes a statement of our willingness to support our deepest commitments. It makes a powerful statement of our trust in God. Sacrifice is a witness. A white pastor asked a black Baptist pastor how their church could justify a two million dollar renovation located in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. He replied, "You white folks just can't stand to see folks like us cut loose, can you? Our church is going to be our protest that it wasn't God who condemned us to live with this ugliness."

The appropriate motivation for making sacrifice is the worship of God, and the work of the kingdom. I am asking each of us, as we are able, to make a commitment to Elkhart City's future, to help build a building and a body where God is sought, and God is worshipped, and God's abundance meets human need.

David not only dreamed of a new house for God, he also provided the materials to build it...gold, silver, bronze, marble, precious stones, and wood. It was an enormous investment, but David did not stop with this gift. Something more was to come.

The Taos Indians of New Mexico had a custom which says you must offer up to the Great Spirit your finest work...sacrifice it to Him. This may enable you to do even finer work another day. Today in Taos there is an art colony which keeps this tradition. A poet passed through and read one of his poems to a group of admirers. It was good...perhaps the best he had ever written. He then built a fire and burned it. Today, at the conclusion of the Spring Arts Festival there is a painting burning. In the town plaza artists pile canvases of their best work and set it on fire. Writers and composers add their contributions. Onlookers sighed as the canvases were destroyed. One year a sculptor put in an empty box. Said it was a promissory note. "I have yet to do my best piece of art."

Our instinct is to hold on to our best creations and possessions. Mat and frame them. Lock them in a safe. But not David. He had a vision which he supported with his substance. As a discipline of stewardship you regularly and faithfully support Christ's work through the church. But David's sacrifice went even further. In verse three he says, "In addition to all I have promised for the holy house, I have treasure of my own which I give to the house of God." His sacrifice exceeded what was expected. He gave from a reserve which was a hedge during hard times of political turmoil or disaster. He was offering his security. He took a step of faith, and put his whole self in.

At Goshen Hospital I saw a sign with the word "Commitment" in big, bold letters and underneath was this quote: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." David knew he had a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of something great for God. The last great act of David's reign was to give. Most of us are not far from the kingdom. These are the words Jesus spoke about the rich young man who asked Jesus how to gain eternal life. He said he had kept all the commandments. Jesus said, "Good...all you have to do is sell all you have and give it to the poor." But he walked away dejected. He couldn't bring himself to put his whole self in.

St. August once said that "Without God, humans cannot. But without us, God will not." If God's love is to be a blessing in this world it will require our willingness to be involved. When David declared his contribution a wonderful thing happened. David's sacrifice inspired others to sacrifice. They could not match his amount, but they could follow his example. David asked, "Who will offer willingly and consecrate themselves to the Lord?" David's over-and-above giving inspired everyone, and the text says, "They rejoiced for they had offered willingly to the Lord."

David's vision and the investment inspired others...not to give the same sum, but the same desire to build something for God. This is one reason we share stories of sacrifice. The stories we share during this campaign offer insight into how our fellow members discern God's guidance, and inspire us to such an extent that we too want to be a part of what God is doing among us. In the world it is the acquisition of things which motivates others to spend. In the church, the emphasis isn't upon what we spend, but upon what we give.

In the "We Walk by Faith" campaign there have already been tremendous pledges, and in each case the people carefully reflected upon their motivation for giving. In each case it was done in response to the many times and ways God had blessed their lives. I won't be able to match their pledges. Neither will most of you, and that's okay. God doesn't ask us to give what we can't, but what we can. There is no such thing as an insignificant gift.

An aspiring young actor was seeking his first job. He learned that a small drama company was holding auditions. He didn't make the cut, so he begged and pleaded with the director to give him a part anyway. "Okay. Here's what I want you to do. On your cue, you walk onto the stage and shout, 'Hark! Is that a cannon I hear?' after a cannon is fired off stage...got it?" "Yes sir." "Do it well," the director said, "and I'll consider you for the next play." So for the next three days and nights the young actor repeated his line, "Hark! Is that a cannon I hear? Hark! Is that a cannon I hear?" The night of the performance he waited in the wings for his cue all the while whispering to himself, "Hark! Is that a cannon I hear?" His line would launch his career. Then at the cue he walked confidently to the center stage. Then the cannon fired startling the young actor who screamed, "What the heck was that?"

Compared to the parts of the other actors, his little line was next to nothing. But when his time to speak came, it was very important. The success of the production counted on his contribution. We find ourselves at a crucial moment which won't come again...a moment that waits for our response. Not every response will be the same, but every response matters.

Following David's offering and the offerings of all those whom his giving inspired, David led the people in offering God praise and gratitude for what had happened among them. "Blessed are you O God, forever and ever...yours is the greatness, the power, and the glory...all the abundance we have provided for building a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own." The joy they expressed wasn't in anticipation of what God would give them in response. They did not give to get.

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." By the world's living standards, we are wealthy people. Where else but America will you find garage sales to get rid of an accumulation of stuff so you can get even more stuff? But as the children of God we find our lives when we sacrifice our lives. In verse 18 David declares, "We are strangers before you, and sojourners as our fathers were; our days on earth are like a shadow."

He spoke these words at the end of his reign, not as a proud powerful man who was full of himself, but as a humble man. The word "strangers" which David used in Hebrew means "tenants." We are passing through this life. What we have we do not own, nor do we keep. It is on loan. What is not ours to keep, however, is ours to give. In a world like ours which has as its primary goal the continual improvement of one's lifestyle, sacrificial giving is the willingness to alter our lifestyle as an act of dependence on God, and a way of realizing God's purpose for our church.

Picture a hospital conference room in which there is a doctor, two parents, and their 8 year old son, Michael. The doctor is speaking to Michael who listens intently.

"Michael, Stacey is very, very sick and needs your help if she is going to get better. Your sister has a blood type that is extremely rare, and you have the same type as hers. Michael, we would like to borrow some of your blood to give to Stacey. Will you do it?" Michael looks out the window. His bottom lip protrudes and tears fill his eyes. Then with a deep sigh he says, "I'll do it."

Though frightened, he keeps thinking about his sister. He cooperates with each step of the transfusion. When the process was completed they brought him some orange juice and a cookie. The doctor had his back to Michael, who reached up and took the doctor's hand. Then, in a soft but brave voice, Michael asked, "How long before I die?" He had the impression that giving his blood meant giving his life.

For the sake of his sister's recovery, Michael was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. He put his whole self in.

For the sake of glorifying God by building a temple where God's name would be hallowed, King David made a sacrifice beyond what he already committed to God. He put his whole self in.

What about us? Will we put our whole selves in or our whole selves out?

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