Divine Spending

The Rev. Joseph Winston

February 17, 2008

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
From all around the country, the financial news has been very depressing. Con-
sider what has been happening in the world of finance. Major lending institutions
are loosing billions of dollars on bad loans. For example, Citigroup will write off
24 billion dollars of losses sustained in 2007, Merrill Lynch is estimating that its
value declined in 2007 by 14.1 billion, and UBS tells us that it lost 11.45 billion
in the last quarter of 2007.
The American automakers are not doing any better. General Motors lost 38.2
billion dollars last year because their cars did not sell. Ford’s failure to entice
buyers into their dealers means that they lost 2.7 billion in the same period. Not
to be outdone, Daimler the former parent company of Chrysler paid 650 million
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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dollars to unload the company.
The housing industry is feeling the same pain. On Friday morning, the New
York Times reported that home prices in almost half of the metropolitan markets
are falling. Current trends show that in and around Sacramento California, there
are almost as many house purchases as housing foreclosures. About 120 miles
away in the heart of the high tech industry, home sales have hit a twenty year low.
With all of this bad news all around us, it seems that some good solid fiscal
advice is needed. Someone needs to step up and tell us exactly what we need to
do so that we break out of the economic downturn that we find ourselves in.
Well here it is: “Do you know how to make a small fortune? . . . Take a large
fortune and spend it!”
Although the idea of expending every cent we have might be humorous at first
sight, this idea of giving up everything is at the heart of today’s Gospel lesson.
Listen once again to the words of the narrator:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that every-
one who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. In-
deed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (Matthew
3:16-17)

These two short sentences provides us with six key insights into the way that
God gives of Himself so that we might have life and live it fully.
In the three hundred and twenty one years since Sir Isaac Newton gave us the
law that for every action there is an equal an opposite reaction, we have come

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to expect that the entire universe works in the same manner. If I push God hard
enough then He will move just like if I push this pew with enough force then it
will slide across the room. The Word in today’s Gospel lesson tells us to forget all
the laws of mechanics and gravity that Newton has taught us. God does not work
in this manner. God did not wait for a critical mass of prayers asking for a Savior
to arrive at Heaven’s gates. Without a single plea for help, the Father sent His only
Son into the world to save us. This is but the first example of how God freely gives
of Himself for you and I.
Now God the Father has many different heavenly beings at His disposal. There
are some angels who call out day and night “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God
Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8) Other angels are
given to watch over us (Psalm 91:11) and to bring us messages from God. Above
the angels are archangels that do the Lord’s bidding (Jude 1:9; I Thessalonians
4:16). Even closer to God are the watchers and the holy ones (watchers: Daniel
4:13; 4:17; 4:23. holy ones: Deuteronomy 33:2; Job 5:1; 15:15; Psalms 89:6; 89:8;
Daniel 4:17; Zechariah 14:5.) who form a key part of God’s decision making
(Psalms 89:8). And then there is the company of saints that cry out to God, “How
long?” (Revelation 6:10). God the Father could have sent anyone of these creatures
or saints to handle all the messy little details of our salvation. The Father instead
sent the closest One of all: His Son.
The solution to the problems of the world that God describes in John 3:16 and
17 is breathtaking in its scope. The Son of God comes to save everyone. Not only
does Jesus pay the debt that you and I owe but He also does the exact same thing

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for every human that has ever lived and for all that will come after us. He makes
no distinction based on race, color, or creed. Jesus has come for all. This is the
third way that God shows how much we are loved.
The completeness of the answer given by Jesus to our situation here on earth
is the next example of God’s self sacrifice because it is completely feasible that
Jesus would have provided us with only a few steps on the way to life. He could
have pointed out, “That is the road that brings life. Go for it.” He might have
even brought us to the start of the path. It is even conceivable that He would limit
Himself to a few instructions on how life should be lived. Jesus did none of these
things. He rather took everything needed for our salvation upon Himself. This gift
to each of us gives us the freedom to live as God intended.
It might surprise many people when they hear the fifth gift that God freely
hands out to all. Jesus does not come as a judge who decides which individuals
are saved from eternal death and those who deserve death. This statement is com-
pletely true because what we heard in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus comes to save.
God has given us the ability to preside over our own case. We can reject Jesus and
in doing so, seal our sentence (John 8:15; 12:47-48).
In our day and age, we have become increasingly aware of the inner depen-
dency of creation. We need bees to fertilize fruits. Ants are required to aerate the
soil. Countless numbers of microorganisms are necessary for the world’s survival.
In addition to all of these creatures are parts of creation that make life worth liv-
ing. Animals serve in this role for some individuals. There are some people who
cannot image life without their horse, cat, or dog. Other people love the land with

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all of its beauty. The Gospel lesson for today affirms that the natural goodness
found in the entire world will continue to exist because Jesus has come to save
creation also.
Despite all of these specific examples found inside of John 3:16 and 17, which
give us insight into the depth of God’s self spending so that the world might live
a full life, there are many people who do not believe that God will do whatever
it takes to save all of creation. On average, eight out of ten people who live in
this community think this way.2 For whatever reason, they have decided not to
associate themselves with God and His saving ways.
This level of rejection of Jesus and His message of life for all does not stop
God from trying time and time again to reach into every corner of creation with
the words, “I love you.” Trinity Lutheran is here for this specific reason. We have
been sent by God to bring the unbelievable news that God loves you so much that
God is willing to do anything necessary for your eternal survival.
During Lent, this story is especially apparent. Jesus has set out for Jerusalem.
There He will suffer and die. As He travels the road to the cross, He continues
to heal those in need and to bring the message that God accepts you. When He
finally arrives, in Jerusalem, He will be arrested, tried, tortured, and put to death.
He keeps giving Himself because He will do whatever it takes to give you true
life.
The sorry state of our economy has caused the current administration to call
2
C. Kirk Hadaway and Penny Long Marler, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion,
September, 2005.

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for an economic stimulation package. The idea behind this program is spending.
Put a few dollars in people’s pockets and hope that they use this money to either
purchase something or to pay off some expenses.
The idea of buying your way out of an economic downturn might make some
fiscal sense in today’s world but it pales in comparison to God’s foolishness. God
gives everything away so that you might live as God intended.
We at Trinity Lutheran have been closely following the folly of God. Even
when it was clear that our fortunes had changed for the worse, you continued
to support pastor after pastor. You hoped that our neighbors would notice your
faithful witness to the God who sacrifices everything for others and they would
want to learn more about the God who dies so that others may live.
It appears that we are headed down the same path as Jesus. As a church, we
have given everything that we have so that others might live. The only thing that
we have left is our lives. This too is required of us. We have been called to die on
the cross. No, it will not be on a hill named Calvary. Rather it will occur in places
all around us with names like Dayton, Moss Hill, and Liberty.
This death of Trinity Lutheran will not be in vain. Somehow, somewhere, a
resurrection will occur because of the God who brings life out of death.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”3

3
Philippians 4:7.