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April 28, 2020 - Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional

April 28, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“No Guilty Dollars”

Larry the Sad Boy, one of the inhabitants of Garrison Keillor’s “Lake Wobegon” was saved 12 times in the Lutheran church, an all-time record. Keillor describes the scene this way. “Between 1953 and 1961, he threw himself weeping and contrite on God’s throne of grace on 12 separate occasions, --- and this in a Lutheran church that wasn’t evangelical, had no altar call, no organist playing “Just as I Am Without One Plea” while a choir hummed and a guy with shiny hair took hold of your heartstrings and played you like a cheap guitar —this is the Lutheran Church—not a bunch of hillbillies. These are Scandinavians and they repent in the same way that they sin: discreetly, tastefully, at the proper time, and bring a Jello salad for afterward. Larry Sorensen came forward weeping buckets and crumpled up at the communion rail, to the amazement of the minister, who had delivered a dry sermon on stewardship, and who now had to put his arm around this limp, soggy individual and pray with him and see if he had a ride home. Twelve times … Granted, we’re born in original sin and are worthless and vile, but 12 conversions are too many. God didn’t mean us to feel guilt all our lives. There comes a point when you should dry your tears and join the building committee and start grappling with the problems of the church furnace and church roof and make church coffee and be of use, but Larry kept on repenting and repenting. He came up for Christmas and got drunk and knocked over the Christmas tree. That was before 2:00 pm. He spent the next eight hours apologizing for it, and the penance was worse than the crime.”

Okay, now I will come clean and admit to you that this is a devotion on stewardship. Pretty sneaky, don’t you think? I have to say that I wouldn’t mind any of you weeping and running forward after one of my sermons, — especially if you bring your offering with you. In the meantime, we are asking you to continue to give, even as we worship remotely from each other, and engage in social distancing, along with all of the other requirements. It’s interesting to me that some church people see Jesus Christ as a “remote” figure, with whom some day they are going to have a very uncomfortable rendezvous when he pulls out their giving records and says, “Are you kidding me?” Of course, we pastors aren’t above playing on your insecurities to get you to give a few more dollars to the church.

Friends, God does not want your guilty dollars. God is not interested in your fearful dollars. The Apostle Paul says in II Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God wants you to give to him in the same spirit as a young man who goes down to the jewelry store grinning from ear to ear and empties out his bank account to buy a diamond ring for the woman he loves, -- and he feels like the luckiest person in the whole world to have this magnificent person in his life to give it to. Let’s give to God with our hearts overflowing with love. Let’s engage in true Christian giving, and please, no guilty dollars!