November 23, 2025

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon Title: “Be Generous”

Jesse and I have been blessed to have the opportunity to travel to England 3 times. If you had told me 10 years ago, we’d go to England 3 times, I wouldn’t have believed you. But life has a way of surprising us sometimes. The first time we went was before kids, the second time was with the kids, and the last time we left the kids at home because it was a Bishop’s Wesleyan Pilgrimage Tour. While all 3 trips were different, all 3 times we saw Buckingham Palace.

We’ve never been inside, but we’ve stood outside the gates and seen the Changing of the Guards. The first time we went, Queen Elizabeth II was still queen, the last two times we went, King Charles was king. We did not see them though.

As an American, it has always been a little bit hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea of a monarchy. I’m used to the idea if you don’t like the president, you can always vote them out in a few years. And even if the person you didn’t want wins the presidency, they can only serve 2 terms.

The idea of someone ruling simply because of what family they are born into is hard for many of us to digest. Granted, I know in the UK the monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, with the King being more of a symbol than anything else. They still have Parliament.

While most of us have probably been focused on Thanksgiving coming up, figuring out traveling plans, and what all we’re going to cook, today in the church is known as Christ the King Sunday.

It’s the last Sunday before Advent begins. Can you believe next week is the First Sunday of Advent?

Christ the King Sunday began under Pope Pius XI in 1925 to “remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy, which was claimed by Benito Musselini.” (allsaintspas.org)

Think about what was going on in the world in 1925. WW1 was over, but there were rising tensions in the world. Mussolini had come to power in Italy in 1922. Dictatorships were rising around the world.

The pope at the time was declaring a day to remember that the only King is Christ.

In our world of political turmoil, disunity, scandals, and war, perhaps we too need to be reminded that only Christ is King. Our king is not a politician, or a sports star, or celebrity. Our King is Jesus.

Now I know some of you are thinking, but aren’t we wrapping up our Stewardship Series today? I’ve brought my pledge card. Why are we talking about Christ the King?

Don’t worry, I promise this all ties together.

In the UK, since it’s a constitutional monarchy, King Charles is really a symbolic king. He doesn’t really rule the country. The Prime Minister and Parliament do.

The question many of us as Christians need to ask ourselves, “Is Christ only our King symbolically, or is Christ truly the ruler of our lives?” Do we say Christ is King, but not live as if he is king? Is he the king and ruler over all aspects of our lives? Even our finances?

As followers of Jesus Christ, when we declare that Christ is our King, or Christ is our Lord, we are saying Christ is the ruler of all things in our life. And that includes our finances. If Jesus is King over all things, if Jesus is Lord of your life, then that includes your finances as well.

So often we want to compartmentalize our lives. This is the spiritual part of my life. This is the work part of my life. This is the family part of my life. This is the financial part of my life. We try to separate these parts of our lives.

But the truth is, all these various parts of our lives are interconnected. Our finances are part of our spiritual lives. The way we choose to spend our money is part of our spiritual life. Because it reveals what we value. The way we choose to spend our money shows us who our king is and who we truly worship.

So far in our Stewardship Series we’ve heard from Jesus telling us not to worry and to seek first the Kingdom of God. Then last week we heard how in the Early Church, the followers of Jesus shared everything and there was no needy person among them.

Today we’re looking at the second letter to the Corinthians to see what the Apostle Paul has to teach us about generosity.

Paul writes these words to the Corinthians, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

Like Jesus when he talked about caring for the birds of the air and the flowers, Paul also is using agrarian language. Remember, good preachers use stories and images that connect with people. And this is no different. Their world was not like our world filled with technology. But a world filled with harvesting crops.

And so it makes sense to use this image of sowing and reaping. If you plant little, when it is time for the harvest, there won’t be as much as if you had planted a lot. And so, Paul is making this comparison with generosity as well.

Then I love that Paul says we should give not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We’ve been talking about pledge cards. So far 28 have been turned in. I’m hoping more of you turn them in today. And if you forgot it or weren’t ready to turn it in yet, you can still turn it in next week. It’s not like a school assignment; you don’t lose credit if you turn it in late.

We truly appreciate you turning these pledge cards in because it truly helps us to make the most accurate budget for the following year.

But as you are filling out your pledge card, I hope you aren’t filling it out reluctantly, or out of compulsion. I hope you are filling it out cheerfully, with excitement for how this money will be used in the Kingdom of God, so that others may come to experience Christ as their King and Lord as well.

Now I know you are all still getting to know me, but one thing you might not realize about me is I can be pretty cheap. I hate spending money. I rarely shop for new clothes and most of the clothes I do have are hand-me-downs from my sister who is a shopper. I’m definitely the saver in our house. I am not a shopper.

And I don’t know why it seems that this is a law of the universe that savers don’t seem to marry other savers. I think most marriages there is a saver and a spender. Do my other married couples agree? And in our marriage, I’m the saver and Jesse is the spender.

And it seems like Finance Committees in the Church experience this same law as well. I have always found that they are made up of both savers and spenders as well. And sometimes we don’t know how to work together. But both savers and spenders are needed in the Kingdom of God. It’s a balance.

But I have to say, I’m thankful for my husband who can be a spender, because he reminds me it’s ok sometimes to spend money. On our Seattle Vacation this Summer he snuck off and bought me a t-shirt as a souvenir because he knows I’m especially bad at spending any money on myself.

I know firsthand, it can be easy to be grumpy when seeing how much you are spending on life expenses. But I hope, even if you are not a spender, you don’t feel grumpy as you fill out your Pledge Card. I hope you experience joy and excitement about how you are giving to the Kingdom of God.

Because the truth is, as much as I can be cheap, or frugal as I like to say, I am not cheap when it comes to giving to God. I feel cheerful and excited to give to what God is doing through Tomoka UMC. And I’m excited because I truly believe my gift is making a difference in our community.

As you fill out your pledge card, or think about filling out your pledge card, or even if you have already filled it out, I want you to picture the good things your money is going toward. I want you to picture your favorite worship service of the year. Maybe it’s the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Maybe its children waving palms on Palm Sunday. Maybe it’s Easter Sunday. Maybe it’s All-Saints Day. Picture your favorite worship service.

As you fill out your pledge card, I want you to picture your favorite ministry you’re involved in. Maybe it’s playing in the Bell Choir. Maybe its singing in the Choir. Maybe its attending Disciple Bible Study. Maybe it’s Dinner Church. Maybe its Wednesday Morning Bible Study. Maybe it’s stretch class. Maybe its United Women in Faith or United Methodist Men. Maybe it’s helping with Trunk or Treat or teaching Sunday School. Picture your favorite ministry.

As you fill out your pledge card, I want you to picture your favorite mission. Maybe it’s serving a meal at Palmetto House. Maybe it’s seeing a family get moved from homelessness into Family Renew. Maybe it’s hearing how our Cuba Church is doing or going on a Mission Trip to Cuba. Maybe it’s working at the Holiday Shop at Tomoka Elementary School. Picture your favorite mission.

As you fill out your pledge card, may you do so joyfully, and cheerfully, picturing the wonderful things our church is doing in our community. We all have our personal reasons why we have made Tomoka UMC our church home. We all have our favorite aspects about this church. And so as we give, as we fill out our pledge cards, may we not give out of compulsion or give reluctantly, but may we give out of absolute joy, knowing that we are giving to Christ our King, to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I’m sure you all are making your plans and figuring out what you are cooking. We aren’t hosting, we’re traveling to Jesse’s brother’s home. But we’re bringing some food with us. I’m planning on making pecan pies. And Jesse is working on some sort of chutney and maybe a broccoli casserole.

I know we all have our favorite recipes, and our favorite dishes to eat. As amazing as the food is, the truth is Thanksgiving is truly about the people we spend it with. While Thanksgiving is not specifically a Christian Holiday, there is something very Christian about living a life of thanks and gratitude, recognizing that all that we have is a gift from God.

I know it’s a little cheesy, but I always love going around the table and sharing what we are thankful for. For most of us, I’d guess it’s our families and our health.

Now I know Christ the King Sunday, Stewardship, and Thanksgiving might all sound like three distinct topics. But the truth is, just like the various parts of our lives are interconnected, these are all interconnected as well.

When we declare Christ is our King, we can’t help but declare Christ the King even of our finances. We want to give to the Kingdom of God, to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. And when we are grateful and thankful that the King of the Universe has poured out blessings on us, we can’t help but want to give and be generous.

You see, a generous life flows of out a life of gratitude. When we are thankful and grateful for all that God has done in our lives, it is easier to be generous. This is because we realize that all we have is a gift from God. Thanksgiving, Stewardship, and Christ the King Sunday truly go hand in hand.

I have one last thing to say about the pledge cards. I think sometimes people don’t fill them out for two reasons. 1) They think that they aren’t giving enough, so their gift isn’t worthy of being written down. This is not true at all. Even if you plan on giving $5 per week, that gift is not too small. That gift is no less worthy. And God can use that gift in amazing ways for the Kingdom of God. So please write your pledge down, and turn it in, because it truly does help to give us an accurate picture of our budget for 2026.

And the 2nd reason I think people don’t turn in a pledge card is because they’re a little afraid of commitment. They don’t want to commit and then life happens, and due to illness or a job loss, they can no longer give. If you need to change your pledge during the year because of life circumstances, that is perfectly fine. There is no judgement. Just tell Lois Ann you’d like to adjust your pledge. And that is true if you want to increase your pledge as well. Do not let these worries stop you from filling out a Pledge Card.

So be thankful, be generous, and be amazed at how Christ our King can use all our gifts, no matter the size, in amazing ways for the Kingdom of God.

Amen