Cast your bread upon the waters
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(Eccl 11:1-6 NIV) Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. {2} Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. {3} If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. {4} Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. {5} As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. {6} Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
(Eccl 1-1 NIV) Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
Some years ago we had many raccoons visiting us at our barn where we stored corn. No, it was not one raccoon, there were many raccoons! So we bought a trap, and we caught raccoon after raccoon. We then took them several miles away to the woods and released them. Several weeks later I saw raccoons again in the barn and wouldn't you know I recognized one of them by his distinctive color. So, that night I caught another one and this time I spray painted him with a bright red color on his back. I let him out about six miles from our farm. . .and then some time later I saw him in my barn again.
As with the raccoon we as humans will bring actions upon ourselves in whatever we do (Good or Bad) and it will return in one form or another. The "bread which we will cast, will come back to us.
When I was in Beijing, China in 1998, I was standing in front of a large Hotel in the morning. The city was engulfed in deep smog. People wore white masks or wet handkerchiefs over their mouth to protect their lungs from the polluted air. As I was inhaling the morning air I felt like I was smoking a Pall-Mall without filter. I asked a Chinese friend why Chinese people do not do anything against the pollution and his answer surprised me:
It was then when I was reminded of the saying of King Salomon.
{2} Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. {3} If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.
What portions of our wealth are we willing to give. What possibly would we give up if we treat others as equal. Or better yet: What may we gain if we would treat others as an equal?
Who will forgive us for such damage we allow to happen? Are Chinese humans subservient to us? Why is it that we are able to believe that the bread we cast does not return to us?
There was a huge debate in the State of Ohio this month about interstate gambling and the State of Ohio won! Their argument was simple:
"The new form of lottery will bring over 40 Million Dollars into our State."Let me understand the whole process: The State does not have enough income from taxes so we give people the opportunity (1:14,000,000) to win Millions of Dollars. Where does this money come from?
How did it ever come to this, that we have to gamble to substantiate our life?
When Christianity started, Christians were giving to causes which needed help in society, because our Lord asked to help those who are in need.
Over time we as society have given that responsibility to our government and to worldly institutions. Very few churches maintain homes for children who need parents, very few churches have retirement homes for their elderly, very few churches provide spiritual assistance for those who are substance abusers.
We have shifted our responsibility to the government. . .we have lost touch with the real world. Some churches, I say, only exist to make us feel good on Sundays.
If there is in fact nothing wrong with gambling why don
't we make the offering one big jackpot to be won every week? I would bet that that would attract many people!But Salomon says this:
{4} Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.To gamble is to watch the wind and to look at the clouds.
We as Christians are to take actions, not expect earthly miracles. I earnestly heard a winner in a lottery in Chicago say that he thanked God for the winning of the lottery. Excuse me? Do you believe that God gave you the winning ticket and allows Millions of people to die of starvation every year?
Do you believe that the Lottery will eventually proclaim the Gospel? I don
't think so!We are the church that God has established for us so that WE may proclaim the -Good News-, that we assist others, that we offer our help to others, that we sacrifice and that we volunteer our talents.
No, no! We have responsibilities as we are in Christ. James says that faith without action is dead. What good is it to tell people about salvation, but to trust in the Lottery to make you possibly happy and believe that a winning number may fulfill your lives dream?
Purpose is not found in self made happiness. Purpose is found in living in the moment. We want better for ourselves because we always think of a better time in the future and we forget the very moment we live in. We all know the Beatles' song: "Let it be, Let it be. . . ." Don't seek the riches of this world, be content,. . .let it be!
{6} Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
As we live in the moment we are to plant our seed. Our seed maybe the seed of hope, the seed of compassion, the seed of love, of understanding, of giving or whatever.
Don
't ever stop! Don't stop giving to the Heifer Project, to the local Food-Bank, to your church. . .Salomon says to give.Don
't give to the lottery!Remember how I started my sermon?
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. When we give toward the worthy causes within our church goodness will find us again. Happiness will find us! For the last three weeks I have intensively counseled three individuals inside this congregation because they are depressed about life and all that comes with it. I wish there would be a Christian place where I could send them and where they could receive Christian clinical help. But there is not! So the clinical way are anti-depressant, the best thing we can offer as society.Wait until the bread returns to us. Wait until we need goodness and hope in our life. {3} If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. The polluted cloud from Beijing will reach us one day. . .and we will feel it. . .
Let us be prepared! Let us give freely. Let us change lives, let us give hope, let us be there for those who need us.
In our recent board meeting we found out that we fall short about $400.00 per week. At an attendance of 80 people that is about 5.00 per attendee. Not much. . .just the worth of "a lottery ticket."
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