Text: 2 Corinthians 9:1-9

Our focus is identity so let me start by asking the question, “Who do you look like?”  I’m not the only one asking this question. In January, Facebook sponsored a celebrity look alike week with the following announcement.  “It's Doppelgänger week on Facebook; change your profile picture to someone famous (actor, musician, athlete, etc.) you have been told you look like. After you update your profile with your twin or switched at birth photo then cut/paste this to your status.” Doppelgänger is a German word meaning, double or look alike.

Who do you look like?   Twenty years ago, I called on a family in their home, asking them to join the church.  They said, “Do you know you look like William Hurt?”  “No, I don’t and I don’t,” I said.  When Rick Warren was on the cover of Time, some of you said, “You look like Rick Warren.”  Two weeks ago, a new member pointed out her stepfather and said, “There’s your twin.” Most of the time people think Ryan and I look alike which is more believable to me. We even wear similar clothes. The more I age, the more I think I’m emerging into the spitting image of my grandfather. 

Who do you look like?  It’s another way of asking the question, “What defines you?” or the question that we’ve asked from the beginning of this sermon series titled 25/2. “Who or what defines you?” 

If you’ve just dropped into the series, we have been focusing on the definition or identity of both our congregation and ourselves, so we aren’t just asking the question “Who do you look like?” We are also asking the question, “Who do we look like?” It is something of an anniversary celebration. On April 25th we celebrated 25 years growing and serving northeast Indianapolis. We’ve grown from 6 families to over 700 families. We’ve grown from no facilities to two outstanding facilities. We serve one another through an extensive prayer and care network, we have a significant presence in our community through outreach ministries serving both Marion and Hamilton County, and we are a leader in mission work through the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.) Like the first century church in Corinth, it could be said that we “excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love… (2 Corinthian 8: 7a) and just like Paul’s challenge to that church, “(—so,) we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.” (2 Corinthians 8: 7b).

The generous undertaking for the Corinthians is an offering for something called “the ministry of the saints.” The apostle Paul served the church in many ways. He planted many churches; he developed much of the theology of the church through his writings and he was a fundraiser. He is soliciting funds for the disciples and the mother church in Jerusalem who are in severe economic stress and for some reason, the Corinthian church, probably the wealthiest church of the first century, doesn’t respond well at all.

We learn about their stinginess in the 8th chapter of 2nd Corinthians. Paul tries to motivate them to do their fair share. First, he suggests that the reason the Macedonians responded was their growing relationship with Jesus, “…they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us.”  (2 Corinthians 8: 5b).  Despite their “severe ordeal of affliction….and extreme poverty (they) have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2 Corinthians 8: 2).  Growing Christian are generous Christians.

Then, Paul suggests that the Corinthians followed the example of Jesus, and become servants.  Jesus “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). That is, Jesus was wealthy, sitting at the right hand of God. He “but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness” (Philippians 2: 5).  Paul is calling them to be like Jesus, to be a servant. Serving Christians are giving Christians.

Paul is saying, act like “Macedonians, grow closer to Jesus and be like Jesus, serve. Do these two things and you will “excel also in this generous undertaking.” (2 Corinthians 8: 7c).

It makes sense because they had previously promised to support the offering.  Because they pledged their support, Paul thought that motivating them with the Macedonians and the example of Jesus was sufficient. Evidently it wasn’t, because Paul has to speak to them about the offering again, which he does in the 9th chapter.  While we read it as a continuation of the previous chapter, many scholars are convinced that chapter nine is actually from a different letter, inserted into 2nd Corinthians at this point because it too is about the  ministry of the saints. It would be similar to inserting a page from last week’s sermon into this week’s sermon. Depending on which page you select, it might fit pretty easily because it is a sermon series. You’ll probably agree with the scholars when you listen to the way the ninth chapter begins. Paul writes:  “Now it is not necessary for me to write you about the ministry to the saints….” (2 Corinthians 9:1a).  In the last chapter it was clear that it was very necessary.  “… for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia…that sounds like the Macedonians  haven’t taken up their offering yet…saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them.” (2 Corinthians 9:1-2) He’s been bragging about the Corinthians to motivate the Macedonians. He’s said, “They have promised to be all over this offering and you know how they excel in everything, they are going to excel in this generous undertaking.”   I think this 9th chapter was actually a letter written before the 8th chapter.

But somehow, Paul heard that they aren’t interested in giving any longer. What is emerging is an embarrassing situation and Paul points it out to them. He urges them to collect the “bountiful gift that they have promised” “otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking” (2 Corinthians 9:4).  Humiliated---another version says ashamed. Still another says embarrassed about the way they look. There we are again. It’s about who you look like.

Do you see what is emerging here? The Corinthians don’t want to give and they don’t look good. What we have here are grumpy givers. This is the place in the Bible where we learn that “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7b) and clearly they aren’t cheerful. In fact, they are stingy, like someone trying to grow grass with just a little seed.  Paul points this out to them saying: “…the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9: 6).

Do you get the picture? Paul’s very embarrassed about the way they will look.  When it comes to their identity, what is emerging is the picture of grumpy, stingy givers who resent being asked. Paul even uses the word extortion. What will make this embarrassment really bad is Paul’s been bragging about them saying, “These are really wonderful people who are committed followers of Christ. They’ve promised to give and they’ve got a lot to give. You should see where they live, the wealth that they have.  God has provided them with “blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything” (2 Corinthians 9: 8).  This is the picture Paul paints to the Macedonians and if they arrive and find out that the Corinthians haven’t even taken up the offering, let alone supported it generously, he and the Corinthians will be humiliated. They are going to be ashamed. They are going to be embarrassed because they know the Macedonians will think, “You don’t look anything like Paul described you and you certainly don’t look like Jesus.”

 Our video at the beginning of this sermon says, “Ask yourself this one question. This past hour, day, week, month, year have you looked more Christ-like?” The Corinthians would have to say no. We don’t look like Jesus.  But what about you? What’s emerging from you? Are you looking more like Jesus?

Years ago, someone said in a Bible study, “Randy, I don’t want to look like Jesus---he’s scary looking.” I said, “What you mean Jesus is scary looking?” He’s got scary, penetrating eyes that used to stare down on me when we had dinner at my grandparent’s house.” I knew he was talking about Warner Sallman’s “Head of Christ”, one of the most famous, mass produced paintings of the 1940’s and 50’s, with over 500 million printed. I always thought he was staring off the distance but I agree, I don’t want to look like him. Someone else in the Bible study said, “I always thought Jesus looked like a bearded lady, like in that picture where Jesus is knocking on a door.” I knew that one too. It’s the William Holman Hunt’s image of Jesus titled, “The Light of World.” You can find it now in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London but at the turn of the twentieth century, it toured all over the world. But I don’t think it looks like Jesus is wearing a dress.

Here’s a problem. I think too often people think that they are to worship Jesus. That may be why you think you are here. The truth is, you are not to just worship God, you are to follow Jesus, to look more and more like Jesus every day, to have your likeness, your identity, slowly and surely emerge into the very image of Jesus. In Romans, Paul puts it this way, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. (Romans 8:29) We are to look like Jesus, bear such a distinct resemblance that people mistake you as family.  “It is God’s unambiguous aim to make us to be more like his Son. In fact, this is our eternal destiny: ‘to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.’ It is fundamental to God’s plan and purposes for this world to create this worldwide conspiracy of little Jesuses all over the place.[1]  It’s not old McDonald had a farm. It is our Loving God has a world and here’s a Jesus, there’s a Jesus, every where a little Jesus. Who do you look like? Your dad? Your mom? Jesus? What identity is emerging from you?

Geist Christian Church is an emerging congregation. We are an emerging community in our ministry of creating “little Jesuses” We aren’t trying to build a big church; we are trying to build big people. In many ways, it is our solitary purpose. It is what we do all day, every day. We do it with our prayer ministries. We do it in our Weekday Ministries and in our youth and children’s activities. We do it every time someone visits the hospital, takes a meal to a family, leads worship at the prison, or serves in one of our outreach opportunities. We do it when we gather to worship. We build – not just buildings, but people.

One way of understanding our mission is to ask yourself: what would the world be like if this place didn’t exist? I think the answer is that if we did not exist, many people’s lives would go untouched. Many hearts would not be called to Jesus. Many people would go through crisis without being upheld in prayer. Who do we look like? In our best moments, we look like Jesus – the one whose entire life embodied generosity.

This week, many of you received packets for our capital campaign titled, 25/2. More than a few of you have asked “what are we building?” We are building hearts. We are building minds. We are building souls. Others of you have asked, “What should I give?” the answer comes from Paul: “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind.”  (2 Corinthians 9:7a). 

Geist Christian Church is a wonderful, faithful community, becoming more and more a conspiracy of “little Jesuses” with a heart for God and a heart for people. We excel in many things;  I pray we’ll excel in this generous undertaking.