What Can I Give Him: Give Him Your Heart

Hello Friends,

Well, we are halfway through the first month of 2025…that is hard to believe. Didn’t we just celebrate Christmas? Didn’t we just welcome in the New Year? For many of you, you just went back to school last week after two weeks off and then another week off due to unsafe weather conditions. This year has certainly been put into high gear. However, I hope you are doing well, staying warm, and staying safe, and enjoying 2025. The weather is going to get chilly soon and I have heard reports of illnesses making landfall in our “neck of the woods.”

This past week, I was thinking about the act of giving. Have you ever given anyone anything? Has anyone given you anything? Were you given any presents for Christmas? Did you give presents this Christmas? Has anyone ever given you a hug, given you help, given you words of advice, or even given you a reason to smile and laugh? Throughout our life, we give a lot, and people give us a lot in return (although we shouldn’t expect anything in return for our giving).

Here Oblong, once a month, the local Food Pantry gives out food to those who are hungry and in need of food. Each person that comes to the Food Pantry receives a box of food. And the food that the Food Pantry gives out comes from people donating either food or money. You see, because people give to the Food Pantry the Food Pantry in turn can give to the people. Have you ever given anyone anything? Did you know that every Sunday, the people in the church are encouraged to give of their time, the gifts, and their talents? Also, they are encouraged to give what we call an offering. Have you ever heard of the word offering? It’s a fancy word meaning “money”.

Every week we take an offering during the worship service. As you know, the ushers walk up and down the aisles (and sometimes pass the offering plate down each and every row). People place their offerings to God in the plate. When they have finished passing the offering plate, it may contain a twenty dollar bill, a ten dollar bill, a five dollar bill, and a few one dollar bills. Sometimes, down in the bottom of the plate there are even some coins, even some pennies.

Thinking about what could be placed in the offering plate, some kids ask the question, “Who gave the most?” Was it the person who put in the twenty dollar bill? The ten? The five? We can be sure it wasn’t the one who put in the pennies, can’t we? Well, maybe we shouldn’t be concerned with the amount and who gave what. Maybe we should concerned with the heart that gave. Let me explain…

One day, Jesus went to the synagogue. He sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the people as they put their money in the treasury. Many of them were very rich and put in large sums of money. A poor widow came by and put in two small copper coins which were worth a penny. Jesus called is disciples to him and said to them, “This poor widow has put in more than all those who are giving to the treasury. They gave out of their wealth, but she gave all that she had.” (Mark 12:43-44)

I heard a story about a little boy who went into a church one Sunday morning to get out of the cold. He had been trying to sell newspapers, but not a single customer had passed by. He entered the church, hoping to pass an hour unnoticed on the back row. The preacher delivered a powerful sermon about Jesus and his love for us. At the end of the service, they took an offering.

The ushers went from row to row until, finally, one came near to the little newspaper boy. He stopped right in front of the little boy and held out the offering plate. The boy stared at the offering plate, and after a long pause, he asked the usher to place the offering plate on the floor. Then the little boy did something very unusual. He stepped into the offering plate — first one foot and then the other. He slowly looked up with tears streaming down his cheeks and said, “Mister, I don’t have any money; I haven’t sold a single newspaper today, but if Jesus did all that the preacher said he did just for me, I will gladly give my life to Him.”

How about this story: Although recorded in 1951, this popular Christmas song was written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, who when asked about her inspiration for the song said, “[One day], when I was trying to take a nap, I was obsessed with this song that came into my head and it was supposed to have been inspired by a French song, “Patapan.” And then, ‘patapan’ translated in my minid to ‘pa-rum-pum-pum’, and it took on a rhythm.” The song that Davis drummed up in her mind was originally titled “Carol of the Drum.” Today, the song is better known as “The Little Drummer Boy.” In the lyrics, the singer relates how, as a poor young boy, he was summoned by the Magi to the Nativity of Jesus. Without a gift for the Infant, the little drummer boy played his drum with approval from Jesus’ mother, Mary. The little drummer boy recalls, “I played my best for him” and “He smiled at me.”

God wants us to give him our all–our hands, our feet, our voices, our silver and our gold. He even wants us to play our best for him. Most importantly, he wants us to give him our heart–the very place where he lives. Do you remember those two pennies in the offering plate given by the widow? Maybe they were the greatest gift given after all because she gave from her heart. Through those two pennies she played her best for Jesus. What are you willing to give to Jesus?

Let’s Pray: Dear Father, like the widow, we desire to give all that we have to you. For all that we have comes from you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Your Friend, Holy Spirit!

Lesson adapted from https://sermons4kids.com/sermons/giving-our-all

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