Generous Collection

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

We know that letters were sent back and forth between Paul and the churches because some of the letters we have from Paul are his responses to their correspondence. We have no copies of those letters to Paul, but we can make assumptions of their content based on what Paul wrote. We have no way of knowing, but perhaps several people from a congregation wrote letters to Paul.

Paul’s letters would have been read aloud in the worship gatherings. They would have been studied for lessons to learn about Jesus and about living a life of faith. Paul’s letters offer encouragement to remain faithful to his understanding of what Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection meant. His letters stress the importance of not believing different interpretations. They call for repentance when the believers’ practices have been unfair to some of the believers. Paul’s letters also demonstrate a strong bond between himself and certain named individuals, like Priscilla and Aquila, Junia, and Clement.  

I imagine how some people might have responded to what we know as Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth. Since Paul had lively, respectful relationships with women as well as men, this letter is from a woman named Mary.

Mary, blessed by Christ Jesus, a member of the community of believers in Corinth,

To the Apostle Paul, called to share the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ,

grace and peace to you.

Your letter to us has been read many times, and I am so grateful for the message it brings. I am bold enough to write because of your encouragement to all of us to use the gifts God has given us for the common good. I believe God has given me the gift of caring deeply for others and I have committed myself to using that gift as well as I can, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

You know my history and how you rescued me from a life of using other people to make money for myself. You assured me that there was forgiveness and peace in believing in Christ, and I have found that to be true. I am so grateful for this new life of faith that I have given up my old ways altogether. I love being able to share the fortune that I earned in my former life with people in real need.

I have told many of my friends about Christ Jesus and they have also come to believe in him. The knowledge that God loves them and forgives them has given them a new life. They are able to endure much hardship because of their faith.

Unfortunately, many believers in Jesus have been forced out of their families – who still believe in the Roman gods – and are now homeless. I have opened my home to offer them shelter and a place at my table. They do not go hungry here. I cannot give a home to everyone, but I am so thankful to be able to share what I have. I have learned what a blessing it is to be generous.

I am reminded of your request for a collection for the people of Jerusalem. The collection is to help people in circumstances similar to what we are experiencing, only in larger scale; hundreds of believers driven from their homes and their jobs and their families, all because they have faith in Jesus, the Son of God.

The believers living in my household agree that we should make a generous donation to them. We have all shared as much as we can, and more than most of us can really afford. We share with joy and thanksgiving what we know God has first given us. It is not ours to keep, but ours to share with those in need.

Added to the gifts from the other believers here in Corinth, there will be a large sum from us for you to carry to the believers in Jerusalem. In addition to these gifts, we hold the people in Jerusalem in our prayers both night and day. We pray for their comfort, their safety, and that they may remain faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ.  

We also pray daily for you, giving thanks for you and Titus and Sosthenes for the blessings you have given us in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Greet them for us, and greet our sisters and brothers in Macedonia and elsewhere as you travel and share the good news with all who will listen.

May God keep you safe and in peace.