Paying It Forward

A few years ago, a movie entitled “Pay It Forward” became an overnight sensation. Its plot is actually pretty simple: A 12-year-old schoolboy in Las Vegas, named Trevor, is given a class project to complete by his social studies teacher. His task is to come up with a plan that will change the world through direct action. On his way home from school later that day, Trevor notices a homeless man and decides to make a difference in Jerry’s life. Trevor then comes up with the plan to “pay it forward” by doing a good deed for three people who must in turn each do good deeds for three other people, creating a charitable pyramid scheme, if you will. Trevor’s plan is to help Jerry by feeding and housing him so he can “get on his feet.” Of course, there are many twists and turns in some intriguing relationships in the movie in order for this to happen. The catchphrase in that movie was, “Why pay back when you can pay forward?”

And so, the expression “pay it forward” is now used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead. More specifically, the creditor offers the debtor the option of “paying” the debt forward by lending it to a third person instead of paying it back to the original creditor.

That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? Because it’s true that in our common practice, we instinctively want to repay someone’s kind deeds, but why not paying it forward — to do something with a sense of delayed gratification — something that we may not see the result right away, but we know somehow down the road God is going to bless that kind deed, that special giving that you have intentionally set aside for the future of the church!

In John 21, we see a similar scenario: After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias and cooked them breakfast. After which, Jesus asked Peter three times — not once, not twice, but three times — “Do you love me more than these?” Could this be a coincidence because Peter had denied Jesus three times after Jesus’ arrest? Here Peter gave the same answer each time: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you?

Right there and then, I’m sure Peter wished he could have done something more to prove to Jesus how truly sorry he was in denying him, except in this case Jesus didn’t want or need anything done for him from Peter. Instead, he said to Peter, “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.” Maybe this was Jesus’ way of saying to Peter to “pay it forward.”

In the same way, maybe our way of paying back all the goodness, all the blessings that we have received, is to pay it forward so that somehow, we can assure our future generations would have a place to worship and a ministry to our community.

In the context of Riverside, as we sit in our comfortable, air conditioned, stained-glass sanctuary, situated beautifully between the Banana River and the Atlantic, I can’t even begin to entertain the thought for a moment that this is all a result of accident or chance — that somehow something just happened to come together in the last 70 years — but that this is a result of many, many thousands of people, throughout these years, who have given of themselves intentionally and sacrificially to ensure that we have a place to worship on this day, that somehow we too be good stewards of our heritage to ensure future generations would also be guaranteed such a privilege to worship here.

Again, we’re not sitting here today by accident. As I have said in my Benediction at the end of every Communion service since I’ve been with you: I truly believe, in the best sense of Reformed and Presbyterian theology, that God has put you and me here in this place today for a purpose — that Christ who indwells us has something he wants to do through us where we are, so that God’s kingdom can go on being the light and salt in this community and in the world! Are you willing to repay God’s goodness and mercy to you by paying it forward in order to serve our Risen Lord, and to bless others in bringing them closer to God? I pray so!

Yours in Christ,