Invested
The Measure of a Disciple, Week 4
Rev. Doug de Graffenried · October 25, 2026
Matthew 22:34–46 · Mark 12:41–44

Years ago, during a big denominational offering, Doug watched a well-dressed woman put a $20 bill in the offering plate and take out $18 in change. He has never forgotten it. He admits that’s because he’s done the same thing with God: offering his life, his soul and his plans, while quietly holding something back.

When Jesus was asked which commandment mattered most, he answered with the Shema: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. Doug describes three kinds of love. There’s an employee’s love, which is transactional and often driven by fear. There’s an apprentice’s love, which changes us as we learn from a master. And there’s the love between spouses, which is the deepest of the three and is simply love for the other person. That last kind is how God invites us to love him.

At the temple treasury, a widow gives two tiny copper coins that barely make a sound, and Jesus hears them. He hears our quiet offerings too: the prayers no one sees, the meals dropped off, the encouraging texts. Wrapping up the stewardship series, Doug reminds us that giving is never about earning God’s love. It’s how we respond to the grace that always comes first. It’s also an investment in a church whose future none of us will live long enough to fully see, just as others once invested for us.

For reflection

• Where are you “making change” with God, giving most of yourself but holding something back?
• Which of the three kinds of love best describes how you relate to God right now?
• What quiet offering could you give this week?