Tag: giving

Our Legacy of Faithful Stewardship

When studying a congregation, there are several aspects of the life of the congregation that are symptomatic of the spiritual health of the community and its members: hospitality, worship attendance, faith development, outreach to others, and stewardship. Those who are discerning a call to become the next spiritual leader of a congregation are especially interested in examining these practices in light of their own priestly gifts and vocational emphases. What will the candidates find when they look at us?

During the short time I have been with you, we have been exploring these practices and other areas of congregational health in a variety of settings and one thing has emerged as urgent. Saint John’s Cathedral is now at a crossroads when Christian stewardship must have our full attention. In many ways, how God's people relate to their possessions and how they express their generosity toward God touches every other aspect of personal spirituality and the common life of the congregation. When we practice the spiritual discipline of stewardship we become more generous. Generosity changes both the giver and the Church.

This is nothing new. St. Paul addressed this relationship with the members of the Corinthian Church: “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God” (2 Cor. 9:10-12). Jesus said it this way, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and God's righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33).

I have been in conversation with leaders and staff regarding the pattern of giving in the Cathedral community. What I have learned convinces me that this is the perfect time for a transformation in the culture of giving at Saint John’s Cathedral.

The essence of the change that is needed is for parishioners to be less focused on the church's need to receive and more focused on the giver's need to give. It is possible that many members have not taken full responsibility for their own personal stewardship because the parish leans too heavily on the generous endowments of past benefactors.

Emphasizing the church's need to receive is a fund raising strategy. In contrast, emphasizing the giver's need to give fosters Christian stewardship. One is based on need; the other is based on God's bountiful generosity toward us. One is consumer-oriented, the other is God-oriented. One anticipates receiving something in return; the other is our response to something already received. Certainly, fund raising is necessary from time to time when an extraordinary need or opportunity arises. But in the Church, faithful stewardship of God’s bounty must be the foundation.

Your Vestry and Stewardship Commission have provided you with sound explanations and compelling reasons for the congregation's need to receive your contributions. They have offered you statistical information, budgets, audit reports, and comparisons of average levels of giving with other area congregations and with congregations of The Episcopal Church. Everybody knows it takes money to operate this Cathedral and you will continue to receive such reports.

These reports are useful indicators of spiritual health and they provide assurances about the fiscal management of resources. But they are not an adequate basis for Christian stewardship, have provided very little motivation for greater generosity, and certainly should never be an excuse for a Christian to withhold what belongs to God.

We give to God because of God’s central place in the stories of our lives. We give to God because God first gives to us. We give to God because we believe that all that we have, whether spent, saved, or given away is a sacred trust from God. We give to God because of our consciousness that we are the only creatures that are created in God's image and entrusted with the divine vocation to be stewards of everything God has provided. Giving to God is our birthright, privilege, and legacy!

Today's generation of worshipers at Saint John's Cathedral have inherited a legacy of generosity and stewardship from those who came before us. But I wonder if we have lost touch with the vision of being a leading parish of The Episcopal Church in our time? Is it possible that this legacy has somehow become a stumbling block instead of a steppingstone? Are we leaning on the endowment to balance our annual budget instead of allowing it to inspire us to new and more generous levels of stewardship?

A common question that is asked by candidates for the role of leadership in endowed congregations is, “How heavily do you depend upon your endowment to balance the budget for the ongoing mission of the parish?” The correct answer is, “ZERO.” At the present time the answer at Saint John's Cathedral would have to be, “Forty percent,” and that's too much.

Now, during this period of transition, this Cathedral community has the opportunity to take the step that will change the answer! The spiritual readiness is here. The resources are here. All that is needed is for the willingness to be stirred up.

That is the reason our Stewardship Commission is inviting us to increase our pledges by at least one percent of our household income. If every member will take this step as a matter of spiritual growth, it will make a remarkable difference in your life and also allow the Cathedral of The Episcopal Church in Colorado to reclaim the vision of leadership entrusted to this generation. Gay and I have accepted that invitation and made our increased pledge. So have others. Won’t you join us?

A great lay leader of another generation said,

The only way to have is to give,
The only way to keep is to share,
And the only thing worth finding is opportunity.

I recognize that some people find that talk in Church about possessions makes them feel uncomfortable. I understand that. But I hope that you will pray for the grace to live with that discomfort long enough to find in this challenge a priceless opportunity for spiritual growth, both for you and for the Church you love.

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).

Click HERE to make your pledge today.

I’ll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
Interim Dean
Saint John's Cathedral
Denver, Colorado

October 18, 2016
Claim the High Calling…

To have a vocation is to be called by God to do something. Some vocations are rather specific, such as a call to Holy Orders, a call to teach the Christian faith, a call to work for peace and justice from a religious perspective. All believers share a call to serve God and our neighbors as stewards of what God has provided to sustain and enrich creation. Each time we renew the Baptismal Covenant we promise to live by the implications of our Baptism.

In the biblical stories of creation, the vocation of stewardship is given to human beings alone. I think it is fair to say that the vocation of stewardship is one of the things that makes us human. No other creature is given such responsibility nor the ability to exercise such responsibility. Along with the call to be faithful stewards of God's creation, human beings possess the ability to act with purpose, to create, to communicate in complex ways through many languages, and to live in a conscious relationship with the Creator. Because the story of our faith says this vocation was given to humans by the Creator "in the beginning," I sometimes say that stewardship is in our DNA.

Last Sunday, I was reminded twice of the call to faithful stewardship.

At the principal service, our retiring hymn was "Come, Labor On." It's a hymn that stresses divine call and human response. The first part of one stanza got my attention; "Come, labor on. Claim the high calling angels cannot share." Not even the Holy Angels are expected to do what humans are called to do. To each order of creation is given certain roles that are not given to other orders of creation. Among the roles human beings are given is the vocation to serve God as stewards of creation. That responsibility does not belong to angels or any other creature. As beautiful, mysterious, powerful, and wondrous angels are, their vocation is different from that of humanity.

Later in the day, the Cathedral was full of the creatures with which we share the planet earth – dogs, cats, fish, snakes, ferrets, and other pets – that their human protectors had brought for our annual blessing of the animals. People have a special relationship with their pets. Pets bring a lot of joy to our lives. But as wonderful as these creatures are, they do not share the calling entrusted to their protectors. The Creator did not call them to do the things humans are called to do and they are not endowed with the same abilities and responsibilities as humans.

All this is to say that our annual emphasis on stewardship, which happens in many Christian churches in the fall of the year, is more than a fund raising campaign. It is an opportunity to celebrate God's call to be faithful stewards of God's bounty. It is an opportunity to take a closer look at our relationship with our possessions, our neighbors, and our planet. It is an opportunity to see how we can grow in generosity. It is an opportunity to invite God to use us more and more as instruments who move the world toward the vision God has for it. It is an opportunity to address our need to give as a central aspect of our humanity. It is an opportunity to celebrate the life God gives us through a new covenant to give to God in gratitude for what God has given us and to share our life and treasure with God's people.

Over half of the teachings and proclamations of Jesus have to do with possessions. I believe that is because he realized how easy it is for us to be possessed by our possessions. I believe he also understood that possessions are those things that are most likely to come between us and God, us and our neighbors, us and creation, and even to come between our selves and the selves we are meant to be, our spiritual identity. And, I believe Jesus wanted all people to be liberated from whatever enslaves us. The story of Jesus' encounter with the rich man who came to him seeking eternal life is recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Jesus told the man that the only thing he needed to do was to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow him. Mark's version of the story is slightly different. Mark's version of the story reads, "Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Mark 10:21). Jesus said what he did out of love. He knew the man was enslaved by his wealth and true liberty for him would not be possible until he ceased relying on his stuff more than he relied on God. He was inviting the man to be a faithful steward of God's bounty, to become fully human.

And that is the invitation that is annually extended to each follower of Jesus during the fall stewardship emphasis. That is why I look forward to this time of year. Every year, I hear from people who took the next step in pursuit of "the high calling angels cannot share." I hope you will be one of them this year!

I'll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
Interim Dean
Saint John’s Cathedral
Denver, Colorado

October 4, 2016
Three Primary Ways Christians Share Their Treasure
When I was called to be your Interim Rector, I was asked to assist the Endowment Committee of St. John’s Church in developing a program to increase the assets of the endowment. I have an interest in seeing parishes ensure the future sustainability of their missions and I also have some experience in developing church endowments. Our committee, with the assistance of the Vestry and Staff, has been putting several elements in place that are necessary for development of this type of giving: an annual professional audit, a gift acceptance policy, concise descriptions of endowment funds, a legacy society, and a list of ways to give to the endowment.

Next week, members of St. John’s will receive an invitation to consider including the endowment in their estate planning. Some may think this comes too soon on the heels of our annual stewardship campaign or have concerns that the church asks for money too often. Those are understandable concerns but there is more to this invitation than that.

The Endowment Committee believes that the momentum for the endowment that has been building should continue during the transition period while I am able to be of assistance. Even more importantly, there is no reason for an appeal on behalf of the endowment to be seen as competing with our ordinary sustaining stewardship because it is a different type of giving. Permit me to explain.

When thinking about giving to Christ and his Church, there are three fairly distinct purses from which Christians share their treasure:
- Stewardship of Current Income – The ordinary day-to-day ministry of the church is sustained by gifts from our current income.
- Stewardship of Accumulated Treasure – Special projects, capital campaigns, emergency appeals, and extraordinary projects are mainly furthered by gifts from treasure that has accumulated over time (savings).
- Stewardship of Residual Treasure – We extend our giving beyond our lifetime through legacy stewardship of retirement savings in the form of bequests from funds, properties, and insurance we will no longer need after we are gone.
The Endowment Committee is inviting us to participate in the endowment by looking to the future and including St. John’s – beyond our lifetime, just as we might include members of our family, our alma mater, or some other cause that is dear to our hearts.

The central message is that we are privileged to be stewards of all of it! Whether spent, saved, or given away, every penny is a sacred trust from God. How can God’s mission at St. John’s be strengthened by the treasure we leave when we no longer need it?

It is exciting to think what can be accomplished by St. John’s if the ongoing mission of the parish is sustained by members giving generously from their current income so that extra sources of income, such as the endowment, can be used for extraordinary purposes. I hope that when the letter from these members of your church family arrives in your mailbox you will read it with an open mind and give the invitation prayerful consideration.

I’ll see you in Church!
November 12, 2015
The Heart of the Matter

In the last several reflections, I have explored various aspects of Christian stewardship. I would like to think that any one of them might inspire you to place more emphasis on the spiritual vocation and practice of Christian stewardship in your life. Now, in summary, here’s the heart of the matter.

We need to give.

God is frequently referred to as “the giver.” For example, we pray to God, the “giver of every perfect gift,” “giver of life,” and “giver of pardon.” The favorite of all Christian Bible verses is “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). God is the Supreme Giver and we, who are created in God’s likeness, are endowed with a godlike and uniquely human capacity to be givers. We need to give!

Our gift to God establishes a pattern that sanctifies what we do with the remainder. One of the offerings in ancient Judaism was the offering of First Fruits. The first portion of the harvest, “first fruits,” was offered to God. (Leviticus 23:10) “Honor the Lord with your wealth, the first fruits of all your increase” (Proverbs 3:9) And St. Paul wrote, “If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy” (Romans 11:16). So when we give God the first portion of what God has given to us, it has a way of establishing a holy perspective on all our treasure.

Stewardship is different from fund raising. Fund raising is giving to some cause that we approve of with the expectation that we will get something out of it. Stewardship, on the other hand, emphasizes giving to God because we’ve already received. Fund raising will always be necessary, but Christian communities are built upon the generous stewardship of their members.

We need to give and we give to God in response to God’s generosity toward us.

We are asked to make a pledge.

In this and thousands of churches, people are asked not only to practice tithing but also to make a written pledge of financial support. Why is a pledge necessary? Perhaps it should not be necessary. But the fellow parishioners you have entrusted with the governance of the parish do a better job of planning if they have a reliable estimate of the giving of all the members. So, after the pledges are in, they develop a mission plan that seeks to balance the spending with the projected contributions toward God’s ongoing mission.

After all, God has made countless pledges to us. Have you ever thought about the origin of the word “Sacrament?” It is derived from the Latin word sacramentum, which means a sacred pledge or oath. Christian Sacraments are God’s pledge to us. In Holy Baptism, God pledges to love us for ever. In the Holy Eucharist, God pledges ongoing provisions for the living of the Christian life. We pledge to God in response to God’s pledges to us.

We are a covenant community. A covenant consists of unbreakable pledges made between two or more parties. Christianity is meant to be lived in such a community. Theologian George Rupp once said, “There is no life without community and there is no community without commitment.” A written pledge to share one’s treasure is an expression of participation in and commitment to the covenant community.

We make a pledge to God and one another each year as a way of saying, “You can count on me.”

We are called to put our heart into it.

Jesus had much to say about the relationship between our treasure and our true priorities in life. For example, he said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Isn’t that the truth? Just look at how spend money on things we really love.

The spiritual discipline of Christian stewardship helps to prevent us from loving anything so much that God is squeezed out of our lives. Jesus spent so much time preaching and teaching about our relationship with possessions because he wanted to prevent us from a form of slavery in which we are possessed by our possessions. He wanted to help us avoid putting any idol in the place of our Creator. He wanted us to give God our heart and we just can’t do that if our treasure is in the way. When our giving to God is sacrificial enough, we know if our hearts are being drawn from the love of God.

Some say the heart in the St. John’s insignia symbolizes that St. John’s is the heart of Jackson Hole. That may be true, but other churches and institutions also believe they are the heart of this valley. Some say that the heart signifies St. John’s love for our neighbors. That also may be true. I invite you to consider that it represents the divine call to put our heart into St. John’s and, as the cross inside it suggests, to do it sacrificially. The offering of our treasure will be one of the signs that we mean it.

“For, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I’ll see you in Church!

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. - Acts 2:46,47

October 1, 2015
A Heritage of Generosity

Several aspects of parish life are symptomatic of the spiritual health of the community and its members – including hospitality, worship attendance, faith development, outreach to others, and stewardship. Priests who are discerning a call to serve in a parish are especially interested in examining these practices in light of their own priestly gifts and vocational emphases.

Together at St. John's, we have been exploring these practices and other areas of congregational health in a variety of settings. We are now at a crossroads when Christian stewardship of possessions must have our full attention. In many ways, how God's people relate to their possessions and how they express their generosity toward God touches every other aspect of personal spirituality and the common life of the parish. When we practice the spiritual discipline of stewardship our hearts are gladdened and we become more generous. Generosity changes both the giver and the Church.

This is nothing new. St. Paul addressed this relationship with the members of the Corinthian Church: “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God” (2 Cor. 9:10-12). Jesus said it this way, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and God's righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33).

During conversations prior to my arrival in Jackson Hole, the Wardens and Vestry impressed upon me that they wanted me to help the parish take the next steps that will lead to a lasting change in the culture of giving at St. John’s. My assessment is that parishioners should focus less on the church's need to receive and focus more on the giver's need to give to God. It is possible that many members have not taken full responsibility for their own personal stewardship because the parish has begun to lean too heavily on other sources of income. I’ve been told that some don’t give because they think St. John’s doesn’t need their contributions. That viewpoint misses the point of Christian stewardship altogether.

Emphasizing the church's need to receive is a fund raising strategy. In contrast, emphasizing the giver's need to give fosters Christian stewardship. One is based on need, the other is based on God's bountiful generosity toward us. One is consumer-oriented, the other is God-oriented. One anticipates receiving something in return, the other is our response to something already received. There is nothing wrong with fund raising, but personal stewardship must be the foundation for the Church’s mission.

We give to God, not to a budget. Budgets and financial statements are are useful indicators of spiritual health and they provide assurances about the fiscal management of the parish. But they are not an adequate basis for Christian stewardship, have provided very little motivation for greater generosity, and certainly should never be an excuse for a Christian to withhold what belongs to God. We give to God first because God first gives to us. We give to God because we believe that all that we have, whether spent, saved, or given away is a sacred trust from God. We give to God because of our consciousness that we are the only creatures created in God's image and entrusted with the divine vocation to be stewards of everything God has provided. Giving to God is our heritage, our birthright, and our privilege.

Today's generation of worshipers at St. John’s are heirs of the generosity and stewardship of those who went before us, moving St. John’s from a humble frontier mission to the place of being the largest Episcopal Church in Wyoming. I believe God is calling this community to be even more than that; St. John’s ought to be the leading Episcopal Church in Wyoming and beyond. Since leading by example is basic to all leadership, setting an example of generous stewardship is a key to the future impact of the gospel.

Is it possible that other sources of income have become a stumbling block instead of a steppingstone? Are we leaning on fundraising, Browse ‘n’ Buy, weddings, and the endowment to balance our annual budget instead of rising to new and more generous levels of stewardship in each generation? The ordinary day-to-day mission of the parish should be sustained by the generosity of all its members so that the other sources of income will make it possible for St. John’s to do extraordinary things.

A common question that is asked during interviews with prospective rectors for large parishes is, “How heavily do you depend upon sources other than member contributions to balance the budget for the ongoing mission of the parish?” The correct answer is, “ZERO.” At the present time the answer at St. John’s would have to be, “Thirty-five percent.”

Now, during this period of transition, St. John’s has the opportunity to take the step that will change that answer! Your Stewardship Committee and I believe that every member can find ways to step up in generosity. If every member will take this step as a matter of spiritual growth, it will make a remarkable difference in your life and also allow this parish to continue the heritage of generosity that has been entrusted to us.

I recognize that some people find that talk in Church about possessions makes them feel uncomfortable. I hope that you will pray for the grace to live with that discomfort long enough to find in this challenge a priceless opportunity for spiritual growth, both for you and for the Church you love.

I’ll see you in Church!

August 26, 2015
Stewardship is in our DNA

Like many other congregations in America, ours is emphasizing stewardship of financial resources at this time of year. On October 11, we’ll do everything possible to persuade everyone in the congregation to make a new, and hopefully increased, pledge of financial support of God’s work for the coming year.

I'm not sure why we have to work so hard to get Christians to do something so central to the Chris-tian way of life. It came to my attention years ago that a substantial number of Christians consider the topic of stewardship to be less popular than some other ones. On several occasions, I’ve had church members suggest that I soft-pedal stewardship because some people might get upset. I’ve never taken that advice and here’s why.

Over half of the recorded sayings of Jesus Christ concern possessions. Jesus knew how possessions interfere with our relationships with God, our neighbors, and our spiritual identity. Don’t most wars, lawsuits, family feuds, and legislative battles finally boil down to who possesses what and how much?

A rich man approached Jesus and asked, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. The man couldn’t do it. Why? He was possessed by his possessions. He derived too much of his identity, security, and status from his possessions.

Jesus was not condemning wealth. Jesus was trying to help a man find the freedom and joy that comes from living in a right relationship with his God, his neighbor, and his stuff! Like Jesus, I want to help people have a healthy relationship with their possessions so that all the other relationships of their lives will be healthier and they will know the kind of freedom Jesus called “eternal life.”

The story of stewardship is grounded in the story of creation. When God created human beings, our role as stewards was imbedded into our DNA. As the only creature made in the likeness of God, humans have the distinct privilege and responsibility of managing God’s resources in ways that further God’s creative and redemptive purposes.

When we abdicate our role as stewards, we lower ourselves in the pecking order of creation. Before long, we make idols that stand between us and our God. In exercising the vocation of stewardship we become more fully human and fulfill our God-given destiny in creation. We need to give!

Finally, it is important to help the community of Christian people see how necessary the work and witness of the community is to the ongoing redemptive mission of Christ. The first thing Jesus did in his public ministry was to form a community. Throughout his ministry, he worked to shape that community into an apostolic, missionary force. The last thing he did before his Ascension was to send that community into the world to bear his message and transform lives. When the community of Christ's followers is healthy and vibrant, the apostolic witness impacts the mission field at our doorstep in powerful, divine ways. We can't be faithful stewards if we neglect the community into which we are baptized and to which Christ has entrusted so much of his redemptive work.

When our lives are focused on stewardship instead of ownership, we experience greater freedom. When we embrace the pattern of Jesus’ life that is characterized not by having but by giving, our relationships are transformed. When our giving strengthens the Church, the divine mission given uniquely to the Church can be accomplished.

As a Priest, why would I want to soft-pedal something like that?

I'll see you in Church!

August 20, 2015
Cultivating Fruitfulness: The Practice of Extravagant Generosity

Since Easter, we’ve been reflecting on five practices that are vital in fruitful congregations. This week, we focus on the fifth practice, Extravagant Generosity. Robert Schnase says,

Generosity describes the Christian’s unselfish willingness to give in order to make a positive difference for the purposes of Christ. Congregations that practice Extravagant Generosity provide ministries that address our spiritual need to give in ways that exceed all expectations and extend to unexpected measures. Fruitful congregations thrive because of extraordinary sharing, willing sacrifice, and joyous giving out of love for God and neighbor.

Through the practice of Extravagant Generosity, we offer our resources in a manner that supports the causes that transform life and relieve suffering and that enlarges the soul and sustains the spirit. God uses our giving to reconfigure our interior lives and form us anew.

Later this year, you will be invited to consider extravagant generosity toward God and the Church in relation to your material treasures. During the month of June, we will be conducting a parish-wide initiative that focuses on stewardship of time, talent, service, and witness as we invite you to get involved in one or more of the ministries of this parish. If you are already involved, great! This may be a time for you to consider serving in another way or a different way. If you are not involved, this is a time for you to consider ways you can lend your time and energies to the impact of St. John’s on the community and the world.

Our catechism in The Book of Common Prayer teaches us that, “The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.” That means every member is a minister. Each one discerns the ministry to which he or she is being called by God in a particular time and place. When God calls a person, God also generously provides the resources that are needed to serve in generous ways, working, praying, and giving for the spread of the kingdom.

In the short time I have been at St. John’s, I’ve heard some say, “It is difficult to get people involved.” But I’ve also seen how quickly and generously so many have stepped forward when invited to take an active role in the Church’s life and ministry. I am banking on that observation to be the rule and not the exception in this vibrant parish!

We have distributed brochures with the invitation, “Get Involved.” In the brochures, you will find brief descriptions of many of our committees and ministry groups, along with a response form you may use to indicate your interests. This brochure and response form are also available online.

Take some time during the coming month to read the brochure. If you see a place of service that seems to be calling your name, ask God if it is a ministry in which you can be generous in service to Christ and his Church. If you believe God is calling you to serve in this way, indicate that on the response form and send it in. The vestry’s discernment task force will be in touch.

I’ll see you in Church!

May 27, 2015
Sermon at Calvary Church ~ October 14, 2012

The Reverend Johnnie E. Ross
Rector, St. Raphael the Archangel Episcopal Church
Lexington, Kentucky

Guest Preacher for Consecration Sunday
October 14, 2012 ~ Proper 23B

Listen to Fr. Johnnie's Sermon

October 14, 2012
The First Fruits Principle and Recovery of the Spirit of Generosity

The theme of our stewardship education emphasis at Calvary this fall is “First Fruits.” The concept of first fruits in the Judeo-Christian tradition has its roots in practices that existed long before references appeared in the Hebrew Scriptures. The faithful were expected to bring the first tenth (tithe) of their harvest to the temple and offer it to God. “Put the first of the fruit which you harvest into a basket, and set the basket down before the Lord your God, and rejoice in all the good which the Lord has given to you” (Deuteronomy 26:1-15).

Then, as now, people raised questions about what was to be included in this first fruits offering. For example, today it is not uncommon to hear someone ask, “Is the tithe to be calculated before or after taxes?” The Temple authorities were not hesitant about providing specific answers to questions like that. For example, agricultural product from non-Jews were not to be included in their offering. It had to be from their own crops; not from fund-raising! And, the portion of the crop at the corners of the fields and whatever was dropped in the fields was not to be included in the first fruits offering; that was charity for the poor and foreigners passing through. So, this offering did not satisfy the requirements of charity and hospitality.

In the Christian Testament, St. Paul uses this harvest language to describe the Risen Christ. “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (I Cor. 15:20-23).

St. Paul also draws upon the first fruits principle when writing about the salvation of the Gentiles, “If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the branches also are holy” (Romans 11:16). Jesus Christ, according to Paul’s gospel, is God’s own first fruits offering on behalf of humanity and creation itself. The original first fruits were the first, the best, the ripest, and the most valuable of the fruits of the earth. For Christians, Christ is the first to rise from death. As the first fruits sanctified the rest of the harvest, represented the whole, permitted and ensured the harvest, so Christ arose from the earth to new life and sanctified this new life for his followers. Our lives in Christ are the rest of the harvest. Jesus Christ, the first fruits, has sanctified us and the life we share with him.

So, what does this have to do with us and our self-examination as we consider our vocation as faithful stewards of God’s bounty? The principle of first fruits is at the I heart of how we think and act as followers of Christ. When we learn to put Christ first and to offer the first of everything we have to him, that offering spills over into the rest of our lives.

Our Church teaches that the tithe (10%) is the minimum biblical standard for Christian stewardship. Far be it from me to object to the canons of the Church! However, my reading of the Bible, especially the New Testament, tells me that the minimum standard is 100%. The tithe, the first tenth offered to God for God’s purposes, represents a spiritual discipline that sanctifies everything else in our lives. It helps us make conscious and faithful decisions about what we do with the remaining 90%. Whatever we have – 100% – whether spent, saved, or given away, is a sacred trust from God. The first fruits, the tithe, forms our perspective in ways that help us remember that everything belongs to God and we have the privilege of being stewards of it. That is a vocation given to no other creature. It is what makes us truly human and is a necessary aspect of civility. We are called to be the givers.

This week, as I have been reflecting upon this theme, I came across the words of a very wise person, Ohiyesa, (Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman) a Wahpeton Santee Sioux. He said, “It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed its way, it will in time disturb one's spiritual balance. Therefore, children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving.” He also said, “As a child I understood how to give; I have forgotten this grace since I became civilized.”

When we look at civilization as we know it today, we’d have to agree with Ohiyesa that many have forgotten how to give. That is a fundamental reason for war, economic woes, crime, violence, the breakdown of families and communities, and a host of other ills that plague us. We, as a civilization, have not done a very good job of teaching our children and one another the necessary discipline of generosity. Like Ohiyesa, many of us have forgotten.

Christians still have an opportunity to change that. And, in order to do so, we must encourage one another in ways that will result in the change, starting with the first fruits. If we will remind one another of this ancient principle and teach it to our children, God will use us to transform the world in ways we cannot begin to imagine. If you are concerned that the remaining 90% won’t be enough, I invite you to remember these words of encouragement from St. Paul, “God will make you rich enough so that you can always be generous” (2 Corinthians 9:11).

Let’s give it a try!

September 26, 2012
Stewardship is in our DNA.

Like many other congregations in America, ours is emphasizing stewardship of financial resources at this time of year. Next Sunday, we’ll invite worshipers to fill out new commitment cards and bring them to the Altar. Then, over the next couple of months, we’ll do everything possible to persuade everyone in the congregation to make a new, and hopefully increased, pledge of financial support of God’s work for the coming year.

I'm not sure why we have to work at this so hard to get Christians to do something so central to the Christian way of life. It came to my attention years ago that a substantial number of Christians consider the topic of stewardship to be less popular than some other ones. In fact, on several occasions, I’ve had church members suggest that I soft-pedal stewardship because some people might get upset. I’ve never taken that advice and here’s why.

Over half of the recorded sayings of Jesus Christ have to do with possessions. Jesus clearly knew how often possessions interfere with our relationship with God, our neighbors, and even our own spiritual identity. Think about it. Don’t most wars, lawsuits, family feuds, and legislative battles finally boil down to who possesses what and how much?

There is an event in the life of Jesus that illustrates this aspect of Jesus message. The story was so important to early Christians that it is recorded almost word for word in all three synoptic gospels. A rich man approached Jesus and asked, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responded by telling him the only thing left for him to do was to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. The man couldn’t do it. Why? He was possessed by his possessions. He relied on his possessions too much. He derived too much of his identity, security, and status from his possessions. Jesus wanted to liberate people from whatever enslaved them and in this instance, the man was a slave to his possessions. Jesus was not condemning wealth. He was trying to help a man find the freedom and joy that comes from living in a right relationship with God, his neighbor, and his stuff!

Following the example of Jesus, I believe one of the most important aspects of my priestly vocation is to help people have a healthy relationship with their possessions so that all the other relationships of their lives will be healthier and they will know the kind of freedom Jesus called “eternal life.”

Another reason I believe it is important to help people be faithful stewards is because the story of stewardship is grounded in the story of creation. In the beginning, when God created human beings, our role as stewards of all that God has made was imbedded into our DNA. As the only creature made in the likeness of God, humans have the distinct privilege and responsibility of managing all the resources God has provided in ways that further God’s creative and redemptive purposes.

When human creatures abdicate their role as stewards, they lower themselves in the pecking order of creation. They view themselves as the subjects of their possessions or the elements. Before long, they make idols and their idols stand between them and God. As Martin Luther once observed, "Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your god." The vocation to be stewards of creation is one of the fundamental things that makes us human! It is in exercising stewardship that we become more fully human and fulfill our God-given destiny in the ongoing progress of creation.

Fianlly, it is important to help the community of Christian people see how necessary the work and witness of the community is to the ongoing redemptive mission of Christ. The first thing Jesus did in his public ministry was to form a community. Throughout his ministry, he worked to strengthen that community and form them into an apostolic, missionary force. The last thing he did before his Ascension was to send that community into the world to bear his message and transform lives. We give a portion of the money and time and other resources that have been entrusted to us for the work Jesus Christ wants to be done through the community he called into being. When the community of Christ's followers is healthy and vibrant, the apostolic witness impacts the mission field at our doorstep in powerful, divine ways. We can't be faithful stewards if we neglect the community into which we are baptized and to which Christ has entrusted so much of his redemptive work.

When our lives are focused on stewardship instead of ownership, we experience greater freedom. When we embrace the pattern of Jesus’ life that is characterized not by having but by giving, our relationships are transformed. When we fulfill our vocation as stewards of creation, we become more fully human and realize more completely what it means to be created in the image of the Creator. When our giving strengthens the Church, the divine mission given uniquely to the Church can be accomplished.

As a priest, why would I want to soft-pedal something like that?

Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p.827)

October 6, 2011