We observed Earth Sunday today, so the propers are different from the lectionary.
Listen to the Sermon for November 18, 2012
Read the Sermon for November 18, 2012
Tag: Stewardship
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Sermon at Christ Church Cranbrook ~ November 18, 2012
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Sermon at Calvary Church ~ October 14, 2012
The Reverend Johnnie E. Ross
Rector, St. Raphael the Archangel Episcopal Church
Lexington, KentuckyGuest Preacher for Consecration Sunday
October 14, 2012 ~ Proper 23B
Listen to Fr. Johnnie's Sermon
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Too Much Stuff
I write this on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, who reminds us of our uniquely human capacities and responsibilities as stewards of creation.
Last evening, our congregation and Ashland's First Christian Church hosted a service of Blessing of the Pets, using the Collect of the Day for St. Francis from the Book of Common Prayer:
Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace gladly to renounce the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfect joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
We were reminded of our relationship with the other living creatures with whom we share this planet and, in particular, those for whom we are protectors.
Today, as I celebrated the Holy Eucharist, I shared with the congregation how literally Francis and his companions took Jesus instructions to his disciples when he sent them out on their mission:
"As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for labourers deserve their food" (Matthew 10:7-10).
We were reminded of our relationship with our possessions.
This second reminder from the life and witness of St. Francis comes to me at a time when Gay and I are preparing for a move to a new place of ministry. This happens every year or two for interim clergy. Each time it happens and we start packing for the move, we realize that we have accumulated too much stuff.
There was a time (1996) when all of our worldly possessions would fit in a 900 square foot apartment and one 10 x 10 x 10 foot storage unit. Then, we bought a 3200 square foot house in Galveston that had a full attic and an above ground "basement" in which to accumulate things. Even though we have reduced our inventory with each successive move, we find that we still have too much stuff.
This point was driven home when we contacted movers! I won't go into the details, but the costs for a full-service move took my breath away. I cannot imagine spending so much money to move our stuff 360 miles. There are better ways to use those funds. It appears that we have worked out a reasonable and affordable solution, but for a few moments this week, I almost wished I had taken a vow of poverty like Francis and his Friars.
Perhaps we already have enough people living in poverty and those of us who are in a position to earn may be able to help them when they find it impossible to help themselves. So, for now, I won't take that vow. But I will be more mindful of how my stuff can get in the way of life and my relationship with God, my neighbors, and my own spiritual being.
Thank you, Francis, for doing what most of us cannot bring ourselves to do and for giving us an example of a life that is not weighed down by possessions to the extent that we cannot see beyond them to all that is eternal.
Blessings in abundance to you,
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Sermon at the Church of St. Raphael ~ September 30, 2012
The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels (Transferred)
Listen to the Sermon for September 30, 2012
Read the Sermon for September 30, 2012
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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!
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Strategies for Summertime Spirituality
The month of May is almost over. Memorial Day signals opening of swimming pools, buzz cuts for boys, weekday outings to museums and zoos, homemade ice cream, watermelon season, an upswing in agricultural enterprises, and the beginning of summer vacations. We also start the summer slump in churches across America, with a decline in attendance and anxious messages from church treasurers about cash flow because offerings go down when the people are not there.
Our culture has declared how things are supposed to work between Memorial Day and Labor Day and that’s that. The Church tends to conform to the culture. Whatever happens during the rest of the year, in the summer, we are both in and of the world.
On several occasions, I have tried to counteract the summer slump and had little success. Call me a die hard, but I’m going to try again. Any success at all is better than none when it comes to reminding God’s Holy People what our relationship with the world is supposed to be.
St. Paul put it this way, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Jesus called his followers to be light and salt and leaven in the world (Matthew 5 and 13). Light, salt, and leaven are agents of transformation – light dispels darkness, salt adds flavor, and leaven causes the dough to rise. When the agents of transformation are present, things are no longer the same. Through our prayers and our lifestyle, we are God’s change agents.
With that in mind, I have a few suggestions for how to enjoy summertime while still fulfilling our sacred purpose.
• Maintain the spiritual discipline of worship. If you are home on Sunday morning, your presence in worship with your community of faith helps keep the emphasis on God, both for you and for your fellow worshipers. When you are there, you are making a statement – a witness – that God’s reign in your life is not suspended just because it is summertime. Vacationers may be visiting your church while you are out of town. You may also use the time in worship to contemplate the different things you are doing/seeing/experiencing during the summer. What about those mountain majesties where you hiked? What might God have had in mind when creating the orangutan you saw when you took the children to the zoo? What kind of divine purpose is being worked out in the harvesting of hay, which kept you working from sunrise to sunset yesterday?
• Find a church in which to worship while traveling. In addition to maintaining the discipline of worship while you are in a different place, you may discover new friends, new ideas, and elements of diversity you have not known before. Maybe you can bring something back that will enrich the life of your own community of faith. The churches you visit will have an opportunity to extend their hospitality to you and hear about the church you love back home. If you have children or youth who will be traveling with you, ask them to get on the internet and find a church where your family can worship “wherever you may be.”
• Don’t send your pledge on vacation. The operational costs of your church continue even when you are not there. In warmer locations, the costs increase significantly because of the need for air conditioning and watering. There is no legitimate reason why church leaders should have to experience anxiety over cash shortfalls in the summer (or anytime of year for that matter). Make it a matter of faithful stewardship to bring or send your contribution before you leave on vacation. Or, if you forget, you may still mail a check or use online banking to get your gift to the altar while you are away.
• Get involved in ministries you don’t normally have time for. If summertime affords you a little extra free time or a slower pace, use some of that time to serve Christ and the Church. Maybe there’s a need for Vacation Bible School leaders, workers for a home repair ministry, or someone to do some maintenance around the church. Is there a mission trip, retreat, summertime conference, or bible study you would otherwise decline due to the busyness of your life? Does your summer schedule allow you to attend a weekday service that you can’t attend at other times of the year? God would like to spend more time with us and have more of our attention. Summertime may open up some possibilities for that to happen and blessings will flow into our lives.
• Whatever you do, think God! Be intentional about your spiritual journey. Begin and end your days with prayer, so that, in all the cares and occupations of our life, we may not forget God, but remember that we are ever walking in God’s sight. Look for signs of God’s hand at work in the world around you. Habits that affect the rest of your life can be formed during a three-month period. Don’t let a hiatus become a habit!
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The Christian Lifestyle
Jesus summed up the lifestyle God wants us to live a few words; "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).
The call to be faithful stewards of God’s bounty is the call to a lifestyle – a way of life – that acknowledges that everything we have belongs to God and that we are managers of a sacred trust. We fulfill that vocation through the spiritual disciplines of worship, proclamation, teaching, presence, fellowship, service, and offerings.* We commit ourselves to offer God the very best we have in the confidence that when God receives our offering, joined with the offering of Christ, it will be pleasing to God and accomplish the things God’s heart desires to accomplish through us. There may be no vocation in the universe that is greater or more of a wonder than the vocation of stewardship. It makes us unique among creatures. It makes us human. It is an expression of our creation in the image of God.
To avoid faithful participation in the life of the Church because we are too busy should be evidence to us that we are simply too busy. To avoid tithing because we think we don’t have enough is to insult God who has so bountifully blessed us and is evidence that we are living both materially and spiritually beyond our means.
Loving God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and loving our neighbor as ourselves involves giving the best we have, devotion to this shared way of life, and an understanding that the life God wants us to live demands faithful participation. A parable that has been told from thousands of pulpits for who knows how many generations gets to the heart of the matter:
A small village was excited to discover that it would soon receive a visit from their beloved King. Community leaders immediately began planning for the great event. Everyone agreed that they wanted to present a gift to the King that would represent their appreciation for his benevolent supervision and management of the realm. But the village was poor and couldn’t afford a gift worthy of a King as great as theirs.
Someone suggested, “We have wonderful vineyards and produce the best wine in the land. Let each of us bring the best wine from our cellars and create a great vat of wine to present to our beloved King!” The people embraced the idea with enthusiasm. Over the next several days, they brought bottles of their best wine and poured it into a large vat that would be presented to the King upon his arrival.
It occurred to some of the townspeople, however, that with so many people contributing wine to the large vat, their own contribution would not make much difference. “With so much wine,” they reasoned, “my failure to contribute will neither be noticed nor missed.” So people brought bottles filled with water instead of wine.
The day of celebration arrived. The village leaders proudly made their presentation of the town’s best wine to the King. They raised their glasses in honor of His Majesty and tasted the best wine their village had to offer. To the abject horror and humiliation of the entire village, the “town’s best wine” was nothing more than water. Everyone had thought the same thing; their personal contribution would not be needed nor missed. Although they all wanted to honor the King, they had failed to understand the necessity of their own personal participation.
Loving God and our neighbor is the essence of how God created life to be lived. It is not meant to be simply an abstract theological concept to which we give intellectual assent. It is meant to be carried out in tangible ways. It is meant to be the driving force in the life of the community of God’s people. It is meant to be central to our witness to others that God will always give us enough to be generous.
So don’t hold back! Give God the opportunity to use your life and all the blessings that have been entrusted to you in ways that become evidence of your love for God and for your neighbor. And, through the miracles that God will perform in your life, you will see that it is also the best way of loving yourself.
The night before one of his musicals was to open, Oscar Hammerstein pushed past Mary Martin, his singing star, in the soft red glow of the semi-darkness of the curtained stage and pressed into her hand a slip of paper. On it were these words, which later were to become the basis of one of the hit numbers in the uncut version of “The Sound of Music.”
A bell is not a bell until you ring it.
A song is not a song until you sing it.
Love was not put in your heart to stay.
Love is not love until you give it away.* Gk. – Leitourgia, Kerygma, Didicae, Proseuche, Koinonia, Diakonia, Laetrea
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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)
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Faithful Stewards
A little over twenty years ago, a leading authority in the field of church administration advised clergy not to use the word “commitment” around baby boomers. He warned that it would drive them away because commitment in any area of life frightens them. Five years later, the same leading authority reported that baby boomers were attending high expectation, high commitment churches in disproportionately large numbers. Those churches were growing. We discovered that low expectation, low commitment churches like The Episcopal Church were declining. While we were soft-peddling commitment, our members were leaving us for churches where it is required. I resolved at that time that I would never soft peddle commitment again.
When George Rupp was President of Rice University, I heard him say, “There is no life without community and there is no community without commitment.” Think about it. Without commitment, families, organizations, athletic teams, work groups, companies, and nations fall apart.
One task of an interim pastor is to challenge the church community in transition to clarify its present identity in preparation for a new pastor. One way to foster that new sense of identity is to ask the members to measure their level of commitment in light of our Church’s teaching that, The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to come together week by week for corporate worship; and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom of God. (BCP, p.856)
I realize that some people may be as allergic to the word “duty” as they are to the word “commitment.” But most reasonable people will acknowledge that fulfilling our duties is a necessary aspect of keeping our commitments in daily life. In fact, the phrase “relieved of duty” carries negative connotations. And why would anyone think that duty to God is any less important than duty to family, team, country, etc.? Throughout history, many people have expressed the conviction that duty to God made it possible for them to fulfill all the other duties of their lives.
I invite you to examine your commitment to your Christian duty. Make this an opportunity to take the next step in your faith journey. Is there a way to follow Christ more closely? Can you join your fellow Christians in worship more often? Is there a place of service to which you are being called? Is there room for improvement in your prayer life? How about your giving? Is it time to move up another step toward the spiritual discipline of tithing?
Do yourself and your church community a favor and reflect on those questions as you prepare for Commitment Sunday. At The Church of the Good Shepherd, commitment cards will be distributed during the services. We’ll complete them together and bring them to the Altar as an act of worship. Make this time of transition a time of renewed and increased commitment. Ask God to use you in new ways to help the Church be all God wants it to be.