Sermons for the Month
Stewardship Emphasis - Sending
DATE: October 6th, 2002
SERVICE: 20th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Mark 10:17-22“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
A few years ago I heard about a congregation out there that took a unique approach to stewardship. I read about this incident in Ann Landers, so I suppose the truth of it is questionable. Someone wrote to tell Ann how, at his or her church, there was a robbery after the offering was received. People wearing stocking caps to hide their faces demanded the contents of the offering plates, took the pastor's daughter as a hostage and fled. The congregation was in shock - it's a miracle that no one had a heart attack! Then, the pastor announced that the whole thing had been staged. It was a dramatic effort to illustrate the point that people rob God when they do not give to the church. Can you image? In comparison to that, the Stewardship programs at most Lutheran churches, and certainly here at Faith Lutheran Church, are mild. Today is the third Sunday of our Stewardship emphasis; we have focused on gathering, hearing and today the emphasis is on sending. As we talk about that theme, let me assure you that I'm not prone to radical stunts like that one recorded in Ann Landers. Oh, that's not necessarily because I'm a mild-mannered person; it's because Jesus has cornered the market when it comes to being radical. If you don't believe that, just take a look at today's Gospel lesson. In it Jesus tells a rich young man to, "sell what you own, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." It's one of those parts of the Bible at which we shake our heads in dismay and would rather ignore. And yet if we have been sent by Jesus into the world to proclaim God's forgiving love, which we have, then this passage has a message for us. Perhaps we can get at that message by asking ourselves, "To what radical action is Jesus calling us?" The entire 10th chapter of Mark addresses the question of entrance into the Kingdom of God. In the portion that we read today a young man who shows deep respect for Jesus, who views him as a distinguished Rabbi, earnestly comes to him with a question. He asks, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" The question reveals that, from the man's point of view, the Kingdom of God is something to be earned. He believes he had done the right things, but he wants assurance. When Jesus lists some of the commandments for him, the young man announces that he has kept them all. It's then that we come to the radical part of this passage, which begins with the statement that Jesus loves this man. That's important, Jesus wasn't trying to hurt him, or make him look bad. However, Jesus knew what he needed. And that was to give away all that he had and then to become a follower of Jesus. It is with a tone of sadness that we are told he could not do it. He had too much to give up. When we hear this scripture we usually are shocked by the request made by Jesus of this man, aren't we? We think, "How could Jesus ask such a thing; it's too much." I wonder, though, if Jesus' request is intended to be the shocking part of the story. Here's a radical idea - maybe we're supposed to be shocked by the fact that the young man could not do what Jesus asked, that he walked away apparently without considering what he might gain by becoming a follower of Jesus. Perhaps the truly shocking thing is that his possessions meant more to him than his relationship with God. You see, our tendency is to focus on the radical nature of Jesus' request. We fail to realize that Jesus is offering him the wonderful opportunity to experience the Kingdom of God first hand. But, in order to do that he has to be willing to give up that which prevented him from trusting God completely. That particular man had to learn to trust God more than money. We all have been called as followers of Jesus, and asked to take part in the furthering of his ministry. Like the young man we all are challenged to trust God above all else. And, we all must determine what prevents us from doing so. Our constant task as Christians is to make being followers of Jesus our first priority, and to make trusting God alone our goal. If we do so, then focusing on stewardship and completing Estimate of Giving cards will not be uncomfortable - as long as we do not stage fake robberies. Instead, giving of our financial resources to do the ministry of Jesus Christ will come naturally. Next Sunday is Celebration Sunday, a day for giving thanks for the faithfulness that built Faith Lutheran Church, and for the faithfulness that makes it possible for this congregation to continue ministering and growing. We will welcome special guests Bishop Kenneth Sauer and Pastor Paul Lintern. All three of our services will be held in the sanctuary so that there is room for parents and children to worship together. And, during the service Estimate of Giving cards will be distributed. We will complete them and turn them in during the service, as an act of worship. So that we are prepared for next Sunday, I'm asking that during this week we prayerfully consider how each of us will support the church financially in 2003. Obviously, there are many needs to be met here at Faith Lutheran Church, particularly in the area of staffing. The Council is continuing to discuss how to address the areas of children and youth ministries, small groups, empowering members to use their spiritual gifts and administration. You have received the staffing proposals from the Council and had the opportunity to give input on them. Without financial support these needs cannot be addressed. BUT, and I can't emphasize this enough, the focus of our giving should not be on meeting those needs but on being followers of Jesus and on learning to trust God above all else. Perhaps the radical action to which Jesus is calling each of us is to consider how, through my giving, I can serve and trust God more. I'd like to share my "giving" story with you; it began long before I was a pastor. When I graduated from college in 1981 I worked as Life-Style Editor for a newspaper and earned $200 a week. At the time I was not attending a Lutheran Church, and the congregation where I worshipped had an expectation that everyone would give 10 percent of their income to the ministry. That's a tithe. So, I donated $20 each week at a time when, for me, eating supper at McDonalds or Wendy's once a week was a luxury. As I have reflected on that it has become clear to me that although my motivation for tithing wasn't great, the result was quite positive. First, tithing helped me, in a very tangible way, to put God first. I automatically took out that $80-$100 a month; doing so did influence my other choices about what clothes I bought, what I did for entertainment, even the type of apartment I could afford. But, in the midst of it, I learned to trust God and discovered that my needs were met, even if I did not always get all the stuff I wanted. By the time I returned to the Lutheran church tithing had become a habit for me. Giving 10 percent was my "bottom line". Sometimes I was able to give more, but managing my money was based on the assumption that whatever I earned, I'd keep no more than 90 percent; I'd make my choices about how I lived based on that 90 percent and 10 percent belonged to God. And do you know the amazing thing that happened? I found great joy and satisfaction in giving. I never missed what I did not consider to be mine in the first place. I'm very intentional about my giving - each year I prayerfully consider what I will write on my own estimate of giving card - because I want to do something radical, at least in the eyes of the world. I want to grow spiritually and learn to trust God more. That's what I'm asking you to join me in doing. Oh, you may not yet be able to tithe, although I think that's a good goal for all of us. Instead, my request is that you be intentional; prayerfully consider your financial support of this ministry. Please strive to serve and trust God more. Then, come next week prepared to celebrate FAITH and the sending of us, God's radical people, into the world. AMEN