Sermons for the Month
Radical Followers of a Radical Leader
DATE: October 23rd, 2005
SERVICE: Consecration Sunday
St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Stow
TEXT: Matthew 22:34-46“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
NOTE: Pastor Jean was the guest leader for Consecration Sunday at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Stow. This is the sermon she preached for that stewardship emphasis.
I bring you greetings this morning from Faith Lutheran Church in Fairlawn, where Pastor Luoma is preaching this morning. I'm not sure this is a fair trade, given the fact that he is a person of such wisdom and experience, but I'm glad to be worshipping with you on this day of celebration, Consecration Sunday!
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 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 no give 10 percent of their income to the church.
Can you imagine? In comparison to that, the Stewardship programs at most Lutheran churches, and certainly here at St. Stephen, are mild. Let me assure you that I'm not prone to radical stunts like that one recorded in Ann Landers. The reason for that is not what you might think, though. It's not necessarily that I'm as mild-mannered as I appear.
The reason is that if I want to be radical, all I have to do is read out loud from the New Testament. You see, Jesus has cornered the market when it comes to being radical. Over and over again in scripture we read how Jesus said and did things that were not only out of the ordinary, but which actually sent shock waves through the crowds that heard him. Today's Gospel lesson is an example of this.
The Pharisees are once again testing Jesus. They are hoping to trap him, to put him to shame, to witness his fall. So, they ask him to select one of the 613 commandments that the Jewish people were compelled to follow, and label it as "the greatest." You can almost hear them snickering.
The amazing thing is that he does it! Jesus quotes the Sha'ma, which is the basic creed of Judaism. This is the sentence with which every Jewish service begins and that is memorized by children, worn on foreheads and posted on doorposts - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and allyour mind…." It's interesting to note, I think, that the word "your" is used. God is not some abstract being, but the One to whom we belong and who belongs to us. Then, Jesus combines the Sha'ma with a rule found in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Now we come to the radical part of this account. Jesus not only states, "these commandments are important", to which the Pharisees would have heartily agreed, but that they are the only ones that need to be obeyed. They are a sure guide to God's will, and they "hang" together, like a door hanging from a pair of hinges. The door does not function correctly if one hinge has come loose. The same is true of these two commandments, loving God and loving neighbor work together and as long as they are observed, Jesus says, people are on the right path, the one that leads to God.
Can you imagine what a shock this was to the Pharisees? After all, their lives were spent interpreting and obeying the commandments. And now Jesus is saying to them, "This is what you need to do. First, love God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. Then, love your neighbor as yourself. If you do this, you have kept all the commandments." We are to commit our whole selves to the task of loving.
Now, instead of taking the time to detail how this is true of, for example, the 10 Commandments, let me get right to the point. If our relationship with God is the focal point of our lives, then it will influence everything we do. That relationship will govern how we interact with others and the decisions we make, including how we use the time, talents and money God has given us. When our focus is on giving our whole selves to God - heart, soul and mind - then the way the world would have us live is turned upside down.
For example, in our world the game of soccer is pretty important. Children and youth want to play, and parents feel it's a good activity in which to be involved. However, in many local communities soccer games are scheduled on Sunday mornings. So, a dilemma is created. Does the child participate in the soccer game or attend worship and Sunday School? If we want to follow the greatest commandment that Jesus has given us we would find the answer in another question, "Does playing soccer on Sunday morning help the participant love God with his or her whole heart, mind and soul?
The same principle can be applied to how we use the money that God has given us. First, though, we must recognize that money is a gift of God. It's not MINE, it's not something that I earned that has nothing to do with spiritual matters. Once we come to that realization the question is, "How can I use this money so that my relationship with God is strengthened?" This is a valid question because how we use our money says a great deal about what's important to us.
It's personal testimony time. We've often heard it said that if a person gives intentionally, even generously, of his or her financial resources, then that individual would be blessed. Most Lutherans would say that does not necessarily mean that piles of money will be dumped on that person, but that in some way blessings will come. While that has a nice ring to it, we may be inclined to question whether or not it's true. So, all I can do is tell you what has been true for me.
When I graduated from college in 1981 I worked as Life-Style Editor for a newspaper, and I 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 McDonald's or Wendy's once a week was a luxury. As I've reflected on that it has become clear to me that although my motivation for tithing was not 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 to $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 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 built around the assumption that whatever I earned; I'd keep no more than 90 percent and at least 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 that which I did not consider to be mine in the first place. My blessing, I guess, was a sense of commitment and contentment that came with being very intentional about my giving. I give now not just to meet needs that exist at Faith Lutheran Church or Lutheran World Relief, although there are many and they are important. Instead, I give because I need to do so to grow spiritually and to enhance my relationship with God. It's part of what I need to do to love God with all of my heart, and my soul and my mind.
That's why today I would encourage you not to focus simply on the money that is needed to do ministry. Instead ask yourselves this, "If loving God with all of my heart, and my soul and my mind, and loving my neighbor as myself, is my goal, what does that mean about how I live my life?" In other words, if my relationship with God comes first, and if because of that I want to touch people with God's love through St. Stephen Lutheran Church, THEN what choices do I make about giving of my time, talents and money? What will help me grow spiritually? How does my giving reflect my commitment to, and willingness to trust, God?
You see, the thing that is vital is to be intentional and thoughtful about what we give BECAUSE it impacts our spiritual health and well-being.
If the people of God understood that there would be no need for radical stunts like the fake robbery that I told you about at the beginning of my sermon. Our very lives - including our giving - would be radical in the eyes of the world, which is only appropriate for those who follow a radical Savior like Jesus. AMEN