2014 Stewardship Sermon No. 2: Trusting in a Trustworthy God.

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Amy Pierce
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1 Pentecost XIX :: Proper 24, Year A October 19, 2014 :: Matthew 22:15-22 Fr. Jim Cook 2014 Stewardship Sermon No. 2: Trusting in a Trustworthy God. So, the cat is out of the bag: If you were here last Sunday, or if you heard about my sermon that day, then you know that we re in the midst of our pledge campaign for So, I suppose there s no point in my trying to pull off another stealth stewardship message; but it was fun while it lasted, your reactions were priceless, and I got a lot of positive remarks on what I had to say. However, if you weren t here last Sunday, and you didn t download my sermon from the St. Andrew s website, then very quickly let me bring you up to speed. I mentioned that there are three reasons why every St. Andrew s household needs to turn in a pledge card on November 2, and last week I talked about the first reason. And that first reason is because St. Andrew s is the only Episcopal Church in the area, and that what we have to offer among all of the other Christian denominations is truly unique, and therefore truly valuable. I talked about how Fr. Jeff and I, and all of the ministry leaders, strive to reflect the authentic voice of the gospel in the things we say and do. And, that the people of Stillwater, and the students at OSU, need and deserve a place where they can hear about the love, acceptance, and grace of God, without that message being couched within a sub-text of fear, guilt, or any other type of or else language we so often encounter in churches. And that your pledge of financial support will help us stay the course for the people around us who haven t yet heard the Good News of the Gospel. 1.

2 Now, before I get to the second reason why every St. Andrew s household needs to turn in a pledge card, I m going to talk about our gospel reading, because it s going to lead us in the direction I already wanted to go. But first, let me set the stage for you. Jesus was frequently getting into trouble with the religious and civic leaders of his country, because they saw in him someone who taught things and did things that had the potential to undermine their power and authority. So they were always looking for ways to trick Jesus into committing either an act of civil disobedience, or an act of religious disobedience. And today s gospel reading is an example of those types of shenanigans. And so, our gospel reading opens with representatives from Israel s religious leadership (i.e., the Pharisees) and civic leadership (i.e., the Herodians, who supported King Herod) coming to Jesus with what they think is a foolproof trick question. But first, they butter him up with lots of flattery, saying, Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. They really laid it on thick! And hoping that Jesus is sufficiently distracted by all this halo-polishing, they pop the big question: Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Now, the reason they think this is such a great question is because it doesn t matter whether he answers Yes or No, because he ll be in trouble either way. For example, if Jesus answers Yes, it is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, he ll be in trouble not only with the Pharisees, but also with a majority of the population, because they all hate the Roman government that occupies their country. And so, this answer will likely get Jesus killed. 2.

3 But, if Jesus answered No, it is not lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, then he s in trouble with the Herodians, because that would be considered an act of sedition. That would definitely get Jesus killed. Fortunately, however, Jesus sees what s happening, and so he asks to see a coin that one might use to pay taxes. And holding it up for all to see, and pointing to the image stamped on one side of it, he asks his own question: Whose head is this, and whose title? It s actually a rhetorical question, because, first, everyone already knew not only whose image and title were on the coin; but also that the emperor controlled the production of those coins, and that they were officially his property. But Jesus asks the question anyway because he has a point to make. And when his antagonists tell him that the image and title on the coin are those of the emperor, Jesus says: Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor s, and to God the things that are God s. And, that, believe it or not, is Game, Set, and Match! So, what just happened? Well, it was important that Jesus draw everyone s attention to the image stamped on the coin. Because once everyone acknowledges that a coin which bears the emperor s image ultimately belongs to the emperor, it would then be easy to argue that things which bear the image of God belong to God. And that s the point Jesus is trying to make: Who do we know who bears the image and likeness of God? Anyone? Anyone? That s right, we do! We ve been made in the image and likeness of God. And that s the point of our gospel reading: All of us are connected to God. All of us are in a relationship with God. Even the most ardent atheist is in a relationship with God; they just don t know it, or won t acknowledge it. And it s in the context of that relationship that God leads us and guides us. It s in the context of that relationship where God redeems the hard things that happen to us, and inspires us to find a way to move beyond them. And it s 3.

4 in the context of that relationship that God encourages us, and helps us to have lives that are meaningful, and fulfilling. But it s also within the context of that relationship that God puts boundaries around us, places limits on the things we might do, and communicates his expectations of how we will behave and respond. And one of the things that scripture tells us that God asks of us, is that we return back to him a portion of the proceeds of our labor. And in the context of what I m talking about, that means turning in a pledge card. And that brings me to a point where I can start talking about the second reason every St. Andrew s household needs to turn in a pledge card. Now, what I m about to say may sound audacious, but hear me out. I am convinced that each person s spiritual journey which is to say our ongoing relationship with God will never become all it can be unless we re willing to allow our finances to be a part of that relationship. Because, even though we may be trusting God with every other aspect of our lives, if we re not also trusting God with our finances, then we re really not trusting God completely. And if that s the case, then our spiritual journey will never be what it can be. Over the years, the most common reason people give me for why they don t pledge is because they don t believe they can afford to; or because their budget is already too tight. And I get that. But in response I want to say to them is: but consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. This is what Jesus said to his followers in Matthew 6. And at the end of that passage, Jesus also said this: Therefore do not worry, saying, What will we eat? or What will we drink? or What will we wear? Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his 4.

5 righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (31-33). They re beautiful words, but but I like how Eugene Peterson rendered them in his translation, The Message, which reads: What I m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God s giving. People who don t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don t worry about missing out. You ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. This is a life-truth that Peggy and I have experienced many times. Whenever we would start fretting about our finances, we d remind ourselves of how God had always been there for us in the past; and how we ve always had everything that we ve needed; and how, even when things were looking bleak, they always turned out alright. And during those times when our finances seemed a bit dicey, reminding ourselves of God s provision in our past, allowed us to have faith in God s provision for our future. And that s still the case. However, I want you to know that filling out a pledge card each year, and writing that check to St. Andrew s each month, can still be times of anxiety even for me. I still have to remind myself, over and over again, that I can trust God, that he s been there for us in the past, and that I can be confident that he ll be there for us in the future. But I want you to know that Peggy and I practice what I m preaching, so I m going to tell you that our pledge to St. Andrew s this year is $6,000. That amount is 9% of my gross income, and 11% of my net income; you can do the math. And every month, after I ve paid all the other bills, I then write a check to St. Andrew s in the amount of $500. And if you don t think that can some- 5.

6 times be hard; if you don t think that sometimes makes me fell a little anxious, then let me assure you that it does. But Peggy and I pledge each year, and we pay towards our pledge each and every month, because we believe in what St. Andrew s has done, is doing, and can do with our support. And because it helps us in our spiritual journey. And because we do consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air ; and because our experiences have assured us that we can trust God with all aspects of our lives; that we can trust in a trustworthy God. So, if you haven t already guessed, the second reason why every St. Andrew s household needs to turn in a pledge card on November 2 nd, is because every household needs to turn in a pledge card. If you never take that step, you risk getting stuck on your journey. Now, if I still haven t persuaded you, hear what Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith discovered: In his book entitled The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose, he writes: People who give away 10 percent of their income are 10 percent more likely to say they are very happy and 5 percent less likely to say they are unhappy; and The more you volunteer, the happier you are: People who say they are very happy also tend to volunteer almost six hours per month; and People who volunteer report feeling better and enjoying better mental health than people who don t volunteer; and, finally, People who give or volunteer are more interested in pursuing personal growth. 6.

7 And so, the conclusion that Smith draws is obvious: We can experience life to its fullest when we live for something bigger and more profound than ourselves. And now, I d like to close with this very brief reflection upon the meaning of stewardship. You ll find it printed on the back page of your worship booklet. In fact, I d like to invite you to read it aloud with me: My church is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is. It will be friendly, if I am. Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them. It will do great work, if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, if I invite and bring them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, and a church with a noble spirit, if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these same things. Therefore, with the help of God, I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all the things that I want my church to be. And all God s people said: Amen! 7.

Stewardship 101. Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church Memorial Highway Tampa, Fl

Stewardship 101. Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church Memorial Highway Tampa, Fl Stewardship 101 Test me in this, says the Lord almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it. (Mal. 3:10 NIV)