WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS

WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS Acts 2:42 47; Stewardship Kickoff Sunday September 28, 2014 Stephen R Montgomery Prayer Loving God, we pray that your Holy Spirit will strengthen us, to be devoted to the teachings of your Word, that through it we may hear your voice and follow it into the world, and even into eternal life. Amen. Acts 2:42 47 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. W illiam Sloane Coffin said once that if he walked into a church as a visitor on a Sunday morning, and he saw in the bulletin that it was Stewardship Sunday and the sermon title indicated that the sermon would be on stewardship, he, Coffin, would immediately bow his head and pray fervently for brevity. This is a stewardship sermon, and if you wish to pray for brevity, I will understand, but this is also a sermon about the Church, Church with a capital C, and this church in particular. But we begin with those very first years of the church, before it was even called the church. This should get your attention, in case your mind has already been glazed over from the thought of stewardship, but in the middle of chapter one of Acts, the followers of Jesus number 120. By the end of chapter two, there are over 3,000 followers. Did I say that in addition to being stewardship Sunday, it is also evangelism Sunday? But what was going on back then that led the church, really in only a few months, to be on fire with the good news of God s love, so much so that others took note and wanted to be a part of this fledgling community? It really is a precious story, and I use that word with great care. There they are, frightened, alone, hiding away; feeling guilty perhaps over their feelings that maybe they had let their leader down which caused him to be crucified; they still didn t know what to make of the Resurrection. Jesus had ascended, but when would he come again? Tomorrow? Next week? But they gather at Pentecost; the spirit whips them up with a whirlwind of tongues of fire dancing over the apostle s heads. And Peter, the most guilt ridden one of them all, the one who had said I ll never deny you Jesus. I ve got your back. Where you go, I will go. You and me together, buddy; 9/28/2014 WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS PAGE 1 OF 6

Peter, the one who then denied knowing Jesus three times, gets up and gives a sermon explaining what was going on. And after that, Luke tells us that they devoted themselves to the apostle s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. It is an inspiring look here at the early church, and in it we see the makings of the First Christian Church of Jerusalem, which worshipped in the temple by day and celebrated the Eucharist in their homes by night. They were closet Christians in this primary stage of the church s development, and at that early point they still saw themselves as Jews believing that the long awaited Messiah of Judaism was Jesus of Nazareth. That s one of the reasons this passage is so precious the church at its embryonic stage is unaware that the easy comfort and supportive atmosphere which marks its life as a congregation is about to be shattered by selfishness, persecution, and martyrdom. It would not always be so ideal for the church, for within the next few chapters we find it all selfishness, persecution, and martyrdom. The church would soon, very soon, suffer attack from without and within the church. There is a naïve charm here about the church in this passage in that it is enthusiastic, pure, and clueless. Now, some scholars have suggested that this idyllic stage in the church s development never existed, that it is an expression of the kind of community to which the church is called rather than a description of any reality that ever prevailed. But I find it hard to believe that is the case. If the church did not ever realize the joy of Christian community in its earliest states, even if only for a while, then it calls into question those times of Christian community, fellowship, and support that we have known in our own experience. Moreover, there could be no other explanation for the exponential growth of the early church against every conceivable odd. It was the church community that helped hundreds, then thousands, and then millions of followers of Jesus Christ to defeat those forces that would bring out the worst in human nature as they found power, inspiration, and courage to offer an alternative way of living. Elie Wiesel, whose concentration camp experiences were captured in his book Night, recounted a conversation he had with the man who was the leader of the cell block in Auschwitz. The conversation took place as Wiesel s father was close to death from hunger and dehydration. This is your father, isn t it? asked the head of the block. Yes. He s very ill. The doctor won t do anything for him. The doctor can t do anything for him. And neither can you. 9/28/2014 WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS PAGE 2 OF 6

He put his great hairy hand on my shoulder and added: Listen to me, boy. Don t you ever forget that you re in a concentration camp. Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. Even of his father. Here there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone. I can think of no words that capture the spirit that would destroy the human community more quickly than those words: Everyone lives and dies for himself alone. Surely God has given us the capacity to move to a different way of being that respects life and dignity of others, that cares about their welfare as much as our own. This is what keeps us human, fully human as God intends, and what saves the world from destruction. And in changing death to life in the Resurrection of Christ, in the giving of the Spirit to that frightened group of followers, they discovered the power of community; a community that went against all the prevailing ideologies and social mores and politics of the day. And the world noticed! I have for many years been inspired by a story from the Hasidic tradition of the rabbi who was asked one day by a student, How can one tell when the new day has come? The rabbi reversed the question and asked his student, You tell me how you can know. The student guessed, Is it when the rooster crows to signal a new dawn? No, the rabbi answered. Is it then perhaps when one can discern the silhouette of a tree against the sky? No, he was told. The surest way to know when the night is over and when a new day has come is when you can look into the face of a stranger, the one who is different from you, and recognize him as your brother. See her as your sister. Until that day comes, it will always be night. It was a new day there in Jerusalem and beyond. A new day. God, they discovered, kept promises. God, they realized again, was faithful. And the people, led by the power of the Holy Spirit, discerned what that meant as they formed a community. And the church today is called to that same task of discernment. As we think about how we use our resources in this stewardship season, I would like to offer some questions to guide our discernment. Consider the causes to which we give: Do they heal? Do they bring hope? Do they remake a part of the world so that people can rebuild their lives? Do they invite us to participate in God s work of transformation? 1 I asked just a few members of our staff to ponder these questions and to see how Idlewild stacked up. Here are a few responses: 9/28/2014 WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS PAGE 3 OF 6

Do they heal? Quite literally. We have two blood drives a year, one coming up in November. We deliver medical supplies to the Juan G. Hall Presbyterian church in Cuba. We have sponsored clean water installations in Ghana and Mexico. On a deeper, more spiritual level, we have heard again and again how the spiritual practices of reading scriptures through lectio divina have helped members know God in ways that help them accept their own humanity and forgive others When we have wholeness services here, we have witnessed tears of relief and healing. I remember when Scott Moore was waiting for a double lung transplant, there were prayers written and spoken aloud at the Table one Sunday evening at Festival. It was time for Isabelle s prayer, his daughter Please make my daddy well. Anne sent them to Scott in the hospital in Nashville so he literally knew prayer. It was healing just hearing a child seek wellness for her faith in the context of worship and prayer. Do they bring hope? At More Than A Meal, we offer more than just food. We offer friendship, and prayer and music. And dignity. There was a man we have helped who could not afford heart medication; there was a veteran and her children who need assistance with affordable housing. Safe lodging for a woman who needed to have a very serious, invasive surgery. And when I think of hope, I think of children, youth, and young adults. When the deacons gathered a few months ago to stuff snack packs at Kim and Judy Johnson s for the children at Brewster Elementary in one of the poorest zip codes in the city over in Binghampton, there were children sitting on the floor with older adults. People connecting in ways they never had, helping others while having fun, seeing relationships poolside at a church event. Crazy full of hope, is the way Anne put it. And Margaret told a story of what happened this Thursday. A woman at her wits end with her child who had difficulties in school. I ve been to five other churches and they couldn t help. Everyone said to go to Idlewild, because they help. And they came, and there was the child in the open studio art class led by Jennifer Albright. Hope. Do they remake a part of the world so that people can rebuild their lives? When life has fallen apart, when transitions happen, either joyful or tragic, here comes Anne Ferguson or someone else in a state of non-anxious presence with a meal. The testimony we have received from notes of gratitude warm the heart. I know that from personal experience, and it will always hold a special place of gratitude in my heart. 9/28/2014 WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS PAGE 4 OF 6

I ve mentioned the Brewster backpacks, which enable 180 children to go home each weekend to provide healthy meals. I m mentioned Living Waters for the World. I haven t mentioned all the community support grants that go out throughout the city, making a difference so that people can rebuild lives. There are prayer shawls, the number of times any of us have visited in hospitals and homes that we have seen people wrapped in their shawls. That s healing, its hope, but it also points to prayer s ability to change the world, remake a part of life. I remember sitting next to someone, an African American gentleman who was from another congregation. I wouldn t have graduated from high school had it not been for Idlewild s recreation program, he said, after he learned I was from Idlewild. Do they invite us to participate in God s work of transformation? Christ Care groups, which form a safe supportive environment for men in midlife, for women, for families struggling with addition, and more. I have been blown away by the support and accountability these provide. I have led a young men s retreat; Anne and Gayle have led young women s retreats, and we have seen transformation and excitement take place right before our very eyes. We have witnessed what happens in confirmation, with the involvement of over 20 mentors as the young people make connections between their baptisms and the life of faith. And I guarantee you that lives are transformed when our young people head down to Central America and work with the people there, adults and children in building schools. Awe came upon everyone, we read in Acts, and they did all these community building actions prayer, study, eating together, sharing with glad and generous heart. It wasn t forced. They didn t give out of guilt. The Christian life is about adjusting ourselves to the existence of a gracious God. And this short passage provides us with a glimpse of what that looks like. You prayed for brevity. Our prayers are always answered, but not always in the way we want. So I want to close with something for each of you to consider. This week you will be receiving a letter from our stewardship committee; actually not one letter. There will be different letters going out to different people. Two of our young adults in their 20s wrote a letter to those in their 20s. A young couple in their 30s wrote to the 30-somethings. And so forth. In a thought provoking, very detailed study that Betty Anne Wilson did, we found that each group had positive highlights, strengths upon which to build; and challenges, growth opportunities. We found that the 20-somethings had the fastest rate of growth giving of any age group over the past 7 years. The average pledge for those starting out, is strong over $1200 a year. And yet only 11% of this age group gives to Idlewild. That s a challenge. 9/28/2014 WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS PAGE 5 OF 6

For those in their 30s, we found that giving in this group over the past seven years has grown by 43%. Who says young people don t support the work of the church. That is a strength to be celebrated. There is a challenge there, though, because only 35% of members in this age group give. The 40s: This is where the average pledge has jumped more than any other age group over the past few years. God bless you. But the numbers who have given in this age group has remained flat, even though this is one of our largest age groups. There s a challenge there. Are you in your 50s? Bless you, because you have a very strong pledge with an average of $14,400, the highest of all. But about 35% of you do not pledge. That is a growth opportunity. Those in their 60s pledge over 20% of the pledge total received last year. But about 24% of this age group does not give. And for those saints who are above 70 years of age, we are standing on your shoulders in many ways. 72% of you pledge or give significantly: 72%, the highest of any age group. The downside, the growth opportunity, the challenge is that the giving level of this group is below the 2007 2008 levels. Because you prayed for brevity, the sermon is indeed about over. I don t have time to talk about some of the incredibly exciting things that are going on at Idlewild, and some of the envisioning that is taking place for our future. Or the challenges. I look at it all in awe. I am inspired. And I, for one, will be pledging with a glad and generous heart. I ve seen healing; I ve seen hope. I ve seen this church, through your pledges help remake a part of the world so that people can rebuild their lives. And I have witnessed God s work of transformation in ways that I have seen nowhere else. Nowhere. It is my hope that the awe and wonder that you feel will do what it did for those early Christians and that is to point you toward God, beyond us and our common awareness to the beauty and mystery that always surround us, and that we might continue to be led into a Spiritfilled discipleship yes, with glad and generous hearts. Amen. 2014 Idlewild Presbyterian Church, Memphis TN 1 These questions are from Timothy B. Hare, Feasting on the Word, Year A, volume 2. Westminster/ John Knox Press, 2010, p.427. 9/28/2014 WITH GLAD AND GENEROUS HEARTS PAGE 6 OF 6