Sunday Sermon, Proper 28A - Nov 16, 2008

St. Anne’s Reston, VA
Proper 28A (RCL), November 16, 2008
Leslie C. Ferguson, Seminarian
Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Psalm 90; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!

I have to admit I like the Revised Standard Version better… “Well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master.” How many of us want to be counted as good and faithful servants by God? How do we demonstrate our faithful service to God?

I know that I, for one want to be considered good and faithful. I think we demonstrate our faithfulness as we live out God’s plan on earth as members of a community of faith. It is our privilege and responsibility as Christians to live our lives as faithful stewards of God’s blessings both in our Church and in the world around us. But our response to that privilege is often tempered by the fact that we don’t live in wholly sacred spaces but at the intersection of the sacred and the secular and that juxtaposition frequently places us in competing circumstances. We desire to live wholly faithful lives for God but try to balance that life fixed on the eternal with the reality of living life in a society that demands our time, talents, and treasure. It is in this balancing act that we find our stewardship challenged, and if you are like me you feel compelled to find an answer to this question, “Why do I choose to give to the Church?” As I’ve embarked on my theological education and pursuit of ordination I’ve been haunted by this more difficult question, “Why do I want others to give to a Church that I’m attending?”

Scripture is foundational to me in many aspects of my life and in determining whether or not to give to the Church. As I look for answers in the Hebrew and Christian Scripture I find God’s response to the question of being a faithful steward both to the Church and as the Church, the body of believers living in community. From the beginning: God, in his covenant with the chosen people of Israel, was clear about the tenets of our relationship. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might,”[1] from Deuteronomy makes us believe it should be easy to move from that imperative to justify our giving of what we have to God - time, talent, and treasure - because those things are the few things that we have some control over. But even back then giving just to God wasn’t enough and it’s clear from God’s word through Moses in Leviticus, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy… but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord,”[2] that our action must benefit our neighbors like it does God or else it isn’t fully an act of love.

As a Christian, I find a few other examples that make me believe it is right to give to the Church. Recently we heard the writer of Matthew remind us we are supposed to do things for our neighbor when he told the disciples and the crowd that their actions towards God were reflected in their actions to others when he said, “…truly I tell you that as you did it to the least of these you did it unto me.”[3] Then in today’s gospel parable we hear the story of the faithful servants and hear Jesus say, “His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy (faithful) slave; you have been trustworthy (faithful) in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”[4]

Lastly, the writer from Matthew gives another perspective on giving and how we should give to the church when he related the following, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’”[5] Although at the extreme end of the scale, it is clear from this passage that Christians are expected to give to help the poor and in the first century they would have been giving to the Church to help the poor in their community.

In light of the scriptural justifications presented, I believe we are called to give to the Church, I have come up with some reasons why I choose to give to the Church, not only my treasure but also my time and my talents. This list is neither comprehensive nor static, as I come to understand my life with God through prayer and community interaction and living with people who choose to faithfully serve God my answers will change over time.

It may seem a little off for a discussion of giving to the Church but when I think about giving the first thing that comes to mind is my decision to follow a call to ordained ministry. Answering the “why” question is certainly beyond the time available for a sermon but I’ll try to summarize the key reasons that I give this gift to the Church. It is in serving the church that I find completeness and wholeness. It is in devoting my life to the Church that I feel integral and true to my self. I give my “self” to the Church because it’s the best thing I have to offer and the only thing that I really have control over, nothing else is really mine to give.

Paul was assuring the Thessalonians that Jesus would indeed return to earth and even expected Jesus to return in their lifetime. While they were disappointed in their day that doesn’t change the fact that I truly believe that God will return to earth to judge the world and those who have professed to be Christians. Because I will be called to account for my stewardship and execution of God’s mission I choose to give to the Church. However, I don’t feel that my giving is from fear or a feeling of necessity but from a sense of love and the expectation that God is coming back and I want to be ready for God’s return.

Today’s Epistle reading talks about how the Thessalonians need to be prepared for the imminent return of God and although they don’t realize Christ’s return their charge is still levied on the Church. As a faith community the church is dedicated to re-forming the world in preparation for Christ’s return. I believe the Church has as an example the highest standard to model its actions after - Jesus Christ. I believe the Church is uniquely qualified and expected to make a positive change in the world. God expects Christians to make the world ready for the day of the Lord and the Church is in the enviable position to make changes for God from the grassroots level - truly affecting change from the ground up.

Likewise, the Church gives me hope of a better place, especially in a less-than-hopeful time. The Church and its actions assure me that there can be a better place here on earth and that we will enjoy a better place in heaven in our eternal life. I give to the Church because I realize the presence of God in its actions and the things that our Church stands for. Without time, talent, and treasure from me and others in the Church I don’t think the Church would be nearly as effective in reaching out to those in need of the healing power of God’s word and deed.

One might think this last reason I give to the Church may sound a little sarcastic but I really think it has a lot of influence on the discussion. I choose to give to the Church because I am privileged to have the time, talent, and treasure available to give to something and the Church seems to be the best place. Coupled with that is the belief that I want to make a positive change in the world and the Church has a good track record in affecting positive change in the world. Also, when I give to a Church I see a more direct connection between the things I give and the ministry, mission, or cause that I support. And probably the least “sacred” reason I give to the Church is I’d give my time, talent, and treasure some place anyway so why not the Church.

As we all know, making a positive change in the world isn’t something that comes without cost, not just monetary but time and talent, thus I need to give from my God-given bounty to make that change in cooperation with others in the Church. And what does this mean to each of us as members of St. Anne’s? We hear secular society tell us to “put our money where our mouth is.” Considering that society can make and lose millions if not billions of dollars in a day based on self-centered reasons, just how much more could the Church do if it focused its attention on living out the message of the gospel on a daily basis, not only in words but also in temporal resources, personal energy, and finances?

I think it is important for each of us to reflect on and to be able to answer the two questions I posed earlier. Why do I give my time, talent, and treasure to the Church? Why do I want others to give to a Church that I’m attending? I have found my answer to those questions aren’t static and continue to be shaped by my life of prayer and reflection on God at work in my day-to-day life. I don’t think that my answers will necessarily be your answers but I think my questions and answers will provide a good jumping off point. With that, I’d like to leave you with a couple more images to ponder as you think about stewardship and its relationship to God.

We know it is unreasonable to believe that we can change the world all by ourselves yet we firmly believe we can change our little corner of it. But if positive social and political change is something that we as a Church embrace, how will we go about ensuring that we will truly be able to make that change? It starts with stewardship.

Our stewardship and its relationship with God is not a one-time-a year thing and many are finding it easier to keep a steady-strain focus on stewardship throughout the year. In my life I find it less worrisome to think about stewardship and being in relationship with God when I focus on those things on a daily basis. With that in mind, how do we make stewardship a reflection of our relationship with God? Do our prayers and life reflect a life of stewardship? How might we include our stewardship in our vital life of prayer with God and then take the fruits from that prayer relationship to our active life in Christ?

Is your stewardship a matter of joy or drudgery? What makes your stewardship a joy? If your stewardship is drudgery, how can you transform your understanding and application of stewardship to make it more joyful?

Ultimately, God wants to be able to call all of us good and faithful servants when he returns to judge the world. We have faith that God will return and hope that we can be counted as one of the good and faithful servants. We pray that God will illuminate our hearts and minds to better see how we can continue to be fruitful stewards for God in the world, not only today but always. And at the bottom line it begins with stewardship.

Thanks be to God!
[1] Deuteronomy 6:5 (NRSV)
[2] Leviticus 19:2b, 18b (NRSV)
[3] Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)
[4] Matthew 25:21 and 23 (NRSV)
[5] Matthew 19:21 (NRSV)