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October 17, 2010

Equipped for All Good Work

Persistence.

 

That seems to be the theme of both our lectionary readings this morning. In the Gospel Jesus is talking to the disciples about persistence in prayer and ministry.  Don’t give up.  Keep praying.  Keep trying.  Be like the annoying widow who pestered the nasty judge over and over and over and over and over and over and over until he finally gave her what she wanted just to get rid of her.

 

Persistence.

 

In our Epistle reading Paul, the teacher, pens this letter offering words of encouragement and practical advice to Timothy, the young, fresh pastor just beginning his service.

 

Persistence

 

Hang in there Timothy, he said.  You can do it.  And everything you need is in the scripture.  Just use God’s word and you’ll get ‘er done.

 

Persistence

 

If you ever needed proof that persistence pays off you got it last Wednesday when 33 trapped miners were brought safely to the surface in Chile.  Was that amazing or what?

 

Persistence

 

It is a message I need to hear- especially during stewardship season.  To many Church folks a sermon on stewardship is a plea for money.  If your home or office is anything like mine you've had enough requests for money.  In just the last few days I have received...

request from Heartland Film Festival

a letter from seminary

a plea from NPR to renew my support

caller at my door for cancer fund

invitation to a political fundraiser

reminder to respond to CROP Walk

a phone call from one of the schools we visited in Kenya

 

It is almost enough to make me never want to ask another person for money for anything.  Note, I said, ALMOST

 

There was a young boy at the age when everything he touched ended up in his mouth.  One day he was playing with a silver dollar Just as his mother turned to take it from him he swallowed it,

 

The mother yelled to her husband “Quick, Jimmy swallowed a dollar call the doctor.”

“No,” said the father , “I'm calling the minister”

“Oh no,” exclaimed mother, “do you think he is going to die?”

“No,” explained father, “but our minister can get money out of anyone!”

 

We have a mixed blessing here in our church community.  At Northminster we have an environment where people are able to hang out in a non-threatening setting, hear about Jesus and heal from the pains of life. There is nothing wrong with taking time to get your bearings straight and taking the time to hear from and wrestle with God. But at some point there comes a time to step out to serve with and in the community.

 

The problem is- it is easy to get comfortable in enjoying what everyone else brings to the community and never take the next step of contributing yourself. It is pretty easy to get by and never bother to teach children, serve the homeless, help with the church or its mission.

 

I’ve heard people say many times as they search for a church, “I just want to find a place where I can be fed.” I think we’ve all been in a place  where we do just need to receive from the community and have very little to give back. But sometimes when people say this, what they mean is that they are there to get what they can out of the church and have little desire to ever give back to the community.

 

I think this misunderstanding happens when we forget what leads to our spiritual growth.  It is not simply by sitting back and consuming sermons and listening to uplifting music. Growth happens through actively serving others and through sacrificial investment in the lives of those in the community. When we neglect our full participation in the church, we neglect our own growth as well.

 

The times that I have caught myself saying, “I’m just not getting anything out of church”, I can now look back and realize that it is because I didn’t put that much into the church. I didn’t give my time, my money, my energy, my emotional investment to the people in the community and I suffered just as much as they did.

 

As we approach Commitment Sunday on October 31st I can’t tell you how much you should give to each of the financial campaigns or what you should commit in time and talent.  I can tell you what scripture says about how you should give.  According to scripture our giving should be-

 

* Prayerfully Planned: The decision of what to give is one that requires prayer, thought and time. We are not called to give merely what we have left over but we are called to prayerfully consider our gifts and resources so they come off the top, our first fruits.  Our gifts to God should be part of our financial plan.

 

* Proportionate: Our giving should be proportionate to what God has given us. Think in terms of a percentage of your income.  The average American church member gives about 2% of their annual income to the church.  Many of us still believe in the tithe of 10%. 

 

Proportionate giving prompts more questions -  Elizabeth O’Connor writes:

Proportionate to what?  Proportionate to the accumulated wealth of one’s family?  Proportionate to one’s income and the demands upon it, which vary from family to family? 

Proportionate to one’s sense of security and the degree of anxiety with which one lives?  Proportionate to our awareness of those who suffer? 

Proportionate to our sense of justice and of God’s ownership of all wealth? 

Proportionate to our sense of stewardship for those who follow after us? 

The answer of course, is in proportion to all of these things.

 

* Sacrificial: To "sacrifice" means to make sacred, not just give till it hurts. Through sacrificial giving "we make sacred" the work of our daily lives. Praying about our decision is necessary to truly offer it from the heart.  If what we give doesn’t feel like sacrifice, it may not be enough.

 

* Thanksgiving: Our offering is a grateful response to the immense love God has shown for us. God is first in our lives. We are only responding to what God has already done for us.

 

From the very beginning we each need to be reminded that God does not need our money – or time – or talent.God could make money if that was the only need.  God could do what needs to be done without us.The reason we give money the reason we commit our time and energy is because of what it does in our own hearts and lives. God changes us through our giving.  When we give we become more like God.

 

The poet John Oxenham said it this way-

 

"Love ever gives.

Forgives outlives.

And ever stands with open hands.

And while it lives, it gives.

For this is love's prerogative -- to give, and give, and give.

 

 

Amen.


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