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The United Church of Jaffrey
9/22/19
Stewardship…
In addition to my weekly Sunday assignment of meditating on a Biblical text and bringing that text into meaningful conversation with our modern life, I have been tasked to customize this morning’s words to address the stewardship concerns of our church.
The Stewardship sermon is an annual responsibility for ministers.
And I will be upfront with you and tell you that I used to really dread it.
My dread was the dread that all poets have of anything that has even the slightest to do with money.
Money.
Even though we really want it, money is about the least spiritual thing imaginable. s
Money is unrelentingly factual. It’s like those industrial fluorescent tubes that flicker and buzz and blare out a bright white light that leaves no room for subtlety.
I am a minister and a poet, and money is the natural predator of the spiritual poet.
So when I thought about giving a “stewardship sermon” I shook in my spiritual poetic boots.
But that was then…
And I’m pleased to report, now, that I was… mistaken.
I may not like talking about money, but I do like talking about stewardship.
Stewardship, as it turns out, is not the natural enemy of the spiritual poet.
I can tie the laces of my spiritual poet boots and go for a hike on Stewardship mountain, without the least pang.
Oh really? So what is stewardship Reverend Mark?
I’m glad you asked!
The Miriam Webster Dictionary defines Stewardship as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”
I like that.
I like the way that the word “stewardship” brings together three important ideas: responsibility, trust, and care.
These three ideas go together nicely.
When we care deeply for something, we can be trusted to do whatever is necessary to take care of it.
That’s what responsibility is.
As you can see, this word “stewardship” is not a word to be taken lightly – just as these three ideas of responsibility, trust, and care, are not to be taken lightly.
We do not trust just anyone.
We do not care about just anything.
We certainly do not accept responsibility for just any old thing.
Before we trust, care or take responsibility for a person or thing, we must have a special kind of confidence in that person or thing.
This special kind of confidence to which I refer is a confidence, not only of the mind, but of the body also.
Of the heart…
And yes, of the spirit.
This confidence of the mind, body, heart, and spirit, has a name – it is a word that, I say a lot around here – a word that, I hope, has come to define my ministry, just as it defined Jesus’ ministry before me.
And that word, of course, is love.
So, if this is what stewardship is, why was I ever scared of the stewardship sermon?
I think it’s because, when the church asks you to act as stewards for our church, we are asking you to pledge financial support.
Ugh.
Money.
And when money is involved, we naturally start thinking of another word.
The word “transaction.”
The Miriam Webster Dictionary defines the word “transaction” as “an exchange or transfer of goods, services, or funds.”
If we take apart the definition of this word, like we did the “stewardship” we see that the fundamental ideas at the core of “transaction” are ideas the of “exchange” and “transfer.”
We are all very familiar with this.
Our modern lives are transactional lives.
Whenever we buy something in a store, go to a restaurant, get gas at the pump, or purchase something on Amazon, we are involved in a transaction.
A transaction is a quick interaction that involves an exchange – usually of a thing, or a service for a previously agreed upon amount of money.
Unlike “stewardship,” a “transaction” does not require care, responsibility, or trust.
Love is not at its core.
It is a conditional agreement.
At its center is the word “if”.
I will give you this if you give me that.
I suppose that is the difference between stewardship, and transaction.
Since love is at the core of stewardship, it is unconditional.
It has no ifs.
Consider the story, that Alison just read for us from the gospel of Luke.
Jesus is inside a house. Inside the house, there is a crowd of people, and outside the house too, there is a multitude.
Some men come. These men are carrying another man – the man they are carrying is in a bed because he cannot move – he is paralyzed.
These men have heard that Jesus might be able to heal their paralyzed friend, but they are faced with the difficult problem of trying to bring their friend into the presence of the messiah, who is surrounded by a crowd.
A crowd of ifs.
The men could have said: “If Jesus is not really the messiah, he won’t be able to heal you.”
They could’ve said that, but they didn’t.
The men could have said “If there are too many people, we won’t be able to get Jesus to see you.”
They could’ve said that, but they didn’t.
The men could have said “If it is the sabbath, maybe Jesus won’t heal you…”
They could’ve said that, but they didn’t.
They didn’t say these things because these are transactional things to say.
They are “I will give you this if you give me that” things to say.
And these men knew that Jesus did not come to make a transaction.
These men knew that Jesus came to be a steward.
They knew that Jesus came because he cared.
They knew that Jesus came because he could be trusted.
They knew that Jesus came because he willingly took responsibility.
And they were right.
The men were right about Jesus.
The men did not let any “if’s” get in the way.
So Jesus was not the only steward in this story. These men were also stewards.
They found a way to get the paralyzed man – bed and all – up onto the roof of the house, and then, of all things, they managed to lower the paralyzed man down through the rafters of the house so that he could be placed before Jesus.
Wow!
They went through a lot of effort.
But all this makes you wonder something…
All this makes me wonder how the men knew about Jesus?
How did they know that, after all their trouble, Jesus wouldn’t just ask them for a valid medical insurance card.
They had never seen Jesus.
They did not know him personally.
So how did they know that Jesus was not a transactional person?
How did they know that Jesus was a steward like them?
The text answers this question.
When he saw their faith, the text says, Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”
Stewardship is also about faith.
Because we cannot love and trust and care and be responsible to God, without faith.
Faith, which, as the apostle Paul tells us, is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Next Sunday will be faith-promise Sunday.
Next Sunday you will be asked to make a pledge to support this church.
This is not a transaction.
There are no “ifs” in this request.
I ask you to join me in being a steward of this church, so that together, we can continue to live into our mission to grow our Christian faith through acts of love toward all.
Amen.