Gracious and
loving God, may only your truth be spoken and only your truth be heard ☩ in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
You all remember that, before the pandemic, back when we were passing the offertory plate, when it was brought to the altar as a symbol of our thanksgiving, we would either say “All things come of thee, O Lord; and of thine own have we given thee” or sing “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” Both are fitting words to accompany this liturgical action. I recently heard of a minister though who said something different; something, a bit more truthful and provocative. When the offering would reach the front of the assembly, the offering plates would be raised with the minister saying, “God, this is what we think of you.”
Now,
our reaction to that alternative doxology probably tells us more than we want
to acknowledge about ourselves. For some, such boldness convicts and challenges
us. For others, it is a clear signal of the sacrifice that we have made to put
money in the plate when we’re not sure how we’re going to pay rent later this
month. That statement – “God, this is what we think of you” – is neither
positive nor negative, it simply a mirror held up to us.
The
subject of giving is on St. Paul’s mind in the section of 2 Corinthians that we
heard from this morning. Corinth was a fairly metropolitan and well-resourced
city, but this was not the case in every city where there was a church, and so
St. Paul is encouraging all Christians to support not only his ministry, but
those in need. When he says “It is appropriate for you who began last year not
only to do something but even to desire to do something – now finish doing it,
so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.”
In other words – make good on your pledge. Some things never change.
No,
it’s not stewardship season at St. Luke’s. There is no pledge card to fill out
today. But money is an incredibly powerful and important topic for us to
consider, and not only when it comes to making a church budget. It’s not a
stretch to say that, more than any other force, capitalism shapes us and directs
our actions. Economics is simply the water we swim in – there’s no sense in
denying this reality. Rather, the question becomes, “As Christians, what does
our relationship to the economy look like?” And I’ll say it upfront – I’m a
hypocrite, I’m complicit in systems that I think are demonic, and I acknowledge
that I don’t have all the answers. But I also know that our faith has something
important to add to the discussion.
In
a book about Christianity and capitalism that I’ve just started reading, the author
writes, “What one believes about the world establishes in great part what it makes
sense to do.” What we think about money and the economy will fundamentally
shape how we use and view money. So we have to be careful that we are building
on the foundation of faith instead of the foundation given to us by the markets.
While
the economy can produce good, it’s also a broken system. Unchecked greed hides
under the surface of our economy. The markets and money become idols that would
have us give our lives and our allegiance to them instead of receiving those things
as gifts from God. Studies have consistently shown the validity of the
statement – “more money, more problems” – as the more wealth people have, the
less settled and satisfied they tend to feel. Simply put, money gets in the way
of us receiving as fully the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
When
it comes to money, the challenge for us is not in making a budget. We’re very
good at math. We can stretch a dollar with the best of them. The challenge isn’t
even in fundraising, as there are lots of strategies that we can use. No, the
challenge for each of us and all of us together when it comes to money is the
searing veracity of that statement: “God, this is what we think of you.” The
challenge is about identity and who we are when it comes to money.
It’s
telling that St. Paul does not resort to commanding the Corinthians to give,
nor does he threaten to exclude people from the community if they do not give.
He does not threaten, shame, or manipulate. He doesn’t even give them an
invoice and tell them what their “fair share” is. Please believe me when I say
that is also my goal. I know that I’m not St. Paul, and so I’m not going to be
as eloquent as he is. But there is no shame, no judgment, no belittling in this
sermon. If you feel those things, please accept my apology and know that my
only intention is to hold up a mirror for us all to look into.
Instead,
St. Paul talks about money through the lens of faith, gratitude, and response. The
exhortation begins not by talking about the importance of giving, not with an
emotional plea detailing the needs of others, not with an appeal to the joy of
giving. Instead, St. Paul begins with Jesus; always a good place to begin. He
reminds them of the Gospel: “For you know the graciously generous act of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.” This is the essence of the
Gospel, it is the great reversal, that Christ Jesus, though he was God, came in
humility as a human to take on the sin of the world that we might become the
righteousness of God.
The
story of our faith is all about grace. And throughout this passage from 2
Corinthians, the word “grace” is used over and over again. Our translation
obscures this by rendering it differently in different instances, but references
to “generosity” are all the word for “grace.” So St. Paul begins by reminding
us that we have received abundantly from God that which we have not earned. Generosity
always flows out of God’s grace towards us and becomes our model. Often Jesus
speaks about the Kingdom of God as a seed, as something that grows. The seed of
faith is the grace of God, which is intended to grow within us, that we might
bear the fruits of grace to the world.
Having
reminded us of the gracious nature of our faith, St. Paul then would have us to
identify with gratitude the places we have received the grace of God. He begins
by noting the gifts of faith, speech, knowledge, eagerness, and love. We are called
to thanksgiving, to recognize that all that we have and all that we are is a
gift from God. None of us gave ourselves life. We have all received countless
graces, countless opportunities, countless blessings that have brought us to
this point. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, he wrote that “What
do you have that you have not been given?” Yes, we’ve had some challenges, as
well, and God has been with us during those difficult times.
One
of the holiest practices that you can develop is that of the daily examen. Before
you go to bed each night, take a few minutes and review what happened. So often,
we’re so busy living life that we don’t reflect on it. Think about all that
happened: the good, the bad, the unremarkable. And then notice the graces that
you received that day, thank God for the blessings of the day, and ask for help
and forgiveness in the failings. And if doing this every night seems like a
lot, you can start by doing a review on Sunday evening of the week that has passed
and build up towards doing it daily. Gratitude is an essential part of what it
means to be a Christian because it grounds us in God’s grace.
Then,
aware of God’s grace and call to follow Christ in his way of generosity, we move
towards a response of grace. This is where St. Paul speaks about giving out of
our present abundance to those in need. Christian giving only comes after we
recognize all that we have abundantly received from God and that everything
really belongs to God. Then, giving does not seem like we are giving anything
up or losing something, rather we are gaining connections to others and are more
tightly united to Christ’s example of generosity. Responding in generosity to
the needs of our church, our community, and our world is what it means to have
received the grace of God.
And there will also
be times when we have a need that will be filled by the abundance of others. As
Martin Luther King wrote, “we are tied together in an inescapable network of
mutuality.” Or, in the language that we’ve been using at St. Luke’s, we are a
part of a beloved community. The goal of the beloved community is, as St. Paul
puts it, “the one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had
little did not have too little.” Responding to generosity with generosity
brings us into communion with God and one another.
If I am
transparent and honest with you all, I will tell you that such a response is
needed right now. Many of you give generously to support the ministries of this
parish. Yes, I am biased, but I believe that the ministries of St. Luke’s are some
of the most robust and needed in our community. Jesus tells us that we are a
light and that we should not hide our light, but rather let it shine for the glory
of God. Simply put, it takes money for us to do this. Our staff has worked incredibly
hard through the pandemic and deserves good compensation for their efforts. Our
ministry to share the faith with children and youth is absolutely needed. Our
work in pursuing the call of beloved community has changed the conversation
around race in our community. Our liturgies draw people into the grace and love
of God. There is much to come and see at St. Luke’s.
Elsewhere
in Scripture, Paul recounts the words of Jesus, that “it is more blessed to
give than to receive.” This blessing is not about a reward, rather it’s about
identity. It’s about going with the grain of Creation – God is a gracious giver
and so when we graciously give, we are following the holy example given to us
by Jesus. Because we are made in the image of God, we are made to be generous.
Again, many of you
support this work, and that is appreciated. There are also those who do not
give as much as you might. There are many who have found our livestream worship
to be a place of comfort and refuge. Even if you don’t consider this to be your
congregation, if you have given God thanks for our ministries, we need your
response of gratitude. You can give online, in person, or through the mail. To
be clear, just as St. Paul asked people to give according to what they have, I
am asking you to give according to what you have. If you’re already stretched
thin, God knows that and I trust that you are giving what you can. But if you
are not in the habit of responding by giving to this parish, or maybe haven’t yet
given in accordance with what you do have, in the words of 2 Corinthians, I am inviting
and asking you to give “so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it
according to your means.”
St. Luke’s is
blessed to be mostly financially stable, but coming out of this pandemic, we
are in a precarious position. We could see decline or we could see growth. Many
have not yet returned to worship and thus have not yet contributed financially
this year. Yes, it’s easy to get out of the habit after 15 months. But it’s time
to realign our actions with our desires, our actions with our faith.
More than needing your support, we want your presence, because the beloved community is so much stronger when all are here. And the truth of the matter is that each of us must give. As St. Paul will put it later in this letter, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that… you may share abundantly in every good work.” In participating in the generosity God, we share in the grace of God which is both our blessing and our calling. As always, the grace of God is that whatever our offerings say about what we think of God, God’s offering to us in Jesus tells us that, more than we can imagine, we are generously loved.
