A Privilege
Dr. Jim Wilson, November 15, 2009 The pastor of a small rural church was experiencing great difficulty in motivating members to be faithful in their stewardship. No matter what he tried, and he tried a wide variety of approaches, they simply would not respond. The offerings continued in a pattern of mediocre amounts at best. Late on a Saturday evening, as he was pondering what else he could do to promote faithful giving, a new idea dawned upon him. The next morning when it came time to receive the offering, he made the following announcement: “Before we pass the collection plates, I would like to request that the person who stole the chickens from Brother Smith’s hen house refrain from giving any money to the Lord. The Lord simply does not take money from a thief.” The ushers took the offering. For the first time in many years, the offering plates were filled to overflowing! That is one way to motivate. I don’t think it would work here. However, it does raise a most significant question for us: “What motivates people, people like yourselves, to be faithful stewards of God’s gifts?” In an attempt to answer that question, I invite you to look briefly with me at each of our lessons for this morning. In the lesson from Matthew, Jesus warns against our human tendency to stockpile material wealth as a hedge against insecurity. Such behavior, Jesus argues, only serves to increase anxiety, that excessive worry, about life. The only real source of security, says Jesus, is trusting in the providential love of God. Jesus is quite clear---anxiety occurs when we make something other than God the focus of our trust. In fact, the word translated “anxiety” or “worry” literally means “a split attention” or “a divided concern.” We simply cannot serve God and wealth. It is an impossibility to serve two masters. The motivation Jesus suggests is trusting God to provide what we need, trusting the One who cares for the birds of the air, who grows the flowers of the field, and who clothes the grass of the field, will provide even all the more for us. Stewardship, as Jesus suggests, is a matter of trusting in God’s providential love. Journey with me now several centuries earlier to a place in the wilderness along the Jordan River, where we encounter the people of Israel poised to enter the Promised Land. Moses is preaching his intolerably long sermon---the Book of Deuteronomy. The focus of these verses is instruction for a liturgical celebration, an offering of gifts of gratitude to the Lord which later became institutionalized as the Feast of First Gifts or Weeks, one of the three great Jewish feasts. The motivation here is obviously clear---gratitude, a gratitude that emerges out of remembering how the Lord delivered Israel out of bondage in Egypt “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and signs and wonders,” and brought them at last to this Promised Land. At the center of this act of remembering is the summary of Israel’s faith called “The Credo” which is a recital of the story of God’s deliverance. Such remembering is to prompt gratitude, a gratitude that finds expression in the offering of the “first fruits’ of the ground. Whatever else may motivate faithful stewardship, gratitude for what God has already done is foundational. It is the very pulse of stewardship. Hop-scotch with me again over several centuries to the city of Corinth in the First Century A.D., and listen to Paul’s counsel. Paul writes to this congregation, a rather cantankerous bunch to say the least, to urge them to make good on their earlier promise to contribute to the offering he is collecting for the poor in Jerusalem. In other words, he is raising money for missions. What has caused this sudden reticence, we do not know. What we do know is that the collection is very important to Paul. He has made a commitment to help the poor. More importantly, he sees the offering as a concrete symbol of solidarity between Gentile Christians in churches like the one in Corinth and Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. But how to motivate the Corinthians, that is the issue. After much consternation, Paul hits upon a strategy, one that has been use a great deal since. He points to an example of faithful stewardship. The Macedonian churches provided that example. They have given generously despite some unidentified “severe ordeal of affliction” and extensive poverty. Paul lifts them up as an example of faithfulness. Then he goes on to say that the Macedonian churches were “begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints.” They did not see the offering as an obligation, but as a privilege of sharing in the ministry. Paul reminds the Corinthians how they excel in everything …”in faith, in speech, in knowledge,” so certainly they could also see the offering as a privilege and excel in their gifts, imitating the Macedonian churches. Again, gratitude for what God has done in Christ Jesus is motivation. Yet, I am drawn to this notion of stewardship as a privilege, a privilege of being called to share in God’s work. Come ahead now to the church in Barrington on this Commitment Sunday. As we gather this day, we too are asked to be faithful stewards of God’s gifts. I have grappled with what motivates faithful stewardship among us. Listening to our texts we hear how Jesus, Moses and Paul call us to faithful stewardship by trusting in the Lord, by gratitude for what God in Christ has done for us, and by seeing stewardship as a privilege. All of these motivations are true and faithful calls to be generous in our response. However, I would like for us to focus on understanding stewardship as a privilege, a privilege God in Christ gives us to share in his work of redeeming all of life. I had never named motivation as privilege but I had witnessed it in the church’s life. I decided first to see what Mr. Webster has to say about the word “privilege” and made an interesting discovery. The first definition of privilege is “a right, advantage, favor, or immunity especially granted to one…” What grabbed my attention was the word “favor” for when I checked the Greek translation of Paul’s words, the Greek word translated “privilege” is charis or grace, which is God’s favor. That discovery prompted my remembering. Charley and Dorothy Decker were faithful members of the Marseilles UMC. As self-educated man who read voraciously, Charley had a keen and perceptive mind. His day job was as a foreman at the Nabisco Box plant in town. His evening and week-end work consisted of keeping preachers and would-be preachers honest and on their toes. He would ask tough, and at times, irreverent questions. It was in the Decker’s living room in a series of Bible studies that I had my eyes and heart opened to what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. What I remember most about Charley’s teaching, however, was not his questions, but his practice of the faith, his practice of writing the first check every week to the church. No matter what else needed to be paid, what other claims presented themselves, the first check went for the Lord’s work. Just before I left Marseilles for seminary, I asked Charley and Dorothy about this practice. Charley told me he regarded it as an honor and privilege to support the work of the Gospel. Then he said to me, “Now when you get to seminary and get real smart about things, don’t you forget that it is a privilege, not an obligation, to do the Lord’s work.” I have tried my best to be faithful to Charley’s counsel. Such faithfulness is worthy of imitation. Perhaps there is a Charley in your life that is worthy of imitation, someone whose faithful witness inspires you and reminds you stewardship is indeed more that an obligation, that it is in fact a privilege. These are people of grateful, generous hearts, persons who remember the Lord’s blessings, and respond with thanksgiving, people who truly rejoice in sharing in the work of transforming lives in the Name of Jesus Christ. This morning, I ask you to consider your stewardship as a privilege, a favor given to you by God in Christ, a favor that frees you to share in the ministries and mission of Barrington UMC. Yes, trust and gratitude are still present, but let this call to privilege motivate your gift. When you watch the children come forward each Sunday, count it a privilege to share in their growing in God’s love. Count it a privilege also, to contribute to the shaping of the faith and values of our youth, who are growing up in a very confusing and conflicted world. When you notice all the opportunities for adults to grow in discipleship, count it a privilege that your gift help make those classes and groups possible. When you consider the mission and outreach done by this congregation to neighbors both near and far, count it a privilege to share in transforming lives in the Name of Christ Jesus. When you enter this sanctuary and hear the music, or listen to the sermon, or simply bow in prayer as you worship, count it a privilege that your gift make meaningful worship happen in this community of faith. When you share in reaching out to a sister or brother in need to comfort and give support, count it a privilege to share Christ’s healing presence. When this congregation is about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, seeking justice and peace, count it a privilege to be reaching out to the “least of these.” Indeed, when you seek to walk as a disciple, count it a privilege that your gift enables the Good News to be shared in a world that so desperately needs to hear Good News. Friends, I pray that your pledge of faithful financial stewardship will express your claiming the privilege that God in Christ is offering to you. Thanks be to God! Amen! |
