Elijah and Stewardship November 12, 2006

Today, I want to talk about our stewardship. I want to thank Chris south for being our stewardship chairperson. On the congregation council, Chris has the toughest job of all. Why? Because people don’t like to talk about money. However, how give reflects our faith in God.

In this scene, Chris is visiting Mr. Cheap in his office.

M- Come in, Chris. How are you?

C- Fine. How are you?

M- Fine.

C- This in an impressive office! And the view from here is great.

M- Yes, we built this building back about 28 years ago. I wanted my office on the top floor where I can see our whole operation. My father started the business from his garage when he was a young man. My mother was his first employee. They pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps.

C- You’re very successful.

M- Thank you! It takes a lot hard work to keep the operation going, but it’s worth it. <pause> Well, what can I do for you today? How are things going at St. John’s? How’s pastor what’s his name. Is he still there?

C- That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Yes, pastor Schmidt is still our pastor. You know, we just had our annual stewardship campaign. This year we emphasized faith building through our stewardship. That means we didn’t just fund the budget, but rather asked people to give as a matter of giving thanks to God for all the gifts God has given us.

M So you’re here to ask for money?

C- Well, I was just wondering why you never sent in your pledge card.

M- Same thing. You’re here asking for money.

C- I believe a pledge given in proportion to the gifts God has given us is a faithful response to all God has given us.

M Let me tell you something. My father chose me over all my brothers sisters to inherit this business. Did you know my oldest brother is sick and in a nursing home?

C- I’m sorry.

M-Did you know my sister’s husband left her with three small children to raise all by herself?

C- I didn’t know. I guess that’s been quiet a burden for your family.

M I didn’t give them any money. Why should I give you any?

Thank you Chris and Tommy. That was fun. At a workshop Chris South and I attended recently, we learned to make stewardship fun, and the stewardship committee a fun committee. Stewardship is fun because focuses on our response to the gifts God has given us. We are responding to all the love and grace that God has given us. By our response, we are praising God for sending Jesus Christ for healing us, feeding us when we were hungry, redeeming us from our sin, and showing us the promise of life in his resurrection.

Today we’re not going to collect pledge cards today from Mr. Cheap or anyone else. We’re not going to do that because today these days, we are focusing on our church budget. Our budget is very important to our purpose as a congregation, but our stewardship is not for the purpose of funding the church budget. The budget addresses how the church manages the offerings you are bringing to the glory of God. The two readings from the scriptures are about two widows who gave everything they had to the glory of God, in spite of their circumstances. In the first reading, Elijah the prophet was on the run. He was running from queen Jezebel because he criticized her for bringing idols called Baal into the kingdom of Israel, a fertility god. The king and the queen were primarily interested in serving their rich constituents at the expense of the poor and widows. But through Elijah the prophet, God commanded them to take care of the poor, the widows and the foreigners living in the land. That’s why Queen Jezebel hated Elijah, and Elijah was on the run.

Elijah was hungry and tired when God told him to visit this unnamed widow in the city of Zarephath in the midst of enemy territory. When Elijah asked her for bread, she didn’t have any bread. All she had was a little oil and barley to feed herself and her son, so little that she expected that they would have one more meal before they died. In spite of her poverty, she shared her food with Elijah, but she did not die. Instead, a miracle occurred. The oil and barley never ran out for many days. The widow, her son and Elijah ate every day.

This miracle reminds us that God always provides for those who give generously. In fact, I can tell you and many generous givers say that they never missed what they gave. They all found that God blessed them even more. On the other hand, many people who will not give generously are the most unhappy people I have ever met. In the skit Tommy and Chris did for us, Mr. Cheap who would not help his own brothers and sisters, much less his church was a miserable person.

In our gospel reading, Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem. It was a huge complex of several city blocks with several entrances. Some for the wealth men, others for foreigners and the poor, Jesus watched people giving their offering. After watching them awhile, he turned and said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes who take the homes of widows, but like to walk around and be respected on the streets and get the highest seats in the synagogues.”

Scribes were those who wrote down the official records. They gave huge sums of money to the temple. Jesus didn’t criticize them for giving their money, but for the way they took the homes of poor widows and their children. Why, these were usually women with young children who didn’t have a husband. The scribes would make money by confiscating their homes, but then make their offering at the temple to make themselves look good! Jesus, hated despised them!

Have you ever known someone who gave you money with strings attached? You know, they first sounded like a generous and caring person, while they were setting you up to get something from you? How did that feel? It’s disgusting, and that’s what Jesus saw those scribes were trying to do with God. They wanted power and control in God’s temple for what they gave. Jesus said watch out for them!

Then Jesus saw a poor widow throw in two of the smallest coins, all that she had and put them in the collection box. Due to the way they treated widows, she had already lost everything, so she gave her last two coins. He said she gave more than the scribes, for she gave all that she had out of her poverty.

The good news is that God does not want us to give everything we have. God does ask us for a tithe, 10% of what we have. And whatever we have has been give to us in trust, we’re just the things that belong to God. When give generously, I can say our faith grows. Life becomes really fun, because we know it is a privilege to serve God.

Let me tell you another story by Brett Blair. In 1970, a man by the name of Malcolm Muggeridge went to Calcutta to do a special documentary on Mother Teresa for BBC TV. Muggeridge then was Europe’s Tom Brokaw.

He met her as she was working out in the streets with sick and poor people in a ghetto like he had never seen before, amid stench, filth, garbage, disease, and poverty that was just unbelievable. But what struck Muggeridge more than anything else, even there in that awful squalor and decadence, was the deep, warm glow on Mother Teresa's face and the deep, warm love in her eyes.

"Do you do this every day?" he began his interview. "Oh, yes," she replied, "it is my mission. It is how I serve and love my Lord." "How long have you been doing this? How many months?" "Months?" said Mother Teresa. "Not months, but years. Maybe eighteen years.

"Eighteen years!" exclaimed Muggeridge. "You've been working here in these streets for eighteen years?" "Yes," she said simply and yet joyfully. "It is my privilege to be here. These are my people. These are the ones my Lord has given me to love."

"Do you ever get tired? Do you ever feel like quitting and letting someone else take over your ministry? "Oh, no," she replied, "this is where the Lord wants me, and this is where I am happy to be. I feel young when I am here. The Lord is so good to me. How privileged I am to serve him."

Later, Malcolm Muggeridge said, "I will never forget that little lady as long as I live. The face, the glow, the eyes, the love—it was all so pure and so beautiful. I shall never forget it. It was like being in the presence of an angel. It changed my life. I have not been the same person since. It is more than I can describe." By the way, after Malcolm Muggeridge made those comments, Mother Teresa continued to serve until the end of her life nearly twenty seven more years.

Here’s the good news. We don’t have to do what Mother Theresa did. But we are called to serve as God gives us the ability. There are many ways we can help the poor, heal the sick, giving water to thirsty people. There are still young widows with children who need our help right here in our neighborhood. We can help bring justice and truth, and most important, the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. That’s why we need you support, not just your money, but your time and talents, too!

“Give generously” is one of the guiding principals for our congregation. Our purpose is to boldly reach out with the love of Christ to all people. Jesus said when we help the poor, we are helping him. It is a joy for me to be able to do that. And since he gave up everything, even his life for our salvation, it’s the least we can do. Thanks be to God.

Amen