Stewardship: a Journey of Faith and Giving
Proper 19
Psalm 116; Isaiah 50:4-9a; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38
September 13, 2009
A homily given by the Martin family: Jim, Linda, Erika and Josh.
Jim:
        Psalms 116: 1-2 “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” This theme of assurance of God's listening to, care for, and involvement in creation is continually woven throughout the scriptures, put particularly emphasized by the Psalmist and the Prophets.

        Yet as the gospel writer reminds us, our journey of faith is not just one direction…our calling out to God in times of stress/need etc. As a rather stark contrast to the Psalmist's message, Jesus bluntly asks “Who do you say that I am?” and Will you “come after me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me?” or “Will you be ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation?” Simply put…Do you know who I am and what I am about? And when I need you to stand up and even challenge things, even when not popular in the culture around you? Will you say you know me then?

        Is Jesus not asking for the same assurance from us that the Psalmist celebrated as being provided by God? That we will “hear his voice and supplications?” Will we be there to be called upon by God when God needs us?

        With this admonition in the Gospel, one could not casually ignore Jim Melnyk's request to our family to “talk about faith and giving” to kick off this year's Stewardship campaign.

        More seriously, how is God calling to us? Do we have the faith that God will call on us to give in various ways to meet the needs of God's people? With the complexity and chaos of the world, it is easy to become a bit overwhelmed and wonder whether or not any thing we may do or give will really make a difference? Will God really “call on us as long as we live?” as the psalmist suggests that we do to God.

        The Epistle for today sets an interesting stage for a discussion of stewardship. It's a bit harsh with its warnings about what we say and how we speak. “no human can tame the tongue—a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” In the context of the rest of the book of James, it is not too much of a stretch to suggest that we could substitute finances for tongue. Will we use our words or dollars to curse or bless? Will our dollars and words be there when God calls on us? Just as we expect God to be there when we call on God? Isn't this the challenge of stewardship?

        Equally present with the Apostle's strong warnings is a clear reminder that it doesn't take much to make a big difference. While most of his examples tend toward the excessively harsh (a small fire setting a whole forest ablaze,) the small bit to steer a horse or the small rudder to steer a large ship provide more positive analogies to get the point across. Small things, and small actions can have a major impact.

Fundamentally, this I believe is the faith that the Apostle James spent the previous chapter discussing. Faith is believing that it is important to do the right thing even if it small, or doesn't necessarily make sense. James describes this active faith with the examples of Abraham and Rahab. I am not sure I will ever understand the story of Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac. But Rahab, the prostitute, demonstrated faith in her simple act of hospitality to the spies surveying the land of Canaan. Giving that simple act of hospitality turned out to change history.

James clearly concludes that faith is not just some idea in our heads, it is active, it requires doing something: it requires giving of ourselves. In the context of a stewardship campaign in which we are thinking about the relationship between faith and giving, James' statement at the end of chapter 2 might read “So Faith, apart from Giving is dead.” Giving, in whatever form, financial, time, hospitality, etc. is an outward expression of our faith that God will call us and our faith that God will use our small bit, our small rudder, our small gift to make a difference in this world.

JOSH
        So as we consider stewardship in the Church, what does it mean to be a good steward? According to the dictionary, a steward is one that manages another's financial affairs or property. This means that, as God's people, we need to take care of the earth's supplies and all of God's creation. As the apostle James tells us in today's reading, small things we do can have a sizeable impact on creation and all that we care for. A ship in the water needs a lot of wind to move, but it can be steered in a new direction by a small rudder.

        As a child, I don't have much money to give, but I can still be a good steward to the church. I can give my friendship and help. Soon after my family came to St. Mark's, we were invited to the parish dinner. Afterward, cleaning up, I distinctly remember Jim Jacobs and Hugh Stohler putting the chairs into rows and then letting me take the book holders and place them in the correct position between the chairs. This was my first job at St. Mark's. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal, but now that I think about it, I was helping put the church back together and helping to rebuild it. Jim and Hugh's simple act of friendship has helped me to see that I can help the church in ways other than just giving money. I now see that being a friend to the church, and the people who come through its doors, in some ways helps the church just as much as my money.

ERIKA
        If we return to the dictionary, a steward is also a ship's officer responsible for provisions. Are we not the stewards of God's ship? If we are to serve in stewardship we must provision our church, our ship, with all we need on this journey of faith. A boat hangs in this sanctuary to remind us of this journey. But without our work as stewards this boat will run aground.

        Many of us remember the Sunday about two months back when we were told the churches finances were in shallow water. I don't remember this Sunday because I was on Urban Plunge in Washington, DC. I had the opportunity to attend church at the National Cathedral that morning. Sitting in the nave of that Episcopal Church, I was surrounded by people of all nationalities and I listened to the stories of a small fishing boat in a storm. I had no idea I would return home to find St. Marks, our ship, fighting the waves.

        I had never given any of my own money to the church until that morning but when the offering plate was passed from hand to hand along the many aisles of that great cathedral I reached into my back pocket and withdrew a few dollar bills. It may not seem like a huge step, but for me it was. This was my first donation to any church. Even though I was far from home I felt welcome, and realized the building was filled with people from all over the nation, and they were welcome too.

        This moment made me open my eyes to the bigger picture and see how important the church is to my life. St. Marks has always welcomed me and now I have a responsibility to give back. I can't always give money but I try to when I can because each small donation keeps us sailing. St. Mark's is a small part of the bigger Episcopal Church but like my small donation it makes a difference. Sometimes it takes separation to realize what is important to you and now I know the importance of St. Mark's to me. I'm doing my small part to provision this ship for our journey together in faith.

Linda
        As we begin this year's stewardship campaign, may we each reflect on our role as stewards. I don't know exactly what God wants from us (exactly how much money he wants us to pledge or what new commitments of time or talent God desires), but I do know that God wants us to be good stewards of what we have been blessed with in this place called St. Mark's.

        But understanding how to be good stewards of this parish does not come easily. I have found the people of God at St. Mark's to be very outward looking -- to desire to use their God-given talents and time for purposes that do not always bring the greatest salary in the marketplace. Rather, many here choose to live into their vocations by doing work where they can create as God created, and bring justice and compassion to those God knows as “the poor in Spirit.”

        So, when it comes to our stewardship campaigns, we are a small congregation coupled with less income than our skills would seem to warrant. I think our outward focus on mission and service also causes us to struggle with how much to spend on ourselves – on our facilities, our internal programs, our paid staff. We struggle because of a belief that God wants us to reach out to the world beyond our walls and meet its needs. Many, including myself, are drawn to St. Mark's because of this faith focus.

        While we are a small parish, I want to emphasize that we are also stewards of people, ideas and vision that are extremely important for the larger church. I take Bishop Curry at his word when he tells us how he loves to visit St. Mark's. He doesn't enjoy coming here because we have the fanciest, historic church, or because we give the most money to the Diocese. I think he finds respite here because we practice those things that are dear to his heart – welcoming all, working for justice, and being faithful in our everyday lives.

        Similarly, Chaplain Deborah Fox at Episcopal Campus Ministry here in Raleigh often comments that St. Mark's is a parish that actively “gets” the connection between faith and justice. She finds strength in her work to teach college students what it means to “take up their cross” and follow Jesus by knowing our congregation supports her efforts. Listening to her has taught me that the very existence of St. Mark's is of value to the larger Episcopal Church.

        So many of us here at St. Mark's have come to this parish because it was open to all. We came with our doubts. We came from bad faith experiences, from rejection of ourselves or our relationships. We were welcomed, and found a faith home that celebrated our rich backgrounds and experiences; where we could develop our gifts and offer them to the larger Episcopal Church.

        I think in this way, we at St. Mark's can be a rudder to help steer that large ship of which James speaks. This year's stewardship campaign is our time to provision for this journey. For as James says, “If there are any wise and learned among you, let them show it by good living-- (or should we say, “good giving”) -- with humility, and wisdom in their actions.” Amen.



©2009 the Martin family