Giving for Living
Genesis 1: 26-31 & Mark 8: 34-37
Roger C. Lynn
March 23, 2003
Stewardship Emphasis

I was tempted to complain about the timing, until I reflected on the fact that inconveniencing my preaching schedule is at the bottom of a long list of concerns right now. Because of the way our congregation’s fiscal year is structured, these last two weeks of March are the most appropriate time to focus on stewardship and receive financial commitments for the coming year. So my plans to preach the first of two stewardship sermons have been in the works for quite some time now. Then on Wednesday night hostilities in Iraq commenced. And I was tempted to throw out the whole plan and go in a different direction. In fact, to some extent, my thoughts have most certainly been re-shaped and re-directed by recent world events. But as I further pondered all of this I began to recognize that lifting up the theme of stewardship in the ways I intend to do is very appropriate for the circumstances in which we now find ourselves in the world. You see, I believe that a healthy understanding of stewardship is a part of the larger process of learning to live well in a manner consistent with God’s design. Such living inevitably leads us towards life and light and away from death and darkness. As Dr. Jamie Weisman recently wrote, “The cure for the fear of dying is living.” (from As I Live & Breathe: Notes of a Patient-Doctor)

Genesis tells us that in the beginning God created. And part of what resulted from that creative process was human beings. The storyteller goes out of his way to make it abundantly clear that we are, in fact, God’s self-portrait. Using the language of Genesis, we are made in the image of God. I have always understood this to mean something other than the notion that God has two eyes, two ears, a mouth and ten fingers. To say that we “look” like God need not refer to a physical resemblance. It seems more likely that God’s image can be detected most clearly in the core qualities which make us human -- our capacity to be creative, to love, to be in community, to show compassion. As we come to understand more fully who God is, we also come to understand more fully who we are created and called to be.

One such characteristic which emerges over and over again throughout scripture in one form or another relates to God’s capacity for gracious gifts. This is perhaps expressed most fully and richly in a verse which many of us have known for so long we don’t even remember learning it. In the third chapter of John’s Gospel we hear that God loved the world so much he gave. In the beginning God created human beings so that we might be in relationship with each other and with God. Such a relationship is enabled and empowered by gifts from God. We see this beginning with Genesis’ description of God breathing life into the humans. That breath was ruach -- nothing less than the very Spirit of God given that we might have life.

If we are created in the image of God, and if giving is an essential and central quality of God, then it does not require a large step to reach the conclusion that giving is also an essential and central part of who we are created to be. The seeming paradox of Jesus’ words in Mark’s Gospel take on a whole new meaning when viewed in this light. “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” (Mark 8:34) Giving ourselves away for others is an essential human quality. Reaching out to touch the lives of others is part of what it means to be human. Being in genuine, mutual community with each other involves sharing of self and resources. When our attention focuses exclusively on protecting what we have and preserving our own little corner of life, we begin to close ourselves off from each other and from one of the God-created images which makes us human. The paradox of Jesus’ words is that it is actually enlightened self-interest to give ourselves away, because only in so doing can we begin to fully discover who we are created to be. Only when we open our hands, and our arms and our hearts to give do we put ourselves in a position where we are able also to receive. Our giving informs and empowers our living.

I would not even presume to suggest that if we were to more fully incorporate giving into our living that wars would cease, the darkness would lift and peace would reign eternal. Such issues are complex and multi-faceted. But the challenge of bringing the world back into balance must begin somewhere, and that somewhere might as well be with ourselves. As we offer our lives and our resources for God’s use, the small light of our giving is magnified by the power of God’s love and radiates outward into the world. What might the world look like if people began to claim their God-given image as givers? May the transformation begin here and now with us. May God give us the wisdom and the courage to become more fully who we are created to be.

Giving For Living: A Way Of Life
Mark 8: 34-37 & Ephesians 2: 1-10
Roger C. Lynn
March 30, 2003
Stewardship Commitment Sunday

There are a number of activities that people of faith can engage in which collectively get referred to as spiritual practices or spiritual disciplines. This list will vary, depending on who is making the list, but usually includes such things as prayer, meditation, scripture reading, fasting. Engaging in such activities helps us to orient our lives in such a way that we are more receptive to the presence of God’s Spirit, assisting us in fostering spiritual growth. One activity which often gets ignored when putting together lists of spiritual practices is stewardship -- the attention given to how we make use of and share the resources which are at our disposal. We tend to think of stewardship as one of those “practical” matters that has to be done. We raise money for the budget so we can keep the doors of the church open. And that is certainly important. But stewardship is much more than that. It definitely belongs on the list of spiritual practices, right next to prayer and scripture reading and all the rest. The more we pay attention to how we use our resources, not just what we give away, but also what we keep, the more we become aware of the places where God is at work in us and through us. It has been said that if you want to see what a person believes, examine their checkbook.

One of the things I like about the concept of spiritual practices or spiritual disciplines (stewardship or otherwise) is the name. Both practice and discipline are required. I’m not at all trying to suck all the life out of spirituality by making it some kind of constant burden to be worked at and endured. But it does take patience and it does take intentionality, because as with most things worthwhile, the chances are good that most of us won’t get it just right the first time and we won’t get it just right by accident.

That is why I appreciate the chance to focus on stewardship once in a while. It provides us with an opportunity to give some serious, intentional, prayerful attention to some particular aspects of our spiritual life. How important is our faith? Do we really trust that God will be at work in our lives if we go ahead and take the risk of giving some of our money away off the top, instead of waiting to see what’s left over? Do we really trust that God will be at work through our gifts, touching lives in ways which truly matter? How much time and energy are we willing to expend in seeking God’s guidance and direction regarding the resources we keep as well as what we give away? Taking stewardship seriously does not become a way of life overnight. But we can begin to move in that direction by taking one step in that direction from wherever we find ourselves right here and right now.

And what happens when we start down that path, or continue down that path, is that with each bit of practice and each bit of intention and each bit of discipline, we find that the horizons expand and we discover more ways in which our giving opens us up to God and opens us up to abundant living. Not because we are such good people, but because we are living into the life God intends for each of us. Sometimes we have to push ourselves past the roadblocks of fear, or selfishness, or just good old fashioned doubt, but eventually we begin to see that living as God created us to live requires that we reach out beyond ourselves and begin to share both who we are and what we have with each other. The more we practice, the more natural such living becomes.

The story is told of a scoundrel who fell in love with a fair maiden. He knew that she would never fall in love with a scoundrel such as he was, so he put on the mask of a saint and in such guise sought to win her heart. Eventually they were married and lived a long and happy life with each other. And never once did he take off the mask. Until one day his past caught up with him. Someone from his former life found him out and confronted him, demanding that he remove the disguise and reveal to his wife who he truly was. Reluctantly he peeled back the mask, only to discover that underneath was the face of a saint. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. once wrote, “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be very careful about what we pretend to be.” (from “Mother Night”) The more we practice stewardship, even if only with small and halting steps, the more we become stewards. “Giving for Living” might begin with filling out a commitment card for the church. But if we will take it seriously, if we will recognize it as the spiritual discipline it is, then it might become a way of life.

This story came to me in an e-mail note this week.

“We were standing in line at McDonald’s, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch -- an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible “dirty body” smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.

As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was “smiling.” His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance.

He said, “Good day” as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, “Coffee is all Miss” because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

Then I really felt it -- the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.”

The more we practice making stewardship a part of every aspect of our living, the more likely we are to recognize such moments for what they are -- glimpses of grace. And the more likely we are to be prepared to participate in such opportunities. In the words of Ephesians, “For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:10)

I invite you to join me in taking up the practice of stewardship as a path which leads us closer to God and to the life God has in store for us. Let us discover once again the connection between the quality of our giving and the quality of our living.