At
the Heart of Our Giving
Sermon preached by the Reverend Brad Beeman
October 16, 2005
Scripture:
Exodus 33:12-23 and Matthew 25:15-22
Happy
Birthday First United Methodist Church! You are 130 years old this
week. What began in a hardware store one hundred and thirty years
ago continues today as we seek to utilize the tools given us by God
to build the kingdom as we now move into our next decade.
Today is also the beginning of our Pledge Campaign for 2006. So, today
- along with celebrating a birthday, I will be talking about giving.
It may not, however, go in the direction you might think. This morning
I’m not going to talk about a church budget nor am I going to
talk about why you should give to this church. Instead, I’m
going to talk about scripture, about leadership, and about the mandate
we have to seize opportunities. You’ll hear a bit of John Wesley
– our founder, and finally I’ll conclude with a few words
about soul health and what it means for the next one hundred and thirty
years of ministry in Santa Monica. I’m also not going to be
talking about a pledge drive. Truth be told, I don’t like the
whole idea of pledge drives in churches simply because it gives the
wrong impression and sends the wrong message about our giving. In
places that require or are centered on pledge drives, we give simply
because we want to help an organization, a radio or television station,
or some group we feel passionately about supporting and it usually
stops there. We appreciate what they do so we give. My friends, that
isn’t the only reason we give in this setting – or it
certainly shouldn’t be. In as much as I hope and pray that each
of us appreciates what we’re doing as a church, our giving also
reflects a belief in a God of provision who expects us to create balance
in our lives, the lives of others, and the world as God’s creation.
Beyond creating balance, giving in the church is something that also
creates health in our souls – and therefore our lives - and
allows God to work in a world that depends in part on money.
If
you look on the front of your Order of Worship this morning you will
see the pledge drive theme for this year - two words, three dots and
a heart. But there is something missing. What is missing the words
that follow the three dots. When we add any words about discipleship,
any words about our call to serve, or any words about feeding or clothing
or giving…any words at the end of the three dots we have what
we are called to do to create appropriate ministry here. So, this
church is called to produce good. How would you finish the sentence?
Let
me begin to answer that question by giving three options Paul might
offer. The unread lectionary Epistle lesson for this Sunday comes
out of First Thessalonians. In I Thessalonians 1:2 – 4 Paul
writes, “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention
you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father
your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved of
God, that he has chosen you.” And there it is. We give because
we appreciate the church yet, more importantly we give because we
have been chosen by God for good works of faith, good labors of love,
and steadfastness of hope. My hope is that these words sound familiar.
In a very familiar passage Paul mentions these three again. He says
faith, hope and love – these three, “but the greatest
of these is love.” So our mandate is to produce a quality understanding
and quality actions that reflect good love. The question is how? How
can each of us figure out what quality Christian love is? The pastoral
staff is in the midst of having to somehow quantify that right now.
(continued...)
"At
the Heart of Our Giving" by Rev. Brad Beeman, October 16, 2005
The
pastors are coming up on our evaluations. It is a new process this year
that forces some particularly deep self-reflection. It has allowed me
to think back on this past year; a year of transition for me, a year
of growth, a year of change, and to some extent a year of struggle.
I’ve found myself re-evaluating ministry and my role in it. First
and foremost, it has taken time to adjust to being an Associate Pastor.
I’m sure Larry has gone through a similar transition. But what
it’s done has forced me to examine why it is so difficult for
me to not be in charge. Patricia has been very supportive and patient
as I’ve gone through this. What it has done is pushed me to examine
my life as a Christian disciple and how much I push against needing
to be in charge in most areas of my life – all areas really. I
have been reminded over and over again, that it is letting go of that
“need to be in charge” that I will truly find peace in God.
It is in letting go of control that I will find a deeper understanding
of what it means to be a faithful disciple, and find the peace in a
life of faith that I know can’t be found in any other place. I
find balance when I understand that God will be God no matter what I
do, and my role is to assist others toward finding the peace that can
only be found in that relationship. This searching journey this past
year has allowed me to turn again to a trusted friend, one who went
through similar struggles and yet who found a peace that literally does
pass all understanding. I’ve found wonderful answers as I’ve
gone back and studied the writings of Francis of Assisi and his dear
friend Clare. Francis and Clare have helped me make decision about ministry,
about faith and certainly about giving. To whom do you turn?
In
this past year we’ve focused much more on stewardship –
the distribution of resources for the work of the kingdom of God. What
I find very interesting is that over the past year we’ve exceeded
expectations in giving. We’ve covered our apportionments without
any additional campaigns. We’ve covered our budget and we’ve
done work in the facility that has needed to be done for years. Others
like the Foundation have stepped in to help and I thank God for that.
We’ve gotten some significant financial surprises – on just
this past week - and I thank God for those. All of this and not once
have you heard a message from the pulpit about giving money to the church.
From the lectern you’ve heard messages about stewardship: the
offering of our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service. You’ve
heard that we are called to give until it hurts so that our lives might
find deeper meaning. You’ve heard a number of personal stories
about how the work of this church has influenced lives at every age.
You’ve witnessed first hand what can happen when one person steps
up and responds to a need in the world with the resources they have
- thus a concert that raised tens of thousands of dollars to assist
victims of hurricane Katrina. Through that concert we have seen first
hand the power and potential of what can happen when people from diverse
backgrounds and diverse belief systems share their God given gifts:
kd lange, Jackson Browne, Dave Koz, Kyle Eastwood, Keaton Simons and
Judith Owen to name those who sang. It’s interesting though that
we so readily mention their names knowing that most of them didn’t
do this alone. Those who played behind them and with them, those who
did sound, those who carried gear, those who tuned instruments and repaired
strings, those who helped here to bring this concert to life offered
a part of themselves as much as the up front artists – gave what
they had. It takes all kinds in various roles to bring opportunities
for ministry to life. So what’s your role going to be to bring
ministry to life here in this church?
(continued...)
"At
the Heart of Our Giving" by Rev. Brad Beeman, October 16, 2005
Friends,
all of us – no matter the role - are people of sacred worth…
loved by God - whether superstar or not, who find our true home in
our relationship with God in Christ. All of us. We are a people called
by God to do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly. We are a people
who can mount up on wings as eagles as we just wait on the Lord and
listen to that still small voice. We are a people who understand that
all of creation is God’s gift. It is ours to care for it. We
are a people who understand that God continues – even today
– to create. We are a people who continue to deepen our understanding
that God moves through us toward something greater still and that
we have a role in it – each of us. With that understanding of
God’s love we also have to come to terms with God’s expectations
of us as those who have been blessed financially. Friends, if you
have a roof, a bed, can buy groceries, drive a car (or two), live
in Santa Monica, or on the west side, and the list goes on and on
…you have been blessed with responsibility.
We
give because God asks it of us – scripturally in two ways. The
first is to give our first fruits to the church. Ten percent is what
scripture says – set aside for the work of the church. Normally
we stop there and grumble about this whole tithe thing believing that
it’s some manipulative tactic on the part of the church to get
our money. Truth be told, and this is where some of you who know what
I’m about to say take a collective gasp - God asks even more
of us. If you examine scripture carefully you will find that God asks
for another ten percent at the other end. Another tenth of what we’ve
earned is to be left and set aside for the poor. Why this twenty percent?
Because God created us to be balanced people – people who clearly
understand the need of spiritual resources in our lives and in the
world – thus the giving to the church. And people who bring
balance to the lives of those with little. Thus ten percent either
end of the giving cycle. Balance.
The
challenge has always been coming to terms, like Jesus with the Pharisees
that day, of whose money it is. In his response to the question about
taxes, Jesus places the responsibility back on the heads of those
asking the question. He was a genius that way. “Whose head is
this?” he says as he points to the coin. But who made the emperor?
Who made the ingredients that created the coin? Who made the wheat
that provides the emperor food? Who made the stone that provides the
emperor shelter? Who provides everything that makes life, life? Those
are the deeper unasked questions in these verses.
Friends,
God knows us so well. God knows that once we get, we want to keep.
God knows our insecurities and how easy it is to depend on money for
what appears to be survival. This church, however, has a history of
leading when it comes to money, and mission, and giving to create
balance. It’s one of the reasons Dorothy and I give to the church.
Two of my favorite authors define it well. James Kouzes and Barry
Posner state very simply that, “Leadership is about recognizing
the importance of giving, about seeing the humble lessons in receiving,
and then going about seeing what no one else could have imagined –
and then taking the necessary action to make it happen.” It
kind of reminds me of a concert not long ago in this sanctuary. They
go on to talk about the importance of “leveraging” (their
word) opportunities and about seeing the possible in the midst of
the crisis for doing good. Something we don’t always do well
but that brings us to Wesley.
(continued...)
"At
the Heart of Our Giving" by Rev. Brad Beeman, October 16, 2005
Grace,
according to John Wesley, is about failure. If we didn’t fail
there would be no need for grace. Wesley teaches of the two-way relationship
between God and humanity. It is the painting by Michelangelo on the
Sistine Chapel ceiling of God’s outstretched hand reaching toward
the hand of Adam (creation). God’s hand – if you notice
is solid and seems resolute and confident. Adam’s is more limp
and needy. God knows us, knows our weaknesses and yet continually
reaches toward us, over and over again until we find the strength
to grasp back and live with the confidence that comes in the relationship
so that we then can reach with the other hand toward those also in
need. We offer to God with one for the work of the church and offer
the other to those in need for the needed work in the world. That
dual relationship is what makes us spiritually healthy. Our giving
is the continuation of that cyclical process of returning a portion
of what has been given by God – through the giving of resources
that have been given to us for the balance of the world for spiritual
and physical health. And when we fail, God is readily available to
give us strength, to help us understand why, and to begin again the
work God expects of us in the church and in the world. That’s
grace. What did Francis of Assisi say? "It is in giving that
we receive." It is in giving that we are made whole and it is
in giving that our souls become healthy and open to what God continually
has to give to us. That’s life as God intends it.
So
then why a pledge drive – so that those making financial decision
in the church can have some understanding of what to expect from us
– God’s people of First United Methodist church. It’s
as simple as that. I also believe, however, that we offer a pledge
drive so that as individual families, friends, couples, and individuals
we have a time each year where we can sit around kitchen tables with
spouses, children, even friends and prayerfully make decisions about
how we will give, what we will give and why we give – what will
go to the work of the church and what will go to the poor. I challenge
you this year, if you haven’t already, to look at percentage
giving – making decisions about what percentage of what God
has offered you will go back to the work of God on both ends of the
giving cycle - if not ten then how about two or three percent? Why
talk of giving at all – it is also our spiritual mandate as
pastors, as spiritual leaders, to provide a recipe of spiritual health
for you, the people of God who call First United Methodist Church
your church home.
Happy
Birthday First United Methodist Church. Now we look ahead to the coming
year, the coming decade and even the coming century hoping that in
all that we do we will find favor in God’s eyes, that we will
produce good…knowing that God walks with us and we will see
God’s glory as we seek to do God’s will in the world of
God’s ongoing creation. May this be a time of tremendous discussion
and deep prayer as you consider what you will give. May God richly
bless you in this time of reflection and giving in the Name of Jesus
Christ -
Amen.
Notes:
Kouzes, James & Barry Posner. Leadership – The Challenge
(Josse-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, San Francisco, CA, 2003) 388-393.
©Brad
Beeman , 2005. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution.
All other rights reserved. |
