​     We’ve come to that time when we’re asking for your pledges for the coming year so that your Vestry knows how to budget for next year.  So, this is my opportunity to talk about my favorite topic and yours!  I say that it’s my favorite topic and yours with tongue in cheek, for after talking about stewardship for the 41 years I’ve been a priest, I know fully well how a sermon on stewardship is viewed by the average person in the pew.  
 
     I’ve had people say to me things like this: “I invited my friend to come to church with me today, but if I had known you were going to talk about money, I wouldn’t have done that.”  My answer to that is, “That’s why I didn’t tell you I was going to talk about money.   I wouldn’t want you not to bring your friend to church.”
 
      Or there’s this one: “All the church ever talks about is money!”  My answer to that is, “Not so!” 
 
     Or this: “You shouldn’t ask people to pledge.  You should live on what people put in the plate and let it go at that.”  My answer to that is, “How would they know what they should put in the plate if you never talk about it?”  
 
     And then there’s this one: “When I come to church, I want to hear about Jesus, not about money.”
 
     Well, I’m glad you said that.  Jesus talked a great deal about money.  He used it to teach about the kingdom of God, as in the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price and the Parable of the Lost Coin.  In fact, 16 of the 38 parables deal with money and stewardship.  He warned us that money could be a barrier to our salvation.  For example, he taught us that where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.  He actually told one rich young man that for the good of his soul he needed to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor.  Jesus realized that young man couldn’t love  God and his neighbor with all of his heart, mind, and soul because he loved money too much.  And Jesus lifted up as a virtuous example the widow who gave all that she had to the temple treasury.
 
     Jesus talked a lot about money.  Why?  Because money is one of the most powerful forces in life.  We all know it’s power.  We know the stress produced when there isn’t enough of it, and for some persons there’s never enough.  It can ruin friendships and marriages; it can destroy trust; it can become more important than anything else in a person’s life.  It’s so crucial to life that three of the 10 Commandments deal with it, including the first and the last.
 
     While there’s much negative power in money, it’s also a powerful force for good. It builds churches, hospitals, and schools; it enables the creation of great works of art and music.  Linda and I watched the Ohio State /Wisconsin football game last night.  Go Buckeyes!  What would college football be without a strong financial foundation?  
 
     Money helps those who are called to spread the good news of salvation; and, not to be overlooked, it has enabled the ministry that goes on in and through Emmanuel Memorial for over 145 years, where the sacraments have been administered, the Word of God taught and proclaimed, the sick and shut-in visited, and the poor given relief.
 
     It’s this work that makes it necessary to have a pledge drive, but if we didn’t need to have a pledge drive, if all of our financial needs were met, we still should talk about money, because how we deal with this powerful force in life affects our relationship with God.  If we don’t deal with it properly it can be a barrier to our relationship with God and, therefore, to our salvation.
 
     Our stewardship theme this year is “Take the Next Faithful Step.”  I love that slogan because it speaks to us no matter where we are in our spiritual journey.  We’re not told what the “next step” is, because the next step is different for every individual.  It depends upon the place from which you’re starting.  “Take the next step” challenges each of us to progress in his or her stewardship of the gifts God has given us. 
 
     Only you can decide what that next step is in terms of your pledge.  Is it to work closer to a tithe of your income?  Is it to exceed a tithe?  Perhaps it’s simply to make a pledge for the first time.  Prayerfully consider what the next step is for you, and may it truly be a step that brings you closer to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
     We’re here today to receive what our Lord Jesus wants to give us, and that is himself, in his Body and Blood.  Yet, he wants to give us himself so that we, in turn, may give ourselves to others, through the giving of our time, talent, and treasure.  As one of our hymns puts it beautifully: “To give and give, and give again, what God hath given thee; to spend thyself nor count the cost; to serve right gloriously the God who gave all worlds that are, and all that are to be.”  Take the next faithful step.
 
Sermon preached by the Rev’d Dr. Fredrick A. Robinson
Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
29 October 2023
 
 

One Sunday a priest told his congregation that the church needed some extra money and asked the people prayerfully to consider putting a little extra in the offering plate.  He said that whoever gave the most would be able to pick out three hymns. 
       
After the offering plates were passed, the priest glanced down and noticed that someone had placed a $1,000 bill in the offering. He was so excited that he immediately shared his joy with the congregation and said he'd like personally to thank the person who placed the money in the plate. 
       
An elderly lady all the way in the back shyly raised her hand.  The priest asked her to come to the front.  Slowly she made her way to the front.  He told her how wonderful it was that she gave so much and in thanksgiving asked her to pick out three hymns. 
       
Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed to the three most handsome men in the building and said, "I'll take him and him and him!"     

We’re soon going to start our stewardship drive and I thought that might be a good way to begin!

Today’s Gospel is about money, too.  The religious leaders don’t like Jesus.  He has been repeatedly critical of them.  He chooses to keep the company of sinners while rejecting them.  His popularity among the Jewish people is increasing.  The Jewish leaders see him as a threat and they are plotting among themselves how best to neutralize his popularity and influence, and if possible, they’d like to get him in trouble with the Roman authorities.

So they ask him a question, calculated to evoke an answer that would be a problem for Jesus, no matter how he answered.  The question is: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”  If he answers, “Yes, it is lawful,” he’ll make his Jewish followers mad, for they hate paying taxes to Caesar, not only because people in every age in every country don’t like to pay taxes, but because it was against their religious sensitivities for a variety of reasons.  On the other hand, if he says, “No, it’s not lawful,” then the Herodians and their sympathizers, who like the benefits that came from being a part of the Roman Empire, will be turned against him.  Besides, then he could be turned over to the Roman authorities as a troublemaker.

It was a clever question.    Some of the best minds in Israel at the time had come up with it.  But, in addition to being a very spiritual man, Jesus is also smart and clever himself.  He turns the tables on them.  He asks for a coin, and they give him one.  In doing just that, they are entrapping themselves, for in possessing a Roman coin, which was the property of the Roman government, they could hardly object to giving some of it back.  Then he gives his answer: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God, the things that are God’s.”

So Jesus answers the question not by a simple yes or no, but in such a way that they have to come up with the answer themselves.  He’s paid due respect to Caesar, but no more than necessary, and he’s kept the faith with Judaism as well.  Jesus’ answer is very satisfying to Jewish teaching.  Why is that, while at the same time it’s not really an answer at all?  Because everything ultimately belongs to God, even taxes paid to Caesar.  The religious leaders knew that.  In fact, every good Jew knew that, and springing from that tradition, we know that, too.  “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”

We remember the exchange between Jesus and his detractors and we still marvel at his clever answer.  But we shouldn’t stop there.  We need to take to heart the basic truth which that answer recalls, especially as we approach our stewardship season.  We need to remember that all that we have and all that we are comes from God, and that all that we have belongs to God, and we belong to him.  We need to remember that God continues to sustain us and that he will provide for us.

That’s why it is important that we remain faithful in giving back to God his due.  We continue to be faithful in prayer and in reading of scripture.  We continue to be faithful in attending mass.  And we continue to share our time, our talent, and our treasure for the work of the Church and to help those who are in need. 

Have you ever thought about why we make such a big deal out of the offertory? Every Sunday the choir makes an offering of music, your gifts of money are ceremonially collected in beautiful, brass basins, and then with great solemnity, as the organ swells to the fullest, the gifts of money, bread, and wine are offered and placed on the altar.

It’s not that the money, bread, and wine, are important in and of themselves. These substances represent our lives, and as they are placed upon the altar, they represent the offering of our lives upon that altar. By the time of the offertory, we have heard the word of God read and proclaimed, we’ve confessed our faith, prayed for the needs of others, confessed our sins and received absolution, and offered to one another signs of peace.

All of that has led to the offering of our whole self, just as God transforms ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, so he can, and does, transform our ordinary lives into extraordinary lives, fitted for his service. We give to God from his bounty, but we can never outgive God, for what we give to him, he returns to us, transformed into even greater, more precious gifts.
     
     

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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Writing from a prison cell, the Apostle Paul assured his beloved brethren in Philippi that despite every indication to the contrary, there was no reason to fear. His imprisonment only served to further the gospel. His rivals, unwittingly, did the same. Paul’s hands were bound, but his spirits were free. You can hear it in his voice: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

After a week like this past one, when we’ve watched the body count grow, when we’ve found that old hatreds are alive and well, when we’ve seen with horrific detail the fact that there is no winner in total war, we  hear this word. 

Rejoice. The Lord is near. Do not worry. Tell him what you need. He will protect you. 

This exhortation, this encouraging reminder, is important always; but now it is essential, especially when each morning we look at the news and expect to see something worse unfold. Worry stands to become our constant companion. How could it not, with this level of uncertainty. Despite the amount of information at our fingertips, we can’t know what will happen. Good outcomes, bad outcomes, miracles, disasters — hundreds of scenarios race through our minds, until we look up and realize that the day has gone or the night has passed, and nothing has changed for the better. Tired and confused, we buy an extra coffee and check our phones again, hoping to find something that will give us a sliver of peace, a moment of rest, but nothing seems to take the edge off for long. 

Rejoice. The Lord is near. Do not worry. Tell him what you need. He will protect you.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to his church in Philippi, he knew that they were struggling. Their founder (St. Paul) was jailed. And when they sent a beloved member of the congregation to bring him aid, that man became terribly ill. The Philippian Christians thought he had died. And while they waited for news of his fate — and of Paul’s — the community was suddenly beset by people who contradicted everything they thought they knew about God and his Christ.

Afraid and unhappy, the Philippian Christians began to argue with one another. Old friendships ended. New strife emerged. Their future looked bleak. 

So Paul told them to look at something else. 

It’s not for nothing that we tell our kids: Be careful little eyes what you see. That age-old wisdom dovetails with Paul’s concern. Where we bestow our attention will inevitably color our perception, which in turn, shapes our reality. Paul knew that if the Philippian Christians focused on their fears to the exclusion of all else, they would become that fear. If they focused on their anger, they would become that anger. Paul wanted his spiritual children to be free, to be people of faith, hope and love – regardless of circumstance. 

Earlier in his epistle, Paul writes this: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him . . . . that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

At times like these, when our world shakes and shakes us with it, when we can’t help but search desperately for any small measure of peace, the Apostle Paul reminds us of where to look: There is only one God who can make a table in the wilderness.

Rejoice. The Lord is near. Do not worry. Tell him what you need. He will protect you. 

When we seek Christ, when we take hold of the gifts he has given us, we begin the lifelong process of learning to see with the eyes of faith. We begin to recognize that the peace we crave is there not because of how hard we’ve tried to find it, but because Christ is at hand. He is in our hearts and on our lips, and he gives generously to all who call on him. 

As we allow ourselves to dare to believe that what our Savior says is true — “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you” — that wholeness, that rest, that light everlasting will begin to shine in everything we see: in the sun rising and setting, in the faces of each stranger we meet, in the Bread and in the Wine and in the Word; until, our hearts re-tuned, our vision realigned, we wake up to the fact that the banquet has begun and that the king has called us friend and that the worry and the weeping and the gnashing of teeth fade away before the Lamb who was slain for our sake. 

Rejoice. The Lord is near. Do not worry. Tell him what you need. He will protect you. AMEN.

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