St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church
3800 East Third Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
(812) 332-5252
Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent (February 25, 2007)
Liturgical Color: Purple
Reverend Doctor Lyle McKee
"Temptation and Stewardship"
Grace to you and peace from our loving God, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today, Jesus is led into the wilderness to endure a period of preparation for his ministry. Similar times of preparation utilizing like symbolic time frames dot scripture.
- Noah and his family, along with the animals of God's creation, are symbolically purified through 40 days and nights on the water. It is a great baptismal image, and one that also extends over a 40-day period. Four is the number that in ancient times represented the earth, so the earth being cleansed for 40 days from the sin that caused its near-total destruction is symbolic of its perfect cleansing.
- The Hebrews spend 400 years in slavery in Egypt — a time of testing and refining — before being released from captivity and returned to the Promised Land.
- The people of Israel wander in the wilderness for 40 years, again being symbolically cleansed of their faithlessness.
So now Jesus endures the required period of spiritual preparation — testing, temptation, and prayer — also in the wilderness, just as we enter upon our 40 days of confession, prayer, fasting, and spiritual preparation for the passion of our Lord.
Next Sunday is Consecration Sunday, the day on which we will consecrate a certain percentage of our income to the work of the church for this year. And many of us wander also in the wilderness of resentment that the church is dealing with matters of money — again! And some of us wander for years on end in the spiritual wilderness of confusion and concern regarding our giving to the church.
Even as a pastor, for many years of my ministry I dreaded the fall because it was the usual time for stewardship campaigns. But that simply is not the case any longer. I no longer resent being asked to complete an estimate of giving to the church, whether in the fall or not. I actually now consider it an honor and a pleasure to make a determination of what percentage of my income God is calling me to give. I find increased joy in what may be for some of you a wilderness, a testing, and a trying time. If any of that is true for you, I hope you will begin to be lifted from those doldrums and into a place of spiritual journey. And as I say those words, it seems so appropriate to the season of Lent that considerations of money and spirituality are raised among us-not so much in the context of self-denial but of spiritual discipline and growth.
In regard to stewardship, let's have a closer look at the text before us.
Jesus is tempted in the wilderness in three ways. The first temptation is for him to use his powers to serve his own needs. (Turn a stone into bread to meet his hunger.)
His response is spoken truly: "One does not live by bread alone." Jesus knows that the fundamental principle upon which life is built has nothing to do with bread. Bread merely sustains bodily functioning. Real life is founded on the bedrock of trust in God.
This is also is the fundamental principle of our call to be good stewards of the time, talent, money, and resources with which we are blessed by God. Our trust lies not in bread or the means to buy it. Our trust lies in the God who both gives life and provides ample means for sustaining it.
The second temptation of Jesus is to worship someone or something other than God (Bow down to the devil.)
Again, spoken truly — and making the same point, "Worship the Lord your God; the Lord alone shall you serve."
From a stewardship point of view, trust in and worship of God are central. All else flows from these. If we decide to trust in money rather than God, we have shifted our religion from Christianity to Capitalism. Money is not the object of our worship any more than the devil is. God is the one whom we serve; money is a gift given for the sake of enhancing that service.
The third temptation of Jesus is to show off — to flaunt his power publicly.
And the response: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
This too seems rather pertinent to the matter of stewardship. Money is granted to us not for the sake of puffing ourselves up or lording over others how much we have or griping about how little. It is, rather, an aspect of our giftedness. As gift, it is separate from pride or position. The more we have, the more we have been given. In many ways, then, flaunting it would be silly. How can we flaunt what represents that for which we are grateful. Since we aren't the source or cause of the gift, the only appropriate way to think of money is as a source of gratitude-not pride. The more money we have, the more grateful we appropriately are.
And so, all three temptations point us in the direction of stewardship-towards that in which we place our trust, what we worship, and how we consider our gifts.
The primary temptation is to look to money for security and status. Freedom with respect to money comes only when one has found an identity and vocation that brings real security. This is expressed beautifully by St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians: "Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me...And my God will satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:11-14,19)
Through baptism, Christians become members of the Body of Christ and "heirs" in the realm of God. Our primary identity, then, is as children of God in the family of the God in whom we place our trust. Stewardship, therefore, is something that God's children do as we exercise our vocations in the family of God. Only as we receive the grace of God through Jesus Christ and find our identity and security in the family of God, then and only then do we find the freedom to use our gifts.
The temptations of Jesus are all intended to point to this absolute and sole trustworthiness of God. Without the conviction that God is trustworthy, it is impossible for us to have a sense of security strong enough to free us of anxiety with respect to money.
Many people have plenty of money. And yet, many still have a lot of anxiety about having enough money to take care of their families. They feel that, in order to be secure, they must have homes in safe neighborhoods, send their children to private schools, pay extra for security systems, save extra in case of illness — the list goes on and on. The truth is that no amount of money can ever provide security against human finitude.
From a Christian perspective, security comes from healthy relationships — with family, community, and ultimately with God. But we live in a society in which relationships of all kinds have been unraveling for decades, as rampant individualism and materialism have driven people apart. And when people find themselves with inadequate networks of relationships, they attempt to substitute money and try to buy security.
It may be that I grow in my freedom to give to the extent that I learn to trust God, as supported by a healthy community. And yes, I'm talking about St. Thomas.
What a fine and supportive community God has blessed us with at St. Thomas. I think of the cloud of witnesses that attended the funeral for Gene and Gayl Laughman's son recently — and the number of folks who expressed to me and to others in the church how much they would be willing to do, if they only knew what to do.
I think of Chris Bauer, who is living out her final days at home, surrounded by family and friends. During recent visits, she told me that she hadn't had to cook a meal in months. Folks from the church, from the neighborhood, and from her extended communities have organized themselves to provide for the needs that arose — without being asked and without concern for cost — in a network of love, care, and grace. The community cannot remove pain or extend life, but we can demonstrate an overflowing of grace and remove unnecessary burdens so that life may be lived to the fullest, even if briefly or life may be reclaimed again following a death.
I think of the Christian Community group here, of the many who provide meals for college students at St. Thomas, of those who visit the ill and home-bound on a regular basis, of those who take people who don't get out much to lunch, of the prayer chain, of the dedication to MCUM, the food pantry, and the community kitchen. Even of the extended community that helps to create a graceful security in the distance between us and Chichipate, Guatemala or the Lutherans of Indonesia and Chile. Not to mention the special relationships we enjoy with Beth Shalom and University Baptist. The hospitality that St. Thomas provided the temple when their sanctuary was set on fire is legendary among us — and a superb witness to the kinds of security available in the context of God's grace that are beyond price.
Isn't security really the reason many have, at least until rising gasoline prices and greater awareness of global warming, bought Sport Utility Vehicles. Yes, there are other reasons, but you only need to watch the advertising to see that their huge popularity has been founded on a promise of greater security in a dangerous world.
The gospel and the presence of communities of Christ like St. Thomas, at their best, militate against looking for security in any place other than in God. Money is not the measure of wealth and security; it is rather in how fully we place our lives in God's hands and learn to rebuild healthy relationships in this life.
When you read the stories in which Jesus talks about money, ask yourself if money is the point of the story, or if it's really about restoring right relationships in the community and with God.
When it morphs from gift to object of trust or source of security, money can easily become a means of becoming alienated from God and community. Christians are called to ask themselves about how they use the money and the other forms of wealth that come into their hands: In grateful response to what Christ has done for us, how can this be used to foster right relations-for myself, my family, my community, my planet, and most of all, for my relationship with God.
One of the interesting things about all of this is that trust in God grows only with practice, and one of the most powerful ways to practice trusting God comes about in how we use our money and wealth. It took me a long time to grow to and beyond the tithe in giving to the church, and I'm certain that I could not have done it without the encouragement, example, support, and nurture of other Christians.
In many ways, it becomes possible only in the church. I did not know how to be generous on my own. The temptations of the wilderness were too strong. I didn't have enough faith to be generous until I grew to know a generous God and generous congregations who welcomed me, helped me through tough times, and patiently nudged me to grow over the years and stretch beyond the limits I imagined for my spirit.
You know, I think that one of our most important ministries is one of the simplest. We take a loaf of bread to those who are new at worship among us. We offer a small act of hospitality in the richly symbolic form of an element of Holy Communion. It is, in many ways, an extension of another of our practices that I thoroughly appreciate — that of making the offertory a time for bringing forward not only our offerings of money, but also the offerings we make of the gifts of bread, wine, and, on the final Sunday of each month, food collected from among us for the sake of others in our community who are hungry. And, I believe, when we share our bread in all of those ways, we thereby spread the hope and potential of Christian community, regardless of whether any particular recipient of these signs joins with this part of Christ's body.
We spread small fragments of hope in world besieged by loneliness.
I believe that the spiritual question being posed for us during this year's stewardship program is exactly the right one. It does not appeal for funds, as we did to finance the new entrance and other dimensions of the capital campaign. There is a place for such appeals, but they do not ask the most fundamental questions of how our giving is tied-not to the needs of the church, but to the nature and quality of our relationship with God.
And so, I hope you hear it well and pray about it ardently:
What percentage of my income is God calling me to give to the church?
Or: What is the quality of your trust in God? How fully are you being grounded in Christian community? How is hope taking root in your soul?
I believe the question, or questions, have a proper grounding in the spirit, because scripture is clear about what God asks of us — to trust in God alone, and to provide tangible signs of that trust for the sake of community through our tithes-returning to God ten percent of our income — and our offerings.
If you are one who has always given a certain amount each week without reference to your actual income, your decision regarding what you give is not properly grounded in the blessings you receive from God in the form of your income. It is only when we attach our giving to what we receive that we begin a more fruitful spiritual journey.
If you currently give a set amount without reference to income, I exhort you to increase that giving and tie it to your income, based upon a percentage. If that is less than a tithe, I encourage you to work over the next several years to reach and perhaps go beyond a tithe to the church. If the amount is already a tithe or more, pray about how much more God might be stretching your spirit and ability to give on the basis of gratitude for God's abundance.
The tithe is a good target for many of us, but for others it is only a beginning. Forbes magazine tells about Hugh and Nancy McFarland, Jr., who at that time had been giving away 70 percent of their income for eighteen years, since Hugh was thirty-nine (Forbes, 12/15/97). Most of us won't get to that level of spiritual growth, but it witnesses to just how grateful we might become-and how willing to live on less for the sake of gratitude and generosity of spirit.
Another reason I particularly like proportionate giving is that it helps us understand that what we give isn't viewed by God as an amount but as a percentage. To those who have more, more is asked, but only in an absolute sense. God calls us all to move towards and beyond the tithe. Comparing what we give to what someone else gives makes little sense in this context. My smaller offering may represent more than a tithe, while another's larger one may represent only a percentage or two of their income. It is not only biblical, it is equitable to speak and teach about the tithe.
And so, don't give in to the temptations that come your way, as they did to Jesus. Recognize the source of your faith, your wealth, and your community — the One God who is fully trustworthy. And give as your gratitude for the gifts of God calls you to do. Amen.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts
and minds through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
