By Lisa Hart
Nov. 8, 2009
Mark 12: 38-44

When Pastor Phil first contacted me to ask if I was willing to preach today, I was excited by the opportunity.  I read the lectionary reading from Mark and immediately began to think of ideas for this sermon. I decided that was a good sign, so I called Phil and agreed to preach.  Shortly after agreeing to preach today, I began to think about the fact that not everyone gets excited about Stewardship Sunday, and this year in particular might be a difficult year to preach a stewardship sermon.  I found myself wondering exactly what I had gotten myself in to…

In preparation for today, I’ve spent the past few weeks reflecting on the scripture, looking over the stewardship material from your church and praying.  While I’m aware that there are people who view stewardship campaigns and Stewardship Sunday as the time when churches come looking for money, I have a different view… Stewardship Sunday is a celebration!  It is a celebration of the many ways that God has blessed us.  It is a celebration of how our faith and the church have touched our lives.  It is an opportunity to reflect on all that we have and on how we can show our gratitude and thankfulness to God.

In today’s reading from Mark, Jesus begins by warning his audience about the scribes…the religious muckity mucks…who seem to demand respect because of their position. I’m sure there is much that could be said about this, but today I would like to focus on the second part of the passage.  In these verses, Jesus is sitting  across from the treasury as people are parading past, giving their offerings.  Many have much to give, and they give what is expected.  And then a poor widow approaches the treasury and drops two small coins into the collection.  Jesus takes notice.  Listen as I read today’s scripture reading from The Message… Sitting across from the offering box, Jesus was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection.  Many of the rich were making large contributions.  One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents.  Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.  All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”

This passage is often looked at as an indictment of the rich and powerful for not giving enough.  I found myself looking at it from a different angle this time.  Yes, Jesus was lifting up the poor woman as an example…but I became keenly aware that even the rich and powerful were being faithful in their giving.  They were simply giving what they were “supposed”  to be giving…no more, no less.

The poor woman also gave out of faith, but hers was a different faith.  Although she did not have much, she knew that what she did have was a gift from God.  By giving everything she had, she was expressing her thankfulness for all that God had blessed her with.  She was also showing her faith that God would provide whatever she needed.

This year has been a difficult year for many people.  I know of few people who have not been affected by the current economic situation in some way or other.  Many who carefully invested and saved over the years suddenly found that the money they had saved was greatly diminished, many have found themselves unemployed or underemployed, and some have found themselves with no place to live.  As a result, most of us have had to sit down and re-evaluate where and how we spend our money.  It is human nature to “hold back”.  We’ve discovered that there is uncertainty in the economy…and this scares us.

The poor woman’s act of “giving her all” showed that she knew something that God wants each of us to know…although there is uncertainty in the economy, there IS certainty in Christ.  The poor woman knew this and, as a result, was able to live by faith and give in faith.  She was celebrating the ways God had blessed her life.

It is easy for us to get wrapped up in our personal situations. When we become worried about not having enough, we turn inward and hold tightly to what we do have.  We find ourselves looking at others and comparing ourselves, wondering if they are struggling with the same things that we are…envying those who don’t seem to be struggling.  I’m just as guilty of it as anyone else, so I don’t mean to diminish the hardships that people are experiencing.  However, as I have reflected on what I find myself worrying about, I have found myself thinking about ways that God has blessed me. At the risk of seeming shallow, I’m going to share one of my dreams...

For several years, I have dreamed of getting a new vehicle to replace our mini-van.  Our min-van was used when we purchased it over 10 years ago and it has close to 200,000 miles on it.  It makes funny noises at times when we are driving and, at some point, I know it will just cease to run.  My dream has been to replace it with a Honda Pilot.  This was going to be a stretch, but seemed possible until about a year ago.  Now, I find myself wondering if we can even afford “anything” to replace the van.  When I think about this, I find myself looking around at other people who seem to be able to replace cars whenever they need to and wishing that this didn’t have to be so difficult for us. 

 Lately, as I’ve had these and other similar thoughts, I’ve started to think about how blessed I am to even be in a position to worry about such things.  There are people in this world who cannot even begin to imagine being able to purchase a bicycle, much less a vehicle.  When I am shopping for groceries and wishing I could buy some “fun treats” I am reminded that there are those who wish they had any food.  When I shop for clothes and have to explain to my teenage daughter that we can’t afford yet another pair of jeans, I am reminded that there are those who can’t even imagine going to a store to buy clothes.  The list goes on…

Even when money is tight for me, I am rich by the standards of many in this world.  I have reason to give thanks for the many ways that God has blessed me. When I focus on this, it becomes easy to turn outward and share what I have been blessed with, and to do so with a grateful and joyful heart.

Jesus’ story focuses on money, but I think his message goes beyond encouraging us to give what we can financially.  Jesus wants us to “give our all”.  This means sharing ourselves…our gifts, our talents.  What are your gifts?  Are you musical?  Do you have the ablility to listen and just be present when someone is in need?  Do you cook? Are you able fix anything?  Do you love to teach?   Do you read well?  Are you willing to pray for the church and the church family? Do you offer a smile and a warm welcome to people as they walk through the doors of your church? 

Sharing these God-given gifts is just as important to the life of Memorial as financial contributions.  You are all a part of this community, and you all have something valuable to contribute.  By using your gifts and talents, you are celebrating your blessings from God.

God calls us each to be stewards of the resources we have received from God. This year’s stewardship campaign theme reminds us that “from Jesus’ fullness we have all received; grace upon grace.”  God is encouraging and challenging us to be mindful of what we have been blessed with, to look outward to where there is need, and to share with a grateful heart.

For the past few weeks, you have heard from members of your congregation about what your church has meant to them.  Today is a day to celebrate how your faith and how Fitchburg Memorial has touched your life.  It is also a day to celebrate how your faith and Fitchburg Memorial has touched the lives of others.

I know that your church has a strong focus on mission.  You have been active in supporting Luke House, you have supported and spent time working at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, and you have a partnership with Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.  I would suspect that these are just a few of the places where your congregation has a positive and faith-filled presence in the community and in the world. 

You also are making a difference in the lives of people within your walls.  I’ll admit that I do not have a lot of knowledge of the many ways that you are active in the lives of members and visitors, but I have heard about bible studies that take place during the week, I am aware of the support you have given to youth who wish to participate in Conference and wider-church youth events, and I know that your membership has grown in the past year. 

These are all wonderful ways that your congregation is actively living out your faith and sharing the blessings that God has given to you.

Personally, your congregation has had a significant impact on my life. 

Several years ago, my niece was killed in a car crash.  Shortly after that, my brother-in-law was diagnosed with a brain tumor and it became clear that my grandfather also did not have long to live.  As you can imagine, the holidays were a very difficult time for me.  Your church offered a Blue Christmas service…something I felt a desperate need for.  It was open to the community, and I was able to attend.  When I think of Fitchburg Memorial, I think of a place that opened their doors and provided comfort at a time when I desperately needed it.  No one, except for Bonnie perhaps, was aware of what a blessing you were in my life during that difficult time.I am confident that there are others who have had similar experiences with your congregation.  You have many blessings to celebrate, but you can also celebrate that you are a blessing to the many lives you have touched.

I challenge you to take time in the next few days to think about what your faith means to you.  What does Fitchburg Memorial mean to you?  How has your experience here been a blessing in your life?

Finally, today is a day to reflect on all we have and on how we can show our gratitude and thankfulness to God.  What we offer to God in return is the ultimate celebration!  I was reminded last week that it really doesn’t matter how much we have to give…just that we give what we do have with a joyful heart. 

I was in a board of directors meeting for a local non-profit organization.  We were discussing board member contributions and what our obligations should be.  The discussion centered on whether a board member should be responsible for contributing a certain amount and whether it should be a personal contribution or if board members could meet this obligation by seeking donor money.  I found myself getting nervous…what if they decided on an amount of money that I could not afford?  What if they decided that it had to be a personal donation?  What about other members of the board who might not be able to contribute enough?  What about potential board members who might not be able to serve if they felt they could not “afford” to serve? 

Then the co-chair of the board shared the story of one of his experiences on another board.  This board oversaw a neighborhood association and they were in the process of building a community center.  It was decided that all board members should contribute.  Their goal was to have 100% commitment and support from the board.  The co-chair shared that some were only able to give $1 to the project, but they did so joyfully. They were grateful to be able to offer what they had.  In the end, the board was able to honestly claim that they had 100% commitment  and support from the board…and even those members who were only able to contribute $1 knew that they had given their all.

I like this idea.  We are all in different places economically, yet we can probably all contribute something.  The church can have 100% commitment … and we can all give with a joyful and grateful heart.

As members and friends of Fitchburg Memorial you have much to be thankful for…through commitment and love from your members, you have been blessed with a beautiful building.  You have committed to support youth ministry by building a space for youth to gather.  And, you have a commitment to continue to expand your ministry by calling an associate pastor.  You have seen an increase in membership.   Even with the uncertainty of the economy this past year, you saw an increase in pledges last year. 

These are all wonderful signs of the faith that is alive and growing within these walls.  I encourage and challenge you to continue on this path. Take time this week to think about all the different ways that God has blessed your life.  Think of how your life has been blessed by this faith community.

It doesn’t matter how much money you have.  It doesn’t matter whether you have many talents or a few…they are all God-given…  As you think of the many ways that God has blessed your life, think of how you can return thanks to God for these blessings.  Ask yourself, “am I giving my all?”.  If not, I encourage you to stretch yourself to give more.  We often hear that we should give until it hurts…I disagree.  I believe that if we are giving our all, we will feel joy.

May God continue to bless you, may God continue to bless the ministry of Fitchburg Memorial, and may God bless all the lives you will touch through this ministry.
Amen