Stewardship
Stewardship Sunday, September 21, 2008
“Wasn’t That a Mighty Day?!”
September 21st was quite a Sunday at St. John’s. In addition to the combined 8, 10 and 12 services, the full choir, the Sunday schooler’s – (where did all these children appear from?) – and the Drummers were all there. The 20 Drummers sat in a semi-circle in the new space created by taking out two rows of pews. Those drummers really make a statement for Doing Church Differently!
One of the first observations made by our great preacher, The Rev. Dan Matthews, was that in the city where his former church was located they usually shut the front doors to keep out the traffic noise. At our service, however, the front doors must have been closed to keep the drumming reverberations inside! He added that in all his years as an Episcopal priest this was his first encounter with a drumming ensemble in church! He was impressed. And from a former Rector of Trinity Church, Wall Street that was quite a statement.
Our Need To Give
Dan Matthews began his sermon on stewardship with a cat story – the mother cat who protects her three small kittens from a menacing dog by barking – the dog is so surprised and cowed he runs away. The lesson the mother cat imparts to the kittens is the importance of knowing a second language! There are two languages, Father Matthews continues – the language of the street, that is one of acquisition and possession; and the other is the language of the abundance of God’s love in our lives and the materiel blessings we enjoy as individuals and as a nation. Stewardship is not so much about raising money for the church budget as it is about our deep need to give our time, talents and treasure. We need to share these blessings through God’s grace. Because we are blessed we give away the blessing to others. Father Matthews referred to the biblical stories of Jonah and the big fish, the Good Samaritan, the wedding at Cana, Jesus and the fishermen with the great catch, and the landowner and his laborers as examples of acknowledging God’s blessings bestowed upon us.
In a more jocular fashion, Matthews described, the difference between how Mormons go about stewardship and apply it in contrast to Episcopalians: The Mormons first learn it, then earn it, then return it (to God). Episcopalians on the other hand are apt to learn it, earn it, and then retire!
After The Peace, the congregation gave a warm round of applause to Bill Binzen who celebrated his 90th birthday that very day. Bill could very well be our eldest Drummer! Congratulations again Bill! The Celebrants at Communion were Father Bernardo Lora, Father Carter and Father Matthews… with a really good show of congregants who make communal worship such a joy. A well-attended reception followed the service with potables and comestibles in abundance offered by Marian Schwaikert, Amy Bier, Weezie Hannegan and Polly Rodie.
Father Matthews continued his discussion of stewardship by relating some stories of how our culture has changed over the years. Growing up in the Great Depression years, he related how his family didn’t have very much but never considered themselves as “poor”, that “the lack of material goods was not a central issue in our lives”. Today we live in unusual times. Our culture is one that always emphasizes needing more. Surrounded by abundance people feel and think scarcity. It’s the culture of discount merchandising, of buying to excess and the rise of self-storage lockers where we can pack away our surplus “stuff”. When asked how much is enough, John D. Rockefeller was reported to have replied, “Just a little more than I’ve got.” In summing up, Father Mathews said that, “Stewardship is not about church, it’s about challenging that mentality of scarcity, about recognizing the abundance that we all have through God’s grace and allowing gratitude to express itself in our lives by giving back. Gift giving is the essence of life! Thank you, Lord.”
David Hannegan
Vestry Chair, 2009 Annual Appeal
