First Lutheran Church
May 16, 2021
Psalm 24:1-6 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Sermon “A Gift from God”
Pastor Greg Ronning
Psalm 133 declares, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” “What a gift it is to be here today, in the sanctuary, together again, with each of you!”
It’s been a long time, (fourteen months,) since we have gathered together in this space as a community of faith. I thank God that during this time of “exile in pandemic” we have remained united, united in our faith, united in Christ, focused in on our mission; but it’s been “oh so very hard” not to be together in the same place, in this place, in our holy place where divine love comes to life in each of us, in all of us together.
What a gift to be able to “softly sing” (hum) with our voices, but triumphantly with our hearts and from deep down in our souls, “Gather us in … Here in this place the new light is streaming, now is the darkness vanished away; see in this space our fears and our dreamings brought here to you in the light of this day. - Gather us in.”
What a long-awaited “gift” today is, the gift of each other, the gift of being together, the gift of sharing the sacraments in person, in community, as the very body of Christ, “Here we will take the wine and the water, here we will take the bread of new birth, here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth.” Today is certainly a “gift!”
Today we celebrate indeed, but we must also seriously consider, “What will we do with this incredible gift?”
Last month I attended a zoom stewardship conference, (along with Mary Bermani and Terri Robertson, our Stewardship Team here at First Lutheran,) and among other things, we were challenged to re-examine our understanding of the concept of “gift.” Our keynote speaker pointed out that in our culture, especially in our American context, we tend to think of “gift” primarily in terms of ownership. When we give a gift to someone, we transfer ownership of that item. When we receive a gift, it is ours to do with – whatever or however we please. In many ways the now popular practice of giving “gift cards” has allowed us to double down on the idea, “Go and buy yourself whatever you want, get something special.” In our world, gift giving is transactional, a transfer of ownership from one person to another.
And that’s not really a problem, I’m not suggesting that we stop giving gifts to each other and our loved ones, but our cultural understanding of “gift” as “transfer of ownership” can become a huge issue if it carries over into our faith, our theology, our spirituality, and our discipleship.
In today’s first reading the psalmist reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” Essentially the psalmist is saying, “Everything belongs to God.” So, when we say, “Everything I have is a gift from God,” we need to remember that God does not “give” a “gift” as the world gives, when God blesses us with something, with everything, it does not involve a change of ownership, it is not a transaction, rather it becomes a matter of “stewardship.” And that distinction is crucial, it changes everything! We do not become owners but stewards, “those who would manage the resources and affairs of the owner for the sake of the owner.”
Today we are reminded that, “All good gifts come from God,” but also that “All good gifts belong to God.” Today we are reminded that we are not the “owners” of our blessings but that we are the “stewards” of our blessings. We are the caretakers of God’s good gifts. And as such we are invited to ask totally different and perhaps new questions. It is no longer a question of how much I should give to charity and how much should I keep for myself, but rather how might I use “all the resources” that God has given me to “steward” for the sake of the kingdom, the sake of Christ, for the sake of the love of God. How might I use the resources of God, that have been entrusted to me, (time, talents, and treasures,) to proclaim the good news, to love my neighbor, pursue justice, and help make a difference in the world. Today we are invited, not to simply give a gift, that is really not ours to give, but to follow Jesus deeper into a life of discipleship.
And that’s hard, it’s hard to change our understanding of our things, our resources, our money. The world offers us the old proverb, the enticement that “possession is nine-tenths of the law.” While it may be a “truism” of human nature, that the stuff I “have and hold” are my possessions, it is not the truth found and proclaimed in the scriptures, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” The mental and practical move from “ownership” to “stewardship” to “discipleship” is not easy. As John Lennon once said, “Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law. It's nine-tenths of the problem.” It’s hard, even counter intuitive, to release our possessions, - even when we have come to realize that perhaps our possessions have come to possess us! In today’s gospel we are reminded, we are warned, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I began today by proclaiming, “What a gift it is to be here today, in the sanctuary, together again, with each of you!” And it is a gift, a wonderful gift, but it’s not a gift for us to selfishly hold onto, not a gift for us to possess, but rather a gift from God, that we are called to steward, to share.
We have a very unique opportunity before us, a rare moment in history; we have the opportunity to begin again, to begin again - anew! A few weeks ago, I proclaimed from the pulpit that I was not excited, or even willing, to “return” to in-person worship, but that I looked forward to “beginning” in-person worship. Life has seriously changed, there’s no normal to which we can return back, even if that’s what we wanted to do! It’s time for something new to happen. And together we are the “stewards“ of this new beginning here at First Lutheran Church.
So, what does that mean? As this pandemic slowly comes to an end, as people are once again invited outside and into community spaces, what might we do to share the incredible “gift” that we have here at First Lutheran?
As people come out of this pandemic, this year long ordeal, perhaps more engaged in the existential questions of life, looking for something more in life, open to engaging faith and spirituality. What might we do to invite them, entice them, and welcome them into our faith community. It will be tempting to “return” to our old ways. But what if we dare to risk some changes and engage new people? What if we were willing to meet people where they’re at, learn to speak their language, cater to their concerns, discover and meet their needs, adapt to become more inviting, find new and creative ways to share this wonderful gift? What if we thought about it strategically? What if we dared to begin anew?
This past Thursday the church celebrated “The Ascension of Christ.” As the season of Easter comes to a close the risen Christ gathers up his disciples and lets them know that he will no longer be with them in the same way that he was before. St. Luke writes, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.” (The Paschal Candle is extinguished) Something new will be happening soon. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Day of Pentecost, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the fire that burned in Christ - will now be found burning in the hearts of the people who will become the church, the “new” Body of Christ present in the world.
May we be open to the coming of the Spirit into our community in this moment, as we begin anew, in-person, make changes, seeking to faithfully live out, and share, the gift of faith, the gift of church, the gift of the Body of Christ, the gift that is our life together, for the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of Christ, for the sake of love.
“Here in this place the new light is streaming, now is the darkness vanished away; see in this space our fears and our dreamings brought here to you in the light of this day. Gather us in, the lost and forsaken, gather us in, the blind and the lame; call to us now, and we shall awaken, we shall arise at the sound of our name.”
Speak Lord, for your servants are listening! Amen.