Jesus on Stewardship

Well, it’s that time of the year again. It comes around every fall. Stewardship season. We all know that is the time when we talk about giving to God, whether time, talents, or treasure—our financial gifts. But what does stewardship really mean?

We have been talking a lot about the kingdom of heaven in church this fall. I have preached several sermons on how Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven, and the parables he uses to characterize it.

There is one story he tells in Matthew 25 that is about stewardship, but from the perspective of the kingdom. What is stewardship in the kingdom like?

The story Jesus tells is one we have heard before. It’s the one where a man plans to go on a long journey, and he entrusts his wealth to his servants. He calls forward three men, to one he gives 5 bags of gold, to another three bags and to the last he gave one bag, and then he went on his trip.

I think we all remember this story. When the master returned, he wanted to know what the men had done with the money he had given them. The first two came forward and gave their master twice what he had given them. They had invested wisely. The man with five bags earned five more, and the one with three bags earned three more.

But when the one who had only one bag came forward, all he had to show for himself was the original bag of gold. He had hidden it in a hole in the ground to keep it safe. The master was furious. He calls the servant “wicked and lazy.” He took away his gold and had him thrown out of the house.

It’s actually kind of a severe story, but it points out a few things that we don’t always think about in terms of our own stewardship.

As God’s people, we have been given many gifts; gifts of life and health, gifts of family and friends, and even monetary gifts that we have earned and saved over the course of our lives. What does God expect us to do with those gifts? Like the servants in the story, I think there are a few key points we should be aware of when we think about God’s gifts to us.

First of all, we recognize that these gifts do not belong to us; they are given to us by God. All that we are, and all that we have is a gift, on loan to us from God. Our life, our health, even the money we have, is not ours forever. We cannot take it with us when we die. It all belongs to God, and we merely have charge of it for a while.

That is the second point; we have been given these gifts as a charge. God has entrusted them to our care, and God expects us to use them wisely and well. The servants in the story used what their master gave them to earn even more, and were praised for their diligence and hard work. Not so the lazy servant who did nothing at all with what had been given to him.

That is the final point that I believe Jesus is making; one day we will be called to account for what God has given to us. Have we used it wisely? Have we used it well? Or have we merely buried it in the ground and put it to no good use? Remember the fate of that wicked servant.

This next week, when you receive your stewardship letter and pledge card, think about what God has given you, and what God calls you to do with all those gifts and blessings. Don’t bury them, share them and watch them multiply.

Pumpkin Spice Latte as Spiritual Exercise

One of the comments I keep hearing over and over the past few days is how nice the weather is. It seems we all get tired of the hot and dry of summer long before it's actually over. With the recent rain and cooler temperatures, it is finally beginning to feel like fall, for which many of us are extremely grateful.

I love the crunch of leaves, the cool breezes, and, of course, the signature drink of the season, the pumpkin spice latte. Nothing takes the chill off like that distinctive smell and wonderful taste. When I am in a bad mood, or things are not going so well (as was the case when trying to write this article), a PSL often does the trick.

As we move into fall, I tend to agree with Guy Davies, who writes the Exiled Preacher blog. In his most recent installment, he writes,

"Gratitude is the antidote for grumpiness. People who think that the world owes them a living are always quick to complain about anything and everything. You know the sort. But the fact is that whatever our problems in life, we have a lot for which to be thankful. We live in a beautiful part of the country with green fields, rolling hills and trees decked in their autumn hues. Our local shops are packed with plentiful supplies or food and drinks. It’s easy to take these things for granted. But a moment’s thought should make us grateful for rather than grumpy about our lot in life."

Some of the Psalms in the Bible are full of exuberant thanks to God for his goodness in creating this world and so richly providing for our needs. Psalm 65 pictures valleys clothed with grain shouting for joy. If the very fields proclaim God’s praise, then we should also thank him everything that  comes to us from his hands. 

Psalm 65 also speaks of God providing atonement for our transgressions. That was the gift that cost God the most to give. He sent his Son the Lord Jesus Christ into our world of selfishness and ingratitude to die on the cross for our sins. Through faith in Jesus we receive God’s offer of forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. What a giving and forgiving God! Recognizing that whatever we may possess is a gift from God should make us grateful to him and generous towards others who are in need.  

In college, I was part of a production of Godspell, a Broadway musical in which Steven Schwartz took some classic Christian hymns and repurposed them in his offbeat look at the life of Jesus. One of my favorites is the harvest hymn, All Good Gifts, which speaks of gratitude to God for all the goodness he has given us, and I assume that includes pumpkin spice lattes.

All good gifts around us

Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love. 

The Kingdom of God

On Sunday, I asked the congregation a question: What is the essence of Jesus’ teaching? If you could boil it down to a single word or phrase, what would it be?

We had several good answers. Some thought it should be love, or mercy, or grace. Perhaps it was the Great Commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. While these are all good, and Jesus certainly talked about them all, none captures the true essence of his message.

Our text for the morning was from Matthew 4:17, where Matthew says, “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” In the gospel of Luke, Jesus says, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent,” (4:43). In Jesus’ own words, then, the reason he was sent was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God.

That is surprising news to many people. They understand the message of Jesus, and the gospel itself in very different terms. Lots of folks never get past the “Repent” to the good news. But even more than that, Jesus’ focus is on the kingdom. That is the essence of his message, and the reason he was sent was to proclaim it.

If that is what Jesus is all about, why don’t we hear more about it, and what, exactly does he mean by the kingdom of God?

It is a sad commentary on Christian teaching and discipleship that we don’t spend more time teaching and preaching the message that Jesus did. Just a quick reading of the gospels reveals that Jesus talked about the kingdom over and over again.

What is the kingdom like? It is like a sower who goes forth to sow seed; it is like a costly pearl; it is like a mustard seed. How do you get into the kingdom? You sell all you have and give to the poor; you have to become like a little child. Is the kingdom that big a deal? You bet it is! It would be better to cut off your hand or poke out your eye than not to get in at all.

Bible scholar John Bright said, “So paramount was the notion of the Kingdom of God in the mind of Jesus that one can scarcely grasp his meaning at all without some understanding of it.” If we don’t understand the kingdom, we can’t understand Jesus, and if we don’t understand Jesus, what kind of followers are we?

It is my goal, over the next several weeks, to try to understand the kingdom of God better, and to share my insights with all of you. I am going to sift through the gospel of Matthew and find all the places where Jesus says things like, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” There are over 25 of them! In those passages he explains the kingdom in some detail. Don’t you want to know what he says? I do.

I hope that as you make your plans for the fall, you will include spending time in worship, so we can look at these passages together. Jesus had a lot to say about the kingdom, and I know I have a lot to learn. Let’s learn how to live in the light of God’s kingdom together.

Did Jesus Preach the Gospel?

This past week, I had the privilege of attending a conference in Dallas with about 1500 Presbyterian pastors and elders. One of the reasons I attend these conferences is because I find them both challenging and inspirational, and this year was no exception.

The main speaker was a pastor and writer from Australia, the Land Down Under, and some of the things he said certainly turned some of my traditional thinking on its head. For instance, he challenged us with the question, Did Jesus ever preach the Gospel?

My initial reaction was that the question was absurd. Of course Jesus preached the Gospel! What else would he preach, and what else did he come for? As the speaker unpacked his thoughts, I began to understand what he meant.

Many of us tend to narrow the gospel down to the limited understanding of personal, individual salvation. Don’t get me wrong; I think that is a very important part of the Gospel message, but sometimes we talk and act like it’s the only part. I believe that Jesus died a sacrificial and atoning death, and was raised by God to live again. I believe that faith in that event is crucial for personal salvation. Jesus paid the price for my sins, and everybody else’s. But is that all there is to the Gospel message? If it is, you can see the point that Jesus never really preached that message. That is the post-Easter message. Except for intimate meetings with his disciples, Jesus’ preaching was prior to his death and resurrection.

Admittedly, Jesus did talk about his own death, but mostly he was either not believed or misunderstood. The idea of substitutionary atonement doesn’t figure high in the public ministry of our Lord. But if Jesus didn’t preach what we normally consider the gospel message, what did he preach?

A thorough study of the Gospels quickly reveals that Jesus’ message was primarily about the Kingdom of God. According to Mark, in 1:14 (as well other gospel texts, MT 4:17) the essence of Jesus’ message was, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news.” So the good news, the Gospel, is that the Kingdom of God has come near, it has arrived!

That thought challenged me to think differently about the gospel message. What does it mean for the Kingdom of God to be here, among us? How should we live and act as citizens of that kingdom?

As I said, these conferences are both challenging and inspirational. The challenge for me was this new way of looking at the gospel message, and doing so has inspired me to work on a new series of sermons for this fall that looks at the message of Jesus, the nearness of the Kingdom of God, and how we can and should live in its light.

As you make your plans for the fall, I hope you will include this study on the Kingdom preaching of Jesus. I think it will be a good one.

What is Our Church's Attitude?

Last week I was at a presbytery gathering, and one of my pastoral colleagues said, “Well, now that you have been in Sand Springs for over a year, are you starting to get some real ministry done?”

I have to admit that I was a little taken aback, and didn’t quite know what to say. I wanted to say, “Starting to? We have been doing some great ministry for quite some time!” But as soon as I thought it, I wondered if it was true.

Sure, we have done some great things; our worship attendance numbers are up, giving has been up, even through the hot summer months, Bible school was incredible, we have people involved in weekly Bible study, we are reaching out to our local community and overseas in mission. These are all laudable accomplishments, and I am proud that we are doing them.

It’s just that sometimes I wonder about the attitude we bring when we come to the church. It is so hard not to see church as just one more in a list of things to do, along with sports, yard work, and summer vacations. Who has time for it all?  Sometimes church attendance ends up at the bottom of our priority lists.

In some ways the church is like a business; there are bills to be paid, customers to reach, and services to render. I know more than a few pastors who think of themselves as spiritual CEOs.

Jack Rogers in his book, Claiming the Center, observes that it has only been in recent history that the church has become so corporate-minded. As late as the 1800s, the Presbyterian Church had no national staff or program. It has only been as the church has entered the twentieth century that “churches adopted the organizational model of corporate bureaucracy,” (p. 48). At its height in the 1950s, the journal Presbyterian Life had more subscribers than Newsweek. This model began to break down in the 1960s when the national church leadership became less in tune with its constituents in the pew. The Presbyterian Church has not had a year of net gain in membership since.

The church is not a business, and when we think of it in that way, we misunderstand the very nature of what it means to be the Body of Christ. The church is a spiritual community. As Christ’s body we grow, we heal, we support one another, and we feed one another. That’s a whole different ball game.

There are so many habits and attitudes we hold, some of them without even realizing we have them. I love the J. B. Phillips translation of Romans 12:2 where he says, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” How often do we uncritically accept the things that the world and the culture around us says, never stopping to consider how it may be undermining the work of God in the church?

One of my pastor friends made reference this week to the fact that so many of our churches are inwardly focused. We get so caught up in our own needs and desires that we forget the primary job of the church – to go out into the world and make disciples.

Next week, I will be attending a pastor’s conference for a few days (don’t worry, I’ll be back by Sunday) that is looking at this very thing. The conference is entitled, “From Consumerism to Community,” and I hope to bring back some ideas how we can live the life Christ has called us to in the way he has called us to live it.

VBS – Why we do what we do

This month you will find quite a few pictures and stories of last week’s VBS experience. The theme was “Weird Animals” and we learned about Jesus’ love through their unique qualities.

We had a great week; we hosted over 60 kids and needed over 50 adults and youth to do it! But my favorite day was not actually a Bible School day, it was Sunday.

If you didn’t get to join us on Sunday, you missed a real treat--all the energy and enthusiasm of Bible School infused into our worship experience. We had about a dozen kids singing high-energy songs, we had parents and grandparents grinning from ear to ear, we had volunteers and youth wearing their VBS t-shirts, but mostly we had joy.

There is no question that VBS is one of the highlights of our summer in the church. It is one of the biggest projects we tackle. But I sometimes wonder if we ever stop and think about why we do what we do? Do we just do VBS because we have always done it?

I think it is worth considering how and why VBS fits into the overall mission strategy of the church. Sure, it’s fun, but is it necessary, is it important? I believe it is, and here is why I think so.

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus gives the disciples their instructions for what to do after he is gone. Most often referred to as the Great Commission, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and make disciples…”  There is no more simple and concise instruction for the church and its ministry and mission. We are to go to all kinds of people in all kinds of places and make disciples for Jesus Christ.

In its most basic form, that’s what VBS does. We invite children from families in our own church, from friends and neighbors who do not have a church home, and even from families who attend church elsewhere. But for all these children, we tell them about God and his love for them. That is the essence of what we do, and I believe it is exactly what we are supposed to be doing.

Many of the kids we have in Bible school have spent some time in church and Sunday school, so they know a little about God and his love. Others know almost nothing. Amy told me this week that one of the children who came said he had never heard of Jesus before. We have plenty of work to do.

But Bible school is as much a blessing as it is a chore, perhaps more so. Those of you who were here on Sunday experienced a little bit of that. All those kids and all that enthusiasm infuses us all with a spirit of joy and exuberance. The excitement is catching!

I hope you will look at all the pictures included in this month’s newsletter. If you look it up on-line on the church’s web site, the pictures are all in color and you can blow them up or download them. There are even more on the church’s facebook page.

I said it Sunday, but I would like to say again how grateful we are to Amy McAllister for all the work she has done to make this year’s VBS such a success. And another round of thanks goes to all those who helped make this all happen. Over 50 people worked in the kitchen, preparing the stage, decorating, teaching, playing, and herding children. I believe it is all worth it!

Matters that Matter

Easter Sunday was such a beautiful and uplifting service, as it should be. A HUGE shout of thanks should go to Doug Ruffner, the Choir, and everyone who made that such a wonderful experience.

It was also notable that we had over 200 people in worship, which also contributed to the celebratory spirit of the service. It was great to see all of you!

In that spirit of exuberance, I want to take note that we would like to continue to expand the celebration and continue to invite friends, neighbors, and family to join us at church. This act of inviting people in is often referred to as (gasp!) evangelism.

I realize that Presbyterians have not always had a good experience of and relationship with evangelism. That is why I would like us to re-think what it means and how we do it.

As I mentioned on Sunday, evangelism can most simply be understood as telling others what we are excited about, at least in the context of God and the church. The word itself simply means, “good news.” What could be less intimidating and more energizing than telling somebody good news?

The problem is that we have been in our own rut in the church so long that we have forgotten how good, how wonderful, the news about Christ and his resurrection is! That is why, over the next few weeks, I am going to try and identify some things that are exciting about our faith, things that, I hope, will excite and energize us again.

I know how easy it is to get overwhelmed and over booked at this time of year, with vacations, graduations, weddings, and the like, but I hope you will make time to be with us as we look at those important “Matters that matter” over the next few weeks. I will look forward to being with you!

If you would like to view some of these sermons, you can go to our church web site and see them. Here is a link to the site: Matter that Matter