The Reverend John E. McGinn, Rector
Saint John’s Episcopal Church
Sandwich, Massachusetts 02563
November 18, 2007 Pentecost
25
Today’s sermon is taken from
Psalm 111, verse 1. It is a sermon about
stewardship.
About fifteen years ago I got
a call from a very good friend of mine named Norman Derochis. Norman was someone I had gone through
seminary with, and we had gotten close during that time. Norman had been serving in parishes in Rhode
Island, and he called me to say, “John, guess what, I am going back into the
Air Force.” He had been in the Air Force
for eight years, and he said he was going back to be a chaplain in the Air
Force. He was going back in with the rank
of major. And I said, “Oh, that’s great,
Norman. Are you sure that’s really what
you want to do?” He said, “Oh yes, I’ve
given it a lot of thought. I’ve given
parish ministry a try over these past twelve or fourteen years,” and he said,
“I really want to go into the military.”
He said, “You know, the great thing about being in the military is you never have to
get up in front of the congregation and give a stewardship sermon. The budgets and all the money that is
required for ministry: for the doing of
the Sacraments and the leading in worship and the meeting with people and doing
all those special services -- everything is covered by the military. Any collections that are taken, strictly that
money is given away to the poor and those in need. But there is no real importance for you to
raise money in order for you to provide for the parish pledging.”
And, you know, as I got
thinking about that, I thought to myself that one of the most difficult things
in ministry is to have to get in front of people to talk about stewardship; to
talk about my own stewardship as well as trying to inspire you to be generous
givers of your abundance.
Before Jim Webb gets up and
gives you the facts and figures and some other interesting things, I want to
take a verse from Psalm 111;
and actually it is the very first verse: “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole
heart.”
You know, one of my favorite
books growing up, and it is still one of my favorite books, is The Little
Prince. In it is a story of a gentle
little prince who journeys among the planets encountering others who helped him
to discover the eternal truths of life. In one such encounter, a fox shares this bit
of insight with him. “It is only with
the heart that one can see rightly. What
is essential is invisible to the eye.”
And I really think that this captures what it is at the heart of being a
follower of Jesus. Learning
to see with our hearts. When we
see with our heart, I think we see from God’s perspective.
We don’t travel through space
like the little prince, but we do have a community at St. John’s that helps us
to see with the heart. Ultimately, I
think this is the role of the church: to
serve as a place where we encounter Jesus and learn to see as God sees. The community of St. John’s does this in all
sorts of ways. Our church provides a
tangible place to gather for the important events and transitions in our
lives. We provide companionship on the
journey; people willing to speak about their faith in ways that can guide and
mentor others. St. John’s provides the
strength and power of prayers, joined together to give support whenever
needed. This is a place where there is
room for laughter and joy as we grow to know one another better. And it is in community that we benefit from
the insight of others who help us to see our own gifts and how we are called to
use them.
God gives with abandon. Each of us possesses gifts and resources that
God has lavished upon us. When we see
with the heart, we realize that our hearts are filled to overflowing; and then
we cannot help but respond, as the psalmist did, giving thanks to God with our
whole heart.
Now imagine how powerful this
becomes when all of our hearts come together.
I cannot imagine traveling through life any other way than in the
company or followers of Jesus. When our
hearts come together, we provide a way of seeing God that is nothing short of
awesome.
This past year your vestry
has spent time imagining what we are called to do together; not only to expand
the sight of our own hearts, but also to draw other hearts to Jesus. Some of our visions for 2008 are practical
matters, like caring for our building and staff, and taking on the payment of the mortgage for the
building of our new facility. Other
dreams included spanning formation programs like Christian education for
children and youth and adults, and providing dedicated staff to administer
them. Our vision includes stretching to
reach out to others through community building activities and through outreach
ministries. All of these dreams provide
the means of enriching our travels together and creating space for others to
join us in this journey of the heart.
I ask you this morning, in
the words of the psalmist, “May we give thanks to the Lord with all our
hearts.”
Amen