Loading...This is another one of those counting the cost sermons. The punchline is: Loving People. Serving People. It has a cost and I am inviting you to pay it. By paying the cost of living the gospel lifestyle you make the world different. And isn’t that why we are all here this morning because we are enthralled by the existential question, “Can it be different?”
When you join a community like St James you were asked to commit to three investments: Time, Talent and Treasure. When you commit to these three gifts here or anywhere you don’t just make a difference in the world, you make the world different.
I got a call recently from a man seeking assistance. He said he needed one-hundred cash dollars for some things like gas and groceries. I asked if he had already contacted Ballardsville Baptist Church where Pastor Don Wright gives out the vouchers for gas and groceries. I regularly send money you give to my discretionary account to the Oldham County Ministerial Alliance in whose name Pastor Don gives vouchers. He keeps account records and sends out a report every month. It’s a solid system for which I am thankful -- especially when I get calls for assistance.
This time, for the first time in 24 years of ordained ministry, someone asking for assistance tried to bribe me. He said, “I don’t want a voucher. If you give me one hundred cash dollars I will join your church.” I’d never quite considered this method of newcomer assimilation.
Had he not hung up on me, and had the man attended church today and heard the scriptures passages assigned for our devotion, would he feel he is getting our money’s worth when he hears the scriptures assigned for today? Without incentivizing scripture with cash, what are these scriptures worth to you? Let’s take a quick look at each passage.
First there is Jeremiah visiting the potter — I like that wholesome image. But I’m left feeling cold at the end of the passage where God compares devising an evil plan against the rebellious house of Israel with the way a potter decides how to treat a spoiled vessel of clay. Maybe that is worth one hundred cash dollars for dramatic effect.
That Old Testament is always dramatizing judgement, right? Many ask me “Does judgement even count when it’s from the Old Testament since it happened before Jesus?” For the record — everything in the Old Testament counts just as much as the New Testament.
Secondly there is this letter from Paul to his friend Philemon. Philemon’s slave Onesimus has run away and come to Paul. And Paul writes a smooth and persuasive request that Philemon accept Onesimus back as a free man. If freed, Onesimus becomes a loss to Philemon’s ledger.
Paul prays the prison guard to impress upon his friend that the slave has provided what free man would have, could have, should have, were he present to attend to old Paul’s needs.
Careful with whom you make friends — they may expect you to do more than they will even say. Sometimes you can only feel compelled towards obeying an argument like Paul’s if not for the sake of love, for at the very least the sake of melodrama. That line “I say nothing about you even owing me your very self —” is the best bit of melodrama anywhere, and is worth one hundred cash dollars to me because I giggle every time I read this letter.
Lastly, there is this inflammatory gospel. Once again, this is a portion of the New Testament that Thomas Jefferson simply cut out of his personal Bible. I Face-timed my dad last night and he asked me are you going to preach on Luke’s gospel where Jesus talks about hating family? I said, “not you dad.” But there is great cost to loving you. Everytime I have to push that little red button that hangs up the facetime my heart breaks a little. Every time we say goodbye becomes a little more poignant. I hate that little red button. I hate the cost of love. Yet it is a cost I will gladly pay.
I will Face-time again even though my heart can hardly stand it. Large or small the cost of love takes its toll. Love makes people give money to places like churches. Love makes people spend time in communities like churches. Love makes people forgive and ask for forgiveness even in churches. Love is the most costly of endeavors.
Many of you have heard me speak about a closet in my home so filled in every direction that when the door is open there is not one square inch of free space. I started cleaning out that closet last weekend. I must have stacked 25 boxes by the door to drag downstairs to the dumpster and donation. I felt so proud of my tiny monument of stuff. I’m not giving away all of my possessions but it sure felt like a step in that direction. I took a deep breath, preparing to make the multiple trips it would require to haul the haul to the trash. But when I opened the door there was a large box. The first of two large boxes that would be delivered. My uncle who is a retired Episcopal priest is downsizing and cleaning out his home and had sent me some of the contents of his closet. In that moment I hated that guy. What did I do? I kept one souvenir. Then I repackaged everything he sent me to send to my mother and father and brothers that they in turn might hate me.
The cost of loving Jesus more than loving others is everything: time, talent, treasure. Not just some. I don’t mean 10% or one hundred cash dollars. I mean 100%: All our time, all our talent, all our treasure. Everything we do with everything we have is a witness to our love of God. We get to treat every thing we use as kingdom tools. Some of what we have gets used in the St James community. That’s when people start talking about 10% as a goal. Regardless of belonging to a faith community or not, All of Time, Talent, and Treasure is a witness to the source of those gifts.
St James is on the threshold of our Annual Campaign which kicks off next week. I am pretty excited about it. The Stewardship Team is preparing an opportunity for everyone to participate in what an annual campaign does. To be clear, if you are considering joining St James you will not receive one hundred cash dollars. You will be invited to give and give again of time, talent, treasure, forgiveness; all the gifts of the Spirit; to carry the cross in the spirit of Luke’s gospel; and to participate in the ultimate cost Jesus pays on The Cross of Calvary, where he gives his life so that all are eligible to receive the free gift of grace.
I invite you to count the cost of Loving People, Serving People. Amen.
