The Story Lives On
(Stewardship Emphasis)
1 John 4:18–21, Matthew 28:16­–20
April 27, 2008
University Christian Church, Seattle, WA
Rev. Sandy Messick

• It finally happened to me. The other day I was in the drive-through line at a coffee place waiting for my tall mocha nonfat no whip. When I got to the window, the woman cheerfully told me that the person ahead of me had paid for my drink! I was caught up in one of those pay-it-forward moments you hear about. Apparently it had started several hours earlier. One of the customers had started it by paying for both his drink and the one after, and it had continued through the morning rush of coffee lovers. There was an article in the paper a few months ago about a similar series of events that went on through several days. People cheerfully giving because they had already received.
• Isn’t that the definition of stewardship? Giving generously of what we have received. This is our second week of our annual Stewardship Emphasis. In a few moments we will have the opportunity to offer our Estimate of Giving Cards and dedicate them for the work of this church in the coming year.
• Last week we talked about the passage from Matthew, the Great Commission. And we talked about how we have been sent out into the world to be and make disciples: go, baptize, and teach. This week, we hear the same scripture again: go into all the world and share what you have received.
• But this week we also hear this passage from 1 John: We love because God first loved us. And because we have received love from God we are commanded to love others. Make no mistake: in this example of pay-it-forward God started it. It began because God loved us. But we pay it forward, loving others out of the abundance of love we have received.
• The problem is, we don’t always recognize our abundance. We don’t always see how much we have, and we focus instead on all we lack. The advertisers want us to think this way of course: so they point us to all the things we don’t have but must have to be truly happy: the cars, or clothes, or gadgets, even bottled water. Advertisers focus on the lack in order to get us to buy.
• Even without them though, I think it’s easy enough for us to be drawn into a culture of scarcity. Churches, particularly mainline churches seem especially good at being drawn in: perhaps because things have changed over the last 50 years, perhaps because we’re living in buildings that were built for different times. We have empty rooms that once were filled with children and empty pews that once were filled with people and each week we’re reminded of that. It’s easy to be sucked into that culture of scarcity and put our energies and focus on what we don’t have rather than on what we do.
• We see that there isn’t enough money so we trim away at outreach. We bemoan the fact that there aren’t enough people, especially young people. We decry the lack of energy and so we say we can’t take on this or that project or outreach, it will tax us too much, it will spread us too thin.
• This culture of scarcity that is so seductive and easy to fall into leads us into a culture of fear.
• And fear is something we know something about.
• We hear about fear from our government. Be afraid. The threat level has been raised to orange, or magenta, or whatever color it is now. Be afraid of terrorists, nuclear weapons, food shortages, gas shortages. Be afraid, be very afraid, and by the way, OK this new law or new bill that will take away some more of your civil rights, OK the sending of troops into other countries, because you need to be afraid. It’s a culture of fear.
• And it’s not that there aren’t real concerns. We should be concerned about terrorists, or nuclear weapons, or global warming. The problem is when our concern turns into a panic over what we don’t have, and that leads to a culture of fear. And fear leads to self protection, which leads to turning inward, which leads to all of our efforts focused on preserving what we have and possess, and suddenly new ideas, or new faces, or new voices are met with suspicion and judgment and criticism. All out of the fear that the little we have may be taken away from us and so we have to protect and hold on and close in.
• That kind of mindset won’t let us go out into the world as Matthew talked about. It won’t let us greet the world with a sense of abundance and joyful giving. It won’t let us go out into the world to make disciples because we are too busy protecting what’s in here.
• 1John reminds us though that perfect love casts out fear. Or as the Message version says: Well-formed love banishes fear.
• It’s not a love that comes from us. Make no mistake, we’re not that capable of such a perfect well-formed love. We’re too wrapped up in our own thinking for that.
• No, perfect love comes from God. It is love that gives without fear of giving up. It is a love that can pour itself out without fear of being used up. It is a love that can offer itself up, even unto death, because it knows that in the end, love is stronger even than death.
• And we are invited to rest in that kind of love. We are invited to accept that that kind of love is offered to us, freely, joyfully, completely. And when we do accept that love given to us and for us, we can let go of our fear. God’s well-formed perfect love banishes fear.
• And when we let go of fear, we are freed up to love others. Out of the abundance that we have received. Like the corners cut from pieces of paper – the more you give away, the more you have.
• We do have abundance here. We have an abundance of space here. And we can share it with those groups and organizations who share our passion. Within the space of this building we nest groups that are reaching out beyond themselves: 12-step groups, Books to Prisoners, children making noise in the hallway as they make their way to the playgrounds, people lined up outside to receive food from the food bank, college students across the street living in a safe, affordable space. Look at the insert in your bulletin and note the ways we are sharing the abundance of our space. Thanks be to God we have abundant space here.
• And we have an abundance of passion here. You care about issues and people beyond yourselves and your outreach offerings show that. Look at the insert in your bulletin and see all the places that your outreach dollars touched lives in our community and throughout the world in the last year. We have an awareness that God’s love reaches beyond our four walls and your outreach dollars bear witness to that.
• And we have an abundance of faith stories here. One of the blessings of an older congregation, and yes, we are an older congregation…but one of the blessings of that is the wisdom and experiences that are contained within this congregation. Faith stories of passionate activism at a time when it wasn’t necessarily politically correct to be an activist. Stories of encounters with Martin Luther King, Jr. and marches in the South, and becoming an open and affirming congregation. You have stories to share and you continue to share them. We have abundance here.
• And each time we dare to risk sharing a piece of ourselves, every time we choose abundance over scarcity and faith over fear, the story of the one who shared his life for us lives on – it lives on through us.
• Oh, we still draw back in fear sometimes. God forgive us, we still greet new ideas with a suspicious “why should we?” rather than an enthusiastic, “why not?” We can work on changing that. But even so God will still invite us into a mindset of abundance. God will still encourage us and challenge us to rest in God’s perfect love. To let go of our fear and embrace faith instead; to see the world through God’s eyes – a world of abundant love that can and must be shared with all. Shared through us. Are we up for the challenge? I think so. Can we let go of fear and embrace faith instead? I pray so. Can we allow God’s abundant love to so fill us that there is no room for our human fear? Oh God, may it be so. Because we have so much to share, and the world is hungry for the bread we have to offer. We have been commissioned to be disciples in the world, given a story to share with the world, and by God’s grace, and by God’s design, the story lives on through us. Amen.

Invitation to Present Cards:

As we sing our hymn of commitment I invite you to come to the table and offer your Emphasis of Giving card. I pray that this card will represent not only your financial commitment to the work and ministry of this church for the coming year, but your commitment of time and talents as well. We have great abundance within this congregation, and through this congregation, the world can share in that abundance.

If you are unable to come forward, please raise your hand during the hymn and one of the deacons will collect your card.

Let us sing together, “Lord you give the great commission,” verses 1, 2 and 5.