Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Living into the "both...and"


A Stewardship Sunday Sermon
Texts: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Mark 12:38-44

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about our faith is that we tend to be more of a “both, and” faith and not so much an “either, or” faith, or “neither, nor” faith for that matter.

Jesus is both human, and divine. The bread and wine at communion are both simply elements, and the body and blood of Jesus (which grossed out the confirmation class on Tuesday). We are both sinner, and saint. We can both be faithful to the message of Christ (the good news), and have doubts. This “both, and” attitude has given our faith an air of exploration and a sense of inclusion rather than exclusion and parochial repetition.

I like this aspect of our faith so much, but I have to admit that it’s sometimes hard to remember. For instance, I have been struggling with our Old Testament and Gospel readings for today wondering: am I like the widow with Elijah, or am I like the widow with Jesus? It’s common, when we read scripture to identify with a character and once we do to try to find the meaning in that identification.  But I was struggling with this one. Am I the widow with Elijah or the widow with Jesus?

What’s the distinction?

Well, from reading the two, it looks like both widows approach a similar idea but from different angles; the idea being stewardship, right? How do I give of what I have.

When Elijah asks the widow for water and a morsel of bread, she looks at him and basically says: “I can’t give you anything because I have nothing to give. I only have enough for my son and I to get by before we die.” But Elijah encourages her saying “Do not be afraid, God will provide,” and she trusts him, returns to her home and finds that God did provide and she was able to give Elijah something to eat and drink.

The widow in Mark’s story takes place in the temple, the religious center of her community, surrounded by the rich people and scribes who tended to be the most influential people of their time; and, when it’s her turn to give to the treasury the widow, the example of the most vulnerable in society, gives two copper coins, which Jesus tells us is “everything she had, all she had to live on.”  While there is some debate among scholars as to whether this woman is giving of her own free will or not, the message that has been told so many times is that this woman sacrifices all that she has for God.

These are stories of uncertainty versus trust; reservations versus complete turn-over; scarcity versus abundance. Am I the widow with Elijah? Or, am I the widow with Jesus?

I have to admit, I immediately identified more with the widow with Elijah. I am a 27 year old woman with debt from college and am accruing debt from my seminary graduate studies. I’ve decided to move to this area which has a higher cost of living than some places, and don’t even get me started on the price of gas! Not for nothing, I’m familiar with feeling pinched for cash. And, I feel like just recently Elijah asked me for water and bread: well, not specifically Elijah, but when hurricane Sandy hit almost 2 weeks ago, bread and water were hard to come by. I hear every Red Cross advertisement on the radio and television and see Facebook posts about what the ELCA disaster relief agencies are doing and I know how that woman felt – to an extent – about wanting to give, but feeling like I don’t have much to give.

I’m the widow with Elijah.

O, but there are times, aren’t there? Times when I’ve given when I didn’t have much to give – whether it was money or time or talents. Yes! Memories began to flood my mind of such times when I really gave something my all and I began to think: maybe I am the widow with Jesus!

Ah, here’s that “both, and.”

I had been looking at it the wrong way: I had been thinking that I was either the widow with Elijah or the widow with Jesus. But the truth is, I am both the widow with Elijah and the widow with Jesus. I am at times nervous and skeptical and at other times freely willing and able to act. And why not? Both of these stories are in our holy scripture. Why was it so hard to realize that I was “both, and” and not “either, or?” Well, to be honest, “both, and” is a counter-cultural idea.

A month ago, we wouldn’t have said “both the Tigers and the Giants will win the World Series,” we said “either the Tigers or the Giants will win”…and then we got to say that the Giants were in fact the sole winners of the series! A week ago, we wouldn’t have said “both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama will win the presidential election,” we said “either Romney or Obama will win.” “Either you or I will get the job,” not “both you and I will get the job,” at least that’s how it goes most of the time.

Our society tends to lean a bit more towards “either, or” doesn’t it? We live day to day in that “either, or” society, but when we read our scriptures and come to church on Sundays, we are challenged to think of our lives as “both, and.”

You know Jack Benny? Some of you might remember him – for the generations that don’t, he was a radio and television comedic actor from the 30’s to 60’s and he was always known for being, well…stingy with his money. There was a skit where Benny was being held up: the robber says “your money or your life.” Long, Jack Benny pause, the robber says again “I said, your money or your life” and Benny yells, “I’m thinking it over!”

It’s great and timelessly funny. Benny, who cared so deeply about his money, was actually contemplating whether he should give the robber his money or his life in the heist! It’s funny, because we get it: we highly value each thing too!

Here again, we face another example of an “either, or;” and we’re challenged even more greatly than Benny was from that robber, not because we’re stingy with our money; but, because when Jesus asks us to give it’s a “both, and:” “your money and your life.” After all, that’s what Jesus did: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

“both, and”…”either, or”

I’ve been reading a book by a woman named Lynne Twist called The Soul of Money and she describes our “either, or” culture in a similar way: she describes it as the “you-or-me” culture.  She says there are three myths that support the “you-or-me” culture that perpetuate our society: 1) There’s not enough, 2) Moore is better, and 3) That’s just the way it is.

She notes that so much of this comes from evolutionary understandings of existence: Darwin’s idea of the survival of the fittest. But Twist acknowledges in her book that there are many scientists who say that Darwin’s idea was a little off: the idea of evolution stands, but it wasn’t this battle of the fittest being eliminating the competition. That’s not how nature functions: rather than “survival of the fittest” scientists think it’s more accurate to say “survival of the cooperative and collaborative.” Nature expresses itself in balance: a lion kills what it needs to maintain itself and no more than that. It doesn’t go on killing rampages to show it is the fittest. Different species of plants and animals coexist, each providing something essential. Think of bees and the pollination process.

In this case, nature does not function in a “you-or-me” survival of the fittest kind of way like we thought, rather we exist in a “you-and-me” collaborative world and we must work together.

If we allow ourselves to get caught up in this “either, or”/”you-or-me” culture, we’ll find ourselves caught up in in the belief that there really is never enough, and we find ourselves living in fear, mistrust, envy, greed, hoarding, competition, separateness, judgment, and entitlement.

But if we allow ourselves to break past this, and live into the “both, and”/”you-and-me” culture that is not only possible but is really what Jesus is calling our attention to in so many of his parables and lessons, we may find ourselves living with gratitude, fulfillment, love, trust, respect, integration, wholeness, responsibility, and resilience.

Well, I wonder if, in some ways, I’m preaching to the choir. Because, to be honest, my short time here at Prince of Peace has exposed me to a congregation that not only believes in a “you-and-me” culture, but lives it!

You are generous in what you give to this church in terms of your time, talents, and treasures. You are good stewards of the gifts God has given you both individually and as a congregation. And the expressions of that generosity are not limited to the walls of this sanctuary nor are they limited to the grounds of our church campus: they spread to the street, down the street, around the corner, and to the far reaches of God’s great creation.

And, even in your “non-church” lives. You give your time, talents, and treasures to charities, schools, research organizations, social clubs, and so much more. You are very busy people; and, sure, sometimes it may feel hectic, but what I’ve learned from so many of you is that your busy but you’re feeling enriched by what you do. Amen to that!

If you’re a visitor, spend just a week here and you’ll see it in action. When I ask many of why you do what you do? Why you participate in the things you participate in? Why you contribute what you contribute? I hear the same answer over and over: “God has blessed me with many things and this is my way to give back.”

And that’s what stewardship is, isn’t it? Stewardship is the gift of being able to say thank you – the gift of being able to say thank you to God.

Sometimes, we may feel more like the widow with Elijah than the widow with Jesus…and sometimes we may feel more like Jack Benny! But in this you-and-me congregation, the spirit of collaboration and the spirit of stewardship, means that everyone gives what they can, and that every contribution is an equal asset.

For all of your expressions of stewardship that are given this day, from your pledge cards to your time and talent sheets and beyond, let me, in that spirit of stewardship, say thank you. Thank you.

Amen.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

A Gratitude Attitude


One of my professors in seminary started every class with an opportunity for students to share a “Gratitude Attitude.” You could share anything you wanted to; the purpose was simply to encourage you to share something for which you were feeling grateful that day.

It was such a positive way to start a class and it was such an enriching way to get to know my fellow classmates. So much of our time was spent worrying about tests, papers, and getting all of our homework done that we rarely took the time to share with each other the joys and celebrations we were experiencing.

It reminds me of my grandmother: she starts every day by saying “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” My grandmother lived with us when I was younger and would remind me of this passage from Psalm 118 every day as I would walk out the door. I would generally smile and say “yep, thanks Grandma!” and head out on my way.  My life then, like my life in seminary, was constantly busy and rarely was there time for reflection and prayer.

Even though the pace of life doesn’t seem to have slowed down all that much, I can’t help but be overwhelmed with a sincere sense of gratitude as I sit to write this month’s contribution to our newsletter.

I’m sure that part of the reason is that November means that Thanksgiving is on its way: a day when we purposefully take the time to surround ourselves with family and friends and give thanks for all of the many ways God has blessed us. We may do this by coming together for a meal and enjoying each other’s company; or, we may volunteer our time to serve a meal to others who may not have the same blessings that we have. In either case, there is an aspect of self-reflection and thanks-giving when that third Thursday in November comes around – an opportunity our normally busy lives don’t usually allow.

So, if I might share my Gratitude Attitude for this month, I would say that I am grateful for you, each of you, and the incredible blessing being at Prince of Peace has been for me: the blessing to share my ministry with you and for all of you to share your ministries with me.

As the Thanksgiving decorations start rolling out in the stores and we start preparing for the holiday season, I hope that I can live each day with the grateful demeanor of my grandmother and remember that this is the day that the Lord has made, and I can rejoice and be glad in it.