“Does the church always have to talk about money? Why does the pastor preach so much about money?” Herbert Chilstrom, the first Bishop of the ELCA, opens a devotional with these questions. He responds by saying, “I think we’ve been too apologetic about the money issue…. We need money to operate our churches. It takes money to pay staff salaries and utility bills and purchase …supplies” 1 to do our ministry work in our local church and our partner churches and ministries nationally and internationally.
Then Chilstrom asks another question, “But isn’t there a better way to do it than to keep haranguing people to give more money?”
Bishop Chilstrom’s questions were good for me to ponder. Because I’ll admit, many pastors, including myself, don’t like to preach about money either. But I hope that I don’t come off as “haranguing” you to give more money! To be honest, I don’t like asking for money either. And yet, as Chilstrom said, “We need money to operate our churches. It takes money to pay staff salaries and utility bills and purchase supplies” for the mission that we do. This is the economy in which we live.
In his devotion, Chilstrom responds to his question about isn’t there a better way to do it by saying, “Well, I have news for you. No, there is no other way. In fact, it’s always been that way. If we read the New Testament carefully, we soon learn that Jesus talked about money more than anything else. The same is true with Paul. He pleads unapologetically with the churches to be generous. To the believers in Corinth, for example he writes that they should never give grudgingly, but out of a generous heart.”2
Paul does ask the churches to be generous with their money – and to support not only their own congregation but also other churches, especially the church in Jerusalem, which was financially strapped and other congregations that were being persecuted. And yet, I don’t think he was “haranguing them.” But he wasn’t bashful about encouraging them either. He pointed out a poor little church in Macedonia that gave sacrificially and joyfully to encourage the Christians in Corinth to give a bountiful gift of money – and to give it joyfully.
Herb Chilstrom is also correct in saying that Jesus talked about money, wealth and financial resources– a lot. Jesus tells stories to teach people to put God first. And so when a rich young man asks him, what can he do to inherit eternal life? He eagerly tells Jesus that he’s followed all the commandments. Maybe he was just looking for a “well done young man.” But instead, Jesus invites him to “Go, sell everything you have, give it to the poor and come and follow me.” The young man goes away very sad because he cannot part with his money to follow Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t call everyone to sell everything they have to follow him. But he does teach us all to put our relationship with God and our love of God above our relationship with ANYTHING else, including money. As Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “No servant can serve two masters, for a servant will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Luke 16:13 In other words, don’t make an idol out money – regardless of how much or little you have.
Why Does Jesus talk about money? Money is a part of our daily life. And so, Jesus is concerned about the relationship of people to money and how that affects their relationship with God and with their neighbor. For then – and now – the gifts and resources and money that each person has been entrusted with is not the same. And Jesus reminds us that, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” (Luke 12:48) Jesus wants us to use the gifts, skills, talents, money and other resources that we have been entrusted with to care and build up – not only ourselves but also our neighbors near and far.
Paul encourages Timothy in the same way, saying, Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
So what does this have to do with us here at Faith-Lilac Way? It’s stewardship season and yes, we are talking about sharing our time – our talents and our money. And right now, I am talking about the money that we need to do ministry here at Faith-Lilac Way. I sincerely hope that you do not feel harangued. And, I believe that I can trust you with the truth. I am happy to say that if we give generously this last quarter, we will be close to our budget for the end of the year. This doesn’t include the extra maintenance of the stucco work for the chimney, which comes out of our savings and memorials but it does include all of the “ordinary expenses” of doing ministry here in this place. And so I want to thank you for your financial gifts and for investing in the life of this congregation.
One of the joys of serving for a long time in one place is that I get to see the fruits of your investments in this church. This past week I was surprised by receiving a package from Karin, the daughter of Diane Carlson, one of our members who has since past away. Years ago, we baptized Karin’s twin boys. I’m sometimes asked by people, “Where are the babies that you baptize? Why aren’t they in our church, filling up the pews?” And while we would love to have all of the children that we baptize stay at Faith-Lilac Way, we trust in the Holy Spirit to do God’s work in their lives – if not here, then in somewhere else.
I’m happy to say that this is what happened: the package contained an invitation to write a letter to each of her boys, telling them about the significance of their baptism here and the faith of their grandmother. They will receive these letters on their Confirmation Day from another ELCA Lutheran church, Word of Life in Rogers, MN. The seed of faith was planted at Faith-Lilac Way. It has been growing in Rogers.
Another of those investments is in the 16 interns that we have helped to raise up to be pastors. Adam Morton, one of those former Vicars, now Pastors, is now serving as a professor in England, another, Pastor Kristin Dybdal is serving as a hospice chaplain, and the others are serving as pastors in Minnesota and three are serving in Nebraska.
Thank you for your gifts that have supported our ministry in building up the future church. But guess what. We are not done. Now we have to look to the future as you make your estimate of giving for the upcoming year. The Stewardship committee chose the word “Significance” for this year. We recognize that a gift of “significance” will look different to different people. Remember the widow that Jesus noticed quietly putting two coins into the treasury of the church. It was 100% of what she had. Jesus said that was a greater gift than the bags of money that the rich man gave in a loud and showy way. It looked to outsiders as a lot, but it was a mere token of all that he owned.
We don’t know what became of that widow – I heard one theory that she became a ward of the temple and then lived there. We don’t have any apartments in the building so I’m not suggesting that you give 100% of everything that you have. But I, together with the stewardship committee, are asking you to reflect on the significant gifts that God has entrusted to you, time and talent but also money and resources, and inviting you to respond by investing in your congregation gifts of time, talent and yes, money too.
I invite you to ponder what a financial gift of “significance” may mean to you as we sing this prayer in our hymn of the day: In gratitude and humble trust we bring our best today to serve your cause and share your love with all along life's way. In gratitude and humility, we bring our best. That’s a gift of great significance. Thanks be to God. Amen.
1 &2 Let’s Talk About Money by former Bishop Rev.Dr Herb Chilstrom in the devotional book,”All Things New”