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God needs our lives, not our money.
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| 12/6/2007 |
God Needs Your Lives, Not Your Money
The Rev. Timothy B. Safford
November 11, 2007—Stewardship Sunday
I take as my text today the first verse of the 98th Psalm: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done marvelous things.”
In November, 1695, 312 years ago, 39 families gathered in this place, opened the Book of Common Prayer, and said their prayers. In keeping a promise made to the Bishop of London, William Penn had granted this land to Philadelphians who wished to remain loyal members of the Church of England. In 1695, it was a muddy field, with a duck pond on one side, and the field that held the sheep for slaughter and sale at market on the other. In gathering to pray, those 39 pilgrims sang a new song to the Lord, for their God had done marvelous things.
And here we gather today, hundreds strong, still singing the new song, still singing to our God of marvelous things. We begin by simply saying, Alleluia, Amen, as we began singing the new song in our 313th year. Those 39 families passed this blessing we know as Christ Church on to us, and what we do today will help pass all this glory on to those who’ll gather 313 years from now. What an honor! What a sacred responsibility! We are the stewards of this place. I pray we live up to the work that God has put before us.
In my recent travels through Chicago and Northern Illinois, I was asked by many, “Are you the Rector of ‘Old Christ Church,’” a common moniker for historic parishes such as ours. Mischievously, I said, “I’m the Rector of Christ Church in Philadelphia.” They’d ask, “The historic one?” I’d say, “We hope to be.”
To capture the vision, faith and courage of our forebears from 1695, we look forward as they did, not backwards. We sing a new song to the Lord, for the marvelous things God is doing through us, not for things done here long ago, but for the future yet unknown, a future that is not our own. Our greatest history is still before us.
“Is it true,” one Chicagoan asked, “that there are seven signers of Declaration of Independence buried at your church?”
Sometimes, in a crabby mood, I answer this question, “Yes, and many members act like they knew them personally.”
We take strength from all of the honored dead that lie in this hallowed ground. Today, however, we celebrate that 300 people, fully alive in the transforming love of Christ, stand here upon this hallowed ground, and sing a new song to God of faith, steadfastness and hope. We stand here, aware that for the marvelous things that are yet to happen in this old church. This church must be new every day in every way.
This is not Benjamin Franklin’s church, or Betsy Ross’s, or Francis Hopkinson’s, or Pioneer Alice’s. This is Christ's Church, and we have the privilege of caring for it, growing and strengthening it, and then passing it on to the generations yet to follow. We are doing a fine job, but the challenges are always before us, especially when it comes to providing the financial resources, which means being shrewd stewards of our own resources and sharing them abundantly.
Here are some of the new songs that I am hearing around here.
We’ve sing this new song: We’ve become a church where people are welcome as they are. We open the doors to those with doubts, who are not sure about God, skeptical about Jesus, or just full of the agonies of life and seeking solace and comfort.
In our Life at Christ Church classes, which we hold periodically for the newcomer and visitor, we get the question, “How do I become a member of the Christ Church?” We simply say, “You are a member.” They look confused, almost disappointed. We assure them of what we truly believe about our mission: Whoever you are, and wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith, you are a member here because you are a member of the body of Christ, just as we are. We who are already here are not the hosts; Christ has welcomed us, as we are. Christ is the host. Through grace, Christ has made us part of Christ’s body. We who are already here have not made ourselves members, how could we say you are, or are not?
In our new song, we want to tear open the roof, and blow open the doors. We who are here see ourselves as beggars who’ve found bread—the bread of life, hope, forgiveness and love—and our job is tell other beggars where to find the bread. We are beggars of God’s mercy, assured by God’s inclusive love.
This reality lets forth our charity—shown in love, and shown in sharing our earthly goods to make this dream come true. I don’t want you to think that we are just inward looking, but outward reaching. We are engaged in the homeless shelters and programs for transitional families. We serve in social service agencies, schools, hospitals, immigrant rights organizations, and the lists go on and on. But increasingly, we sing the new song that Christ Church is the place we gather in nurturing, loving, caring and supportive community to one another, and then from here, we go out. I like to say, the last word of the liturgy is the most important, and that is the word “Go.” “Go in peace, to love and the serve the Lord.” We can’t just serve the Lord here. Better, we serve the Lord here by going out and serving the Lord out there. The commandment “to love our neighbor” and “to love our enemy” requires leaving. We send out in glory.
That’s not the only new song we’ve been singing around here. Listen to the sound of the children in worship today. We sing the new song of children belong in church, even if they make noise. To be a fully inclusive community, the youngest must be involved. We still nurture them across the street, often with 25 children and youth in programs in the less-than-perfect Neighborhood House. This is a great gift to our future, and we have made it possible with the resources in people and funds that we have dedicated to the work.
Here is another new song: people around here are talking about their faith with other people so as to unleash a fire of new renewal. More than 40 people are participating in the Disciples of Christ in Community program. We are making disciples more strongly equipped to care for each other, and to respond creatively to the needs of the world outside our doors.
In DOCC, we are building new churches in small faith-sharing groups, and these small churches will help us build a new church that sings a new song of deep faith and great hope in our members. We will go from strength to strength. We must keep the financial resources there to ensure our success in faith-building.
I think you all realize that, contrary to the trend in Episcopal churches, that we are growing, some 50% in the last few years. But with group, comes the feeling of disconnection--the old line, “I don’t know anyone down there.” DOCC is addressing this dynamic, and we must keep it going.
One of our best new songs around here is the program that we call The Bridge. Built out of a core of seekers in their 20’s and 30’s, this group sees itself as a “bridge” from the old songs of the Episcopal tradition to the new songs for people who need to worship in a different way, and who need to learn the faith with much more room for questions and even doubts. We must give this emergent community the resources it needs to grow and nurture.
The future of our church 312 years from now depends that we secure our church right now by providing the resources we need to sing the new songs that God has put in our hearts.
Boldly, the membership of Christ Church continues to sing this new song full of the faith that will abound from this corner for another 312 years.
But, we have to stop being so timid and reluctant to believe that it is true that God is alive right here. God is healing, binding resurrecting, transforming, and educating. We don’t need your money to sing this new song; we need your lives. We need them on Sunday mornings, in DOCC, at the Bridge, in the church school, singing in the choir, ushering, making sandwiches for the homeless, preparing meals in the shelter, and on and on. We need your lives animated by a lively faith in your workplaces, at school. We need you sinsome, effective and transparent in the faith.
We who are members welcome tourists, but we don’t get to be tourists here. No more do we say, “it’s a nice church with good music and strong preaching. We are here because 39 families dedicated themselves to opening up a salvation station at 2nd and Market, and in case you haven’t noticed, the world needs just as much saving, and you need just as much saving. We need to keep this mission going, for Christ’s sake.
The way that we put our lives into this place is through our time, our heart, and our energy. You need to be here with a strict discipline—a true code of discipleship. You are the body of Christ, and each of us our dependent on the other. Without each other, in the flesh, we can’t sing the new songs in rich harmony.
When you record a pledge of financial support to our budget, don’t think of it as money, think of it as your life. You are pledging your life.
We have written a bold budget for next year that is balanced, but to reach it means that 25 of us need to increase our pledges by $1,000, and 50 of us need to increase by $500, and 50 of us by $250. For those of us who do not pledge, we need 25 new pledges of $1,000. Yes, to sing the new song, to unleash the holy power, to continue the work started in 1695, we seek an additional $87,500 over what we are expecting in 2007. I believe we’ll do it.
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