Today is Stewardship Sunday,
the one Sunday of the year when I talk about money:
the money we give …
and the money we need.

Now some might think it a difficult subject: talking about money.

There was a preacher
who was delivering a rousing sermon to his congregation.
As he preached towards an emotional high, he proclaimed:
“Now let the church walk.”
And the congregation answered,
“Amen, preacher.  Let it walk.”

He heated up.
“Now let the church run,” he declared.
And the congregation responded again:
“Amen, preacher.  Let the church run.”

The preacher was revved up.
He felt that his people were with him.
In a loud crescendo he appealed to them,
“Let the church fly.  Let the church fly.”
And again the congregation answered back:
“Amen, preacher.  Let the church fly.”

The preacher had dangled the hook.
The congregation was nibbling at it.
With his next line he tried to set the hook.
With passion in his voice, he shouted,
“Now it will take money to make this church fly.”

 And the people, captivated but not convinced …
          challenged, but not convicted …
                   let go of the hook and answered,
                             “Let the church walk, preacher.  Let the church walk.”

Well, in talking about money, you can walk with it,
or run with it,
or fly with it.
So let’s fly with it.
In talking about money today
I’m talking about the financial support
of a church and a ministry
that is ours …
a church and a ministry
that is yours and mine.

This isn’t someone else’s church.
This isn’t someone else’s ministry.
This isn’t someone else’s building
where we gather day by day and week by week.
It is ours.

There is only one problem, though.
One minister identified it one Sunday morning
when he said to his congregation as he began his stewardship message:
“I have good news and bad news.
The good news is: we have enough money to meet our budget and then some.
The bad news is: it’s still out there in your pockets.”

So let me talk about money
and give you the big budget number
and why your financial support of our local budget should be seen
not as a burden, but as a blessing …
not as an obligation, but as a joy …
not as a tax, but as an investment
in the lives of all who come here.
Although not yet ratified by the Official Board
our budget for the local operating budget of our church next year
is anticipated to be approximately the same as this year’s budget  -
around $576,814.
And, as you know, we are currently in a deficit operating position …
but we are not in an impossible situation.

Most churches I know of are running deficits,
particularly at this time of year,
and a sluggish economy and financial concerns for many
are the reality of our times.

No, when you look at the bigger picture
our budget is not much money at all.
But it’s a lot of money for a church.
More than $575,000.

And it’s all quite simple, really.
That more than $575,000
pays all of the salaries of 13 full-time and part-time staff …
supports our ministries and programs …
provides resources …
maintains the building …
pays the insurance …
runs the office.

It’s all quite simple, really.
That more than $575,000
enables us to do what we do … to be what we are.
With less, we do less … and are less.
With more, we do more … and are more.

Perhaps an appropriate question to ask is this:
”Why should you support your church?”
Why, indeed!

In truth, I don’t want to appeal for your money.
In many ways, it’s a secondary issue.
Money is just a means to an end.
Money is just a way of getting us to where we want to be.

If Stewardship was just about money
we would be a poor church indeed.
Stewardship is about what your money can do.

And if Stewardship was just about faith
and what your faith gives you
then it would be a poor faith indeed.
Stewardship is about what you do with your life after you say, I believe.

No, I don’t want to appeal so much for your money.
as I want to appeal to your hearts.

As someone has said,
“If your heart is moved
your hands will move in the direction of your heart  ~ always.”

Someone said to me the other day,
“Religion is dead.  And if it’s not dead, it’s surely on its way out.”

Well, there are some forms of religion that may be dead
and there are some forms of religion that should be on their way out.

But a religious faith  - 
faith in God who created us …
faith in Jesus, who in saving love has shown us the better way to live …
and faith in God who is present in the Spirit  -
that faith is anything but dead.

A religious faith  -
that calls out from us the best that is in us …
that touches our hearts and moves our hands to action …
that stirs something deep within to move us beyond ourselves
and moves us to not only want to do, but to do good things for others …
that can enlarge our vision and stretch our minds and hearts …
that can make uncomfortable the complacent life  -
that faith is anything but dead.

A religious faith  -
that can comfort the broken heart …
that can quiet the troubled spirit …
that can bring joy out of sadness
and hope out of grief
and peace out of strife  -
that faith is anything but dead.

A religious faith  -
that gives us a song to sing and the voice to sing it …
that gives us a purpose and the will to strive for it …
that gives us eternal values that we can translate into our every day …
that gives us a heart to draw a wide circle that takes people in     -
that faith is anything but dead.

A religious faith  -
that welcomes the young and nurtures them …
that opens up its heart to the disabled and includes them …
that encourages the youth and gives them a place of belonging …
that opens wide its doors to the troubled and helps them …
that remembers the elderly and cares for them  -
that faith is anything but dead.

A religious faith  -
that seeks the truth but doesn’t claim to know it all …
that invites us to claim the love of God in Jesus Christ
and challenges us to proclaim that love in the way we love our neighbour –
that faith is anything but dead.

That’s the faith we proclaim in this place
That’s the song of the heart we sing.

As I look at and listen to people from this church
through the week and on Sunday mornings …
as I see them in the hospital or homes or care facilities  …
as I see them on the street,
what do I see?
What do I hear?

I see happy children who are a part of the scouting and guiding movements …
I see men and women struggling with addictions finding help …
I see children and youth and adults wounded from separation and divorce finding hope …

I see men and women who love to sing not only singing
but finding a circle that has drawn them in …
I see women making pies in the kitchen, but they’re making more than pies –
they’re making friendships …
I see happy faces from the community coming for a church dinner …
I see shut-ins coming to the church for a luncheon and communion service,
smiling and happy because they have not been forgotten …
I see people in hospital beds encouraged because a visitor has come
and their needs have been lifted up to God in prayer …
I see people gathered around a table –
reading, studying,  talking about their faith, listening to and learning from others.

I see kids on Sunday morning gathered around the chancel steps
catching a moment of grace with Andrea …
I see brides and grooms standing here promising their love to one another
on a day that they have dreamed of to a love they have longed for …
I see a group of special needs people singing and laughing and praying
in a place that is safe, with people who really care for them …
I see 7 young people returning from a mission trip to Nicaragua
discovering that they have received more than they gave,
learning that faith and hands work together
realizing they can never be the same …
I see people coming to the church needing help with groceries
or rent or transportation or any number of things
leaving with that look of relief
because people have supported the Benevolent Fund …
I shake hands with people at the door on a Sunday morning
who are so grateful that they were here,
who felt that the message was just for them …
I see people who have been shut out welcomed in …
I see people who have lost their way find it again …
I see people who have filled with sorrow find the way to peace …
I see people whose lives have been transformed by the love of Jesus
because they have experienced that love from the people here …
I see men and women involved in committees and boards,
giving their time, sharing their gifts, offering their ideas,
for the good of the people here,
for a common good that is greater than any one of us.

In this place it is about preaching the Good News, but more:
it is about being the Good News.

In this place it is taking seriously the words of Jesus
to love God with all of our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength,
even as it is taking seriously the words of Jesus
to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

That’s the song of the heart I hear in this place.
That’s the song of the heart I hear because of this place.

When you think about stewardship …
when you put your offering on the plate …
when you make a commitment to give, and give generously …
this is what it’s all about.

There was a little girl who became restless
as the preacher’s sermon dragged on and on.
Finally, she leaned over to her mother, gave her a nudge, and whispered,
“Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?!”

Well, I just want you to know that I’m going to let you go.
But in letting you go, I don’t want you to let go of what you’re heard …
and I don’t want you to let go of what this place means to you and others.

You’ve all heard the expression:
“Find a need and fill it.”
Well, the need has found you.
What I am hopeful you will do is fill it.

I pray that you will meet that need with the best that you have to give:
of yourselves …
of your time …
of your involvement …
and your money.

SOLI  DEO  GLORIA
(To God Alone The Glory}