Advent Surivial Guide

November 29^th, 2015      “Advent Survival Guide”    Rev. Heather Jepsen

Luke 21:25-36 with Jeremiah 33:14-16

Look left, look right,

look anywhere today,

the time of Christmas madness

is surely on its way.

Everyone I know,

seems to be in a tizzy,

gearing up for a season

that keeps us more than busy.

Books and magazines galore,

give tips for this time of year,

how to keep the stress level down

how to hold on to that sense of cheer.

Take a deep breath,

they all seem to say,

we can get it all done,

just not in the same old way.

Don’t make the dinner,

just buy it,

it’s not bad,

just try it.

Don’t throw a party,

or buy a gift,

forget everyone

it’s a matter of thrift.

Forget that homemade scarf

and wrap,

just buy a gift,

right off the rack.

Take it easy,

think of yourself,

let the holidays go,

just leave them on the shelf.

Over and over I’ve read,

the Christmas survival guides,

and I thought the church could use,

a similar gift at Advent tide.

Here in the church,

it’s not Christmas yet,

it’s the season of advent,

which seems a losing bet.

While the Christmas machine,

roars on and on,

we contemplate the coming,

of the arrival of the Son.

What is one to say

of the Advent we look to?

What is the survival guide

for me and for you?

The gospel of Luke

takes us to places most dark.

Not the birth of the Lord,

but the end of our lark.

Jesus warns us of signs,

and he warns us of fear.

The time is surely coming,

the end is drawing near.

Folks will cower in terror,

they will run for their lives,

the son of man is coming,

in the biggest surprise.

As followers we are called,

to turn away from fear,

we are called to look up,

for our savior’s drawing near.

Jesus says that the fig tree,

will be the sign,

you can see when it blossoms,

you will know when it’s time.

Similarly we

can feel it in our gut,

the tide of fear is rising,

but will it be enough?

Be alert, our Lord says,

and don’t fall asleep,

don’t get drunk and distracted,

a great watch you must keep.

Ignore all the calls

of fear and of hate,

turn to each other

before it’s too late.

Be on your guard,

for the time will surely come,

when hope is born again,

and the world in peace made one.

Surely they come,

surely the days,

Jeremiah tell us

that hope is more than a faze.

The promise will be fulfilled,

for Israel and Judah too,

the promise will be fulfilled,

for me and for you.

The righteous branch will spring,

from the house of Jesse,

like the fig tree of Jesus,

it is a sign we will all see.

The days are surely coming

when justice will rule the earth

the days are surely coming,

when peace will have its birth.

This season of advent

is a season of longing

a season of hoping

a season of dawning.

 

The world around us

is alive with a consumerist hum,

you can buy yourself peace,

you can take it all home.

But here in the church,

in the quiet of now,

we tell a different story,

of hope in God’s somehow.

And so my advice,

to survive these dark days

is to take a deep breath,

and ignore all the craze.

Reject hate and fear,

don’t let terrorists win,

turn to each other in love,

let peace on earth begin.

Don’t be weighed down

by the worries of life,

don’t buy into the fear,

don’t fall prey to the hype.

Let us look to the babe,

born so long ago,

let us look to the future,

a sign of hope let us show.

As the one candle shines,

alone in our wreath,

may hope live in our hearts,

no matter how deep.

Christmas will come,

as sure as we know,

and so will our Christ,

as in days long ago.

He was born in the past,

and he will come again,

he is born in our hearts,

as we share with each friend.

This advent time,

may you turn toward the Lord,

may peace reign in our lives,

now and forever more.

Amen.

Giving Thanks

November 22^nd, 2015         “Giving Thanks”      Rev. Heather Jepsen

Deuteronomy 26:1-15 with Philippians 4:4-9

          This morning is a special morning in the life of our church.  Today we come forward and offer our commitments to God, through the work of this church, in the coming year.  This act of liturgy and worship is a time honored tradition that believers have participated in for generation upon generation.

          Our reading from Deuteronomy tells the story of one of the earliest acts of worship in the history of Israel.  Even before the temple cult was well established, the Israelites had a deep practice of honoring God with the first fruits of their harvest.  Once a year, at the time of harvest, each person would enter the temple and present the best of what they had harvested before God. 

          The individual would then recite the liturgy, a statement from memory to remind them and the community where they had come from.  “I was a wanderer” they are called to remember, “and my people were a people who wandered.  The Lord plucked us up from wandering, the Lord chose us, and God placed us in a land flowing with milk and honey.”  The recitation is a reminder that everything the individual has is a gift from God.  Without God they would have nothing, without God they would be nothing.

          Oh, how I wish we had a tradition like this deeply rooted in our church.  Even better, I wish, like the Israelites, we had a tradition of practicing this as a nation.  There are several lessons for us in this reading that we need to be reminded of.  As a people, we need to remember that we all come from a wandering place.  Many of us in this nation need to remember than none of our ancestors are native to this land in which we now live.  There is a lot of talk in our country today about not letting in those who are from foreign lands.  Personally I think these folks could use a bit more Bible study as the scriptures so often remind us not only that we are all from foreign lands, but that we are all called to see ourselves, and our God, in the foreigner.  We are all called to welcome the stranger, and to share. 

          As modern people, we need to remember that everything that we have comes from God.  It seems to me that when what you possessed was tied to the land, and what the land produced was tied to the weather, then it may have been easier to remember that everything was a gift from God.  You were at the mercy of God in lean years as well as for bountiful crops.  It was God who gave the harvest, and so it was God who was owed back a tenth of the bounty.

          In our own time of paper money it seems as if our God is the stock market.  The stock market determines a bountiful harvest or a thin year; the stock market is our God.  And so when the year is over, if we have a bounty we give a tenth back to the market, we reinvest.  I don’t think that this is the God we should be worshipping.

          We live in a very myopic culture, a very self-centered, my needs first, kind of place.  And so we put ourselves before God.  I want to be sure I am comfortable in the way I live, and I want to be sure there is money enough to go around in my life.  Only then do I consider a gift to God, and a pledge to the church.  The Israelites gave of the first of their crop.  We often give of the remainder of our pennies.  And when we do so, we do so grudgingly.

          Scriptures like this call us out of ourselves.  They remind us that our faith teaches us to be generous.  I am certain that the Israelites had a harder life than we do.  I am certain that they could have used that extra 10%.  And yet they willingly shared it as an act of worship of God.  They offered their gifts in the temple and they offered their gifts to their neighbors.  They were instructed to share their bounty; “Give it to the orphans, the widows, and the refugees, so that they may eat their fill within your towns.”  We too, are called to share in such a way.

          The wonderful part about all this, or perhaps the hard part, is that we are called to offer these gifts in joy.  This offering is a joyful act of the worship of our Lord.  This week many of us will sit down with family and friends and we will give thanks for the year that we have had.  We will give thanks for bounty, we will give thanks for jobs, we will give thanks for health, and we will give thanks for friendship.  We will give thanks for those who have carried us through the hard days, and we will give thanks for those whom we have helped to carry.  This week we will gather with family, we will share, and we will smile.

          And so today, can we not do the same in worship?  Is this not a gathering with family, is this not a time to reflect, is this not an opportunity to share and give thanks for God’s many and varied blessings?  To share what we have with a smile?  Of course it is!

          Our reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is a reminder that we are to approach God and celebrate in thanksgiving.  He extols us to rejoice in the Lord, to come before God with thanksgiving.  Even as we make requests for more blessings, we are to express our gratitude for the blessings that we have already received. 

          I love verse 8, where Paul encourages us to have a positive outlook.  The Common English Bible translates this as “From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, all that is worthy of praise.”  One could say, “Always look on the bright side of life”!  What a wonderful sentiment for us this week as we give our thanks to our God.

          When I was working with these texts this week I really wanted to model the liturgical acts of the Israelites.  I want us to remember who we are and where we have come from.  Just as the Israelites recited their faith, we too will confess our faith today.  Your bulletin insert contains portions of the Brief Statement of Faith from the Presbyterian Book of Confessions.  Before we make our offerings, we will confess our faith.

          After we make our confession we will then sing a hymn of praise and offering.  While we sing our hymn, I encourage you to bring your pledge, bring your offering for the Lord for the next year, and come forward.  Come to the front of the worship space and place your gift in the basket.  This is the way we worship our God, through words, and song, and the physical act of making our offering. 

          This week, as you gather with family and friends, I hope that you will reflect on these texts.  All of us were strangers, and all of us were welcomed by God.  Because of that, all of us are called to welcome the stranger in God’s name.  All of us have been richly blessed, and all of us are called to share.  May we share what we have with the church, with the stranger, with our family, and with our friends in joy and thanksgiving.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Letting Go

November 15^th, 2015      “Letting Go”       Rev. Heather Jepsen

1 Samuel 1:4-28 and Mark 13:1-8

          As a student of religion, I find myself sometimes borrowing ideas from other faiths.  Lately in my own life, I have been thinking a lot about the Buddhist principle of non-attachment.  It is our attachment, our desire for things, which leads us to suffering.  In my own life I have been trying to let things go, I have been consciously thinking about non-attachment in the way I approach the world.  In Christian idiom I think we would call this the practice of “let go, and let God”.  It is no wonder then that I found this theme in our readings for today.

          Our reading from 1^st Samuel is one of the few scriptural narratives that features a woman.  Like other readings in this genre, it centers around the birth of a child that will be of historical significance to the nation of Israel.  Hannah’s son will anoint Saul and David, ushering in the monarchy.  But before there is a child, there is the longing for a child.

          Hannah is one of the two wives of Elkanah.  Her rival for his affections, Peninnah is a fertile woman and has plenty of children to give her worth in the world.  Hannah is barren, a sign of curse and despair in ancient times.  Every year as the family travels to Shiloh to make the yearly offering, Peninnah teases Hannah and she becomes more and more depressed. 

          One year, full of anguish and longing, Hannah takes her case directly to God.  She presents herself before the Lord in the temple and prays fervently to God.  Her greatest desire is for a male child, and she promises God that if a child is given she will return the child to God.  Eli the priest sees her weeping and muttering and assumes she is drunk and causing trouble.  She pleads her case to him as well and he finally sends her away in peace. 

          At this point Hannah returns home and she truly is at peace.  I believe that in offering up her greatest desire to God, she is now able to let it go.  She has become unattached to this great want, this great longing, and now it no longer causes her suffering.  In a miraculous turn of events, the Lord remembers Hannah and she does bear a son, Samuel. 

          For several seasons Hannah and Samuel sit out the yearly trip to the temple.  She raises him until he is weaned and even though she has the strong mother’s bond with him, she is ready to let him go.  She brings him to the temple along with several special offerings.  She reminds Eli who she was, that the Lord has answered her prayer, and that she is ready now to offer the child to God.  Hannah leaves Samuel at the temple, saying, “he is given to the Lord.”  From this point on she will only visit him once a year, when the family goes to make the offering, and each year she will bring him a small robe that she has made. 

          It is hard for any mother to imagine leaving her child at the temple to serve the Lord.  I believe it is an offering many of us would be unwilling to make.  Hannah has reached a level of non-attachment that I am not ready for.  Just as she was able to leave her longing for a child in the hands of God, she is now able to literally leave the child in God’s hands.  The Lord will bless Hannah with other children, but nothing will compare to this amazing sacrifice.

          Our reading from Mark is also all about letting go.  The disciples are with Jesus outside of the temple and they cannot help but marvel at the beauty of the place.  What large and wonderful stones, what an amazing building it is, what a beautiful place to worship and enjoy the presence of God!  Jesus immediately takes things to a dark place declaring that the whole structure will soon fall.  It is hard for us to imagine what this would have sounded like to the disciples.  The temple was the most holy place; it was literally the home of God on earth.  How could Jesus be talking about its destruction?  It is frightening and it doesn’t make any sense.

          The disciples take Jesus aside to try to figure out what he is saying, and to try to talk some sense into him but he will have none of it.  Soon he is off describing the end of the world.  It is wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes and famines and plagues.  It is the end of the world and somehow Jesus says it is the beginning.  I am certain the disciples were frightened.

          I have to admit that I too am frightened when I think of the end of the world.  All those apocalyptic movies like Mad Max and The Road and The Book of Eli are too scary for me to watch.  I’ve never seen it in real life, but the way the system breaks down in movies and books is always really frightening, and other people are always the thing to be most afraid of.

          Of course I am not the only one who is afraid of the end of the world.  There is a whole culture out there dedicated to end times preparedness.  Stock piling food, and water, and weapons has become a way of life for many Americans.  Even Ted Koppel has a new book out about the end of the world.  In his book “Lights Out” Koppel explains the risk the United States is at for a cyber-attack that would knock out our power grid.  Folks in some areas could be without power for up to two years.  Or there could be EMP attack that would knock out all items that contain an electronic chip – which is basically everything.  It would be the end of the world.

          Koppel suggests preparing by stockpiling food and as a parent I find myself wondering if that would be a prudent move.  Maybe I should invest in some freeze dried macaroni and cheese.  But maybe this is just a desire to try to hold on to my old way of life.  I start thinking about my neighbors and everyone else.  I feel like I have friends I could rely on, that we could help each other.  I think I am ready to throw my lot in with the group.  I think I am ready to help create some new system that would provide care.  Maybe it’s naivety.  Maybe it’s just a willingness to let go of the old way of life, and to witness new birth.  Whatever the future is, I trust God to be there.

          Jesus encourages the disciples to be unattached to the temple, unattached to their religion, even unattached to the very world.  Jesus implies that everything will change and as followers of his, we need to be willing to let everything go.  We read last week that God is alpha and omega, life and death; and in the midst of being everything, God is also making everything new.  I want to be able to let go and let God, I want to be able to enter that future, whatever it may be.

          Which brings us to the subject of stewardship.  It is time to consider our pledges, it is time to consider our commitments to the church, and I am wondering what I am holding on to all this money for anyway.  Am I trying to sustain a way of life I don’t need?  Am I trying to store up for a future that may or may not come?  Who knows, maybe the end of the world will be tomorrow, the bank will close, and I will only have the money I have in my pocket.  Won’t make any difference then, will it?

          Last year we talked about tithing and I told you that our family was stepping up to a tithe over the next several years.  This year we have given a half tithe, 5%.  Last January it was really difficult to write those weekly checks, not knowing if everything would shake out in the end.  $53 a week seemed like an awful lot of money to just give away.  Now that it is November, I am used to writing those checks.  I don’t even think about it anymore.  I just regularly let that money go and give it to God.  I think we will step up to 7% this year.  When I consider giving up everything at the end of the world, it seems easy to give up a few more dollars each week.  Compared with losing my whole way of life, it is easy to let that money go and to give it to God.

          So, what do you think about this idea of non-attachment?  The Buddhists say that attachment to money, to longing, to desire leads to suffering.  Hannah is able to let go of her longing for a child and then to offer that very child as a gift to God.  Jesus suggests that the end is coming and that we should be willing to let everything we know go, as that is the beginning of new life, new birth. 

          Where do you see attachment in your life?  What desires are you holding on to?  What things are you holding tightly in your grip?  Where in your life is God calling you to loosen your hold on things; your hold on dreams, your hold on possessions, your hold on money?  How are you being called to let go . . . and let God? 

          May God help us to trust this morning.  And may God help us to let go.  Amen.  

Life after Death

November 8^th, 2015      “Life after Death”    Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 11:32-44 with Revelation 21:1-6a

          Death and Resurrection; these are topics that we seem to reserve for the Easter season.  Even though we are a resurrection people, even though ours is a faith that claims life in the face of death, it seems like we only share that story with others once a year.  I am not sure if that is because we don’t really believe the story, because we are afraid or ashamed of the story, or because we don’t really think the story of resurrection applies to us and our loved ones.  In the world we live in, death certainly plays a leading role.  Stories of new life are not front page news, unless of course we are talking about the Royals.

          Today we are celebrating All Saints Day.  This is a time to gather together and remember the members and friends of our congregation who have died this past year.  As with any year in the life of the church, there have been some profound losses from among our ranks.  There are voids in these pews this morning, places where we look for loved ones and find ourselves once again surprised that they are not here.

          When we gather for All Saints we remember not only the deaths of this most recent year, but of all the years in the life of the church.  Generations have come and gone from these pews.  Many have gone ahead of us to join the great cloud of witnesses now with our Lord in heaven.  Similarly in our own lives, generations have come and gone.  We all have loved ones who created a way for us in this world and are no longer here.  The sense of loss runs deep.

          All Saints Sunday isn’t just about the friends and family we know personally, it is also about all the people on this earth who live and who die.  This year when I am thinking of those who have died, I find myself continually drawn back to the migrant crises in Europe.  I find myself considering the children whose parents place them in boats and say a prayer that somehow, someday, they will arrive on safer shores.  Over half the migrants are children.  What must home be like for those who would send their children off in such a way? 

          There is a poem circling the internet these days by Warsan Shire.  He writes “No one leaves home, unless home is the mouth of a shark.  You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well.  You have to understand that no one puts their children in boats, unless the boats and the sea are safer than the land.”  This All Saints Day, I am thinking of Aylan Kurdi, the 3 year old Syrian child whose body was found on the shores of Turkey.  This All Saints Day, I am thinking of those lost children and grieving parents.

          What can we say in the face of such suffering?  How can we preach life while we are surrounded by death?  These are the questions I imagine folks asked of Jesus as he came to the tomb of Lazarus that morning.  It had been four days since the death of Lazarus.  This is the time, as many of you know, when the shock of death starts wearing off and the numbness of depression starts settling in.  This is the time when you begin to truly consider the rest of your life without your beloved.

          Jesus comes to the tomb and Mary is overcome with grief.  She falls at his feet and weeps.  She wishes for life, she wishes for healing, she wishes Jesus had come earlier with his resurrection presence.  But now it is too late.  The tomb is sealed and the body has begun to decay.  Now there is nothing but death.

          Jesus too, is full of grief.  He weeps at the sight of Mary.  He weeps at the sorrow he feels himself for the death of Lazarus.  I am convinced that Jesus weeps with us in death as well.  Jesus weeps for Terrence and Ray.  Jesus weeps for Les and for Pat.  Jesus weeps for Avery, Elaine, and Kathryn.  Jesus weeps for the children on the beach, and the children who never even made it to the boats.  Jesus weeps for the generations that have gone before.  Jesus joins us in our grief and Jesus weeps for what has been lost.

          Jesus then decides to do something about it.  He calls for the stone to be removed.  The sisters and friends of Lazarus protest.  Why disturb what is already settled?  Like Martha, we believe in the power of resurrection.  But we do not really believe that it is possible for us today.  Jesus suffers, he cries out, he is greatly disturbed, and then he commands.  “Lazarus, come out!”  Resurrection is suddenly reality, and Jesus demands that those gathered “Unbind him, and let him go.”

          Our faith challenges us to believe this story.  It challenges us to believe in the power of life over death.  It challenges us to confess resurrection.  And it challenges us to admit that death is merely an interruption of life, and not a finality.  Our faith challenges us to unbind the power of death in our lives and to let it go.

          Our reading from Revelation supports this vision.  I see Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus when we read that the home of God is among mortals and that God will wipe every tear from their eyes.  The promise of resurrection is here in the new heaven and new earth; a place where death will be no more, mourning and crying will be no more.  God is all things: Alpha and Omega, death and life.  And God is making all things new.  This is the hope we cling to in the midst of crises and death.  This is the promise of resurrection power.  This is Easter!

          The life of faith is a life in the midst of death.  All of us have experienced loss and all of us will go forward into death ourselves.  But Jesus himself goes with us.  That is what we gather together to celebrate at the table.  Here at the table we remember a God who weeps with us, as well as a God who wipes away tears.  Here we remember a God who goes forward into death, as well as a God who leads the way into new life.  This is the story we tell; death and life woven together, Alpha and Omega for all eternity.

          Today we gather as a family, which is fitting as we celebrate the great family of faith this All Saints day.  We think of generations before us who have gathered at this table in faith.  We think of preachers before us who have proclaimed the words of new life, and who have reminded each other of the promise of resurrection.  We remember those who are not at the table this year.  And we remember the great cloud of witnesses who will gather at the table in the kingdom to come.  Here at the table we boldly face death, and here at the table we each claim the promise of new life for ourselves and for our loved ones.

          Today we are challenged to unbind the power of death and to let it go.  We are challenged to boldly enter the world each day proclaiming a message of Easter.  Ours is a God of resurrection.  Ours is a God who brings life right into the midst of death.  Ours is a God who cannot be stopped by our excuses and our tears, but who boldly calls us out of tombs and into new life.

          Thanks be to God for all the Saints that have led the way into death for us.  And thanks be to God for the promised day when we will join together with them in resurrected life to feast at the table with our king in all his glory.  May we truly believe in this faith that we confess.  May we truly believe in life after death.  Amen.

A Stewardship of Life

November 1^st, 2015       “A Stewardship of Life”           Rev. Heather Jepsen

Mark 12:38-44

          Upon first glance, today’s reading seems like a wonderful lectionary gift for any pastor during Stewardship season.  Jesus is at the temple treasury watching folks make their offerings and it seems like the perfect scene for a wonderful teaching on how modern day parishioners should increase their pledges to the local church.  When we examine the passage more closely though, we find that the Jesus of the gospel of Mark is really not the guy you want on your Stewardship committee.

          To set the stage, Mark places Jesus in the temple teaching the disciples and anyone else who would listen.  Jesus begins by pointing out to the disciples those who hold the places of honor, the scribes.  “Notice how they like to walk around acting so fancy,” he seems to say.  “They love to be in positions of honor and to have everyone hanging on their every word.  They ignore the needs of those less fortunate at the same time as they say long prayers about what is best for everyone.”  Jesus was talking about the church in his day but it sure sounds like politics in ours!  I’m telling you, if Donald Trump keeps calling himself a Presbyterian, I just might need to change denominations!

          Jesus then sits down across from the treasury to watch people put in their offerings.  No secret offering envelopes here, what everyone gives is out in the open for all to see.  Many church pastors dream of this scene as rich people stream in, one after the other, and make large offerings to the work of the church.  Then a poor woman comes in and offers two pennies.  Jesus points out the widow’s offering to the disciples but what he is saying about her offering isn’t entirely clear.

          The writer of the gospel of Mark quotes Jesus saying, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.  For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”  What is clear is that the offering, while less money, is of greater value because it is a greater portion of the woman’s total wealth.  What is not clear is whether the widow’s offering is a good thing or a bad one.

          The more traditional sermon on this text is that the widow makes an exemplary offering.  The rich people give from out of their wealth, and although the numbers may be great, the actual cost to their lifestyle is very little.  They have plenty of money to secure housing, to buy clothing, and to buy food.  Their offering to the temple is simply a skimming off of the top of their great wealth and is really of little significance to them.  Like many of us, they are giving 10% or less and that gift really will not hamper their lifestyle at all.  They can continue to rely on their money to get them through the coming days.

          The widow, by contrast, gives all that she has.  She has no money for housing, clothing, or food.  She has no money to secure her future.  Even though she has only two pennies to her name, she gives those pennies to God.  Hers is an example of great faith as she has no plans or security for tomorrow; rather she relies totally on God to get her through each day.  The traditional sermon preached here is that we too, should give our offerings with such abandon.  We too should give all that we have to live on and trust that God will get us through tomorrow. 

           The counter to that traditional interpretation is that Jesus is lifting the woman up as a negative example, not a positive one.  While her offering is exemplary and made in great faith, it is also a deep criticism of the religious institution of the day.  One paragraph earlier, Jesus is busy decrying the way the leaders of the church devour widow’s houses, and here Jesus is pointing out just such a case.  The church shouldn’t be asking this woman for her money!  The church should be giving this woman money!  As far as Jesus is concerned the temple cult is a failing institution and people shouldn’t be giving their money to it anyway.  So much for a stewardship sermon!

          I’m not sure where that leaves us exactly this morning, other than in an awkward place.  Like Jesus, I don’t want the church to be an institution that preys on the poor and the weak for its own survival.  I don’t want to be guilty of devouring widow’s houses.  And I don’t want to seem like one of the scribes that Jesus describes, strutting though the church in a fancy robe and telling everyone how it is.  And yet, I need your offerings this year.  I need your pledges to continue the good work of the church.  Like I said, Jesus isn’t the first choice for the Stewardship committee.

          Today, I am thinking that the best way to salvage this text for a Stewardship sermon is to preach it to the church, rather than to you as individuals.  I think the church itself needs to hear the message of sacrificial giving.  The church itself needs to strive to give away what it has, rather than to horde its riches.  The church needs to offer the wealth of its treasury to the poor widows of our world, and not the other way around.

          Here at First Presbyterian Church we are doing our best to do this.  Once again in 2016 we plan to spend more money than we bring in.  Like the widow, we are giving our last two coins to God and then some.  This church overspends each year so that we can do the work of ministry here in our community.  We spend more than we should for the upkeep and maintenance of this building, so that we have a safe and comfortable place to worship and fellowship together.  We probably pay our employees more than we should for a church of our size and financial situation.  And we certainly give away much more than we should for mission work in our community and in our world.  This church is striving not to take care of ourselves for tomorrow, but to take care of our community and our world for today.      

          And, as you have guessed, here comes that stewardship pitch.  If you think this is a worthy mission, if you think we are more than simply hot air filled scribes and politicians, than donate to this cause.  Pledge to the work of this community.  Increase your commitment as you are able.  If you only have two pennies then you better keep those to yourself.  But, if you are like me and have more than you need, then you better give some of it to the church.  While I don’t want widows giving their last dime to our mission and ministry, I do want people to give fully of what they have to give.  Like the rich folk who were offering to the temple treasury, many of us have been blessed in abundance and we can give of what we have and still have plenty to live on.

          Now, while I may not want you following the widow’s example by giving your last two pennies to the church.  I do want you to follow her example of giving the whole of who you are to your faith.  I want to encourage us today into a stewardship of life, daily acts of self-giving for the sake of our faith. 

          In our brown bag bible study group on Tuesdays we have been talking a lot about the way that we live in the world.  This past week we discussed the idea of vocation, and whether or not God has one calling for you in your life.  As a group, we reflected, that our one true calling in life often isn’t our job or even our hobby.  Rather, our deepest calling is to live the best lives that we can every day.  God created us to be human, and if we can be the best humans that we can be, then we are living up to God’s calling.  If we can follow through with a stewardship of our whole lives, than we can follow the positive example of the widow’s offering, without the negative overtones of the corrupt religious institution.

          When we read the gospel of Mark today we know three things for certain.  Number one, it’s probably not a good idea to invite Jesus to be part of the Stewardship committee since he never quite says what you want him to say.  Number two, the church should work harder to give it away than to take it in.  And number three, all of us should strive to give the whole of who we are to our life of faith.  May God bless us as we continue to push ourselves to make greater commitments to the work of Christ in our world.  Amen.