Sermon for 11/11/07

Explore our opportunities for...

Sermon for 11/11/07
(First time visitors: Please read the notes HERE about these sermons first!)

LIVING IS GIVING: – Asset (not acid) stewardship –

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: In our attempts to be “stewards” we often focus on what we don’t have, or are in need of – and this is called “acid” stewardship! It leads to frustration, a glass half empty attitude, and paralyzed Christians. Instead, Jesus calls us to look at what we do have, and focus on putting it into action! Just as five fish and two loaves of bread fed thousands; when we focus on our “assets” – and prayerfully reflect on what we already have, we will discover: it is enough! In our personal lives, and in our congregational lives, we can look at what we don’t have and despair, or we can offer God what we do have and watch as miracles occurs. Whether it is our time, talents, or treasures – it is enough! Focus on our assets, offer them to God, act upon them – and you will see that you have been blessed to be a blessing!

1) ONLY FIVE AND TWO! Jesus had just heard that John the Baptist had been beheaded, and so he withdrew to an isolated place to pray. But the crowds, like sheep without a shepherd, followed him and he had compassion upon them. Matthew tells the story this way, (14:15-21) “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. “Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

2) STEWARDS! Every fall, we at All Saints’ search the scriptures to learn more about the amazing privilege of being God’s stewards. Being a steward, means we recognize that God made everything we have and are, it all belongs to Him, and that it was all given to us to bring glory to God – to serve Him according to His will! In other words, we recognize that we been “blessed to be a blessing!” The Holy Spirit comes to instill within us a Godly attitude that is meant to inform and direct every aspect of our lives. Our precious time, talents, and treasures are given us to be used according to God’s life-giving will. Last week we talked about how Jesus taught us that Living is Giving! Unfortunately, too many people think stewardship is about raising money for church budgets. When in reality Christ-like stewardship is about an attitude – a way of life! And the reason some succeed as stewards while others struggle is found in the lesson we just read concerning the fish and loaves.

3) ACID! Evening was approaching, the people needed to be fed, and what was the disciple’s reaction? Send them home! Why? For two reasons – 1) They were focused on what they didn’t have! (In this case – food). And 2) They saw no possible avenues of meeting that need! Now note: the disciples truly cared about others and their needs, but… they have a “glass half empty” attitude that focuses on what they don’t have, that leads them to conclude there is nothing they can do! They are unable to act! They are unable to offer a solution. All they could focus on was “We don’t have enough!” There is a term for this kind of thinking; it’s called “acid” stewardship. It is a way of thinking that is full of complaints and over-neediness! Individual Christians and congregations often attempt to plan their future with this acid thought process that eats away at our willingness to work towards God’s purposes! “Hey, I’d like to make a difference in the world – but I just don’t have what is needed!” Acid stewardship is bad for the children of God!

4) ASSET! Jesus, however, was presenting the disciples with a whole new stewardship concept: “Asset” thinking! Jesus focuses on what they do have! Two fish and five loaves of bread! He is telling the disciples and us, “Your life is not half empty, it is half full!” And most importantly, He tells us “IT IS ENOUGH!” And what He does with those few assets is… well, a miracle! Asset stewardship focuses on the time, talent, and treasures we do have! Asset thinking does not attempt to serve God by focusing on needs – but on what God has already blessed us with! Asset stewards ask, “What do we got?”, then ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how it is to be used, always leaning on Jesus’ conclusion; “IT IS ENOUGH!”

5) DON’T HAVE! Now “Acid” thinking is worldly thinking. Still, when people enter my office with a crisis, many are focused on their problems, and what is missing in their lives. Their complains are about what they don’t have… “I don’t have the time….” “I don’t have the skills or talents...” “I don’t have the resources…” to deal with the brokenness the world has just dumped in their lap! Or in some churches, the desire to “make a difference” in the world is corroded as committees, leaders, or congregations bemoan the fact that “We DON’T HAVE a charismatic Billy Graham type of pastor!” “We DON’T HAVE the money or resources of a mega church!” We DON’T HAVE a ton of kids to make a huge youth ministry!” Or “We DON’T HAVE programs or personnel to grow the church in a changing neighborhood!” Acid thinking that focuses on neediness and what is missing will corrode the ability of an individual or church to accomplish anything useful for God!

6) HOPE! A young man walked into my office this week, broke, needing money, without a job. He was depressed, paralyzed with fear, without hope! He was focused on what he didn’t have! I got to share with him what he DID have: First, a God that loved him! (I spent some time on that blessing!) And then I gave him a name of someone in the church who might be hiring, and told him “I don’t know if those jobs are still open, but if this person can’t help you, ask him for at least two other possible connections that may or may not be hiring. That’s called “resourcing”. And if you go to those two connections and ask for two more from each, you now have 4 resources, and then 8, and 16… etc…” I also told him he has a library down the block from where he lived that had computers he could use free, to find jobs on Craig’s list! I gave him a list of agencies that we support that could help him out in the mean time. And I offered myself and each of you as support as the people of God. In other words, I helped him turn from thinking about what he didn’t have, and refocused him on what he did have! I attempted to equip him with “asset” thinking, instead of “acid” thinking. Asset thinking provided him with opportunities and positive hope, acid thinking left him with failure and despair. And the first is built upon “two fish and five loaves”; that the glass may not be completely full, but what you have; it is enough! Asset thinking brings hope!

7) YOU DO HAVE! Undoubtedly, everyone in this room has heard God’s call to help Him build His Kingdom! I believe everyone of you wants to help others and please Jesus, just as His disciples wanted to care for the crowds and serve Jesus. But they failed to count their assets, and instead focused on what they didn’t have! Do we? In your own life right now, are you fretting and worrying about what you don’t have? Maybe, you don’t have a job, or the job you want! Or good health! Or a big bank account! Or a perfect marriage, family, or friendships! Keep your focus on those missing things in your life and I guarantee that you will become depressed, overwhelmed, or paralyzed with fear! But take the time to start listing your blessings and you will be amazed at what you do have! Hopefully you will have written at the top of the list that you do have a gracious Lord and Savior who loves you unconditionally, and a partner who longs to live in your heart, and for whom nothing is impossible! Write down whatever other blessings you do have! (This will take longer than you think!) Now, ask yourself – “Is it enough to make a positive difference in the world so as to bring Glory to God?” Jesus says – “Give me what you do have, and you will discover – IT IS ENOUGH!”

8) HIENRICH! Asset thinking has been around for a long time, it just probably wasn’t called that back then. A 17^th century German composer Heinrich Schuetz was a perfect example. He was trained in Venice where he had available to him huge multi-voiced choirs, brass, violins, and huge cathedral-style pipe organs, …and then he returned to Germany - being ravaged by civil and religious wars. His congregation was lucky enough to have a bassoonist, a soprano with a small voice range, a violin missing a string, and a duck with a banjo! By the world’s standards, no one had more reason to bemoan the lack of musical talent and resources than Heinrich. But he’d learned from Christ that acid stewardship thinking brought nothing positive into the world. Instead he wrote three volumes of Sacred Symphonies – choral settings that could be performed with limited musical resources. Heinrich prayerfully used the assets he had instead of waiting for just the right time, the right musicians, or the right skills. And the church was blessed!

9) BLESSED! I see that spirit echoed in Leslie’s ministry! There are those who might bemoan the fact that we do not have a huge choir, or huge band! But instead, she has asked, “What and who do we have available?” And she has used what this congregation has offered and we have been blessed! Bruce, our part-time Youth director could play that comparison game with local mega churches and get thoroughly depressed! But he doesn’t – he takes a look at what he has been given, and asks God to bless it. He expects lives to be changed and hearts transformed – choosing to see the glass half full – knowing that blessed by God - it is enough!

10) ALL SAINTS! For those of you who are new to All Saints’, you need to know that every decade brings us new challenges. Like many churches we have four generations among us that perceive the world differently from one another and we are slowly being taught to deal with and accept such diversity within the church. Our neighborhood has changed dramatically in the past decade as the population increasingly becomes multicultural – as tremendous numbers of first wave immigrants flock to our community. It means that English speaking families with long Lutheran heritages are no longer moving in. Naturally, we have lost members over the years to deaths, career transfers to other parts of the world, and we are declining in numbers. Along with countless other congregations, we are faced with the challenge of redefining ourselves so as to serve Christ in a rapidly changing world! How All Saints’ will meet that challenge will depend on what form of “stewardship thinking” we will embrace; Acid or Asset!

11) CHOOSE! If we choose to think like the early disciples, we will focus on what we do not have! Fact is, the church leadership and I have agreed that it is time to sound the alarm and point out that we have enough money in the bank for 12-14 months. And then, if we do not find creative ways to faithfully grow the church, our lack of financial resources in 2009 will mean we are not going to be able to afford the existing staff or building. There is nothing wrong with facing those facts! To put our “head in the sand” is dangerous and self-defeating. But once we have seen the financial charts and defined the challenge– we have a choice! We can 1) drink deeply of the “acid” style stewardship thinking and focus only on what we don’t have! (This will inevitably lead to playing “the blame game”, or lengthy discussions that ponder how we’re going to get what is obviously missing, and a plan based on neediness that will lead us to failure!) OR… 2) we can choose right now to face this challenge with the attitude of Christ! We can count our “assets”, (in terms of time, talent, and treasures), and ask God to help us use these blessings now in ways that serve Him, our neighbors, and transform our church family!

12) #1 ASSET = LOVE! See, our number one asset is God’s unconditional love for us! 1^st John tells us (4:18) “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” It’s a fact that when we’re fearful or angry, our brain is calmed by the love you receive and the love you give away! As we converse about the challenge that faces ASLC, we can have stewardship conversations focused on what we do not have, what is missing, and what our needs are – but what will that lead us to? Fear, worry, and anxiety! Or we can count our number one asset – God’s unconditional love for us – and let that wash away our fear so that we can focus on what we do have and how God wants us to use it to bless others according to God’s will! We may not deserve God’s unconditional love – but it is a powerful asset that should be taken to heart! Let’s start by taking Jesus’ advice to heart, “Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.” (John 13:34b)

13) ALL: TIME! When Jesus asked the disciples to show him what they had, they brought it all to Him! As we prepare for Commitment Sunday next week, Christ asks you and I to show Him what we have! Will we offer it all to Him? In terms of time – will we make excuses and tell him, “Lord, I’d sure like to serve you better, I just don’t have the time! I work 8 hours, commute 1 ½ hours, rush the kids to school and extra curricular activities, feed them, get them washed and bathed and then hit the sack! I have very little time to give to you or the church!” An asset thinking approach asks, “Have I been given 24 hours a day? Yes! (Same as everyone else!) Then hand it over - give it all to God!” When you are work – give that time to God! …to care for the secretary, minister to your boss, pour yourselves out for your customers! When you go home – give that commute time to God – in prayer, or in listening to His word on tape, or to Christian music or messages on the radio! When you’re at the kid’s game – give that time to look at ways to reach out to the other parents and kids in ways to reflect Christ’s love! Prayerfully ask God to reprioritize your life so that there is time to share with your church family. Asset stewardship looks at time and says, “Lord show me what I do have!” and then offers it all to God – believing; it is enough!

14) TALENT! ONLY? JUST? When it comes to talent, there are two words that we HAVE to learn to toss out: “ONLY” and “JUST”. “But Lord, I’m just a homemaker!” “God, I’m only a janitor!” “Lord, I’d like to make an impact on people’s lives but I have only one talent, and it’s just not that great!” “See Jesus, we only have two fish and just five of loaves of bread!” But Jesus insists, “Hand me the talent you’ve got!” If we offer it up, small miracles occur! Christ can make that happen! Do you believe that? When you fill out those “time and talent sheets”, are you afraid to turn it in, because you doubt that what you have to offer is useful? Hey! This is Jesus you are handing it to! He can take the smallest offering of talent and touch lives with it! I remember a man who told his pastor he had only one talent, and that was tinkering in his shed – fixing and repairing things. After a little “asset counting”, this man began fixing up old bicycles, and selling them at garage sales and giving the funds to send needy kids to Christian Summer Camps. Name your talents! Forget the words ONLY and JUST and offer “what you got” to Christ and watch His love use your talents to touch lives in His name!

15) WHAT DO WE HAVE? I’ll never forget a small declining inner-city church that began to think “assets” for the first time. They asked “What do we have?” Some joked, “All we have is a young athletic pastor.” “Well,” said someone else, “let’s offer that to God!” They put some hoops up in the fellowship hall (converting it into a gym), started up a “sports ministry”, and used their pastor and other athletes in the church to do outreach to needy city kids! They asked “What do we have?” and they offered it to God who used it to change lives! What do we have?

16) FINANCIAL: IT IS ENOUGH! Same goes for financial treasures. If you focus on what you don’t have, you will live in fear. To fight that fear, you will often be tempted to put such a strangle hold on what you do have so it’s availability to God is choked off! “Asset stewardship” says, “Focus on what you have!” Look in your pockets and offer it up to God! When you count your financial blessings, you will discover “It is enough!” It is enough to accomplish everything God had in mind! And when fear is replaced with faith and trust in God to provide – He takes the financial resources you offer Him and turns them into a blessing for others!

17) ASSETS: ARE ENOUGH! Friends, Christ comes this morning to open our eyes to the fact that your life, my life, our lives together are filled with fabulous assets! Our long list of assets begins with His unconditional love! What makes all these assets fabulous is that the God who created them, has lent them to you and me, (His stewardship partners) and waits for us to offer Him what we have, so that He can bless it and turn little blessings into mega blessings! This morning Holy Spirit empowers us with an “Asset” understanding of stewardship - one that is Christ-like; Christ-like in that it takes a good look at our precious gifts of time, talent, and treasures and declares that “These assets are enough!”

18) CHRIST! The Creator of the Universe loves you and me, and asks us to measure what we do have and decide: “Is our glass half empty or half full? And will we hand Him what we’ve got?” Because if we will, “Asset” thinking can bring us a greater joy as we plan our life and our daily routines! Let us never focus on what we need or don’t have, but instead let us ask Christ to bring a “five fish – two loaves” way of thinking - so that we may be empowered to use what we do have to do outreach to our neighbors and community! Add 1) Christ’s power to 2) our assets and gifts, and we have everything we need to build up this congregation! Like the two fish and five loaves of bread, if we, (Christ’s stewardship partners), give Him what we do have, He will put our tiny offerings, our modest gifts of time, talents and treasures into divine action! Thanks to Christ, what we have to offer – it is enough! Praise God! AMEN!

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that we often forget, that with you – nothing is impossible! We have lived too much of our lives with a glass half empty attitude. We often hold on to our time, talents, and treasures fearing there will never be enough. We focus on what we do not have, and not on the precious assets you have given us! Forgive us, and empower us this very moment to see our glass as half full, knowing that with your blessing, it is enough!

Lord, as this church faces its latest challenge, we have sometimes let fear dominate our feelings! We tend to worry, rather than turning to you for direction! While our desire to build your kingdom is there, we have sometime chosen an “Acid” form of stewardship that focuses on needs, instead of counting and giving thanks for our assets. Free us from fear and empower us to place what we have into your hands – confident that your unconditional and powerful love will bless and multiple everything we offer to you!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, thank you for taking 5 fish and 2 loaves of bread to teach us that you bring to us divine options we would not have on our own! Make us faithful and obedient stewards of everything we are and have! Take our humble offerings and multiply them, that your kingdom is built – one heart at a time! AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who fills your life with amazing and countless assets, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Let us go now, and measure and count our God-given assets, and we will see, that when offered to and blessed by Christ, they are enough! Praise God! AMEN

Opening prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we come this morning from a world that keeps telling us about all the things we do not have. And when we listen to these worldly voices - our hearts sink, we worry, and we often find ourselves feeling sorry for ourselves. But here, in this Holy Place, we are reminded of all the blessings we do have! And the greatest of these is your love! What we do have is a Father who eagerly awaits to hear our confessions so that you can wash away our sins. What we do have is a Savior that has the power to heal our broken hearts, wounded Spirits, and shattered relationships. What we do have is a gracious Lord who desires to replace our questions and confusion with divine wisdom and guidance through His Word! What we do have is a compassionate Shepherd who gathers up His lost and lonely sheep, to love, protect, and care for us! Help us Lord to focus once again on all the blessings we do have that came to us through the death and resurrection of your Son! Help us receive this morning the Holy Spirit that longs to abide in us and draws us closer to you and one other. As we praise you with thankful hearts, may Christ, our greatest blessing, embrace us, fill us, and transform us into faithful servants! It is in His name we pray, AMEN!

Return to Sermon Index & Intro Page