Readings for All
Saints' Day: Mt 4:23-5:12
November 3, 2002
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak and teach." (Mt. 5)
In his "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus laid out a vision for the future- a vision of what life will be like when God's will is realized here on earth. Other names for this vision are: "the kingdom of God," "the reign of God," or the "kingdom of heaven." In this vision, Jesus taught about right relationships: relationship with money, relationship with one's spouse, relationship with our enemies, relationship with our material goods, relationship with God. This vision is laid out over several chapters in the gospel of St. Matthew. Today, we read a small portion of this vision where Jesus reverses the general value system by pronouncing blessings on the poor, the hungry, the mournful, and the persecuted. He blesses them in the present tense and then offers them hope for the future; hope in a future when the powers and priorities of this world are reordered so that the circle of care and compassion expands to include all of God's children. This is a vision that is based on justice rather than privilege.
Now, if you were Jesus speaking to the people of St. Jude's, the people of Cupertino, the people of Santa Clara County on this Feast of All Saints in the year 2002, what would your vision for the future include? How far would you encourage us to extend the circle of care and compassion? Would you suggest economic reform and if so, how would the money be redistributed? What changes would you have to make in your own life to adjust to the redistribution of money? What groups of people do you think need extra help and what kind of help would you offer them? Who are the people who are weeping? Why are they weeping and how do we extend the ministry of healing to them? What changes would you like to see happen in your own family and how would you go about making those changes? In other words, what would your "Sermon on the Mount" look like?
This past Friday, I was reading the San Jose Mercury News. In the newspaper, there was no mention or support of a vision when the poor would be lifted up; when nation would no longer lift up sword against nation; when the oldest of enemies become best of friends; when the wolf shall live with the lamb and the leopard lie down with the kid; when there are no borders to protect or self-interests to fight for; when healing and compassion become dominant themes such that the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the poor are fed, and all people are given the opportunity to live a full life. No, that kind of vision is virtually absent from the general media. It is no wonder that depression and cynicism are epidemic.
Instead, the media report a different state of affairs. Syphilis is on the rise for the first time in 11 years and the Pentagon finally admitted that it tested a highly toxic nerve gas in Hawaii in 1967. There were articles speculating on the governor's race and how Davis and Simon are spending millions of dollars to win. There was little mention regarding the willingness of either candidate to use his power to help transform society. Other articles spoke of the greed and over-expansion of high tech companies in Silicon Valley that eventually led to their downfall. There were several murders and uprisings reported, along with the President's desire to make a preemptive strike on Iraq. I came across a Macy's ad encouraging me to buy a bottle of Bora Bora perfume. If I made such a purchase at Valley Fair Mall on Saturday, I could have my picture taken with TV star George Stults!
It is into this context of pain, darkness, and over-consumption that that we hear the gospel of hope:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5)
The Church is still the primary vehicle for spreading this gospel of hope. We can not depend on the media or the secular institutions to ensure that the gospel of hope is voiced. It is up to the Church to place this pearl of good news before the eyes and ears of all who will listen. We are the Church! We are the disciples of Christ who have promised in our baptismal covenant to "proclaim by word and deed- the Good News of God in Christ, to seek and serve Christ in all persons by loving our neighbors, and to strive for justice and peace among all people." We learn how to walk on this path of righteousness and truth by belonging to a community of faith. Each Sunday, the people of St. Jude's Church come together in this sanctuary, opening up our hearts to the word of God so that it can transform us to be icons of hope, bearers of good news, partners in prayer, and agents of healing. "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it." (Jn. 1)
We have been blessed with a three-acre campus, a spiritual oasis in the heart of Cupertino. This campus and its many buildings are a gathering place for us to meet and be strengthened for the journey towards wholeness. Through your generosity, our campus is shared with many other organizations who seek a home in this spiritual oasis: Outreach organizations like the Senior Day Care Center, the 12 steps groups, the teenage Restorative Justice Program, the families of special needs children, the Boy Scouts, Full Gospel Korean Church, and many other community groups.
How can we afford to keep our doors open and provide a full time staff to oversee the teaching, preaching, sacraments, and the day to day operations? The parish of St. Jude the Apostle is here because of your generosity. This Church does not have an endowment fund. Its operations and maintenance is fully financed by its members. It costs $1300/day to operate this church. This money pays for salaries, the mortgage on the parish hall, the insurance, maintenance, utilities, and programs. So each year, the people of Saint Jude's are asked to make a generous pledge of money to support the parish church. Now is the time. This is the sermon on the amount!
The question then becomes, how much money do I pledge to my church as the primary vehicle for the spread of the gospel? This is a spiritual question, not a financial question. How much money most people actually give to the church depends not on their salaries, but rather on their commitment to the gospel, their trust in God, and their generosity above and beyond their own family unit. For me, I give 10% of my gross salary, which is the standard of giving in the Episcopal Church and the biblical tithe. I believe that everything I have is given to me by God. So giving 10% of my blessings to the church for the spread of the gospel seems like the right amount.
Some folks decide not to tithe or pledge and just put money into the plate each Sunday. Unfortunately, this makes it very difficult for the vestry to plan a budget for the following year. This year, I am encouraging each family to generously pledge to the church. We need your support. Please fill out a pledge card and place it in the offering plate or send it by mail within the next few weeks. On Thanksgiving Day, we will offer the pledges up in thanksgiving to God from whom all blessings flow. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mt. 6:21)
| Updated 11/04/02 |
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