Reading: Mark 12:38-44: Proper 27B/Stewarship Sunday - November 12, 2000
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt,
St. Jude the Apostle Church, Cupertino CA,
When I was growing up, my family would sit around the kitchen table after supper and have a cup of tea. We drank our tea out of blue and white teacups; cups that looked like delft china, but were actually purchased from Woolworth's. Since there were seven of us, the cups experienced heavy use and often had a chip on the lip of the cup, a stain in the bottom, or a broken handle. In spite of their condition, they still did the job. However, perched high above in a nearby cupboard, there was a set of beautiful blue, luminescent china with no chips, no stains, and complete handles. I would often stare at those cups and ask my mother: "When are we ever going to use those cups up there in the cupboard?" She would answer: "When the queen comes to visit." I would then whine in response: "But the queen is never going to visit us!" She would then smile at me and change the subject.
On November 24th, 1990, I was visiting my parent's home in Massachusetts. I saw the beautiful blue cups sitting in the cupboard. I took them down and made some tea. My father and I sat at the table and sipped our tea in silence. It was the day after my mother's funeral. How I wished she could have been there, drinking tea out of her most precious teacups.
I know why my mother did not use the china when I was young. This china had been handed down from her mother. Those teacups were very valuable to her. She didn't want them to be damaged. It was fear that kept those cups locked behind the cupboard. It was fear that prevented my mother from having a precious tea party with her children. It was fear that kept her from taking a risk.
Today is stewardship Sunday. It is the time of year when the Church gives its members an opportunity to deal with their fears about money and to take a risk, especially as it relates to the pledging of time, talent, and treasure. We as Christians believe that everything we have is given to us by God. In gratitude, we return a portion of these gifts to the church for the spread of the gospel. How much we give, is a spiritual matter based on our relationship with God, rather than a financial matter. Why is giving a spiritual matter rather than a financial matter? If giving were simply a financial matter, then those who have more would give more. But that is not the case nor has it ever been my experience. A prime example of this point is found in today's gospel story. Let's take a closer look.
According to today's reading from the gospel of Mark, a poor widow gives all that she has. She places two lepta (which equals a quarter of a penny) into the temple coffers. A lepta was the smallest coin in circulation in 1st century Palestine. It was all that the widow had. She gave 100% of her resources, a far greater percentage than all of the wealthy folks who roamed the temple grounds in their finery. In a world in which widows were victimized, this is a story about one who took initiative in her life by taking a risk. In spite of her financial poverty, she does not whine or retreat in bitterness. Rather, she takes the small remainder of what she owns, and gives it away.
While I believe that the widow should have been supported by the temple rather than the other way around, I am astounded at the faith that this woman must have had. So the question that many folks ask during the annual pledge drive is: "What is the appropriate amount of money to give to my parish church?" For most of us, it is NOT 100%. We do need to take care of our families and ourselves. Thus the church suggests that we keep 90% for ourselves and return 10% of the fruit of our labor. 10% is the biblical standard as well as the standard of the Episcopal Church. Since few of us grow fruit, "the first fruits of our labor" means the first cut of our paycheck. When one is beginning on a journey of faith and is new to a parish community, 10% of one's salary seems like an enormous amount of money. But as we grow in faith, we become more aware of our abundance. As we grow in faith, we long to support the spread of the gospel. Since I began to tithe, I have never been in need. Sure, I don't always get what I want, but I always have what I need. Making this spiritual decision to tithe has moved me along in my journey and has helped me prioritize my life.
Bishop Swing was once asked: "When is the best time in life to begin to tithe?" He answered: "There is no best time to tithe except, NOW. When people are teenagers, they think that they can not tithe because after all, a teenager makes little money and needs to save for a car or for the prom. College students think they can not tithe because after all, they are paying tuition and only working part-time. People in their 20's think they can not tithe because after all, they are beginning to set up new living quarters and their salaries are at the lower end of the pay scale. People in their thirties and forties think they cannot tithe because after all, they are buying a house and raising children. People in their fifties think they cannot tithe because after all, they need to send their children to college and desire to buy those extra luxury items that they could not afford in their earlier years. People over sixty may think that they can not tithe because after all, retirement means a significant decrease in income. So as you can see, there is no perfect time to tithe, except now.
We at St. Jude's have experienced great abundance in our lives. Many have been very generous in pledging their time, talent, and treasure. For this, I give thanks. Today, we are asking you once again, to seriously look at your income and your date book and give a deliberate proportion of your time and money to the church. We are asking you to take a risk. We are asking you to seriously consider tithing this year.
Last year, it cost over $1000/day to operate St. Jude's. This year, the vestry has put forward some ambitious goals that will require additional monies. You received an informational stewardship packet in the mail listing these goals. Much of our expenditures are for the maintenance of these facilities and ongoing programs. Through the generosity of the people of St. Jude's, we have offered our classroom buildings to be used by the Senior Day Care Center. This is an incredible and important outreach project for the people of Cupertino. However, over time, the classrooms have fallen into disrepair. They are no longer safe for the center nor appropriate for our growing Sunday School program. We need your support. Through the generosity of the people of St. Jude's, we have almost finished renovating the fireplace room. We are working overtime to insure that repairs are made before we house the clients of the rotating homeless shelter program in January. Next year, the bathrooms in that room need significant repair. We need your support! Our three-acre facility offers a spiritual sanctuary for those seeking God as well as a gathering and outreach place for the people of Cupertino. These buildings and grounds are a great blessing and a great expense. We need your support.
Please take some time to reflect on how you have been touched by this community of faith. Take some time to reflect on all of the blessings you have received during this past year. Then make a spiritual decision. Decide how much you will pledge to this community of faith. Take a risk. Do not come from a place of fear and keep those cups locked up in cupboard. On Thanksgiving Day, we will place all of the pledge cards on the altar as an act of faith and gratitude to the One who blesses us with abundance. Thank you for your support. Amen.