Month: November 2024

As we continue through our Stewardship Sermon series, we talked first about witness, then Sabbath and this past week about Money. I have heard and preached many sermons on giving of our money and I feel this was one of the best. I have had conversations with folks after Sunday’s sermon that have had good questions and faithful follow through about it. The scripture we unpacked together is Mark 10:17-27 when a wealthy man approaches Jesus to ask what he must do to inherit eternal life. Often in the church we focus on how the man went away and how he missed out. But what if he eventually figured it out, obeyed Jesus and returned to follow him? What if he did end up shifting his priorities, putting his trust in Jesus and becoming one of his first followers? We can never know what happened after this story, but the part of the Scripture that really stood out to me this time in studying it is when it says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”

When I think about how many times I have asked Jesus for the “right answer” on a problem I had to solve and he looked at me with love, I am overwhelmed. And the more I learn about the love God has for me and how God wants the best for me, I see how “my money” plays a role in that. It is because of Jesus’ love for me that I am invited to live free from being possessed by my possessions. Not that we have to give everything we own away but so we won’t be “owned” by things. We have freedom when we know that Jesus loves us enough to not let us be defined by material things. And as I studied this text again this week, I felt the love that Jesus had for the wealthy man wash over me too.

As I was talking with my Connect Group about this passage this week, what came up over and over again was the word TRUST. Do we trust that God will meet our needs? It could be that we have thought that the wealthy man in this Scripture went away from Jesus because he was greedy and didn’t want to give away all he had (which to be honest, I would struggle with too). But what if it wasn’t greed that stopped the wealthy man, what if it was FEAR? Apprehension and distress is the opposite of trust and if we aren’t careful, fear wins every time.

With that in mind, I want to ask you, does FEAR stop you from giving all you can? Fear that there won’t be enough. Fear that incoming medical bills will be more than you can handle. Fear because you are on a fixed income. Fear because your family or friends might need your financial help one day?

These are all fears and very real and honest truths for the world we live in today. The older I get and the more ‘adulting’ I do…I think this story is less about being greedy and more about naming the fear of not having enough. I believe that one of the reasons why talking about financial stewardship is so awkward for those in the church is because we have yet to address the fear of not having enough. We live in a culture that is always pushing us to buy more, invest more, spend more and I heard yesterday that the credit card debt in our country this quarter is at an all time high. The truth is trusting that we don’t need all of our wants and that God will be faithful in meeting our needs is so counter-cultural to our lives today.

But here is what I have learned:

Ryan and I have been giving over and above since we were married 14.5 years ago and since we have always given 10% or more of our salary back to the churches, ministries and non-profits that work to bring God’s Kingdom to earth, we have NEVER GONE WITHOUT. Yes, we have had to be diligent and money smart. We have had to budget and save and say no to a lot of things we wanted to say yes to, we have had to work side jobs, and shop around and buy clothes and shoes second hand, but we have never gone without. The point is, we don’t just blindly trust that God will meet our needs, no, as followers of Jesus we still have to be wise and steward our finances well, but when we give 10% or more to the churches we serve, we have such freedom in knowing that God has been, is now and ever will be faithful. We learned a long time ago that all we have is God’s anyways and we are only stewarding these gifts while we can in the time we have. And in this mindset, we have such freedom. We don’t always get it right, but we are clear about our financial priorities and how we have put God first not just because we are spiritual leaders, but because we refuse to let fear win. We commit to each other and to our church families that we will model trust in a God that gave his first and best for us.

I don’t know what you are struggling to trust in today, but it always helps me when I am afraid to sing a song. And so I want to end today’s devotion with the lyrics from the Hymn: God of the Ages.

God of the ages, by whose hand
Through years long past our lives were led,
Give use new courage now to stand,
New faith to find the paths ahead.

Thou art the thought beyond all thought,
The gift beyond our utmost prayer;
No farthest reach where thou art not,
No height but we may find thee there.

Forgive our wavering trust in thee,
Our wild alarms, our trembling fears;
In thy strong hand eternally
Rests the unfolding of the years.

Though there be dark, uncharted space,
With worlds on worlds beyond our sight,
Still may we trust thy love and grace
And wait thy word, Let there be light.
Amen.

Hymn written by Elisabeth Burrowes

On this Election week, I am writing to share a prayer and a hope for us, the people of First United Methodist Church of Winter Park. As I said on Sunday, I know there is anxiety and fear and I hope you feel this is a church and a faith community where you are safe and loved, just as you are. As we come together on Sunday, we know that some of us will be celebrating the election, and others will be upset and nervous. I invite us to commit to gather with tenderness and look at each other with the eyes of Jesus. I also want to invite you to come and pray with your brothers and sisters tonight, November 6^th in the Marcy Chapel for a Peace and Unity Prayer Vigil at 6:00pm. All are welcome!

One of the reasons I love our Wesleyan tradition is John Wesley’s words and advice on voting. By the time you read this on Wednesday, you will have already cast your vote either in person or through the mail. I hope your voting experience was positive and that you felt a sense of pride for the process and gratitude for the opportunity to let your voice be heard. Here in America, we really do have so much to be thankful for.

John Wesley, our founder was not afraid to “talk politics” to the early Methodists in England. In those days, there were more than 2 major parties to choose from for Parliament and he spoke to the leaders in the movement about how best to be guided. The story goes like this: In October 1774, John Wesley was preaching in some small English towns near Bristol, where a contentious election for Parliament was underway. The chief candidates differed in their political ideologies, their positions on the American colonies, and their support from religious groups. In the days leading up to the election, while in the town of Pill, he met with members of the local Methodist society, and offered this important guidance:

These are John Wesley’s words and I think they resonate with us today too.

October 6, 1774.

I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them (1) to vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy; (2) to speak no evil of the person they voted against; and (3) to take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.

Three important rules for voting and so grace-filled in its approach. And while your voting is over, I am willing to bet that your feelings about the election are not. And so I invite us as a body to think about and work to embody the last two rules well.

Can we try to speak no evil about the “other candidate”? I know it is hard…I have caught myself several times this week struggling to find tactful things to say about “the other.” And when all is said and done, and the yard signs come down and the dust has settled, can we do all we can to treat each other with tenderness and to believe the best in each other. The truth is, I don’t want to be in a church where everyone thinks alike; that would be boring. I want to be in a faith community where there is diversity of thought, but unity in Spirit. I want to be challenged to learn more and to rethink things I have always believed to be true. I want to grow and mature and plant deep roots when it comes to my faith. But I can’t do that, if my spirit is sharpened against those that voted on the other side. And so I will do all I can to remove my feelings of malice, anger, bitterness and distrust of “the other side” not because I don’t care about the election but because people matter more to me than politicians. Part of this restraint is out of respect for the belovedness in others and the other is to care for my own soul. When our spirit is sharpened towards others, there is a lack of peace and charity too. And so I choose, or continue to do my best to choose, the more excellent way; the way of Jesus.

Romans 12: 17-21 says:

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I invite you to end with this prayer written in the Book of Worship:

Creator of us all,

you are the source of every blessing,
the judge of every nation
and the hope of earth and heaven:We call to mind the best that is within us:

That we live under God,
that we are indivisible,
that liberty and justice extend to all.

We acknowledge the sin that runs through our history as a nation:
The displacement of native peoples, racial injustice,
economic inequity, regional separation.

And we profess a deep and abiding gratitude
for the goodness of ordinary people who have made sacrifices,
who have sought opportunities,
who have journeyed to this land as immigrants
and strengthened its promise in successive generations,
who have found freedom on these shores,
and defended this freedom at tremendous cost.

Be with us in the days that are near.
Remind us that your ways are not our ways,
that your power and might transcend
the plans of every nation,
that you are not mocked.

Let those who follow your Son Jesus Christ be a peaceable people
in the midst of division.

Send your Spirit of peace, justice and freedom upon us,
break down the walls of political partisanship,
and make us one.

Give us wisdom to walk in your ways,
courage to speak in your name,
and humility to trust in your providence.

Amen.