BLESSED TO BE...A STEWARD!
Mark Frost
June 10, 2007
"Whatsoever you do the least of my brothers that you do unto me.
When I was hungry, you gave me to eat.
When I was thirsty you gave me to drink.
Now enter into the home of my father."
Isn't it funny how a piece of music can take you back to a particular place and
time? For me, this hymn takes me back to somewhere between the seventh and
ninth rows of the left center isle at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Romeoville.
Mark Frost
June 10, 2007
"Whatsoever you do the least of my brothers that you do unto me.
When I was hungry, you gave me to eat.
When I was thirsty you gave me to drink.
Now enter into the home of my father."
Isn't it funny how a piece of music can take you back to a particular place and
time? For me, this hymn takes me back to somewhere between the seventh and
ninth rows of the left center isle at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Romeoville.
You see those were the pews reserved for the two third grade classes of St.
Andrew's School, one of which I was a member of. Third grade represented the
culmination of what I jokingly refer to with other ex Catholics as my "pre-guilt"
Roman Catholic years. My religious education up to that point included all of the
usual stories of a gentle Jesus and loving God reserved for the youngest in the
church and at the age of eight, I had only received the first two Catholic
sacraments - baptism and first holy communion. It wouldn't be until the
following school year, when instruction for first confession started, that I would
begin to become enlightened as to all of the Catholic church's many rules and
holy laws. Fourth grade would also be when I would learn my first lessons of a
God that was to be feared, especially if the laws found within the Bible, or as I
later learned, those created by the papacy outside of the Bible were not
followed. Fourth grade was the start of a three decade period in my life during
which I slowly came to grips with the realization that both the church home of
my family's ancestry and my second denominational choice, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of America were both what are considered by theologians as
churches of law, not what I was longing for...which is a church of love. But
throughout that period of searching and discovery today's scripture has always
remained a strong foundation of my spiritual life and it has kept me grounded in
my basic beliefs that the Great Commandment ....."Love your God with all your
heart and your soul and love your neighbor as yourself." together with Jesus'
simple yet profound message in this parable of the sheep and the goats .....
pretty much gives us the framework by which to live our Christian lives. It was
then and is still today for me about love and service...of being stewards to
each other.
Now before we go much further, I feel obligated to share with you that my
words today are intended to be a stewardship message...(pause)...but I am
confident that by sharing this fact so openly and so early that I am not going to
lose you...because while this is a stewardship message, I am NOT going to ask
you for your money! For you see... last summer, at one of the meetings of the
newly created Stewardship Light Team we recognized that stewardship is so
much more than a pledge drive once a year. Time and time again throughout
scripture, Jesus calls us simply to be stewards. Stewards of the earth...stewards
of our bodies...stewards of our church lives...and stewards of each other.
That is why the Stewardship light team changed its name to the Stewards Light
Team, to remind those of us on the team of the great joy to be found in our
relationship with God when we assume the role of a steward.
A few weeks ago, Tony Shannon shared with you thoughts on being stewards of
the earth. To further celebrate Earth Day, we shared a thought provoking
documentary on global warming. This morning I would like to explore with you
this scripture text using verses from the hymn Whatsoever You Do,
denominational belief statements of the United Church of Christ, some figures in
UCC history, the wonderful service work of our congregation and perhaps some
thought provoking suggestions of what our still speaking God is challenging us to
do for the "least of our brothers" today.
As I began my research for today I turned to the United Church of Christ's
national website. If you have never visited this dynamic and history filled site, I
encourage you to do so. I had forgotten how impressive our denomination's
record has been on the important issues that our American society has struggled
with and in some cases, unfortunately, still struggles with. Thanks to the
website's current emphasis on the celebration of the church's 50th Anniversary, I
was struck once again by the amazing list of pioneering firsts of individuals who
realized that by serving their fellow man, they were serving God.
"When in a prison, you came to my cell...
The year was 1839... the African slave trade to America is in full swing when a
group of courageous Africans break the chains of their captors and seize control
of the schooner, named Amistad, transporting them against their will to be sold
into slavery. Unfortunately their freedom is short lived and the group is held in a
Connecticut jail while the ship's owners sue to have them returned as property.
Forbears of the United Church of Christ organize to free the prisoners. The case
becomes a defining moment in the for the movement to abolish slavery. The
U.S. Supreme Court rules that captives are not property and the Africans regain
their freedom.
...when in a sickbed you cared for my needs."
In the late 1880's St. Louis, Missouri was frontier and home to many new
German immigrants. The meet the urgent need for medical care of the quickly
growing population, both the Evangelical Deaconess Society and the Evangelical
Deaconess Home and Hospital were founded. Katherine Haack, a trained nurse
and widow of an evangelical pastor was the first deaconess to be consecrated.
At a time when women were often silenced at church, women such as Haack
took prominent roles in the administration and guidance of the home and
hospital. The deaconess movement was responsible for the establishment of 16
hospitals and institutions for healthcare and nurse training for the sick, aged, and
dying.
"When I was weary, you helped me find rest, when I was anxious, you calmed
all my fears."
"God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to
distinguish the one from the other." In 1943, this prayer was introduced by
Evangelical and Reformed Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The Serenity Prayer has
helped millions facing the weariness and anxiety of addictions such as alcohol,
drugs, gambling, and food find their spiritual focus in God.
Why is it easy to find so many examples within our UCC history of stewardship
acts? Why are their so many firsts in the areas of service to mankind that can be
attributed to the United Church of Christ? The answer to these questions, in my
opinion, lies partly in some of the UCC faith statements:
We believe the UCC is called to be a united and uniting church -
Because the UCC is not a "church of law", that is we have no rigid formation of
doctrine or attachment to creeds or structures, we are allowed to have as our
overarching creed...love! What a wonderfully liberating concept to be a church
of love...a structure that freed our predecessors and frees us to be less
concerned with the following of rules and laws to punch our individual tickets to
heaven but rather helps us to focus on Jesus' call for us to be stewards to each
other.
We believe that God calls us to be servants in the service of others -
According to the UCC belief statements, this belief is not limited to God's call for
us to servants to each other but good stewards of the earth's resources. In fact,
one motto of the UCC is "To believe is to care; to care is to do."
We believe that the UCC is called to be a prophetic church -
Just as during the time of the prophets and the apostles, we believe that God
calls the church to speak truth to those in power, liberate the oppressed, care for
the poor and comfort the afflicted. It should come as no surprise then that as a
prophetic church we were the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain a black
and the first to ordain a gay, or to be the church that Martin Luther King Jr.
turned to in 1959 when white owned southern television stations imposed a
news blackout during the civil rights movement, or the churches release of the
New Century Hymnal, the only hymnal released by a Christian church that
honors the male and female images of God, or the church that in its General
Synod assembly voted overwhelmingly by resolution to support same-gender
marriage equality, all firsts for a mainline denomination in the U.S.
"When I was homeless you opened your door, when I was naked you gave me
your coat..."
Now what about the examples of stewardship that are little bit closer to home,
those from our own congregation here at Plainfield UCC? The examples are just
as numerous as those found within our greater church's history. When I was
hungry you fed me...Plainfield Food Pantry and FRB and in a spiritual sense the
spiritual food and drink that is our weekly services and our upcoming Vacation
Bible School...when I was sick you visited me...Stephen Ministries...when I was
anxious you calmed all my fears...Prayer Partners...when I was weary you helped
me find rest...Prayer services for healing and wholeness. But probably the
greatest example of stewardship to each other that I can cite is one that all of us
assembled have been the recipient of and the grantor of while within these walls
...when I was homeless you gave me a room. This amazing community of
faith welcomes the special needs child without exception...this congregation
welcomes the gay and lesbian couple and does not judge but celebrates that
diversity...this congregation is color blind in a community where many would be
"ok" if we weren't...and this family of faith allows our youth the freedom to
express their unique understanding of their faith without condemnation.
We have heard this message often lately, but I will once again remind all of us
that we have been blessed...blessed to be a Steward. Regardless of the
size of our wallet or pocketbooks, we have received gifts from God of time and
talents to share with the "least of our brothers". Our challenge as members of
this church of love is to listen to the still speaking God for ways to be of service
to overlooked and ignored within our midst. Perhaps it is a simple as befriending
that co-worker or in the case of our youth that may still be in sanctuary that
classmate that everyone else ignores because of the way they dress or the way
they look, or by participating for the first time in donating to the Plainfield food
pantry, or collecting individual toiletries to support the battered women's shelter.
At the congregation level, maybe the still speaking God is calling us to
collectively serve the homeless through participation at the homeless shelter, or
by considering becoming one of a very few Christian churches in our area that
are open and affirming to gays and lesbians, or maybe we might become the
church that provides a nurse to provide some sort of health care to those among
us that are not covered.
And finally, at our denominational level, will we maintain the reputation of those
that have come before us of being a prophetic church. Will we speak truth to
power on the issues that affect the least of our brothers...the abolishment of
habeus corpus for prisoners, healthcare that is available to all US residents, an
immigration policy that respects the human dignity of all involved, respecting the
fact that military service to our country can come from a diverse set of people,
supporting a living wage not just a minimum wage, recognizing the wonderful
promise of stem cell research, and advocating environmental policies that will
respect, conserve, and replenish the resources that Jesus called us to be
stewards of? These aren't just a political agenda...every one of these
challenges of our current society appropriately fit into today's scripture
reading. By supporting our churches wider mission of peace and justice, we
can make a difference, by registering to vote and showing up on election day,
we can make a difference, and by using our time and talents and voices to keep
these issues in front of the powerful on behalf of those who are unable can make
a difference.
There is one final verse to my favorite childhood hymn..."When I was laughed at
you stood by my side, when I was happy you shared in my joy"
There is also one final UCC belief statement that I wanted to share with you this
morning...We believe that we are a people of possibility - In the UCC,
members, congregations and structures have the breathing room to hear the still
speaking God.
May we be a people of possibility, living our faith, recognizing the opportunities
in our world today to lift up the least among us and thereby realizing the joy of
growing in our relationship with God.
Jesus said..."I'm telling you the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of
these things to someone overlooked or ignored... that was me...you did
it for me."
Andrew's School, one of which I was a member of. Third grade represented the
culmination of what I jokingly refer to with other ex Catholics as my "pre-guilt"
Roman Catholic years. My religious education up to that point included all of the
usual stories of a gentle Jesus and loving God reserved for the youngest in the
church and at the age of eight, I had only received the first two Catholic
sacraments - baptism and first holy communion. It wouldn't be until the
following school year, when instruction for first confession started, that I would
begin to become enlightened as to all of the Catholic church's many rules and
holy laws. Fourth grade would also be when I would learn my first lessons of a
God that was to be feared, especially if the laws found within the Bible, or as I
later learned, those created by the papacy outside of the Bible were not
followed. Fourth grade was the start of a three decade period in my life during
which I slowly came to grips with the realization that both the church home of
my family's ancestry and my second denominational choice, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of America were both what are considered by theologians as
churches of law, not what I was longing for...which is a church of love. But
throughout that period of searching and discovery today's scripture has always
remained a strong foundation of my spiritual life and it has kept me grounded in
my basic beliefs that the Great Commandment ....."Love your God with all your
heart and your soul and love your neighbor as yourself." together with Jesus'
simple yet profound message in this parable of the sheep and the goats .....
pretty much gives us the framework by which to live our Christian lives. It was
then and is still today for me about love and service...of being stewards to
each other.
Now before we go much further, I feel obligated to share with you that my
words today are intended to be a stewardship message...(pause)...but I am
confident that by sharing this fact so openly and so early that I am not going to
lose you...because while this is a stewardship message, I am NOT going to ask
you for your money! For you see... last summer, at one of the meetings of the
newly created Stewardship Light Team we recognized that stewardship is so
much more than a pledge drive once a year. Time and time again throughout
scripture, Jesus calls us simply to be stewards. Stewards of the earth...stewards
of our bodies...stewards of our church lives...and stewards of each other.
That is why the Stewardship light team changed its name to the Stewards Light
Team, to remind those of us on the team of the great joy to be found in our
relationship with God when we assume the role of a steward.
A few weeks ago, Tony Shannon shared with you thoughts on being stewards of
the earth. To further celebrate Earth Day, we shared a thought provoking
documentary on global warming. This morning I would like to explore with you
this scripture text using verses from the hymn Whatsoever You Do,
denominational belief statements of the United Church of Christ, some figures in
UCC history, the wonderful service work of our congregation and perhaps some
thought provoking suggestions of what our still speaking God is challenging us to
do for the "least of our brothers" today.
As I began my research for today I turned to the United Church of Christ's
national website. If you have never visited this dynamic and history filled site, I
encourage you to do so. I had forgotten how impressive our denomination's
record has been on the important issues that our American society has struggled
with and in some cases, unfortunately, still struggles with. Thanks to the
website's current emphasis on the celebration of the church's 50th Anniversary, I
was struck once again by the amazing list of pioneering firsts of individuals who
realized that by serving their fellow man, they were serving God.
"When in a prison, you came to my cell...
The year was 1839... the African slave trade to America is in full swing when a
group of courageous Africans break the chains of their captors and seize control
of the schooner, named Amistad, transporting them against their will to be sold
into slavery. Unfortunately their freedom is short lived and the group is held in a
Connecticut jail while the ship's owners sue to have them returned as property.
Forbears of the United Church of Christ organize to free the prisoners. The case
becomes a defining moment in the for the movement to abolish slavery. The
U.S. Supreme Court rules that captives are not property and the Africans regain
their freedom.
...when in a sickbed you cared for my needs."
In the late 1880's St. Louis, Missouri was frontier and home to many new
German immigrants. The meet the urgent need for medical care of the quickly
growing population, both the Evangelical Deaconess Society and the Evangelical
Deaconess Home and Hospital were founded. Katherine Haack, a trained nurse
and widow of an evangelical pastor was the first deaconess to be consecrated.
At a time when women were often silenced at church, women such as Haack
took prominent roles in the administration and guidance of the home and
hospital. The deaconess movement was responsible for the establishment of 16
hospitals and institutions for healthcare and nurse training for the sick, aged, and
dying.
"When I was weary, you helped me find rest, when I was anxious, you calmed
all my fears."
"God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to
distinguish the one from the other." In 1943, this prayer was introduced by
Evangelical and Reformed Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The Serenity Prayer has
helped millions facing the weariness and anxiety of addictions such as alcohol,
drugs, gambling, and food find their spiritual focus in God.
Why is it easy to find so many examples within our UCC history of stewardship
acts? Why are their so many firsts in the areas of service to mankind that can be
attributed to the United Church of Christ? The answer to these questions, in my
opinion, lies partly in some of the UCC faith statements:
We believe the UCC is called to be a united and uniting church -
Because the UCC is not a "church of law", that is we have no rigid formation of
doctrine or attachment to creeds or structures, we are allowed to have as our
overarching creed...love! What a wonderfully liberating concept to be a church
of love...a structure that freed our predecessors and frees us to be less
concerned with the following of rules and laws to punch our individual tickets to
heaven but rather helps us to focus on Jesus' call for us to be stewards to each
other.
We believe that God calls us to be servants in the service of others -
According to the UCC belief statements, this belief is not limited to God's call for
us to servants to each other but good stewards of the earth's resources. In fact,
one motto of the UCC is "To believe is to care; to care is to do."
We believe that the UCC is called to be a prophetic church -
Just as during the time of the prophets and the apostles, we believe that God
calls the church to speak truth to those in power, liberate the oppressed, care for
the poor and comfort the afflicted. It should come as no surprise then that as a
prophetic church we were the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain a black
and the first to ordain a gay, or to be the church that Martin Luther King Jr.
turned to in 1959 when white owned southern television stations imposed a
news blackout during the civil rights movement, or the churches release of the
New Century Hymnal, the only hymnal released by a Christian church that
honors the male and female images of God, or the church that in its General
Synod assembly voted overwhelmingly by resolution to support same-gender
marriage equality, all firsts for a mainline denomination in the U.S.
"When I was homeless you opened your door, when I was naked you gave me
your coat..."
Now what about the examples of stewardship that are little bit closer to home,
those from our own congregation here at Plainfield UCC? The examples are just
as numerous as those found within our greater church's history. When I was
hungry you fed me...Plainfield Food Pantry and FRB and in a spiritual sense the
spiritual food and drink that is our weekly services and our upcoming Vacation
Bible School...when I was sick you visited me...Stephen Ministries...when I was
anxious you calmed all my fears...Prayer Partners...when I was weary you helped
me find rest...Prayer services for healing and wholeness. But probably the
greatest example of stewardship to each other that I can cite is one that all of us
assembled have been the recipient of and the grantor of while within these walls
...when I was homeless you gave me a room. This amazing community of
faith welcomes the special needs child without exception...this congregation
welcomes the gay and lesbian couple and does not judge but celebrates that
diversity...this congregation is color blind in a community where many would be
"ok" if we weren't...and this family of faith allows our youth the freedom to
express their unique understanding of their faith without condemnation.
We have heard this message often lately, but I will once again remind all of us
that we have been blessed...blessed to be a Steward. Regardless of the
size of our wallet or pocketbooks, we have received gifts from God of time and
talents to share with the "least of our brothers". Our challenge as members of
this church of love is to listen to the still speaking God for ways to be of service
to overlooked and ignored within our midst. Perhaps it is a simple as befriending
that co-worker or in the case of our youth that may still be in sanctuary that
classmate that everyone else ignores because of the way they dress or the way
they look, or by participating for the first time in donating to the Plainfield food
pantry, or collecting individual toiletries to support the battered women's shelter.
At the congregation level, maybe the still speaking God is calling us to
collectively serve the homeless through participation at the homeless shelter, or
by considering becoming one of a very few Christian churches in our area that
are open and affirming to gays and lesbians, or maybe we might become the
church that provides a nurse to provide some sort of health care to those among
us that are not covered.
And finally, at our denominational level, will we maintain the reputation of those
that have come before us of being a prophetic church. Will we speak truth to
power on the issues that affect the least of our brothers...the abolishment of
habeus corpus for prisoners, healthcare that is available to all US residents, an
immigration policy that respects the human dignity of all involved, respecting the
fact that military service to our country can come from a diverse set of people,
supporting a living wage not just a minimum wage, recognizing the wonderful
promise of stem cell research, and advocating environmental policies that will
respect, conserve, and replenish the resources that Jesus called us to be
stewards of? These aren't just a political agenda...every one of these
challenges of our current society appropriately fit into today's scripture
reading. By supporting our churches wider mission of peace and justice, we
can make a difference, by registering to vote and showing up on election day,
we can make a difference, and by using our time and talents and voices to keep
these issues in front of the powerful on behalf of those who are unable can make
a difference.
There is one final verse to my favorite childhood hymn..."When I was laughed at
you stood by my side, when I was happy you shared in my joy"
There is also one final UCC belief statement that I wanted to share with you this
morning...We believe that we are a people of possibility - In the UCC,
members, congregations and structures have the breathing room to hear the still
speaking God.
May we be a people of possibility, living our faith, recognizing the opportunities
in our world today to lift up the least among us and thereby realizing the joy of
growing in our relationship with God.
Jesus said..."I'm telling you the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of
these things to someone overlooked or ignored... that was me...you did
it for me."
