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LINKS TO THE SERMONS |
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| The Talents Matt. 25: 14 – 30 April 29: 2007 “Well, The Methodist Church is kinda laid back. There isn’t an opinion that Methodists lack. We’re kinda like champagne with a Big Mac. Thank God I’m a Methodist.” They’re the words to a funny song I sing from time to time; always a crowd pleaser. But, even though it’s intended to be whimsical, there is a measure of truth. There isn’t an opinion that Methodists lack. Take this church for example; the congregation includes the broadest possible range of opinions about things political, social and theological. We cover all points on the liberal / conservative continuum. We are the living example of the marvelous vision of Paul when he said that, in the church, we can have different, even conflicting opinions but still be one unity because the Spirit of Christ makes us one Body. That’s why the Methodist Church is “kinda laid back” in spite of everything else; we share a common center. John Wesley, our founder, went so far as to say that diversity was good for us; the cross pollination of ideas contributed to the growth of the whole. That’s who we are. Except when it comes to the issue of money; then everybody moves down to the conservative end of the continuum. And that is commendable because of where the money comes from. When ever I come to the office and see that a light has been left on over night, I remember that the extra dollar it adds to the electric bill is a dollar someone put in the offering plate expecting it to be used for the building of God’s Kingdom and for ministry. Then we brought it down to the most sacred spot in our sanctuary while we sang “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” And in our prayer of dedication, we ask God to multiply it for the blessing of the world. If we are going to do all that, and mean it, we have to do our part to get maximum impact from those sanctified dollars. So, fiscal conservatism is no vice, even for the radical liberal in other categories. Then there is this parable. You’ve heard it a thousand times and you’ve heard people expound on its meaning. It’s not complicated; I can sum it up in five words – “Blessed are the risk-takers.” According to the parable, everybody including the one who buried his talent, knew that God expected to reap where he did not sow; it’s the essence of capitalism. There is an old saying, “Jesus saves but Moses invests.” But, investing requires some measure of risk and conservatives chafe at the very word. Jesus said that we reap sparingly because we sow sparingly. Jesus said that you save your life by giving it away. God expects that upon his return, there will be more there than when he left. It’s not enough to protect the principle. That sounds anything but conservative. There are times when you put it on the line, when you risk, when you sow lavishly trusting in God’s promise that we will harvest accordingly. This is such a time. This is a great church, poised for a new burst of life. I’m sure those of you who have been around here for a while can feel the energy building. There are more ministries being operated by volunteers than any place I’ve ever been. And the business and administration of the church is largely done by members giving their time as part of their offering. In short, our church has lots of good things going on and there is still plenty of life in the old girl. There are places where we need to pay more attention. One – There are some holes in our net. We have lots of programs directed at seniors but little for college aged people and young married people. We could do more with our youth and do more creative things: music groups, drama groups, all church events. We need to pay better attention to our home bound folks. I could go on but I won’t. Second – we must do more to get the word out. We have a lot to offer, let’s offer it. Our new web sight is a grand step in that direction, but, there are ways to get publicity in the various media, print and electronic, if we will build a relationship with people in those positions. There are ways of networking in the community, that make us known, that something is happening at the old Methodist church that is worth taking a look at; all that is doable if someone has the time and temperament for it. To those ends, I have recommended to the SPRC, the Ad Council and the Finance Committee, that we take a leap forward. They have concurred. I have proposed that we create a new job description that addresses the two issues I raised, to fill the gaps in our ministries and to interface with the community in positive ways. Further, I have been in conversation with Claremont Seminary about hosting a student intern for the next school year. These two people will bring new energy, enthusiasm and youth to out existing ministries and staff. And our advertising budget is practically non-existent. I am proposing that we beef that up a bit and get the word out about this place that has so much to offer. The Long Range Planning Committee, after hours of meeting and consideration has recommended the hiring of a church development consultant. He will, over the next year and a half, lead us through a process of self-discovery that will help us understand ourselves and our community, to maximize our resources and move into our future fine tuned for the mission to which God has called us. The only issue remaining is the cost. The Finance Committee has informed me that currently’ our giving is running behind our regular budget needs to the tune of $1500 per month. Where will we get this new money, they asked. And I said, “I will ask the people if they are excited enough about their church to make an extra financial commitment. This is not something I do casually because I have heard all the horror stories about churches that always seem to have their hand out, or in your pocket. When I was a kid my dad didn’t go to church. “All they are after is your money,” he would say. More of an excuse than a reason, I conjectured. I remember once he went to church for some special occasion, Mother’s Day or something. The next week he got on of those visitor letters that churches send out and in it was an offering envelope and a pledge card. I can still hear the disdain in his voice – “I go to church one time and they send me a bill.” So, with that in mind, here is my proposal: I have dubbed this special expansion project, “Leap Year.” One year to stretch and risk and take a leap forward. The cost for the package will be $40,000. Here is what I propose, that all of us increase our current giving by the amount of $10 per month. That would only get us part way there, so those of you with the means would have to step up in more significant ways. It’s time in the life of our church to set aside our conservatism and take the chance that God will respond to our faithfulness by opening the windows of heaven. There is spiritual benefit in moving up to sacrificial giving. So, I ask as your pastor, will you join me in this exciting opportunity for our church and for the great commission? Will you declare this year, May to April of ’08, to be our Leap Year? Sometimes people ask me if I find it embarrassing asking for money in a sermon; the answer is no. Here’s why. First is that giving is a spiritual discipline not unlike prayer. Jesus talked about money as much as any other subject because, as he said, “Where your money is, that’s where your heart will be.” The subject of money very quickly becomes a discussion of faith; fair game for any preacher. Second, because I’m not a fundraiser for some outside organization; it’s about our church, of which you are a part and that you love. My task is rather like that which the Constitution requires of the President, an annual State of the Union report. This is my state of the church report and I am happy to report that your church is in fine shape. A friend asked me recently, of all the churches I have served, which was the healthiest and I answered without hesitation, “This one.” Most of the churches I have served needed lots of internal work before they could effectively reach out to the community, not so here. This church is ready to march forward for the cause of Christ. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we missed this moment for lack of resources – and especially if it happened because I failed to tell you. Now, I’m not one of those people who think money will solve everything; if I were I would be in politics. But I do know that it costs to be in ministry and that any organization that is under funded finds it difficult to stretch and grow. And make no mistake, a church is a living organism, it is either growing or dying. This church has been holding steady for the past decade – but you are all ten years older – so you tell me if we are growing or dying. This is the moment for the leap of faith – to show our Lord we are serious about our commitment to be builders of His Kingdom – to demonstrate in concrete terms where our heart is. Everything is in place; let’s not allow this great ministry to be held hostage by the bottom line. Actually, if I should be embarrassed about anything it would be that I am recommending so little. I’m asking for a part time salary for a full time job description. I ought to be asking for a full time salary – that’s what the church really needs. And instead of $5000 for publicity it should be $25000 and get some air time on the media the coming generations pay attention to. And we really ought to be expanding our music program. We have all those talented teen and young adults; why don’t we have a music ministry for them instead of letting them drift away after they get out of high school. I have a five year old daughter who loves to sing. Why don’t we have a choir for her? Money won’t fix everything but it will fix that and I’m not even recommending that today. What about a ministry to singles. Did you know that half the homes in California are owned by single people, and more than half the population is single, yet our ministries are subtly aimed at couples and families. Let me surprise you with some more statistics. Even though 80% of the population say they believe in God and read the Bible and 40% say they go to church regularly, on any given Sunday there is about 10% of the population actually in church. There is a mission field out there. How about this. Half of the Baby Boomers have never set foot in a church – ever – not even for a wedding or a funeral. 50% of the current crop of children will reach the age of twenty without ever setting foot inside a church for any reason. We like to excuse ourselves by deferring to the mega churches; that’s where all the teens and young families go, we say. Well, no. And even if they did, mega churches have a huge back door. They loose on average, about 10% a year. They participate for a while and then fall away for one reason or another. Maybe they want a more reasonable Theology that invites them to think (like we have) where do they go when they leave the mega churches? Usually no where – because they don’t know there is an alternative – because we are below their radar screen. The field is ripe for the harvest; we need to tell them we are here. Finally these statistics: percentage of income given to the church has declined steadily for the past thirty years – for good reasons. It’s harder for people to get by, even on two incomes. What that means is that people can no longer support their church out of disposable income. That pile is gone. Now they have to prioritize and put their money where their heart is. The number of tithers in the church is down to a precious few. In 1990 the percentage giving in the Christian church at large was just over 3% of income. In 2004 it was just over 2%. In Methodist churches it is under two percent. There are all sorts of reasons why churches don’t thrive, in this church it is simply a lack of resources, we are under nourished. The harvest is ripe; where are the laborers? According to the parable, the third man knew what God expected but was afraid. When the Lord returns to find us exactly the same as we were ten years ago, he won’t count that as faithfulness, even if we have a nicely balanced budget and our reserve still intact. He expects a return on his investment, or else what little we still have will go to the Faith Chapels of the world. Blessed are the risk takers. Let’s do it as a church and with our personal finances. Let’s see if the wind of the Spirit will get behind us if we risk a leap of faith this year. As always you can get a DVD of this sermon. Contact the church office.
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