FAITH & GENEROSITY
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 9th Sunday after Pentecost, August 7, 2022 The Rev. Dr. Ritva H. Williams
We meet Jesus this morning in exactly the same place we left him last Sunday: surrounded by his disciples in the midst of a crowd of people. Jesus follows up on the parable of the rich fool by urging his listeners not to worry. At the end of today’s reading we hear Peter ask, “Lord are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” (Luke 12:41). Seriously Peter, you had to ask? The answer is YES! Jesus’ teaching is intended for both the disciples and for everyone.
Jesus’ word to his disciples and to everyone today is, “Do not fear, little flock, because God your father was pleased to give you the kingdom.”
This is the best, most amazing news in the universe. God has given the kingdom to us, Christ-followers, and to all people, because it pleases and delights God to do so. The kingdom is ours not because of who we are or what we do but because of who God is — gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love. Therefore, do not fear! The kingdom is ours forever!
But what is this kingdom? God’s kingdom is a past, present, and future reality rooted in relationships and communities committed to knowing-living-sharing God-Christ-Spirit here and now. God’s kingdom is a counter-cultural reality, illustrated by Jesus’ instruction to “Sell your possessions and do acts of mercy.”
The dominant culture, ancient and modern, operates out of a myth of scarcity: the idea that there is not enough of anything in the world, so everyone must compete all the time for scarce resources. Scarcity is a myth. Just consider this one fact: It would be impossible to reach a world population of 8 billion people unless there is a significant abundance of food on this planet.
The rich fool of last Sunday’s parable lives out that myth.
Jesus proclaims God’s kingdom, urging us to acknowledge and celebrate the abundance, inclusion, and diversity of creation. This is the good news that can free human beings from fear and anxiety. Instead of hoarding personal possessions like the rich fool, Jesus wants us to be generous and merciful just as God is generous and merciful toward us. Instead of being as self-absorbed and oblivious as the rich fool, Jesus wants us to be awake and alert, to be actively looking for God’s image and presence in the people and world around us.
To borrow the words of Pastor David Lose, “What Jesus is commending [in today’s Gospel lesson] is “faith — faith that frees one to be generous; faith that enables one to leave anxiety behind; faith that creates confidence about a future secured not by human endeavor or achievement but by God alone.” (workingpreacher.org 2010).
In our reading from Hebrews we hear that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen” (11:1). This is one of those tricky verses in scripture that needs to be explored because it does not mean precisely what we think it means.
In the original Greek faith is identified as hypostasis — as something real, tangible, solid, and firm that one can stand or rely on. Such faith is the foundation for hope. But faith is also elegchos — a Greek word that was almost always negative, meaning proof or evidence of things that a person doesn’t want to hear, or is having trouble seeing. Elegchos is the evidence that leads to conviction and nudges a person to action.
Pulling all this together, faith rests on or taps into the really real of hoped-for things; it convicts us and nudges us to hopeful action in the visible world, even though it is rooted in things that cannot be easily seen in the here and now. (Paraphrase of Christoper T. Holmes, workingpreacher.org 2022).
The reading from Hebrews lifts up Abraham and Sarah as people who had this kind of faith. By faith, they obeyed God’s call to leave their homes and set out, not knowing where they were going. By faith, they received the power of procreation even though they were old and barren. By faith they and their descendants persisted in the promised land even though they lived as foreigners in tents (like refugees) for three generations. Think about your own story ... how often you have acted in faith, trusting in the really real of the things you hope for?
This is one of those Sundays when the Holy Spirit is clearly at work in the selection of our lectionary texts.
75 years ago a little flock of 16 people of faith met in a house to set goals and make plans, trusting that with God’s help they could establish a church in this area. St Stephen’s Lutheran Church came into being as faith community located in the little church at the corner of Meadowbrook and 31st Streets. That original building is still the center of our church — it is now the Narthex or Gathering space. It is flanked by the Fellowship Hall and offices, and by this sanctuary.
Today we will be voting, whether to go ahead with A Place for Everyone — All Are Welcome Building Renovation Project. Some of us are excited and hope-filled. Some of us are anxious and worried. So let me remind you of the purpose of this project.
In 2015 our congregation council engaged in a strategic planning process. That process has resulted in 2 new staff positions (Minister for Faith Life, and Communications Coordinator), our neighborhood ministry partnerships, and this building renovation project. In 2016, the Strategic Working Group assessing building usage and access identified three pressing needs:
(1) ProperADAentry
(2) New restrooms accessible directly from the narthex. The working group noted that the the stalls in the women’s restroom are too small to accommodate a person using crutches, walker, wheelchair, or assisting a small child. The only diaper change station is in the men’s washroom.
(3) Enlarge and update the kitchen to meet current public health and safety standards so that we can hold fundraising dinners and make our facility available to community groups.
There have been hiccups and obstacles along the way, the biggest one being the COVID lock down in 2020. We have persevered because we know that these renovations are absolutely necessary in order to truly welcome and serve the most vulnerable members of our community, and to grow our ministries.
Has the BRT done its homework? Yes. They have come up with a scaled down construction plan that fits our budget. Does the CAT have a realistic proposal for financing this project? Yes. Based on the professional assessments of the ELCA’s Mission Investment Fund, this congregation has greater capacity to do this work than we give ourselves credit for. Are there uncertainties in undertaking a project of this scope? Yes, of course there are things that cannot be foreseen ahead of time.
Remember Jesus’ words: “Do not fear, little flock, because God your father was pleased to give you the kingdom.” We live out of the abundance and grace of God that frees us to give generously and serve graciously. Remember that faith rests on the really real of hoped-for things. Access for all people is a really real thing. It is also an essential part of our mission. Remember that faith convicts and nudges us to action even when we cannot see or predict every little detail.
Please pray with me.
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
