What Is Your View of the Universe?

Mark 12:28-34

 

The stewardship ministry team has asked me to preach a sermon which will focus on our financial campaign. This sermon, plus the information you will receive in the tomorrow’s mail is intended to inspire your continued generosity which allows this Church to be a light in our wonderful valley. The problem is I find stewardship sermons to be redundant, counterproductive, and pretty much a waste of our valuable Sabbath time.

But the good news is today is more than Stewardship Sunday. It is also All Saints Day. We have taken a moment to remember the deaths of those good folks who have gone before us. Today is Reformation Sunday and I apologize for not including “A Mighty Fortress” as a hymn selection. In addition, the Stewardship and Building Ministry Teams have shared important information concerning our ongoing ministries which assist us in glorify God. Finally, and most important, today is a Communion Sunday and nothing, not even the Stewardship Ministry Team, shall stand in the way of us coming to the Table of Our Lord. Therefore today, as we celebrate life, and death, and everything in between, the stewardship meditation will be brief.

G. K. Chesterton, a famous English theologian of the early 20^th century might be better known to you as the creator of Father Brown, a Roman Catholic priest who spent a great deal of time solving murders. In one of the stories Father Brown was persuaded to take some vacation time down by the sea. Father Brown was advised that before agreeing to any accommodations he must ask two crucial questions. “Would the sheets be changed each night and would eggs and bacon be included with each breakfast?” Father Brown ignored the suggestion and said he would inquire about the proprietor’s view of the universe. His associate looked confused until the good Father explained. “If they have a good understanding of the universe they will automatically make sure my bed is changed and my breakfast adequate.”

In Mark 12 Jesus is asked, “What is your view of the universe” or in other words, “What is most important to you?” Jesus spoke the words daily uttered by any devout Jew. “Hear O Israel, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind.” Before the questioner could comment Jesus continued, “Furthermore, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

What Jesus did was cite two verses that essentially interpret every other biblical text. From the beginning we are told since God is love, we are commanded to love God and be a loving people. If you don’t love God, why believe in God?  If you don’t believe in love, why love others? Jesus then upped the ante by commanding we not only love our neighbors but we also love our enemies. That’s hard. Most of the enemies we actually know are our neighbors.

        So what is your view of the universe? Do you love God? I am going to take a giant leap and assume if you are here on this beautiful autumn day it has something to do with your relationship with God. The harder question is the one posed by the young lawyer, “Who is my neighbor?”

        Jesus, being well trained in the Torah, understood this concept to include more than that person living next door. Loving your neighbor means not exploiting or taking advantage of others, particularly those with less power or authority. In biblical language your neighbor includes the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the sojourner. According to Jesus, if you love your neighbor than you will change their sheets and make sure they have a good breakfast.

        I believe this church loves God. I believe because we love God, we trust each other, care for each other, listen to each other, worship and pray with each other.

        I believe this is a church that loves its neighbors. Some of you chop wood. Some of you feed the hungry. Some of you visit the sick. Some of you advocate for justice. Some of you go to prisons. Some of you knit gloves. Some of you donate clothes for the poor. Some of you care for God’s good earth and all of God’s good creatures. Some of you do more than one of the above and some of you are doing equally good things I failed to mention.

        Everyday I witness how much you love God and your neighbor by the way you participate in worship and the ways you are involved with God’s neighborhood. You are  generous with your donations of time and money.

        So here is my stewardship pitch. If your view of the universe is understood through the way you love God and your neighbor than I know you are going to change the bed and fry the bacon. Therefore I encourage you to not only keep doing what you are doing but to challenge yourself and those around you to do more.

        But if you struggle with the idea of loving God and neighbor then I invite you to be open to a conversion by the spirit of God. Don’t give a dime until your heart is committed to God’s path of love and righteousness. God’s not after your money. What God desires is a transformation toward loving God’s creation more than you love yourself.  When this occurs, you will instantly know it because giving will become a joy and not an obligation.           TGBTG, Amen.