 |
 |
 |
Joy of GivingA Sermon of The Rev. Dr. David A. Killian, Rector October 31, 2004 Text: Luke 19:1-10 I Do you notice a connection between today's Gospel story and the events that have preoccupied us in Boston the past few weeks? Perhaps you were downtown yesterday for the Red Sox victory parade and you were ten rows back. Like Zacchaeus in today's Gospel passage, you might have been looking for a sycamore tree or something else to climb up on so you could get a glimpse of your heroes as they rode by. We can identify with Zacchaeus who climbed a tree because he so desperately wanted to see Jesus. And if you were able to see your favorite players riding by in the duckboats and one of them -- Pedro, Manny, Johnny Damon, or David Ortiz -- spies you in the crowd and says, "Hurry and come down; I must stay at your house today," how would you feel? You would probably feel like Zacchaeus did. You were hoping just to get a glimpse of your heroes. Now, you are being singled out for something special. And so, the Gospel tells us, Zacchaeus hurries down from the sycamore tree and is happy to welcome Jesus. II Who is this Zacchaeus fellow any way? Well, he was a tax collector. He was not part of the religious establishment. He was not considered a righteous man. Religiously, he would have been seen as a loser, an inferior, a pariah. Some might have said derisively, "he's from losersville!" Some may even have thought he was cursed -- because he was a tax collector. Zacchaeus is an apt symbol for the woes of the Red Sox from 1918 to a week ago. But, look how quickly things can change. He's not from losersville anymore. Jesus doesn't think he is cursed. If Zacchaeus thought he was cursed, Jesus' clear message is that the curse is over and it is time to celebrate and rejoice. "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost." Jesus loves all people, but it seems that he has a special interest in saving those who are lost, those who thought they were from losersville, those who may even have felt cursed. Sometimes we get attached to the idea of ourselves as victims and losers. We need to readjust our thinking to see that God likes us and wants to spend time with us and that we are blessed and privileged to receive God into our house. This is what we do when we receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. God comes to dwell in our house. Now back to the parade and the scenario I described of Manny or Pedro or some Red Sox star coming to your home. You take your Red Sox hero to your home as Zacchaeus took Jesus to his. You enjoy a wonderful meal together, you talk about how horribly you formerly felt year after year when the Red Sox got close, but couldn't win the final game. Then you relive the exciting moments of this year's victories over the Yankees and Cardinals. And as you are feeling so terrific, you magnanimously decide you want to give something back. You want to make a donation to the Jimmy Fund or something else. You feel that you have received so much, you want to give generously in return. III Today, as you know, is Gift Sunday, when we pledge our time, talent, and treasure. I ask you, could we have any better example of stewardship giving than Zacchaeus? Instead of giving 10% of his earnings, the tithe required for observant Jews, Zacchaeus gives half of his possessions to the poor. And if he has defrauded any, he pays them back four times as much. Zacchaeus is fulfilling the injunction we heard in today's reading from Isaiah: "Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." I don't think many of us are able to give half of our possessions to the poor. But Zacchaeus can move us beyond our usual comfort zone to at least begin thinking about the tithe. What would it be like if I gave 10% of my earnings back to God? What would that feel like? Could it give me freedom in my approach to money? Could it give me joy in expressing gratitude for the abundance in my life? If I can't go as far as the tithe, can Zacchaeus get me to proportional giving? Could I give 1%, 2% or 3% of my earnings to God? For me, these are not merely rhetorical questions. I would like to be a bit personal now -- and tell you about my pledge decision. As someone who was raised a Roman Catholic, I had to learn a whole new vocabulary: words like stewardship, tithe, and proportional giving. I have been learning a lot these past few years, especially from the lay members of our parish who tithe. I have increased the proportion of my income given to All Saints each of the 12 and half years that I have been your rector. I have been getting closer and closer to the tithe. I am so close, that this year I had to ask myself, what is holding me back? Why not just do it? Sometimes, you just have to go for it. Give it try. See how your life will change. This year, I will join the half dozen or more members of All Saints who tithe. Several have told me about the freedom which tithing gives them. Tithing gives them a different attitude about money and a different attitude about God. As they explain, "I tithe not because of the church's needs, even though the church has many needs. Rather I tithe because of my need to respond generously to God for the abundance God has given me." Tithing is a concrete act of placing one's trust in God. Tithing is free decision. A joyful decision. A freeing decision. Tithing is a spiritual teacher. I am going to tithe this year -- and I invite you to join me in this commitment. If you cannot give the tithe of 10% this year, then please give at least 2% of your income as your gift to God. A sage once taught, "The unworthy person develops his wealth at the expense of his character; the mature person develops his character by means of his wealth." I look at Zacchaeus and I see a person who was free enough to climb a tree and risk embarrassment to see Jesus. He was free enough to follow his spirit and to give generously to the poor. May he inspire all of us to that same freedom and generosity today. Amen.
|
||