“A Sermon on the Amount”
Luke 9: 23-26
October 24, 1993
Most sermons begin with the teachings of Jesus. They typically start with some words from a parable or the sermon on the mount. Today’s topic focuses on the amount. So we will not start with scripture, instead we will begin by talking about money, your money and mine.
Let me say at the outset, this sermon on the amount is family talk and it’s R-rated, visitors and children need not listen.
It’s R-rated, not because of sexual violence, but because a sermon on the amount is a touchy subject. In the minds of some, it raises anxiety. In the minds of others, it raises indignation.
I attended a meeting on Monday of the Episcopal clergy in town. Almost all admitted that at this time of year, when money became a subject, attendance at church fell off significantly.
What is it about money that causes this reaction? Why is it that we are uncomfortable when the preacher announces his topic is on the amount? Possibly it is the hypocritical way I have handled this subject in the past. Many clergy stand in the pulpit and try to convince you that money isn’t important. don’t believe them. At other times, clergy will tell you it doesn’t matter what amount your pledge is, the church will make due. Don’t believe that. And finally, they will equate money as a gift, something small and insignificant, that you give out of surplus. Don’t you believe that.
Money matters. The amount you pledge matters. What you do with your money matters to God and to yourself. And let me go even further out on a limb and claim, money always has strings attached to it. In this consumer Society of ours, money talks. It’s an important commodity. And as a commodity, it can only be long, invested, or stolen but never really given away.
Let’s be honest, even when we’re taking the High Road, and talk about giving money away. There is always an expectation tied to that money. We expect some kind of return. One of the most frustrating experiences is to give money to a person or organization and find that it is been wasted or misused. We feel an acute sense of betrayal, of loss.
So what happens when you loan or invest an amount of money? The first thing is that you begin a relationship with another entity. No straight-thinking person simply forgets a loan or investment. Only the very, very old or foolish can afford to lose sight of a loan or investment. The next thing is that she becomes aware of the contract that has been established by the loan or investment. This contract, whether written or oral, is always present. Contracts, my lawyer friends tell me, are about behaviors, the accounting, the return in some form that one is expecting, the strings that are attached to the money very often make up the basis of the contract.
What then is involved when you make a contract by pledging an amount of money at canvas time? Now we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. As my favorite line from the movie Wall Street put it, it’s about bucks kid, and all the rest is conversation. So what do your bucks represent? What’s the return? What’s the contract?
The contract you make when you give an amount as a pledge is with God. And I want to impress upon you that any significant contract you make with God, if it’s real, it’s going to change your life. You’re going to see the world differently. You’re going to have different priorities. You’re going to find yourself becoming a different person. God will remake the image you have of yourself. I guarantee it. A significant pledge will make you view yourself in a different light.
As long as we’re talking about the contract, let me tell you about the fine print. In many contracts, in small print, you are informed of what the receiver will not do. While the fine print here says, God will not enter into a relationship of codependency with you.
Pop psychology has made us aware of the pitfalls of codependency. That’s why I shudder whenever a preacher tries to sell the snake oil of codependency to a congregation around canvas time. Codependency talks about giving an amount because we will gain God’s approval or we can be manipulated by God’s promise of success. Popular psychology tells us this is a sign of sickness, not health.
The contract with God is not, not, in any way, appeasing God or buying God’s favor. Our gospel reminds us that following God may be injurious to your health, your popularity, and your bank account. It may lead you to loss and suffering. The contract merely guarantees transformation; you will become a new person. You will be changed by a significant pledge and that you can count on.
The other part of the contract is with the church. And this part says that if you make a significant pledge, give more than a token amount, it will change your relationship to the church. You will become an owner, much more than a customer. You will see your money going into growth when used as a ticket of admission to a religious entertainment society. And if I were your stockbroker instead of your priest, I would advise you to go forward.
Inevitably, we have to cut back on our dreams. And whenever we defer dreams, we are all the losers in the long run. As Langston Hughes, the black poet, said, What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a Raisin in the sun? I’m not sure, but of this I am if we cut back or go for a less costly investment, there will be consequences. Either we’re growing or we’re dying. Either we reach out to our dreams or we fall headlong into nightmares. There is no in between. Either we’re giving and receiving at the same time to a great vision, or our money is being lifted from our pockets to pay for business as usual. This past summer I attended a wonderful dinner where the national church jubilee center. Nancy Bissell spoke in response to the presentation. She told a little history of this grassroots organization, and then she told the secret of its success. I wrote it down and it goes like this: every time someone gives, we make sure they also become a receiver. That’s the key to good stewardship: the recognition of the contract the giver is also the receiver.
Which brings us to the subject of the amount. How much are you to give to be a receiver? No creature can tell you the answer to that. No one can tell you what percentage of income is right and proper. The amount you put down on a pledge is alive and vibrant or dead, like a Raisin in the sun.
Let me conclude our thoughts with the story. There once were two people who were jealous of an old community leader. Had developed a reputation for being wise and also predicted the future. These two people devised a plot to humiliate the old man publicly. It was to work like this. They found a tiny bird just after it had been born and went up to the old man and said, we have this bird in our hand. Is it dead or alive? If the old wise person said it was dead, they would simply open their hands and show it was alive. If the old man said it was alive, they would gently squeeze the tiny bird and show it with dead. Either way, the old person was bound to be wrong. Confident of their plot, they approached and said, old man, we have a bird in our hands. Is it dead or alive?
After a long pause, the old person said softly, The answer my son and my daughter is in your hands.
A sermon on the amount, the answer, my son and my daughter, lives in your hands. Amen