Homily of The Rev. Dr. David A. Killian, Rector
All Saints Parish
Brookline, Massachusetts
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 23, 2011
Scripture: Matthew 23:34-46
I
Today is Gift Sunday in our parish. In a few moments we will take part in a sacramental action. A sacrament, we recall, has something outward and visible and also something inward and invisible. The outward, visible part is the procession of people to the altar placing their stewardship pledge cards in the offering bowl. This outward action symbolizes our inner, spiritual commitment to give ourselves in love to God and our neighbor. The outward part symbolizes what is going on inside. The internal part is personal and spiritual between us and God. The external part also is important because it shows that together we are taking action to build the blessed community.
My thoughts today focus on three teachers, Moses, Martin, and Steve. First, Moses. In today's first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses goes up Mount Nebo and sees the Promised Land. Moses himself will not enter the Promised Land, but he was able to see the new land for his people. They will go forward because of what he has done for them.
Secondly, Martin, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On the night before he was killed, Martin Luther King said that he was not afraid to die because he had been to the mountain and that he had seen the Promised Land. He had seen the progress in justice and equality that would come to African Americans in the coming decades. He was full of hope because he knew that his people would enjoy a better life in the years to come.
Third, Steve, Steve Jobs, who died a few weeks ago. People who never met Steve Jobs felt a connection to him because they used a Mac computer, an iPhone, an iPad, and IPod, or saw a Pixar movie. A few days after his death my wife Barbara emailed a YouTube video of Steve Jobs' commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Stanford University. She said, "Watch this video; it will only take 15 minutes." Well, I like to pay attention to my wife's suggestions, so I watched it and found that Steve Jobs had some moving reflections about life and death.
He talked about being told that he had pancreatic cancer and that he might have three to six months to live. When you receive news like that, he said, it focuses your mind. You realize that life is short. He resolved to live each day as if it were his last day. At the beginning of the day, he said to himself, his could be the last day of my life – what do I want to do today to be worthy of the last day? At the end of the day, he asked himself, Were the things I did today worthy of the last day of my life? He lived not for the three or six months that had been initially allotted to him, but for another seven years. He tried to make each day count, to make each day worthy of the gift of life that had been given to him.
II
What would it be like if you and I lived each day as if it were our last day? What would we deem worthy as a response to the gift of life that has been given to us? Our Loving Creator has given us the gift of life. What is my response? In one word, my response is stewardship. Stewardship is everything that I do after I affirm that my life comes to me from God.
If God has given me everything that I have, then, of the 100% that God has given me, what percent do I want to give back? Here I am talking not about the financial gift that I give back, but rather, what part of my inner spirit, my inner attitude do I want to give back? In today's Gospel, Jesus says that we are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Jesus is telling us to give 100% back of the gift that God has given us.
On the cross, when he was dying, Jesus said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." He doesn't give 25%, 50%, or 90% of his spirit. He gives 100% and he calls us to do the same – to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Only I can give 100% of my love back to God. You cannot do it for me and I cannot do this for you. This is my first stewardship response – to give the inward gift of my attitude and my love to God.
III
Secondly, I am asked to give a portion of my income and wealth. What percentage of my financial income and assets do I want to give back to God? Here the answer also could be 100% in the sense that I want to use all of my financial resources in a responsible way as a loving, compassionate, and ethical person.
But then there is a third question, what percentage of my income and financial assets should I give to charity? The Bible says that we should give 10%. Some people are able to give more than 10%. Some give less. I would ask each of us today to calculate the percentage of your income that you now give to charity – and to increase that by one per cent. Our Vestry members have pledged themselves to strive for the tithe, 10%, and many have been increasing the percent each year so that now they are at 10%.
In my first years as your Rector at All Saints Parish, I have to admit that I did not contribute 10% of my income. However, over the years I was inspired by example of lay members of our parish who tithed. I started increasing my pledge by one percent a year – and found that this did not create a hardship for me or my family. Several years ago my pledge was able to be a tithe, 10%, but then I asked myself another question, "Are you a joyful giver?" The epistle to Timothy says, "God loves a cheerful giver." I didn't want to do the tithe grudgingly or reluctantly – as though God were twisting my arm and forcing this gift from me. No, it had to be a joyful and happy thing to do – so that I would actually feel unhappy if I was not making this gift.
Charles LaFond a few weeks ago spoke about imitating God who is Giver, Creator and Lover. If we are children of God, we imitate God when we give, create and love.
And so this is my prayer for you today. That you will make a pledge to All Saints Parish. That you will pledge a percent of your income. That you will increase this amount by one percent each year. And that you will experience great happiness and joy in making your gift knowing that you are giving back freely to God for the great gift of life that has been given to you. Amen.