Glad and Generous Hearts
DATE: October 25, 2009
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:41-47
I have always loved this morning's passage from the book of Acts. It follows on the heels of the story of Pentecost, that grand and glorious day when the apostles and other followers of Jesus finally come out of hiding. For fifty days they have been holed up in the upper room after Jesus death and resurrection. They face the very real prospect of being arrested as Jesus' co-conspirators. But suddenly they recognize that God is with them. In the colorful language of wind and flames, Luke describes this gift of the Holy Spirit. Encouraged and empowered, they go out and preach the good news about Jesus, and, in turn, attract many others to the Jesus way of life.
Pentecost is often called the birthday of the church and our passage tells us how the early church went about its business. What is so striking is its simplicity! There are no by-laws, no committees. They don't set a budget, or worry about building maintenance—they don't have a building! There is no paid clergy, no paid staff—folks support themselves in their usual fashion, making tents, catching fish, laying stone, and do their work for the church as an expression of their faith. They shared all they had with one another, they made sure the widows and orphans were taken care of. They worshipped together, and ate together and most importantly prayed together. So simple, so straightforward.
Sometimes, in my more wistful moments, I wish things were like that again. Sometimes I think it would be easier, purer, truer to the gospel. But that isn't the way it is. It hasn't been that way for centuries. Some scholars even question whether it ever was that simple, or if rather, out of a sense of nostalgia, Luke has created this near perfect picture of the earliest days of the church.
Whatever the case, though, there is much to learn from this passage, including the basic components of being the church. For in this text we see all four elements of what it means to be the church. There is proclamation, the preaching of the word. There is teaching, sharing the stories of Jesus, and of those who went before him. There is fellowship, the simple sharing of life and food and friendship. And there is service, the carrying out of Jesus' command to love our neighbors in our actions, not merely in words. Our Church Council has been spending some time thinking about these components of our life together as a church. They are the building blocks of any congregation.
But there is also another item of note in this passage. For as important as preaching, teaching, fellowship and service are to the life of a church, it's not just what you do, it's how you do it. It's right there in verse 46, for Luke tells us they did all these things with "glad and generous hearts." Isn't that a lovely phrase? These folks who had given up everything to be part of the early church, these folks who were probably scorned by their neighbors and ran the risk of persecution by the Romans, did all they did with glad and generous hearts.
One of my many tasks every day is reading and answering dozens of e-mail messages. This past week I got a message from our Church Clerk, Janet Canning, asking me to review the list of Memorial Services for this past year before she made her final entries in the official church records. AS I read through the names on her list, I realized it was a compilation of folks with glad and generous hearts! Members of our congregation who gave so much to our life and work!
Bud Long, who is perhaps best remembered for leading the Closing Circle at our beach services, but who also spent hours and hours of his time trimming hedges and bushes and cleaning up the church grounds.
Marge Mueller, who made many of the nametags being worn this very morning, who provided us with a sterling example of courage, fortitude and good cheer in the face of adversity.
Edna Yergin, who over her many, many years served this church in more ways than we can remember, but most notably perhaps, in sharing her culinary talents: her cakes were legendary, her communion bread fed us month after month—and just the other day someone mentioned her exquisite Easter eggs, made year after year for her beloved choir.
Manny Gallo, who served so faithfully on our Board of Trustees more than once over the course of his time with us. His smile was dazzling, it made you want to smile—and his expertise shared most freely.
Alicia Ogilvy, who quietly graced our pews and gave of her artistic talent without reservation. So many beautifully crafted items came from her workroom for the benefit of the church.
Dorothy Bryce, who not only lit up many a stage, but lit up our sanctuary. She approached life with a zest and energy that left younger folks in her wake. The list of her gifts of time, talent and treasure to our congregation is too long to enumerate here save to remind us all, if it could be done as a full production, Dorothy took it on!
Ed See, who served as the very first Moderator of our church, back in the sixties when that office was created. Who gave freely of his legal expertise, who served on various boards and committees, who laid the legal groundwork for Evergreen Cemetery's restoration. And most of all, who simply made you feel like somebody really cared about who you were.
And Orvis Yingling, the compost king! One of the leaders in our efforts as a congregation to pay attention to the environment. One of the folks who helped us understand that being old doesn't mean you stop learning. One of the folks who, by example, helped us all be a bit more gracious.
Each and every one of these saints of our congregation gave of themselves with glad and generous hearts. Each and every one of these women and men helped build up the foundation of our congregation. And because of their example, their work and their gifts, along with those of thousands who went before them, we are who we are today.
Our Stewardship Committee has reminded us this fall how financially dependent we are on the generosity of our seniors, our older members. And for that we are most, most grateful. I would personally thank each one, save the fact that most of them would be embarrassed to be singled out. For they understand that it is a group effort! They understand that it takes all of us working together to make Saugatuck what it is, and what it can be. It takes those members who have been here a lifetime, those who just joined our ranks this morning—and every one in between.
These are challenging times. These are moments when many face financial difficulties including our own congregation. Just to stay the course we will need to see an increase in total pledging this year. Some will be able to give more than others. Some far more. But we can all give to the best of our ability—and we can all choose to give with glad and generous hearts.
In that same e-mail from Janet Canning, she listed the baptisms from this past year: Kate Bulkely, Gavin Jamali, Kathryn Weiss, Hunter Menoni, Katlina Giaume, Lilianna Giaume, Kate Banks, Julian Jendrock, Olivia Jackson. Those who are the future of the church.
You see, when we give with glad and generous hearts we not only honor those who have gone before , we also provide for those who will be here long after we've stepped of f this mortal coil.
Wistfulness about the early church notwithstanding, there are some real advantages to being a pastor in the 21st century. Some of those are even expressed in e-mail. This week, for instance, someone whose family had been helped out in many ways this past year sent me an electronic message that read in part: "What a marvelous and generous community you have at Saugatuck." And so we do. This week, as you receive your pledge card in the mail, might you demonstrate once again, just how true that is. Might you give with a glad and generous heart.
Amen.
John H. Danner