Sermon for Proper 21, Year B: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 and Mark 9:38-50
St. Faith’s Episcopal Church, Cutler Bay, Florida – September 27, 2009
Preacher: The Very Rev. Jennie Lou D. Reid+

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, *
O LORD, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.

I have church credentials. I have been to seminary, and I have been ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. You can see my official diplomas and certificates on the walls in my office. People often look to me to pray out loud – my husband even expects me to say the blessing at dinner nightly! I imagine I have spent more hours than most of you munching on Holy Scripture or crafting worship experiences or observing the pains and joys of this world and wondering what we can do to dispense more blessing here. But in the big picture of God’s Creation, I am just one of Jesus’ “little ones,” a human being traveling the pilgrim path with the walking stick of hope holding me up.

In the Episcopal Church with its bishops and priests and deacons, its deans, its Senior and Junior wardens and Vestry members, its parish administrators and Altar Guild directors, Sunday School coordinators, music directors and the rest, we can easily presume that the movers and the shakers of Christ’s church are the people with titles (and sometimes diplomas as well). This system suggesting hierarchy – with an attendant inner circle of the more holy ones – led Jonathan Swift, dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, to pen this little verse:

We are God's chosen few,
All others will be damned;
There is no place in heaven for you,
We can't have heaven crammed.

As long as we feel part of the “in” crowd, we may be lured to identify some others as outsiders, just so we feel a bit special. But today’s lessons remind us that God is sometimes made manifest outside “official” channels. Only those with ears attuned to possibility will discern the divine messages disguised in daily dialogue and activity.

In today’s reading from Numbers, we see Moses, the leader called by God from a burning bush, worn out from the stress of his service. In a “Calgon-take-me-away” mood, Moses tries to disclaim his grumbling fellow Israelites. With selective memory, they long for the good old days of slavery in Egypt, when the normal menu included diverse selections and savory delights. Now they have to make do with bland manna, even though it is the grace-filled bread of angels. God responds to Moses’ ranting with graceful provision – 72 team members to help Moses manage the rabble. The only problem is that two of these new leaders, Eldad and Medad, do not receive their authorization in the designated holy place – the tent of meeting – although they exhibit the identical sign of authority as those who gather in the tent: they prophesy. While Joshua, Moses’ assistant, wants to silence the “outsiders,” Moses recognizes that Eldad and Medad are bonus members of the leadership team. God has provided help in abundance! The Lord stirs Moses’ imagination, leading him to declare, “Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!”

Similarly centuries later his disciple John complains to Jesus that someone outside the Twelve is casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus declares in essence, “More power to him!” God’s vision is simply more expansive than ours – and more inclusive. The evidence of God’s blessing is there: the outsider is, by the power of Jesus’ name, actually casting out demons, a work that the twelve disciples have been challenged to accomplish! But Jesus did not come by him at the seashore or in the tax collector’s booth, look him in the eyes, and say, “Follow me!” And the disciples have trouble thinking outside the box of Jesus’ normal pattern for gathering disciples. Some even today want to cling to the way Jesus chose to act in the first century as if there is no contemporary alternative that is in harmony with Jesus’ intent. But Jesus calls whomever he wills, and ordinary lay persons express their heaven-sent vocations by offering powerful prayers (even at the family dinner table) and solid teaching and well-managed outreach projects and thoughtful conservation efforts and astounding insights. One does not need a diploma or a ceremony in order to make meaningful contributions in this world, to the glory of God.

During the next month we will experience the presence of God in each other as we engage in our Stewardship Campaign. St. Faith’s members will be hosting gatherings of small groups, facilitating conversation at those meetings, and sharing stories of the ways they have grown in their faith and in their giving to this community. Each Sunday one St. Faith’s parishioner will offer some memories of his or her life in the Church and his or her expression of Christian stewardship. This time of mutual reflection and renewed commitment will end with a blessing of our pledges on the last Sunday in October. Today you have an opportunity to sign up for one of the small group meetings, which are offered on a variety of days of the week, morning, afternoon, and evening. Please sign up for a gathering that works for you because this will reduce the number of telephone calls we need to make during the week. The meetings are intended to provide a time when we can identify together the gifts we have received from God, name the aspects of our common life we truly celebrate, and dream together about what St. Faith’s can become, with God’s help.

The dictionary defines stewardship as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” God has charged us human beings with the responsibility of managing Creation. Therefore, one challenge for us now is to consider what we can do in practical ways to serve as better stewards of the universe, especially in our patch of earth. As Jesus’ friends and members of Christ’s body, the Church, we are also charged with sharing the gospel with others and bringing them into the Church – inviting them, welcoming them and helping them to become involved. Together we will plan steps we intend to take in the coming year to grow our membership. In addition each of us will be looking closely at the bounty we have received from God’s generous hand. What has God done for you? Do you see only tasteless, mundane manna in God’s outstretched hand? Can you remember a time God listened to you – your ranting or your tears or your confusion? Have you felt God’s presence when you recognized an unhealthy pattern in your life, said “I’m sorry” and committed yourself to choosing a better way? Can you remember times God has connected you with others, for friendship or for support or for partnership in a common venture? Do you sense a time you gained a valuable insight and discern that it was God who flipped on the light switch? Have you become awake to some of your innate talents waiting for full expression?

Personal commitments we make to share our time, talent and treasure through the Church are rooted in our faith, which relates directly to our experience of God. As we remember God’s generous response to us, especially God’s friendship, forgiveness and faithful love, we want to respond with our own generosity. St. Faith’s will become fully alive when each member joins in Sunday worship and finds a way to be engaged during the week. When you bring food for coffee hour, donate groceries for the food pantry, or fold Sunday bulletins, you support our fellowship, our outreach, and our worship. When you write a newsletter article or set up the altar for a service or coordinate a youth event, you help us participate effectively. When you give St. Faith’s your money, you help us pay the bills, maintain our property responsibly, support our minimal staff, purchase educational resources, and send our members (both children and adults) to events which support their growth as Christians, as well as ours as they return and touch our lives. In addition, we financially support the work of our Diocese and the national Episcopal Church, who are inspiring all of us to engage seriously in mission, expressing compassion in action around the world.

I have church credentials. I am authorized to preach the gospel. But the best stewardship sermon I ever witnessed was proclaimed through a deed done by our son at age ten. One Sunday during my first year in seminary, our family goes to church at the parish where I am going to do my field work for the next two years. On the way to church we give Benjamine two dollars, which represents his allowance for a couple of weeks. We sit together in church – a rare opportunity for us, since Ben and I have been singing in the choir for decades, or serve as a lay reader once every month or two. When the offering plate comes around, Benjamine drops in his two dollars, then looks up and smiles at me. I want to say, “Stop. You don’t need to give all your money away. At least keep back one of the dollars.” But I say nothing at all. My child has shown me what trust in the goodness and provision of our divine parent looks like. Benjamine gives away all that he has because he is confident that even penniless, he will not be destitute. He is confident that his parents will provide all he really needs. And being generous is a delight for him. I am in awe.

What is God calling you to do this year? What is on your heart? What giving will bring you joy? In our Stewardship process, as we share our thoughts and listen to each other, we will encounter Jesus in our midst, even within the un-credentialed. Thanks be to God! Amen.