Exodus 17: 1-7
We are so lucky that through our Saint Paul Area Synod, we have access to Stewardship resources each year. We have a consultant/trainer and we get to learn with others from congregations throughout the Saint Paul Area Synod. So… in the past few years, as we have learned as part of the Stewardship in all Seasons cohort, we have picked our themes—“Becoming New” was our theme last fall and “Share Life” was the theme that we liked so much that we used it for 2-3 years. This year, all of us in the Stewardship training cohort are using the same theme—Building a Culture of Generosity. We didn’t pick it ourselves, but it’s a good one because even if we have been practicing giving for years, it’s meaningful to take a look occasionally at our practices of giving to remember. Why do we give? Who inspired us to give? Why does this ministry in and out from 105 University Avenue West matter so much right now—in this particular time and place?
So in the next few weeks, you are going to get to hear a few short yet meaningful reflections from our members—those who have been here for years and those who are newer to this community of faith and hear who inspires them and why gathering together as church makes a difference. We’ll share these messages in a variety of ways—in worship, in written formats, and on social media, including through our Facebook page—so if you’re on Facebook, be sure to watch for these stories and share them with your circle of friends. In a time and cultural moment where there is such a need for loving community, you never know who among your friends and neighbors may really want to hear what it means to you to have an intergenerational faith community, people who are always working to get to know one another more deeply and meaningfully, people who are listening for God and serving in love.
As I’ve been collecting the first stories on behalf of our Stewardship team, I’ve been thinking about my own reasons for investing in this congregation. Why do I give to Christ on Capitol Hill? Well, first let me talk about the generations who inspired me. My grandparents sat next to me in church. My grandma sang the hymns beautifully. My grandpa made a joyful noise. On Wednesdays throughout the year, they stopped by the church to “clean the pews.” In the summers, my brother and I joined them because we loved to use the electric pencil sharpener. It was these practices of going to worship and finding ways to serve that were the grounding patterns for a life of faith. Now, life patterns have really changed for so many of us—still, when we arrive in these doors, we can expect to be welcomed without judgement. If we have complaints, someone will listen and sympathize… or listen and pray for us… or listen and offer encouragement and support, sometimes even a way to meet the need. When we arrive on Sundays, we know that there will be times for reflection, laughter, music, prayer, sharing a meal and a cup of tea or coffee, someone who sees and doesn’t mind our tears. We have a community unlike the usual circles where people join together out of shared interests or a common history—here, we are gathered together as one body in spite of many significant differences—yet we practice love for one another in spite of differences that in other arenas might divide us. Landlords are in conversations with tenants who are having trouble with their landlords. Eighty-year-olds talk face to face with teens. Rich and poor give what they can so that we can support ministries far beyond this place in meaningful, life-changing ways. God brings us together to learn a way of life that is different, that is sustaining, that is transformative.
People come and go, commit for a time and then move on—and this is both joyful and painful. This week, I visited Chuck Engleking at his new home in Blaine and as a way to try to connect with him, I was looking through ten years of pictures, finding pictures of him when he was active here. Some of you know the history—many years ago, Chuck was part of the special needs Confirmation class that Arnie Kolstad taught in spite of the fact that some people thought it wasn’t important and Chuck has been a devoted member here ever since. For many, many years, he carried the Ethiopian cross in and out of every worship service, leading a procession that on very special days included pastors, worship leaders, guests and acolytes—sometimes, even festive poles with ribbons on them. But even on ordinary Sundays, Chuck carried the cross (you can see a photo out in the display cabinet) until he was no longer able to safely do it. Chuck “helped the pastor” not only by carrying the cross but by letting me know it was time to pray before every service. He would tell me or the intern or sometimes the worship leader, “You pray.” And we would follow his instructions. Looking over 10 years of photos of all who have come and gone from this place, there are a lot of emotions. Incredible sadness for those who we loved and miss. Incredible gratitude for each one who we have shared a sliver of life doing ministry beside.
This congregation has always been full of all kinds of generosity—all kinds of giving. What “Building a Culture of Generosity” hopes to remind us is that we are always invited to grow in our giving. When we invest as we are able, our hearts expand with love for this gathering and for all the good we are able to do together. There is absolutely no expectation that we give money here when we are barely able to make ends meet. If we are in that situation, we need to use our resources to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. But God has also put people here who have more than enough money, and God invites those who have more to give to invest in all this goodness. This fall, we hope to gather enough in our giving so that we can send youth to the ELCA National Youth Gathering without financial hardship for any family whose teen is willing to go. This fall, we hope to gather enough in our giving so that we can replenish the scholarship funds that go to support high school students we sponsor in Tanzania that are so grateful to us for helping to pay their school fees. This fall, we hope that you will prayerfully consider your intentions for giving and share those with us on Commitment Sunday—when we give deep thanks for everyone’s commitments to love and community lived out within and far beyond these walls.
In the part of the story of the Exodus that we hear today, the people are in the wilderness, really fearful about whether they will survive. They are so afraid that they go after their leader, Moses, and he’s praying to God for his life—because their basic needs are not being met and he doesn’t know what to do—the situation’s desperate. And God listens, again. God led them to freedom, protected them from danger, fed them when they were hungry and now, they find water where no one would expect. So, “Is the Lord among us or not?” This is the question that we have the opportunity to answer in this season, as God cares for us, cares for this community… helps us believe in God’s deep generosity and invites us to invest in such a way that we grow deeper in faith, deeper in love, deeper in generosity.
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