It Matters

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 14th 2010
Stewardship Dedication Sunday
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
“It Matters!”

“If you don’t work, you don’t eat!” That is the heart of the scripture reading. And yet it is a passage that should cause us to pause and ask what is really being said. Some who hear this passage will say: “Of course, that is what is wrong with (fill in the gap with your favorite group.)” Others will say: “Of course I would work if anyone would hire me.” And still others might say: “I cannot work anymore does that mean I will starve?” Add to this our current culture climate of personal responsibility, rugged individualism, and political polarization and this passage becomes a mine field. On top of this, I chose this passage for stewardship commitment Sunday. I have to say that choice seemed wiser months ago.
The community which heard these words was in turmoil. This turmoil was external and internal. From the outside came persecution. The outside world just could not understand these strange followers of the crucified Jesus who shared so much in their common life. And from the inside the turmoil focused around community life. Too many people misinterpreted the teaching about the coming of the kingdom of God. If Jesus was coming back soon there was little reason to get married, or to work. As a result many folks had ceased to work. The growing ranks of the idle was draining resources and straining nerves.
On top of this, those who were not working moved into the ranks of Paul calls: “Busybodies.” It appears that people in the community became busybodies or meddlers because they had little else to worry about. Instead of using their gifts to support the struggling community they found ways to focus on the minutia of other peoples’ lives. These folks were stirring up trouble while at the same time they were not contributing to the up building of the community. All of the gifts they had been given by God were focused not on edification but on sharing their “wisdom” of how everyone else should be doing their work and living their lives. I wish I was exaggerating on this point but the Greek word really means people who meddle in the affairs of others. This particularly means the meddling in others affairs of which they are not directly related.
This teaching of Paul is not simply about getting people to mind their own business or even to put everyone to work. Instead, the goal was the health of the community. The idleness which leads to meddling has a toxic effect in any community. The resentment which is bread and grows in that sort of environment is something we have all experienced at some point in our lives. And if you have not yet, you will. As a result of this understanding, Paul demands that the complainers be put to work. He does so not simply because it is good for the idlers, but because it will determine the health and even faithfulness of the community as a whole. After all, if only a few people do all they work it will not be long before people get resentful.
If we are honest with one another, this communitarian ethic is strange and can even seem dangerous in a society built on the myth of the individual. Shared responsibility as an extension of shared benefits can quickly get labeled as socialism or communism. But, if the sharing of resources, the extension of benefits based on need and not ability to produce is socialism then the early church was exactly that. But it was more than that. The scripture says, those who do not work do not eat. The scripture does not say, those who cannot work do not eat. This distinction is important. Paul expects those who are able to work and be productive and active members of the community to do so. To act in any other way, he says, is an act of selfishness and faithlessness. But, Paul also expects the community to support those who are not able to work or to fend for themselves. This vision for community is at the heart of any strong healthy community and community of faith.
While it might seem strange or even heavy handed to say things like “those who do not work do not eat,” on a stewardship commitment Sunday I think it is the perfect message. For our community to grow more deeply in faith each one of us has a hand in making it happen. Each one of us in this community has something, gift or resource, that will make a difference to the vitality of this community. I have seen amazing generosity of time and money in the most surprising ways. I know people who may not be able to get out for worship, or others who have very little financial resources beyond making sure food gets on the table, but they offer the generosity of their prayers and their service. But I have also seen resentment when others those who could give more of themselves and do not.
In our community and on this Sunday I do not stand here to twist arms or to levy guilt. Instead I want to remind each one of us that we matter. Each one of us makes this community a better place. We need your gifts not just to pay the light bill. We need the gift of your presence, your wisdom, your involvement, and your skills. Learning to live in a community with others is a hard thing. But the gifts of relationship, transformation, struggle, and growth are just as much a part of life in this community as anything else. So let us make this the year where we focus on what we do have and who we are and give from the places of our abundance. Each one of us has something we can share. It will take all of us giving of ourselves from the gifts we have been given by God to continue on our journey to live out God’s vision for this community of reconciliation. Will you join me this year? Amen! Amen.