Open Invitation
A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli at St. Matthew’s UMC October 9, 2011, the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and the beginning of “Enough” financial stewardship focus.
Texts: Exodus 32:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14
Sometimes it seems folks are much more eager to criticize and find fault than we are to celebrate or look for good news. Perhaps it’s our training from the news media whose tendency is to play up the negative, breeding fear and discontent and where we are increasingly aware of the “spin” that makes trusting any message a profound act of either faith or stupidity. My guess is that many complex factors work together to lead us so often to expect bad news and malicious intent. Unfortunately, one of those factors is that sometimes our worst fears are confirmed as persons manipulate and take advantage of us or others. But it seems to me that if we’re not careful, we can allow our suspicions and fears to bar us from the ability to see that there might actually be some good news around—and even some well-meaning people! Living in fear and distrust and suspicion is a pretty crummy way to go through life and it is NOT what God wants for us. Paul’s words to the church at Philippi make this very clear—we are invited not to focus on the negatives and on our fears but rather “whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
But this lovely admonition is sandwiched between two other scriptures that may lend themselves to a focus on the negative. There is a choice, however, in how to read these scriptures. The scripture from Exodus might be read by some as one more proof that God is angry, violent, and jealous. On the other hand, we might read the story as a story of God’s love—a love that is so wounded by the betrayal of those he loves that he reacts with passion and intensity—only to remember his love and ultimately respond with mercy, patience, and compassion.
Today’s parable from Matthew may also seem at first glance like a pretty scary story. Where’s the good news? Based on our experiences of weddings, we might read this parable and be confused or even angry at what happens. Why would the King invite everyone just to turn around and kick someone out because they don’t have the right clothes? If we continue with that line of questioning, we could easily end up interpreting the story in a way that ends up sounding like bad news instead of good news. But when we study this parable deeply and fully, we discover that a once-familiar custom at weddings was that the host would offer each guest a wedding robe. The writer of the Gospel of Matthew emphasizes “walking your talk” as a disciple of Jesus. And so, in this allegorical parable, the wedding robe symbolizes “putting on Christ,” being a follower of Jesus in both word and deed (being “all in”).
The gospel writer is trying to teach his church and ours that once you’ve responded to the initial invitation to come to God’s banquet, there is another invitation…and another and another. In order for us to bear fruit as persons, as a church, we can’t just show up; we need to take the next step and “walk our talk.” The good news is that we are invited to put on a new “robe”—a new way of living and loving in Jesus Christ. This is a good gift, a free gift, and one that helps us. Refusing God’s good gift is a choice that will end up robbing us of life and joy and fruitfulness—we might even find ourselves bound hand and foot by our foolish choices, imprisoned by regret and despair. When it comes right down to it, we know that there’s no good reason not to accept the gift. It’s no wonder that the man in today’s story was speechless when he was asked why he wasn’t wearing the robe!
Some of us here today have been, allegorically-speaking, “at the banquet and wearing the robe” for a long time. Others are new to the party: today we welcome several children into the banquet through the sacrament of Holy Baptism and receive others into covenant as well…all coming from different places and all at different stages of their journeys of faith—just like you and me! The good news is that at each and every stage, we keep getting new invitations… God’s grace is like that. Again and again God extends invitations to new experiences and new learning so that we might become more like Christ—more free, more joyful, more faithful, more ourselves.
Today a new invitation is extended to all of us. That invitation is to read and pray and discuss and ponder the biblical foundation for how we manage our financial resources. The tools that we are using to engage this study are found in the book and video resource entitled Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity. For five weeks, we are providing a couple of organized options each week for you to come together in small groups with other members of your church family to discuss the ideas and issues that are raised by the study materials. As pastor, I am hopeful that this congregation-wide study model might be perfected by our experience this time and used for other study and reflection topics in the future. This particular topic and resource was selected for several reasons. The resource was chosen for its relevance to our continuing economic situation and for its clear biblical and theological basis. And stewardship education and practice is one of the areas identified by you in your strategic planning process as needing attention. A Stewardship Committee was formed last year that has been developing the “Four T’s” model of whole-life stewardship: time, talent, treasure, and terrestrial care. The plan is to focus on each of these areas at different times during each year. Early next year we’ll offer an environmental stewardship study called Green Church and in the spring we will focus on how the resources of our time and talent can be offered to God and others. The fall season is when we have chosen to focus on the stewardship of our finances since this is when we are all invited to consider our estimate for what we will contribute financially to the church for the upcoming year. Providing resources to aid in this discernment seems to make sense. And—may I “keep it real?”— I know that there are some folks who have said or thought, “With this Enough study ‘they’ are just trying to get more money out of us.” This is one way to receive what is being offered, and I understand some of why folks might feel this way. I’m under no illusion that my saying this is not the intention of the study will necessarily convince some folks or change minds.
However, I’m going to say it anyway. The intention of this study is not to manipulate you or trick you or pressure you or make you feel guilty. The intention of this study IS to provide a resource through which we can, together, have a faithful, spiritually mature conversation with God and one another about our personal relationship to our money and possessions in light of biblical teachings and to consider how, with God’s help, through prayer, reflection, and planning, each one of us might better manage our resources so that we can do what God put us on earth to do. My ultimate hope is that our study and reflection and practice of intentional financial stewardship will deepen our faith in God. All of that is to say, this study is provided as a resource, both practical and spiritual, for each of us to use as we seek to follow Jesus and grow in discipleship and faith. As one member of the planning team said recently, “if we help anyone gain insight into what is truly important then we have succeeded.”
Friends, today we are reminded that once you’ve responded to the initial invitation to come to God’s banquet, there is another invitation and another and another as we learn and grow and deepen our spiritual walk with Christ. The table has been set (a lot of prayer and work has gone into the preparations!) for each one of us to participate in this new conversation through reading, prayer, and/or small group sharing. We are all issued an open invitation to bring our questions, our experience, our compliments and critiques of the material, our prayerful and thoughtful engagement to the table. My hope is that we might all be willing to accept the invitation with an open and grateful heart, looking for the gift that is being offered and listening for the good news.
