All Saints Sunday
Grace Lutheran Church
Lakeland, FL
November 6, 2022
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 149
Ephesians 1:11-23
Luke 6:20-31
Please pray with me – May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Unlike most Sundays, the text for today is not found in one of the scheduled readings. The text for our consideration is these words from Ephesians: I pray that, according to the riches of God’s glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love. The theme for our 2022 Stewardship Appeal – the Heart of Grace – is drawn from these words.
As we were looking at the calendar and making plans for the various events and dates of our Appeal, we noted of course that we were planning the kick-off for All Saints Sunday. And that is certainly fitting, isn’t it. As we remember the saints we have loved, the saints we have admired, the saints who have been part of our growth in faith, the saints of times long past who have helped shape the Church of which Grace in Lakeland is a part, we reflect on the many shoulders on which we stand. And, then, necessarily, we are drawn to consider those who will come after us, those who will stand on our shoulders.
During our appeal, your Council is reading a book titled, “Abundance – Creating a Culture of Generosity.” Abundance and generosity, two important concepts for us to consider. Two concepts tied to finances and money and wealth and possessions. And, we all know how much we DON’T want to speak about finances and money in any personal way. It’s said that we don’t talk with others about politics or religion; I think it’s safe to add money to that list as well.
I’ve thought a bit about why that is the case. I rather think it is because our feelings of worth and pride are very closely tied to the balance in our checking account. And when we look at that number sometimes there is a sense of shame – shame that it isn’t as much as our neighbor’s. And then there is a tendency to clutch it and hold it close. Maybe no one will ever know the truth. And then along with the secrecy of it all, often there is a nagging sense of worry and “what-if-ism.” Will there be enough for my retirement? Will there be enough for me to leave something to my children and grandchildren. Will there be enough for me to give the kind of Christmas to my loved ones that I hope to. Will there be enough?
I asked those questions after Earl died. We didn’t have IRAs or CDs or even much of a savings account. And so, with love and respect in my heart, I can say that Earl was one who worried – who asked “Will it be enough?” Throughout our married life, we paid the ordinary bills, had some pretty hefty medical hits, lived through being defrauded in a business we bought and lost a lot. Yet, we gave regularly, though not generously, to the church we were part of.
When I came to Lakeland, there were many uncertainties in my life – new town, new congregation. Yet another apartment. Will I ever be able have my own home again. And over the months and now years that we are together – months of getting to know each other before BAM! Covid changed everything -- and now getting our feet under us again. Through all of this, the Heart of Grace has swelled with love and care for each other and for our community and for those in need in our world.
Over the years since Earl’s death, I see that I am moving from worry to wonder – not worrying about what is ahead but instead wondering about how my stretch in generosity might make a difference. Realizing that the balance in my checking account is not the measure of my worth or value. Coming to understand that I do not need to clutch it all close. Trusting that God can and will do amazing things when I relax my grip on it all.
Let’s think about a couple of things. Certainly, none of us should be reckless with that which God has entrusted to us. We are called to be wise and responsible. Neither should we clutch it close as our own personal possession. As we think and ponder and wonder and pray, it may be that God is calling us to a new level of generosity.
I’d like you to think about generosity in the Bible. First is the remarkable outpouring of God’s love and grace to each of us individually and to all of us as a community of faith. This is the Heart of Grace.
At the beginning of time, there was chaos and darkness and through God’s gracious hand, all that is, was created, both seen and unseen, and the beauty of nature and of relationships surround us. Remember God’s people hungry in the wilderness – and voila! There was manna. And they were thirsty and the rod hit the rock and there was water. There was the widow and her son who were in dire straits in the midst of a drought and famine and Elisha came and food was provided until crops returned. When Jesus was surrounded by thousands upon thousands, the little offering of five loaves and two fish turned into a feast – with leftovers!
Our God is a god of abundance and generosity! Have you not seen it in your life and in the lives of those you love? Certainly there are times of need – God never promised that there wouldn’t be. But the abundance of God’s grace and the generosity of God’s people reaches us in those times.
It has been said that abundance is not a condition, not a state of being, but is instead a mindset; a mindset that recognizes the One who provides us with everything and that everything is not just enough for us but also enough for us to share.
And generosity springs from this mindset because one has learned that the real joy of material wealth lies in the ability to share it with others for the good of others. We were created for this generosity. Did you know that when we are generous, whatever the size of the gift, be it large or small, our body and brain change. Our body temperature rises. The presence of oxytocin and endorphins – the pleasure hormones in our brains – their levels increase. You’ve heard of the Runner’s High? Well, there is also a Giver’s High.
So, several months ago, I looked at Paul’s words to the Christians in Corinth: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion. I looked at what I was giving and made up my mind and increased my offering to this community of faith. Recognizing God’s abundance, I could see that not only do I have enough, I also have enough to share, more. And I can tell you – that Giver’s High is real. – And that high itself also is a gift from the hands of a God who loves us abundantly.
Yes, the Christians at Ephesus heard these words: I pray that, according to the riches of God’s glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
But his words do not stop there. Hear what follows: I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
There my friends is abundance. Abundance that draws us to generosity.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
