Sermon Psalm 24:1-2 “Stewardship”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
New Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sermon Psalm 24:1-2 “Stewardship”
November 11, 2018

Listen to this sermon.

One hundred years ago today the guns fell silent in Europe.   The Great War, the war to end all wars, came to an end.   It was on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour that an armistice was signed ending World War I.   We remember this day all the men and women who have served this country protecting our freedom.  Let’s pray. 

“God, please let every veteran of our nation’s armed forces feel truly and appropriately honored by the attention and appreciation of their fellow citizens. Let no one feel forgotten or neglected. Let every man and woman, young or old, feel the deep and enduring gratitude of our nation and its inhabitants.”  https://www.guideposts.org/how-we-help/military-outreach/5-prayers-for-veterans

Let me tell you about a couple of my old friends.   Ginny was a young professional.  She went to my church and had a good job in Laurel, MD just north of Washington DC.   She purchased a brand new townhouse in Laurel and began furnishing it with Amish furniture.

Robbie was also a young professional at my church with a good job in Alexandria Va.  Robbie found a subsidized townhouse in a very historic but rundown section of Alexandria.   She and many other young professionals purchased these home and began fixing them up.  This transformed the neighborhood.

Both Ginny and Robbie loved their home.   But there was a problem.   Shortly after purchasing her home Ginny lost her job.   Thankfully she quickly found another job in Alexandria VA near where Robbie lived.   The same thing happened to Robbie.   She lost her job too but quickly found another in Laurel MD near where Ginny lived. 

So every morning Ginny left her home in Laurel and drove all the way around Washington to Alexandria to go to work.   And Robbie left her home in Alexandria and drove all the way around Washington to Laurel every day to go to work.   I suggested that they swap houses to shorten their commutes.   Neither Robbie nor Ginny thought this was a good idea.

But their problem got me thinking.   I owned a townhouse in Reston VA.   But I was working and going to church in Northwest Washington.   I was in my car all the time it seemed.   So I decided to do something about it.   I sold my townhouse, for a nice profit,  and got rid of all the stuff that I had accumulated.  I moved to a small apartment in Northwest Washington where I could easily walk to work and church.

I found that renting an apartment was a blessing.   No longer did I have to worry about fixing the roof or plumbing problems.    Any problem at all was fixed by the property manager.   All I had to do was pay rent.

I lived there for two years.   Then I realized something.  I didn’t have a house to worry about.    And all the stuff I had accumulated over the years was gone.   So I was free to do something that I probably would not have done before.   I rented a U-Haul truck and moved to California.  I traded my luxury apartment in Washington for student housing at Fuller Theological Seminary. 

 By getting rid of my house and excess stuff I was able to follow Jesus into a new life as a pastor.  And this brings us to today’s lesson.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;  2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

God is the owner of everything.  God owns the Sun, the Moon and all the stars and galaxies that we see at night.   God owns the ocean, the bay, and the river.   God owns the sky and the land.  God owns us too because he created us.  God put it this way, “Psalm 50:9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.  12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.”

If God is the owner of everything then what about us?   What is the relationship between us and the things around us?   God put it this way:

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.  31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

God has given us everything that we need.   God gives us the food we eat.   God gives the jobs that allow us to provide for our families.    God gives us the homes we live in and cars we drive.   God has given us children to nurture and parents to care for.   God owns everything.  And we are to use what God gives us for God’s purposes.

But what about our children?   Certainly, we own them.   They came from us.  Consider this story:   There was a young woman named Hannah.   She prayed for years for a child.   Then she made a vow to the Lord, “1 Samuel 1:11 … “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life.”  The Lord blessed Hannah with a son and she carried out her vow.  “27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord.”

So children do not belong to us.   They belong to God.   We are to care for them when they are young.  We are to nurture them so that they too will faithfully follow the Lord. 

Our children belong to God, what about the homes we live in?   Don’t we own our own homes?  God owns our homes and we are to use them for God’s purposes.   We are to use our homes as a means of hospitality for others.  The Apostle Paul said this, “Romans 12:13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”  The author of Hebrews said this, “Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  And Peter put it this way, “1 Peter 4: 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

God owns everything.   God owns our children and we are to nurture them in the faith.   God owns our homes and we are to use them to show hospitality to others.  But what about ourselves?   Surely we own ourselves.  Don’t we?  No.   God owns our bodies and we are to use our bodies to glorify God.  Paul puts it this way, “1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

God owns our children; we are to nurture them in the faith.  God owns our homes; we are to use them to share hospitality.  God owns us; we are to use our bodies in such as way as to glorify him.  God owns everything; we are stewards of what God owns using these gifts to glorify God.  Paul puts it this way, “1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Most people in our culture believe that they own their own stuff.   They own their homes.  They own their cars.   They own their children.  They own the money in the bank and investments.   They own their bodies and can do whatever they want to do with them.  But when people come to Christ we realize that we really own nothing.   God owns everything and has given us some things to us to use for our needs.   God wants us to nurture our gifts and use them for God’s glory.

Let’s try an exercise.  Close your eyes and think about the house you live in, the car you drive, your children, and the investments you are counting on for your retirement.  Think about all the things you own.  Picture them in your mind.   Remember that everything you are thinking about belongs to God and you are to use them for God’s purposes.   “Lord, everything we think we own belongs to you.  We deed over our homes, our cars, our families, our money and our lives to you.   We pledge to use all that you have given us to glorify you.   And so we make our pledge to the church today.”

Now, open your eyes and take out the stewardship commitment card from your bulletin or the one you brought from home.  Hold the card in your hand and close your eyes again.  “Lord, with this card I pledge all of my resources to do God’s work in this world.   I pledge to do everything I can do with the gifts you have given me to advance your kingdom on earth.   “Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”   This I pray in your son’s name.   Amen.”

Now I would like you to fill out the card.   There are pencils in pews you case use.   In a moment you will make your way down to the front of the sanctuary when you can place your card in the plate and return to your seat.   If you cannot come forward please raise your hand and an usher will take your pledge.   Please come forward.

Let us pray.   Father in heaven we have pledged today to use the gifts you have provided us to your mission in the world.  We have offered a pledge of our resources to carry out the work of your church.  We offered up all that we have and all that we do to glorify you.  Amen.