Sermon – Luke 1:5-25. 57-66, 80 “Zechariah’s Son”

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon – Luke 1:5-25. 57-66, 80 “Zechariah’s Son”
November 28, 2021

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Today is the first Sunday in the season of Advent.  Our English word “Advent” comes from a Latin word, “adventus”, which means coming or arrival.  And so it is used as we anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ.  The ancient prophets talked about the coming of the messiah or Christ and so we hear the words of Isaiah as we light the Advent wreath.  The New Testament tells us that Christ is coming again.  And the Gospels tell of Jesus' coming two thousand years ago.  

This Advent we will turn to the Gospel of Luke and witness the events leading up to Jesus' birth.  This time was filled with the birth of Sons and the singing of Songs.  And so I begin a sermon series on the Sons and Songs of Christmas.

We start today with a look at the birth of John the Baptist.  John the Baptist is the antidote for an excess of Christmas materialism as he reminds us that the purpose of Christmas is not to buy gifts but to “prepare the way of the Lord.”   Luke wants us to understand John's birth before we can understand Jesus' birth.  And so we turn to the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.  We will get to this good news, but first let's pray.

“Faithful God, your promises stand unshaken through all generations. Renew us in hope, that we may be awake and alert watching for the glorious return of Jesus Christ, our judge and savior. Amen.”  (Book of Common Worship p.172.)

Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Luke's story of the coming of Jesus Christ begins with two ordinary people.  Zechariah was a simple country priest.  He taught and prayed with the faithful of his village.  His wife, Elizabeth, was the daughter of a priest.  They lived a comfortable life, but there was a problem.  Just as we heard earlier, like Hannah, Elizabeth has no children.  And like Hannah the only thing Zechariah and Elizabeth could do to get pregnant was to turn to God in prayer.

This is what we do as we wait for Jesus to return.  We use prayer as a way to share our needs and concerns with God, trusting that God hears our prayers and responds.  When Jesus does return we will be able to address him directly.  And in the resurrection we will no longer have needs and concerns.  But today we use prayer as a way of communicating our needs to our savior.  Let's return to Luke and see what happens to Elizabeth and Zechariah.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

As a country priest Zechariah would come to Jerusalem three times a year to help with the festivals.  And he would come twice a year to help with the sacrificial system at the Jerusalem temple.  This year Zechariah will receive a great honor.   He has been chosen for a once in a lifetime responsibility to enter the Holy of Holies and present the prayers of the people directly to God.  

This opportunity is extended to us as well.  Since Jesus ascended to heaven to serve as our High Priest we now have the ability to approach God directly through him.  The protestant reformers told us that all believers are like Zechariah.  We are all priests.  When we worship and pray we are priests, like Zechariah, entering into the Holy of Holies, and into the very presence of our God.  

When Zechariah entered into the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem temple he brought with him the prayers of the people.  He also had a very special prayer that day.  This prayer was for his wife to have a child.  Let's see what happened.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

In the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple in the presence of Almighty God, Zechariah, a simple country priest, received a very important message from God.  God was sending a prophet to prepare people for the coming of their messiah.  This prophet will be born of Zechariah's wife Elizabeth.  And they are to raise him, as Hannah raised her son, Samuel, to be used by God for his purposes.  And what are God's purposes for this new prophet?

 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah's son will be a prophet.  He will call people who have drifted away from the faith back to God.  He will call people to obedience of God's law.  The reason he will do this is that the people must be prepared to receive their savior who is coming.  I'm sure that when he heard this, Zechariah had some questions and more than a little doubt.  So he questioned the angel.

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 

God has sent the Angel Gabriel to prepare the world for the coming of its savior.  This is big news.  This is good news.  And this is the news that Zechariah's son will proclaim.  Zechariah  couldn't wait.  He wanted to tell everyone the good news, but that wasn't his job.  The proclamation will come from his son.  Let's go back to the story and listen to Angel Gabriel.

20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Zechariah is now mute, unable to talk.  Of course, this happens to him just before he is to make the biggest sermon of his life.  So let's see what happens when Zechariah returns to the people after praying in the Holy of Holies.

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

All Zechariah could do was to try to communicate the good news with wild hand gestures.  The people realized that something big had happened,  but they didn't know what.   All they can do is wait, as we wait for the coming of Christ, and now Zechariah will go home to his wife and they will wait to see if God's promises come true.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

God has kept his promise.  A son has been born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, just like the son who had been born to Hannah and Elkannah.  Hannah dedicated her son to God's service.  He was the great prophet Samuel.  What will Elizabeth and Zechariah do with their miracle son?

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”

God proved his faithfulness to Zechariah.  Elizabeth had a son.  And in obedience to the command of God as spoken though the Angel Gabriel they called the baby John.  The contract is complete.  God and Zechariah have both kept their side of the bargain.  And so there is no longer any reason for Zechariah to remain mute.  Let's return to Luke.

 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

As your pastor I can proclaim to you today that the time has come for all people to return to God.  All people are now to repent of their sin and obey God's law.  All people are to do this because the savior is coming.  Prepare the way of the Lord.  Christmas will soon be here.  Let's pray.

“Eternal God, through long generations you prepared a way for the coming of your Son, and by your Spirit you still bring light to illumine our paths. Renew us in faith and hope that we may welcome Christ to rule our thoughts and claim our love, as Lord of lords and King of kings, to whom be glory always. Amen.”  (Book of Common Worship p.173)

Grace and Peace Episode 60

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 60
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 21, 2021

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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

124 Q.  What does the third petition mean?

A. “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” means:  Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk.  Your will alone is good.  Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven. 

Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

I think that our Bible translators have put a comma in the wrong place. In Matthew 6:10 the comma is after “your will be done”.   I think that the comma should be moved to after “on earth” as in the following:  10 “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”   By moving the comma the central request of the prayer becomes us doing God’s will here on earth.  We are praying for God to do his will through us.

This is opposite of most of our prayers.   Usually we ask God to do something for us.   We want God to intervene in our lives in some way.  For example:  “God give me good health” or “bless my children”.   And these are certainly good things to pray for.    But Jesus teaches us that we must also pray for something else.  Jesus was us to pray, not for us to do something for God.   Rather, Jesus wants us to pray that what we do on earth will bring about a kingdom that replicates in every detail the glorious kingdom of heaven.  When we pray this prayer we are asking God to make the desire to advance the kingdom of God the most important thing in our lives.

I know that this is tough to do.  I can’t say that advancing the kingdom of God is the most important thing in my life right now.   But if I pray this prayer everyday and think about what it says, then as the days pass I will develop a strong  desire to advance God's kingdom on earth.  

So I urge you to find out what God wants you to do with regular worship, prayer and Bible study.  And then do God’s will in this world in order to bring about his kingdom on earth.

Let’s pray.  Heavenly Father,  bless us with wisdom so that we may know your will for our lives.   Give us the gifts we need to accomplish your will.   And guide us as we live our lives by your word and Spirit.   Help us Lord to desire above everything else the advancement of your kingdom here one earth.   All this we pray in the name of the one who came to earth to establish the kingdom, our Lord Jesus Christ.   Amen. 

Sermon Psalm 24:1-2 “God Owns Everything”

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Psalm 24:1-2 “God Owns Everything”
November 21, 2021

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 homes 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?   Do we own stuff?  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.  

God has given us everything that we need.   We don’t own these things.   God continues to own them.   But he has given us the right to use them.  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 parents and children to care for.   

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.”

Hannah's child did not belong to her.   He belonged to the Lord.  So children do not belong to us.   They belong to God.   We care for them when they are young.  We are to nurture them so that they too will faithfully follow the Lord.  But ultimately, our children belong to God. 

Our children belong to God, what about the homes we live in?   Don’t we own our own homes?  No.  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. 

And the author of Hebrews said this, Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so 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.”

We may own our homes, but we are required by God to use them sharing hospitality with  others. 

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 us; we are to use our bodies in such a way as to glorify him. 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 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 use for our needs.   God wants us to nurture our gifts and use them for his 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.   Let’s pray.

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.  Hold the card in your hand and close your eyes again.  Let’s pray.

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 pledge card.   There are pencils in pews you may use.   After worship, place your pledge card in the offering plate at the rear of the sanctuary.  For those who are streaming please mail or email your pledge card to the church.   If you need a pledge contact the church office.  

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, a holiday when we give thanks to God for all that he has done for us.  So let acknowledge that everything in the world belongs to God and thank him for blessing us with so much.

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 have offered up all that we have and all that we do to glorify you and express our gratitude.  Amen. 

Grace and Peace Episode 59

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 59
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 14, 2021

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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

123 Q.  What does the second petition mean?

A. “Your kingdom come” means:  Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you.  Preserve your church and make it grow.  Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word.  Do this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all.

Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come.

Where is the Kingdom of Heaven?   Some people say that it is up there in the sky somewhere.   Others say it is over there somewhere in the future.   Most people think of the Kingdom of God as being someplace far away.  And so when we pray, “thy kingdom come”  we don’t think of it coming any time soon.

But notice that the catechism does not talk about the future.   It talks about ruling us now by Word and Spirit.  It talks about keeping the church strong and growing.   It talks about stopping the Devil.  And it talks about all this in the context of a kingdom that is already here, but will be fulfilled the day Jesus returns.  

Every time we pray, “thy kingdom come”  we are asking the Holy Spirit to come into hearts with radical transformation.   We are asking God to make us now into what we will be in the coming kingdom.

All of this means that the kingdom of God will come into your life.   It will transform you and your family and your school and workplace and community and church.  It means that God is exerting his authority in all aspects of your life.  And it means that God is granting you authority over his creation.

So “thy kingdom come” means that we want it right now, in part, to prepare the world for it's coming in full.  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, we pray for your kingdom to come into our lives.   Transform us into your people so that we may experience your kingdom today.  In Jesus’ name we pray.   Amen.

Sermon Malachi 3:6-12 “The Tithe”

Rev.  Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon  Malachi 3:6-12 “The Tithe”
November 14, 2021

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This morning we will be talking about money.  I won’t be talking about the budget of the church or what you need to give to keep all of this going.   That is important and the session of the church wants you to at least think about these issues, but what I will be doing this morning is talking about our relationship with God and how God wants us to use our money.  This is a very different topic, but somewhat related to the church budget.  So I will ask you to be generous when you give to the church, but I will ask this out of the larger question of how God wants us to use our resources.  Before we get to this please pray with me.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (Calvin)

Today we will be looking at Malachi 3:6-12.

6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, “How shall we return?”

8 Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! 

But you say, “How are we robbing you?” 

In your tithes and offerings! 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me—the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. 11 I will rebuke the locust for you, so that it will not destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not be barren, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will count you happy, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

It’s the fifth century before Christ.  The people of God were living in a province of the Persian Empire named Yehud.  A governor was appointed by the imperial government, and taxes were very high.  The empire needed high taxes to fund building projects and military expeditions. The people of Yehud were not prosperous and not content.  It looked to them like the only way to get ahead was by lying and cheating.  God seemed to be missing.

The Temple of God had been rebuilt in Jerusalem.  This was supposed to inaugurate a new age of glory and peace.  The Empire had permitted the reconstruction of the temple as a token of autonomy and so the people could maintain their identity as followers of Yahweh.  But the new age of glory and peace had yet to arrive.  The people found themselves just trying to maintain their religious traditions while living difficult lives. 

In this context the prophet Malachi delivered a difficult message from God.  He told the people that by their actions they had turned away from God.  Justice demanded that they be punished for their disobedience.  But the prophet assured them that God is faithful, and will return to Jerusalem if the people repent, turn from their evil ways and turn toward God.

Malachi’s words confused the people and they asked him: “How are we to return to God?”

The prophet’s response was that the people were robbing God.  God’s covenant with the people was clear.  God provided land to the farmers.  They had everything they needed from God, sun, rain, good soil and seed, to grow plentiful crops.  And the farmers were to bring ten percent of the harvest to the storehouses so that those with no land could also eat.  The church workers, the widows, the orphans, the poor, the needy, the aliens in the land all needed to eat.  And the only way they could eat was if the ten percent, the tithe, was delivered to the storehouses.  But given the economic conditions of the times, the high imperial taxes, and the poverty of the farmers, who could spare another ten percent?  So the farmers delivered what they could.  

    But God said that was not enough.  Ten percent was the deal.  God had blessed the farmers with land, sunshine and rain so that the crops would grow and the farmers should bless those without land with food to eat.  Ten percent of the farm output was needed in the storehouse to do this.  So Malachi told them to go back to their farms and bring the full tithe.

The people told Malachi, “We can’t do this.  After we pay our taxes we barely have enough to feed our own families.  How can we bring even more? And Malachi told them.  “Do it anyway.  Bring your tithe.  Test God.  See what happens.”

God’s promise was that if they returned to him, by obeying his command of the tithe, then the blessings of heaven would pour down upon them.  The windows of heaven would be opened, not with a devastating flood, but with a gentle rain to water the crops.  The brown stink bugs wouldn’t mess with their soybeans and wheat.  The dear wouldn’t eat their corn.  The chickens would be free from disease. And all would prosper in the land that God has given them. 

For many years I didn’t give ten percent to the church.  I figured that I needed to invest in my business to make it grow.  And I rationalized that there were many people in my church who made a lot more than me. “They had plenty of resources to support the church, I thought.  For many years I just gave just a token.

But as my relationship with God became closer I realized that I had to give ten percent.  It was the least I should do.  So for many years now I have been giving 10% of my income to the church.  Every month I send 10% of my pay to the Presbyterian Church of Easton.  Every month I have to pay for food, utilities, gas, insurance, car repairs and medical bills.  My rent is deducted from my pay.  So our monthly budget is very tight.  We would live more comfortably if I did not tithe to the church.  But we keep our expenses down and live frugally because I fully expect that God will bless us more than we could ever imagine if I pay the tithe.

It is difficult to tithe to the church, especially today in modern America because we have forgotten the virtue of thrift. We once believed in living below our means.  John Wesley told us to “Make all you can; save all you can; give all you can.”  Benjamin Franklin said, “If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.”  Thrift is the virtue of spending less than your income and saving what’s left over.  Today, “thrift” is confused with the word “cheap” and low quality as in “thrift stores.”  But that is a misuse of the word.  God wants us to be thrifty and live within our means.

Our culture tries to make the accumulation of wealth synonymous with greed.  Making money and showing a profit is somehow evil and a sign of corruption.  It’s true that the virtue of thrift can be twisted into the sin of greed by hoarding what we have.  But if we use some of what we have accumulated to care for others, if we obey the law of the tithe, then thrift never becomes greed.

A few years ago I read a biography of Andrew Carnegie.  My grandfather worked for a Frick coal mine which was owned by Carnegie.  Carnegie was thrifty and always kept his costs below his revenue.  By doing this he became one of the wealthiest people in the world.  And before he died he gave away 90% of his fortune.  He built 1,700 libraries across America, sponsored programs for peace, and funded schools all over the country.

The principle is that thriftiness allows us to be generous.  So if we are careful not to accumulate too much debt, if we always live within our means, and if we save for the future then we will have the resources we need to be generous.  

Dr. John Templeton said in his book Thrift and Generosity: The Joy of Giving, “Thrift is not so much a matter of what we have, but of how we appreciate, value and use what we have.  Everyone, regardless of income level, has opportunities to exercise the virtue of thrift.  We practice thrift by monitoring how we spend our time and money and then by making better decisions.” This is good advice for America today.  Thirty years ago our savings rate was between ten and twelve percent.  Since 2005 the savings rate in America has been below zero.  We are consuming our wealth and losing our financial freedom.  

    The late Senator, Everett Dirksen once said, “Let God give me strength, that I might help  to get America back on the beam and elevate thrift to the pedestal it rightly deserves, because thrift and opportunity have been the great horsemen of progress in America.”  So resist the allure of advertising that tells you to spend more than you have.  Resist the call of the government to spend our way out of economic problems.  And remember that debt is toxic to your economic health.

So put your economic house in order.  Live within your means.  Get out of debt.  Increase your savings. And tithe 10% to the church, Like Grace and I do, to prevent your thrift from turning into greed.  And the promise of scripture is that God will bless you with abundance, more than you could ever imagine.

Frank von Christierson was an international student from Finland who graduated from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1930.  In 1960 he was serving two small Presbyterian Churches in Southern California.  They had small membership and great financial needs.  He wanted the members to understand the meaning of stewardship.  So he wrote a poem, which we will sing shortly.  Here is what Pastor Christierson wrote:

As those of old their first fruits brought
Of vineyard flock and field
To God the giver all of good
The source of bounteous yield
So we today our first fruits bring
The wealth of this good land
Of farm and market, shop and home,
Of mind and heart and hand. 

Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 58

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 58
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 7, 2021

Watch Episode 58

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

120 Q. Why did Christ command us to call God “our Father”?

A. To awaken in us at the very beginning of our prayer what should be basic to our prayer—
a childlike reverence and trust that through Christ God has become our Father, and that just as our parents do not refuse us the things of this life, even less will God our Father refuse to give us
what we ask in faith.

121 Q. Why the words “in heaven”?

A. These words teach us not to think of God’s heavenly majesty as something earthly, and to expect everything needed for body and soul from God’s almighty power

122 Q. What does the first petition mean?

A. “Hallowed be your name” means: Help us to truly know you, to honor, glorify, and praise you

for all your works and for all that shines forth from them: your almighty power, wisdom, kindness, justice, mercy, and truth.  And it means,  Help us to direct all our living—what we think, say, and do—so that your name will never be blasphemed because of us but always honored and praised.

Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

What makes us think that we can reach out and talk with the creator of the universe?  How could our thoughts ever be his thoughts?  Why would he ever want to talk with us at all?

We are able to talk with God and even call him “Our Father” because Jesus told us that it is OK.  We can come before the creator of the world and call him by the familiar, “daddy”.   

    According to N.T. Wright, the words “Our Father in heaven” are both where we start the Lord’s prayer and where we want to end up.  We want to be close to this Father, and so we reach out to him in prayer.  We hope to hear his voice respond in conversation.   Through the Holy Spirit we experience God’s love and in prayer we hug our God in gratitude.   God knows us and calls us by name.  And we trust Jesus when he says that God knows what we need and will provide it.   Let’s pray.

    Our Father in heaven, we thank you for listening to our prayers.   We thank you for knowing us and blessing us with what we need.   We long for the day when we will be with you in heaven.   This we pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Sermon 2 Corinthians 8:1-11 “Giving According to Your Means”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton

Sermon 2 Corinthians 8:1-11 “Giving According to Your Means”

November 7, 2021

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I would like to begin this morning with an Interim Update.   Last Spring, as we were emerging from the COVID lockdown, the Session decided to begin the pastor transition.   They formed a committee to produce a mission study.   Ann McKnolty, Margaret Parker, and Scott Worsham got to work.   They developed a questionnaire and sent it out to the congregations.   They used the results of the questionnaire to lead focus groups of the congregation in discussions about the church and it’s future.   And they used all of this to write a mission study for the church.   

This study is complete and has been approved by the Session.   It is currently being reviewed by the Committee of Ministers and Congregations of New Castle Presbytery.  Once the presbytery approves the mission study the Session will ask the Nominating Committee of the church to propose a slate of candidates to serve on a Pastor Nominating Committee.  Hopefully this committee will begin work in the next few months.  

Please pray for the church as we go through this transition.   And be assured that God loves us and has already selected our next pastor.  

We have received many blessings from God.   The reason God blesses us is to use us to carry out His plan for our world.   So we receive abundantly from God and give out of that abundance.  We give out of our time and money.   Today, we will look at what the Bible says about giving, but first let’s pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

We begin looking at a portion of a letter sent from Paul to the church at Corinth.   Paul wants them to imitate other churches in the practice of giving.

2 Corinthians 8:1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 

The churches Paul lifts up as examples for us to follow were poor churches suffering from persecution.  You would expect that given their poverty and problems giving would be very low.  You just can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip.  But that was not the case.  In fact the members of the church were quite generous given their means.  Why would this be?   Why would they give generously to the mission of God through the church given their unfortunate circumstances?  Well, we are told that it was because of their extreme joy.   They had received forgiveness of sin from their gracious God.  They had received the promise of eternal life in the resurrection from the dead.   They had received fellowship in the church.   They had received the gift of answered prayer.    They were grateful for all these gifts.   They were filled with joy.  And so they gave to God’s mission through the church.   Let’s get back to Paul’s letter. 

3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 

Wow!  Even though they had experienced great poverty and suffering they responded to God’s grace overwhelmingly.   They opened their checkbooks and gave because of the abundant grace they had received from Almighty God.   

What if we counted our blessings?  How much have we received from God?   Has God blessed us with health?  Has God blessed us with family?  Has God blessed us with homes and the ability to travel?  Has God blessed us with good food to eat?  Has God blessed us with church?   Even if you are suffering financially I think you have to conclude that you have richly received abundant blessings from God.  So what are we to do about all this?   Let’s return to the letter. 

6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

The blessing of the church is amazing.   Here we learn about God, who He is and what He does?  We learn about His coming to earth as a man named Jesus who loves us and cares for us like a shepherd cares for his sheep.   Jesus leads us to the Father and secures for us forgiveness of sins and eternal life.   And we learn about the Spirit, who transforms us as disciples and empowers us to do what God wants us to do.   We learn how to love God and love one another.   And our faith grows.  We learn all this knowledge and experience this reality right here in church.

But there is one more thing that we learn in church.   We learn the grace of giving.  We give in gratitude for all that God has given us.   And as we give we experience great joy because we are doing what our maker created us to do.

So we now know why we give, in gratitude for what God has already given us.  But even with this knowledge, sometimes, we just don’t give as we should.   And so sometimes we need a kick in the pants.  Let’s hear what Paul has to say to us.

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 

So Paul is trying to shame the Corinthian church.  Here they sit, a wealthy church.   They live in fine homes, travel to distant places, and eat the best food.   And yet their giving is not up to the standards set by much poorer churches.  And so Paul has sent Titus to Corinth to help the church realize how much they have been blessed by God and help them grow both in faith and in generosity.

Let’s take a look at our church’s giving.  According to the Presbyterian Mission Agency,  “On average Presbyterians give 1.5 percent of their annual income to the church–an average of about $580 annually, which results in a total amount of giving to the church of around $1.5 billion. If every Presbyterian tithed, together we would give $9.5 billion.”   (https://www.presbyterianmission.org/what-we-believe/stewardship)   

According to statistics from our Annual Report,  The Presbyterian Church of Easton has 130 members as of 2020.   We had $209,000 in income from giving last year.   That comes out to an average contribution of $1607 per member, more than the average for all Presbyterian congregations.   According to the United States Census the median income for Easton, zip code 21601, is $71000.   If we assume that the members of this church are typical of this community and earn around the median income, then the average member gives 2% of their income to the church.   Individuals and families may be giving more or less than this, but these are the averages, 2%.

Now, let's suppose that members of the church gave, on average, a tithe or 10% of their income to the church.   What would happen to our budget?   We would have five times the income, or over a million dollars, even more given the generosity of the congregation.   With a budget like this the church would experience abundance.   We would provide wonderful worship and education for the whole community.   We would never again have to have a capital campaign for roof repairs.  We wouldn’t have to tap limited savings to resurface a parking lot.  We would have a Senior Pastor and an Associate Pastor for Youth and Families and an Hispanic Pastor to reach out into the community.    We could better support Talbot Interfaith Shelter and Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center.    And we would be starting new churches in growing areas of the Eastern Shore.  

But since our budget is just a fraction of that we limp along with a pastor making near the minimum, and little money left over for anything else.   The $209,000 or so we have in total revenue each year doesn’t go very far.         

Our lack of giving is especially grievous given the sacrifice that Jesus made for all of us.   Let’s listen some more to the letter from Paul.

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

The Savior we worship is God with all the prerogatives of heaven.  He could have stayed there and enjoyed heaven.   But he didn’t.   He emptied himself of his divinity and came to earth to be with us.  Here he suffered as we do.  Here he died as we do.   But in his death he defeated the evil one and secured for us forgiveness of sin and eternal life.   He did all of this because he loves us.   

Do we love him?  Are we grateful for what Jesus did?  Are we willing to give a percentage of our income to advance God’s kingdom on earth?  A biblical tithe is so little when compared to what Christ has done for us.

So what are we to do?   Paul does not beat around the bush.   Here is what he told the Corinthian church to do.  Listen carefully.

10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

Corinth was a rich church.  But in comparison to poor churches they were just not carrying their weight.   They had generously given in the past, but now they have to do more.    And Paul wants them to give according to their means.   They are not to give just a token amount every Sunday.  They are not to give the same amount they have been giving for the last twenty years.   They are to give a percentage of their income, maybe the biblical tithe, 10%.

So what would the Apostle Paul tell us if he came here and saw the wealth of this community?   What would he say if he visited our homes and saw our lifestyles?   What would he say when he looked at the programs of this church given the needs of this community?   I think he would tell us the same thing he told the Corinthian church.  

2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Let’s pray.    Lord Jesus you have blessed us richly with money and homes and families and travel and jobs and everything we value.   And for all of this we are so grateful.    We ask you, Lord, for forgiveness for low levels of giving.  And we ask that you help us budget so that we can return to you an appropriate portion of what we have received.   All this we pray with thanksgiving.  Amen.  

Grace and Peace Episode 57

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 57
Presbyterian Church of Easton
October 31, 2021

Watch Episode 57

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

117 Q.  What is the kind of prayer that pleases God and that he listens to? 

A. First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, revealed to us in his Word, asking for everything God has commanded us to ask for.  Second, we must fully recognize our need and misery, so that we humble ourselves in God’s majestic presence. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord.  That is what God promised us in his Word.

118 Q.  What did God command us to pray for?

A. Everything we need, spiritually and physically, as embraced in the prayer Christ our Lord himself taught us.

119 Q.  What is this prayer?

A. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts,  as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And do not bring us to the time of trial,  but rescue us from the evil one.  For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever.  Amen.

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Last week we learned that the purpose of prayer is to express our gratitude for all the blessings we have received.  As we pray for our own needs, we are expressing our thanks to God.   How does this make any sense?  How does praying a long list of desires and needs constitute our gratitude?  

Suppose you are a parent of a small child.   Your child is constantly asking for things.   Some of these things are necessary like food.   Some of these things are harmful and you want to protect the child from them.   But whenever a child asks you for something you delight in being asked.   You love that your child trusts you enough to ask for what is needed and confident of your love and care.   In the same way, God delights in hearing our prayers.    Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for listening to our prayers.  Thank you for delighting in talking with us.   We pray this in the name of your son.  Amen.