11/9/58

Scripture: (Read I Peter 4: 1-11)

Text: I Peter 4: 10; “As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

One of the basic tenets of our Christian faith in God is that we are stewards of everything that is given to us. Life itself is a gift of the Creator and every one of us is the recipient of this grace. As history goes, we possess life for only a brief span of time, and then we have its mortal manifestation no more. We are therefore accountable to the Creator for our stewardship of life.

Time is given to us in measurable units of 24 hours in each night-and-day cycle; 7 days a week; 52 weeks in a year. We can not make it nor change it; we can only use it. And we are accountable for its use.

Talents are given to us in varying measure. These forms of ability are ours to use and spend for a life time. We are accountable to the Giver for their use.

The money which we accumulate, and spend, is only to be administered by us during a life time. We do not take with us any money, materials, objects or things when we have finished our mortal existence. We are wise to regard the things of which we become, for a time, possessed, as temporarily entrusted to us by God. As such, it is to be administered with all of the wise purpose and understanding we can muster.

Part of our possessions are to be used for maintaining ourselves and our families in fitness to live and serve. Part are to be used for service beyond self, dedicated to the purposes of God, which become evident to us beyond our own small circle of needs and desires and purposes. What amount of our life, our time, our talents, our money we shall allocate to self and what portion to service beyond self, is for us to determine. But the sense of Christian stewardship offers the opportunity, and imposes the obligation, to make it a worthy proportion of what we have.

Those who appear to be most happily conscious of their Christian stewardship, are the people who definitely plan to give systematically of their talents and time and money.

This past week, I sat briefly in a meeting of lay people who came from several church affiliations. One of those people, quite spontaneously, spoke of an acquaintance of his in another city who systematically tithes 20% of his time, and 20% of all monies received by him, for what he considered to be Christian causes. This “tither” was a business man, supervising the insurance work of his company over a wide area. That was his vocation, and he pursued it energetically, successfully, profitably. But, in the midst of his “busy-ness” with it, he kept approximately 20% of his time reserved for, and spent in, Christian service of several kinds. He was active in the life of his own church at home. He had an entertainment hobby which was in some demand. When he was paid for performances, he asked donors to make the check to a pet project of his. And his “pet projects” were no idle amusements! For he literally provided the food for a total of something like fifteen mouths -- most of them not of his own family. He supplied the support for, not one, but several missionaries of his denomination and acquaintance, who serve with their lives, full time, while he supplies the means for their serving.

Well, I was fascinated by the simple telling of that man’s stewardship! And I recalled the testimony of a theological seminary professor whose preaching and teaching I admired very much. Dean Charles R. Brown had said that, during World War I, he and his wife began the practice of giving 20% of their income. They found it so satisfying that they never reduced that proportion during the rest of their lives. The dean had no children, had a respectable salary, and some royalties from books which did rather well. But even so, his dedication to this tithe was commendable.

There are some people who are blessed by, entrusted with, and responsible for, so much of the worlds goods that they want to give more than 20% of their income to religious, educational and other philanthropic enterprises --- and do so gladly! I suppose that the gifts of John D. Rockefeller must have gone much higher than a tithe, or a double tithe, of his income.

Now, before you and I think of that and then shrug it off as just “too steep” for our situation and purse, let us consider earnestly, what kind of proportion we, each of us, considers fair and workable for our giving! What do we consider a standard of giving that we can honestly and joyfully lay before God in prayer and dedication as a worthy proportion of the time, talent and money with which we are entrusted?

I submit to you the thoughtful proposition that there is not too much joy, or comfort, or inner satisfaction, in just giving what we think somebody else expects us to contribute to church and to education and community enterprises, or what will just “get us by” as names on a contributor list. It may sound substantial to write a check for $20, $35, 50 or $100 to one’s church. But if one’s income is $150 per week, more or less, is a gift to God’s service through his church of a dollar per week, so much of a gift? There’s a lot more fun in giving more!

There are 168 hours in a week. Probably 112 of them are needed for vocational effort and for rest. Of the remaining 56, is one hour a week on Sunday morning at church, even if spent there regularly, all that a good steward need spend at Christian enterprise? In the face of the great need for Christian teaching, for serving in Christian study and organization and service on boards, committees, youth leadership, music, promotion of knowledge, helpful fellowship --- does not our own Christian satisfaction demand a more adequate proportion of our time in Christian service through our church?

These considerations are part of the whole area of stewardship which is part of our Christian faith.

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Once a year, in this church, we “talk money.” All year long we live money. Some of the organizations are busy with modest efforts to “raise money,” as we say. Most of us contribute weekly offerings to the church. And this is not just a “collection.” It is the contribution of our substance in what is, or should be, dedicated giving. As such it is a definite part of worship. And it is most meaningful if it represents, in our thinking and attitude, a worthy proportion of our income and possessions as our freely-offered gift to the service of God.

Once a year, on Stewardship Sunday, we do “talk money.” Each year, before November, a committee considers the items to be proposed by the various departments of the church as a working budget for the fair operation of this church in the following year. Then that proposal is submitted to a business meeting of the congregation, the members, for approval, or modification, and adoption. (I am amazed that the members of this church are willing to entrust the matter to so few as those who do attend that business meeting!) Then the proposed, or “tentative” budget, as approved by members voting at that meeting, is sent by mail to the people on the parish mailing list (and we hope for no errors or omissions in the mailing!) together with a covering letter and a pledge card or pledge cards.

Then, this second Sunday in November, we are asked to signify what will be our contribution to the church in the following year. In some cases, it will be a lump sum, given by check. In most cases, we are sure that it is best to make a pledge of weekly giving, using offering envelopes and bringing our gifts to the church as part of our worship.

Now of course, the ability (as well as the willingness) to give, varies greatly in a free congregation such as ours. Some are minded, and able, to give in figures that appear really substantial and generous. Some have a hard time to give more than what might appear to be a token gift. Young members who have only a student’s allowance, plus an occasional earning for a few hours work, will not contribute more that a small fraction of what a regular wage or salary earner wishes to give. But each student member can give his own self-determined proportion, and I am sure will take real personal satisfaction in doing so.

Those who have finished school and are earning a regular income will want to think earnestly on what proportion of their income they would like to give. Those who have long been established will want to re-evaluate their capacity and their desire to give as stewards of their substance. Even those on relief may find ways to give. Some years ago I knew a woman of meager ability and more meager livelihood who actually had no income except relief payments. But once in a while some gift to her would open the chance to contribute $5 to her church. She gave it joyfully. This might happen a couple of times a year. If she had been able to count on it, she could have pledged regularly out of her near-destitution to her church.

Most of us in this room are far from that extremity, and will think in terms of our gratitude for more abundant living.

If, as a congregation, we were to average 5% of our income given to our church, our budget would be so far oversubscribed that we should be thinking immediately in terms of a new parish hall or new church! And that is not as far-fetched as it might sound. Our arrangements in space, for our children in church school, are not modern and are, in significant ways, inadequate. And we ought to address ourselves to the problem of more space and more teaching leaders for church school activities.

Other churches right here in our own community are doing it, with honor to God and blessing to themselves. It is a sad and short-sighted kind of complacency if we should be content to congratulate ourselves that we don’t have to give as others do in their churches. A few of our friends may grumble a bit about some phase of their church growth or plant expansion. But most of them take a real zestful satisfaction in the fact that they are “one the move” in improving their plant and program.

As Congregationalists we need not boast of our generosity. Our State conference minister, Dr. Jess Norenberg, has called our attention to what he calls a “pride-shattering” observation: namely, that Wisconsin Congregationalists are 24th among the Congregational Conferences of the nation in per capita giving. Only 7 conferences, he says, are below the Wisconsin conference in per capita giving to home expenses and benevolences. We of Wisconsin Rapids are not above the Wisconsin average!

I am confident that when we think, not in terms of “how economical can we be in our church operation?” but “how best and how much can we serve?” our church budget for the local program and our Christian World Mission can grow by leaps and bounds!

Our benevolence budget, while not as large as some, is better than many and proportionately satisfactory. This item, which will probably be over $5,200 with the extras of the year from Women’s Fellowship and Pilgrim Fellowship giving, One Great Hour of Sharing offering and so on, represents our support of home work in this state, Home Board work of many sorts in this nation, and American Board mission service abroad.

Our home expenses could be higher and I think we should be more ambitious in years to come. But they do now propose to include provision for a property that will make it more nearly feasible to expand if and when we do decide on further building. There is also an item which contemplates the possibility that we may be able to have a Seminary student intern here in this parish for a year to help in our work by learning on the field.

This whole budget can be oversubscribed with ease if we consider seriously our stewardship of substance. And our program can be greatly improved if we take earnestly our stewardship of time and talent!

There are times and circumstances in which giving means the sacrifice of self denial. But for most of us it is not so much self denial as it is the joyful sacrifice of self giving and sharing.

I heard Prof. Walter Marshall Horton of Oberlin say that the basis of stewardship is best summed up in the words of the hymn: “We give thee but thine own.” (We shall sing it near the end of today’s service!)

Good stewards, said Jesus, are “faithful and wise.” They are not to spend recklessly what belongs to another, nor are they to devote their trust to unnecessary or immoral ends. But they are to honor their stewardship by wise investment in the life and service of the times.

Whether they are stewards of what the Bible calls the “mysteries of God” or of the manifold grace and gifts of God, their position, and the charge committed to them, should make them responsible --- especially in the crisis of these times!

Christina Rossetti has written these lines which I now commend to your attention:

Grant us such grace that we may work Thy will

And speak Thy words and walk before Thy face,

Profound and calm, like waters deep and still;

Grant us such grace.

Not hastening and not loitering in our pace

For gloomiest valley or for sultriest hill,

Content and fearless on our downward race,

As rivers seek a sea they cannot fill

But are themselves filled in its embrace,

Absorbed, at rest, each river and each rill;

Grant us such grace.

“Grant us such grace that we may work Thy will.” [Title]

(Christina G. Rosetti, from Gifts and Grace)

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Dates and Places delivered:

Wisconsin Rapids, November 9, 1958 (Loyalty Sunday)

Wisconsin Rapids, November 12, 1967 (Stewardship Sunday,

pages 1-11.)