The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19), September 12, 2004
Exodus 32:1, 7-14, I Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, West Valley City, UT

This story is not true. But like many very good and instructive stories, it should be true. During the Middle Ages, a time of considerable turmoil especially in Jerusalem. The Christians controlled Jerusalem and there was a movement to have all of the Jews expelled from the city. There was a strong drive to have the Pope intervene and he agreed to come to Jerusalem to meet with the Grand Rabbi, the highest Jewish authority, to work out a settlement, an interfaith summit meeting if you will.

They met in Jerusalem and each had a stipulation for the negotiations. The Pope said that since neither could speak or understand the other's language, the debate should be done only by gestures and symbols, without any words being spoken. The Grand Rabbi stipulated that it should be done without an audience. So all of their advisors left and the two men were alone facing each other across the large room.

The Pope threw up his and cried, “That's enough! You've won! What a brilliant argument! Your theology is impeccable. The Jews may remain in Jerusalem.” The doors were thrown open and their advisors crowded around them, each in their own corner. The cardinals asked the Pope, “What happened? How did the Grand Rabbi win the argument?”

The Pope said: “He was magnificent. I said by gesture, ‘God is everywhere.’ He said, by gesture, ‘Yes, but God is right here too.’ I said, ‘But God is here in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.’ He said, ‘Yes, but there is still only one God.’ I then held up a chalice of wine to say, ‘But we Christians are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.’ He held up his apple to say, ‘But, as with Adam, all of us have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God, thus we are all equal in the sight of God.’ This was brilliant! He had won. I had nothing more to say.”

Across the room the Rabbi was also being quizzed by his advisors. “I'm not sure how or why I won. The pope said by gestures, ‘All you Jews must leave Jerusalem.’ I said, by my gesture, ‘We're staying right here.’ He said, ‘You have three days to leave town.’ I said, ‘Not one Jew is leaving. Then he stopped the debate and reached for some wine to have with his lunch. So I took out an apple I had been saving for my lunch and that's when he threw up his hands and declared that I had won.”

I love this story. It shows so clearly how unclear we can be with our most well-intentioned communications. This is true even when we speak the same language. For instance, how do you hear these words: Stewardship. Money.

Scripture has surprisingly a lot to say about money. For example, the golden calf came from jewelry and coins. The lost sheep represented income. The lost coin was valuable money to the woman. It was an important topic then. It is an important topic now.

But if we only think of money when we hear stewardship, then we are as unclear about meaning as the pope and the rabbi in the story. Stewardship has to do with our response to what is given to us, such as our earth, our families, our faith, etc. We have a stewardship over our faith, our tradition, our parish in terms of parish life and parish facilities and grounds.

I see Stewardship as our response in faith for what has been entrusted to us. Stewardship is more about faith than about money. Stewardship is our response in faith for what has been entrusted to us.

For our community to thrive and grow we need involvement on all levels. Our rich community life will not thrive with only shallow support. This is why your gifts of time and talent in sharing your ministries are so important. Nor will our community life thrive without broad-based financial support. The giving at St. Stephen's needs involvement on all levels as well.

As your faithful response to the gifts and blessings entrusted to you, I ask that you become faithful stewards of the life of St. Stephen's: faithful in participation, faithful in sharing your gifts of ministry, and faithful in your pledge and offerings. We are the stewards of the gifts handed on to us at St. Stephen's by those who have gone before and the faithfulness the diocese has in us. As we move into our season of stewardship, please respond in faith for the generosity of the past we enjoy today.