What a week!! What a month… my mother used to say that
disaster strikes in threes.. she was wrong. She was wrong about a lot of things
but then she was my mother ….
So the Phillies win the World Series, Obama wins the
election and today we get to make our pledge.
How will we vote… out of our abundance or out of our
poverty?
In todays Bible Lesson there are 10 maidens waiting for the
bridegroom. He is late.. Maybe the boys kept him out toolate at the bachelor’s party.
The hour is late and maybe the girls partied some
themselves, but by the time the groom gets to the wedding all are fast asleep.
Upon his arrival five out of the ten notice that their
lamps are about to run out of oil. They didn’t bring any extra so they ask for
some from the others.
The rest is history. The foolish ones are told “no” and the
wise ones get to go to the party.
By the time the foolish ones get back.. the place is looked
up tighter than a drum…
When they knock they are told to go away.
This whole parable sounds more than a little troubling to
me. If as some have said, this is not a parable but an allegory about the final
judgment… neither the wise ladies nor the bridegroom’s actions are very
Christian..
But then this might also be a warning. As my mother used to
say, when I got overwhelmed with things that needed to be done
“You can always do it later…” she was wrong.
There is a time when time is up.
And this story from Matt. Seems to make that point…
For the past three weeks you have heard Angela Bacher, Pat
Gerew and Jim Sorenson talk about Stewardship, each had very different things to
say.. They did not have canned speeches!
But all three had one thing in common. Each told of how
their giving was motivated by something that had happened in their lives… that
called forth a response.
When the Stewardship Committee met to make plans for today…
it was decided that the theme would be “Walking With Jesus”
I was to give the last of the talks today.
Without sounding too pious. . I can tell you that I am
convinced that coming here from SC was no coincidence. Which is another way of
saying that god had a hand in it all.
Who would have guessed two years ago that a German
immigrant eligible for SSI would again enter full time parish ministry in all
places Cape May NJ.
When I told this to a colleague, who happened to live in
Atlanta and we were emailing each other,
his response was “you poor guy!”
I could’t wait to get his answer.
To my “What do you mean poor guy?”
Up to that point, my acquaintance with NJ was the I-95
corridor from SC to the home of my-in-laws in Westmont.. You can imagine my
relief when he told me about the Coastguard Training station and his daughter’s
time spent there as being some the happiest in her career.
So, here we are a year later and still homeless in the
Grange.. and like the 10 maidens we too are waiting with our lamps lit, waiting
certainly for Jesus but also waiting to find our earthly home…
What we have in common with the story of the maidens.. is
the call to be awake!
As has been said by other sages, most of us go through life
asleep.
Let’s say that the oil in the lamp is a metaphor for
spirituality… Spirituality for me is being able to know the difference between
what is real and what is just so much
Adiaphara….
Velveteen Rabbit….
So here we are 7 months into the pledges for building,
11 months in to 2008 - ministry pledges.
By the end of today you will be asked to cast your vote for
MLC ongoing ministry…
Since we are in a voting mood let’s take a chance…
Many who voted for McCain felt that it would be better to
go with a known than an unknown…
Other’s felt the risk was worth taking and voted for Obama..
I’m asking you to vote for the continued ministry of MLC…
I believe that MLC is special. In that God has given us an
opportunity to start over.
Here is what I mean by that… many building that are used
for worship in our country are miniature replicas of 14th century
European Cathedrals – stain glass windows, arching ceilings, pipe orgnas… pews,
even elevated pulpits and altars…
The days of these houses of worship are numbered..
In Germany most of them are open to tourists…
What we hope to build will be functional, multipurpose and
environmentally sensitive..
and remember the children’s ditty, The Church is not the building the church is not
steeple; the church is all the people…
So here we are in the Grange which looks like a meeting
hall.. which it is..
But we are the church. We are as much the church as if we
where back on Landis Ave.in Sea Isle. City.
So this is what I am asking you to do:
WAKE UP
… Which means that you acknowledge that you are not
self-made but God made and all that that entails. Time - put worship on top. If you cannot worship
here worship where ever you are! Talent – give of yourself to take part of the
ongoing ministry of MLC, as you are able
And money – 10.10.80
Live your life with a sense of Gratitude…. Practice
Stewardship 24 – 365.
Make a vow.. to share the joy of Jesus to walk with Jesus
and come weekly to share in the supper where he is the host.
So the return you can make is to love your neighbors as our
selves – which is the second commandment of Jesus, which he said, was like the
first…
God has given you life.
Jesus also told his disciples “love one another as I have
loved you… “
Pledges are not about money.. pledges are about the
affirmation of Baptism.
God has given us Eternity.. and it begins in the here and
now…
Let us now listen as you look at the lyrics of the refrain
we sing each week as your offering is brought to God, which is based on
Ps.116
Feel free to sing along,
Amen.
