Sermon Archive
Readings for 14 October 2007
Proper 23
Year C
[In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah.] But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned against me." Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." But Ruth said,
"Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die-- there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!"
When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem.
[Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier's aim is to please the enlisting officer. And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things.]
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David-- that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.
Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Sermon
Mrs. Sue Cetkowski
In nominee
Today’s gospel reading teaches us the importance of giving thanks to God. The Samaritan thanks God for the gift of healing. Unlike the other nine who were also healed the Samaritan goes out of his way to thank Jesus. We can thank God by using the gifts that God has bestowed on us. That is God’s mission for us. God’s mission is both a personal one and one that is shared by us all. So, thus, our mission, God’s mission, becomes the church’s mission.
We are all stewards of God’s gifts. For a brief period we are given time, energy, and resources. What we do with these gifts ultimately defines the character of our lives and the depth of our spiritual understanding. Stewardship is the wise use of the personal resources God has entrusted to us. How do we fulfill God’s mission for us and the church? One of the simplest ways is through Stewardship and a personal ministry of giving.
Now you have all heard us speak of stewardship in the past and have all received the pledge letters from the stewardship committee. Surprise! I am not here today to ask you for your pledges for 2008, although they are very important. What I would like to speak to you about today is the ministry of planned giving. Planned giving encompasses a variety of ways that gifts can be made to the church from accumulated resources. Planned giving is a way to help ensure the stability of the church in the future not just the here and now. When we talk about planned giving we are really talking about financial or estate planning. It is a means by which anyone concerned with the wise use of his or her personal resources makes a considered choice about their ultimate disposition. In fact our Book of Common Prayer reminds us that it is the duty of Christians to make provision for the well being of their families to make wills arranging for the disposal of their worldly goods not neglecting to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses. One of the choices could be to remember Grace St. Paul.
Planned giving can be accomplished through:
Gift planning enables a person to provide more for his or her heirs while making a larger gift to the church than he or she ever thought possible. It often reduces taxes. Planned gifts can be designated for an organization’s general fund or for its endowment.
Planned giving is a great way for us to fulfill God’s mission as well as assisting the church fulfill its mission. It is one of the ultimate acts of stewardship. A fine example of this is the recent gift given to the church from the estate of Mary Burgess. By remembering the church in her will Mary has enabled the church to set up three endowments to help the church fulfill God’s mission:
1. A capital improvements endowment to assist the church in making some of the many needed repairs and improvements.
2. An endowment to the Church’s operations budget
3. And perhaps most important of all, Mary’s gift has enabled the establishment of a Community Outreach endowment to allow the church to offer programs within the community to fulfill God’s greatest mission – helping all people. Truly meaningful Community Outreach was something that evaded our church for a long time simply because there was no budget to support it. Mary’s generosity has opened the doors of our church to the community in a very new and exciting way.
Mary is not the only person who has remembered the church in their estate planning; some others have been Lester Robbins, Emma Henderson, Edith Fletcher and Edith Fallow. All of whom have donated to the church a portion of their estates and have allowed the church to remain in operation through their generous gifts of thanksgiving.
If you would like to learn more about the ways in which you can begin your own personal ministry of giving, please feel free to contact Father Jack, any member of the Stewardship Committee, or the Episcopal Church Foundation.
Please remember to take home your bulletins today, the website for the Episcopal Church Foundation can be found inside.
In closing, I would ask that we all leave here today giving thanks to God for all his gifts and remembering that we are all stewards of His mission. It is only through our actions that His mission is fulfilled.
For past week's readings and sermons, please visit the archive of sermons