Feast of the Epiphany
Matthew 2:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
Many
people have asked Andrea and me why we chose to become foster parents. And there is no one simple answer – it truly
was a journey that began in conversations about having children more than a
decade ago. But the turning point for us
came this summer as we saw children being taken from their parents at our
nation’s southern border. We, like so
many, felt helpless and torn apart. No
amount of phone calling or letter writing to our government officials seemed to
make a difference and no protest seemed big enough for the enormity of the
abuse. But what it did do for us was
help us to see other families broken apart, other families who needed their
children cared for during periods of chaos and turmoil, violence and
abuse. And so we decided to give our
gift of love to children in the foster care system. It’s not a straight line from the southern
border to the decision we made; but in its complex crisscrossing way it seemed
the gift we could best give to a world in need.
This
morning as we gather together we remember the wise ones, the magi who came to
visit the infant king. They were bearing gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and
gold. Many jokes have been made about these gifts – a favorite of mine is that
if the gift bearers had been women they would have been gifts of diapers,
Target gift cards and a casserole. And
perhaps these women would have been the wisest ones. But regardless of the gift delivered, the
message is clear – giving of ourselves, in whatever way we can, is the only natural
response to the gift we’ve received in Christ Jesus – it is, in fact, the heart
of our ministry as Christians.
This
should come as no surprise as Jesus’ entire life and ministry bear witness to truth.
Jesus gives himself to the hurting world – feeding the hungry, sitting at table
with outcasts and sinners, and healing the sick. And Jesus calls his disciples to go and do
likewise saying that each time we do these things we are, in fact, giving a
gift to Jesus. For he says, “just as you did it to one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.” “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I
was in prison and you visited me.”[1]
It may
seem odd to jump ahead to the end of Jesus’ life but there is a moment on the
cross that seems particularly illustrative of this way of self-giving. Hanged with Jesus are two criminals. While one derides Jesus, the other says
wisely, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of
condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what
we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” This wiser criminal then speaks to Jesus
saying, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus replies, “Truly I tell you, today
you will be with me in Paradise.”[2] Even on the cross, Jesus continues his
ministry of self-giving to one who knows himself to be justly condemned.
To be a
Christian is to give of ourselves, to freely give gifts to a world in
need. Where we see hunger, we offer food
through our Wednesday lunch ministry.
Where we see cold, we offer hats, mittens, gloves and scarves. Where we
see sickness or loneliness, we offer companionship through our lay Eucharistic
ministers. Where we see poverty, we
offer gifts for ReVive’s Christmas Basket program. Where we see others working to meet the needs
of a weary world, we come alongside offering volunteers and space to the
Hospitality Center, to COPE for their school supply drive, to Cathedral
Counseling, to Y.O.U., and to others. We
always must ask ourselves though, are we doing all that we can? Are we
responding out of the full generosity of our hearts or are we holding back,
fearful that the future need may be great and we must save for a rainy day?
To be a
Christian is to give of ourselves, to freely give gifts to a world in need.
Today as we launch our Annual Pledge Campaign, the Stewardship Team, the
Wardens, the Vestry and I ask each of you to look into your hearts, to ask
yourself, what gift can you give to St. Mark’s so that we might continue to
share what we have – or even to expand what we do - with and for a world in
need?
We ended
2018 on a high note: our unofficial total pledge dollars received in 2018 was
just $131 dollars short of our $276,000 goal.
Pledge cards were placed in the mail on Friday. Some of you may have
already received them. If not, keep an
eye out – or pick up a card from the back of the sanctuary or from the table in
the parlor. We have set a modest
increase of just 2% for 2019 - $281,000.
But, you will see that your pledge card encourages you to increase your
giving by 3% or even 6% over last year’s gift. Because we believe we can do
more. We believe we are called to do
more, to give more, to respond more to the great needs of our community. And your generosity allows us to do just
that. If you’ve never made a pledge to
St. Mark’s before, know that there is no set amount to give. The Bible commands that we give a tithe, or
10% of our income. Some at St. Mark’s are able to do this. But regardless of the amount, we encourage
you to choose an amount that is realistic for you, but that stretches you. We
encourage you to offer a gift that reflects your gratitude for God’s gift of
Christ in your life and a gift that reflects your understanding of the world’s
great needs and how St. Mark’s is working to meet some of those needs on a
local level.
And
here’s where the surprise comes in.
While St. Mark’s will, of course, be grateful to receive your gift. You,
the giver, will experience gratitude in giving.
Andrea and I have never been parents before. We are feeling stretched
right now in ways we could never have imagined.
Sometimes we aren’t sure what day of the week it is. But, when we received a call 10 days ago
asking if we could welcome our little Bug into our lives, we knew immediately
the answer was ‘yes.’ And though we are stretched – by the sadness we have for
what our little Bug has lost, by our wonder about what will happen next, by our
worries about what to feed him, when to feed him, how to get him to sleep
through the night and so much more – though we are stretched, we are grateful. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for this
time spent with him. For giggles and
smiles amidst the tears, for silliness and wiggles amidst the brokenness of
this family we do not yet know. We are
experiencing gratitude in giving. And we
trust that when you make a pledge to St. Mark’s that you will experience
gratitude as you watch your gift work – even more as you participate in your
gift’s work through participating in the many ministries of St. Mark’s. What gifts do we – St. Mark’s – bring to a
world in need? What gift do you – St.
Mark’s individuals – bring to a world in need?
Please,
be prayerful. Please, be generous.
Please, be grateful.
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