Sermon: "Stewardship Reflections"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

Our Gospel reading presents an interesting and compelling contrast. And, while the contrast exists on many levels, fundamentally we have before us two very different relationships with God, on the one hand, and two different relationships with other people as well. Thus, as we consider Jesus' parable this morning, our focus should be on relationships with God and relationships with other people.

Now, building on those basic points, the contrasts between these two men expand. Involved also are the ways they live their lives, the priorities they hold, their self-perceptions, and their views of the people around them. But again, basically, those contrasts boil down to their relationships with God and with other human beings.

On the one hand, there is the Pharisee. He lives a good life, in terms of the religious establishment. He follows the rules. And, he knows it. His prayer is this: "God, I thank you that I am not like other people" (Lk 18:11).

By contrast, there is the tax collector. He is imperfect in his life. He falls short in almost every way. And, he knows it, too. His prayer is "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (18:13).

Thus, this is a parable of contrast - contrast between the Pharisee and the tax collector…contrast between two differing relationships with God and two differing relationships with other people.

In addition, the parable and its contrasts provide a relevant connection to the subject that I was asked to consider in my sermon this morning - that is, stewardship. And, further, the message from the Gospel gives me the setting to comment on the subject of stewardship personally, which I was also asked to do.

Actually, I am delighted to speak of stewardship - and to do so personally. I believe this subject to be so very important to us … to us who call ourselves "Christian" … to us who try to live our lives "in Christ", as we say. Indeed, the matter of stewardship has much to do with practical Christian living - every day, all the time.

Also, stewardship has everything to do with the relationships suggested by our Gospel today. In fact, that focus gives us the reason for stewardship's importance to us.

Therefore, first, the practice of Christian stewardship requires us to get our relationship with God right. This is absolutely essential for understanding stewardship - and, I would maintain, essential also for Christian living. God is the creator of all things. God made all that is, and therefore, God has ultimate claim to all of creation.

By contrast, we are parts of creation, creatures of God. We, along with everything that we see on earth and beyond, we are created beings and created things. Thus, there are creator and creation. And we best get that right, as our starting point.

Secondly, the practice of Christian stewardship requires us to get our relationships with other people right - or, at least to be working on it. We are created beings - all of us. We - all of us - are loved by God as parts of God's creation. We - all of us - are children of God as parts of God's family. We - all of us - are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, God's Son.

Therefore, whatever we do or say may impact another part of God's creation - another person or being, another thing that God has created, another symbol for something in the created order that was created by God…as were we. And, therefore, everything that we say or do involves our stewardship. Let me repeat that. As parts of creation, recognizing God's ownership as creator, everything that we do or say involves our stewardship.

As stewards for God's sake, we are called to respect and care for God's creation - all of God's creation. And, therefore, it is as Christian stewards that we make decisions about giving money to the Church to do the work of God in the world. But, it is also from the stance of Christian steward that we consider the variety of difficult decisions we must make in life: for instance, how to deal with terrorists, and what to say to our obnoxious neighbor, and how we care for our own bodies. For, you see, all these things are parts of God's creation, as are we. And, as Christian stewards, we have the obligation of caring for God's creation. Indeed, we must always remember our perspective as God's stewards.

Now, by way of tying together these comments, let me offer you my personal conversion story - the story of my conversion to Christian stewardship. This experience occurred over twenty years ago now. I had been a priest for several years, and Annie and I had two sons. The younger of those sons - John - was just over two years old, and this story involves him. I need to say, at the outset, that John is now a college graduate and married.

However, when he was two, he had a difficulty in his abdomen. It was first diagnosed as a mass, but additional tests revealed the problem to involve his kidney functioning. Correcting the situation would require us to travel to Duke Hospital, and it necessitated John's having surgery.

The night before we went to Duke, I wore a path on John's carpet. I was upset - actually, I was very angry. I was mad at the circumstances, and I was mad at God. I was even mad at myself, because I was - after all - John's father, and I should be able to protect him. And so, I paced, long into the night, clinching my fists with anger.

Then, about 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning, I sensed another presence in that room. And, an awareness came to me, as though I had been spoken to. I knew - suddenly and clearly - that the most important thing about John - about that innocent child lying in the bed - is that he is a child of God. And, no matter what happened at Duke - even the very worst - John would still be a child of God.

Therefore, in thanksgiving that night - that moment - I claimed my true role, my true place in God's order, in God's creation. I knew that night - very clearly and with much gratitude - that I am a steward, for a while, of this wonderful gift from God. I am not an owner. John is not my possession. God is in charge, not me. I am a steward, for God's sake - a very grateful steward.

I commend to you the life of Christian stewardship. We are owners of nothing in this world. We are caretakers - stewards - for God's sake, of the gifts that God has entrusted to our care, for a while. May we therefore live in gratitude and in thanksgiving as we strive to be faithful stewards for God.

Copyright © 2001 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee