See the Gifts and Use Them Well

From time to time he would announce the most flagrant abuse of power, misuse of funds, waste or corruption that he had been able to uncover and pointed out the stupidity, if not also the illegality of the situation.

In the years since then, the situation has, if anything, gotten much worse.

$1,000 toilet seats, and bolts that break inside aircraft engines are only two of the many, many examples deserving his Golden Fleece Award.

In a similar way, and picking up the situation in the first reading from Exodus today, another writer has suggested that what every parish needs is a Golden Calf Award, which could be given on impulse or outrage, or as part of a regular program, to a person, or institution, or to a prevailing idea that is clearly worshiping someone or something that cannot save...a false god.

If we were to undertake such an award with enough seriousness, it would underscore the importance of what we do here in the worship of God.

For to worship wrongly is more serious than a whole sum of minor flaws; wrong worship means that the whole point and orientation of one's life is misdirected and in error.

Our culture keeps trying to convince us that all gods are equal and more or less the same, and that what is important is seriousness; ie: “It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.”

The Bible would call persons who say that “fools.”

A writer proposes a Golden Calf Award to something called Success magazine, and their gushing admiration for a Beverly Hills stockbroker:

It is a radiant morning in Beverly Hills but Paul Berman doesn't care about that.

His only concern is the drama that begins at 6:30 AM: selling stocks and bonds on the telephone.

Through 30-40 calls it is an unrelenting scramble in which he must project a vibrant, upbeat, and trustworthy presence.”

The folks have of course defined “success” as money.

Not necessarily so!

The apostle Paul was “successful” but had little money.

I remember an old Reader's Digest article that dripped praise all over a family that for 20 years had thrown themselves into work on the average of 18 hours per day, every day, all year round.

The inference was clear that this was something to be emulated by everyone.

The god here is hard work: their worthiness as persons was tied exclusively to work.

We should nominate them for the Golden Calf.

A Chicago pastor was concerned about how his people were all wrapped up in the lottery.

He had written of his opposition to the city council who said, quite predictably, don't worry, be happy.

One Sunday he made an unusual request, asking the folks to include in the offering all of their recent unsuccessful lottery tickets.

The value of the tickets was 10 times the offering that day!

A Golden Calf award to them for worshiping lady luck.

Various folks over the years have assured me that when they hit it big, the church will get a share.

Am I to pray for divine intervention in the lottery, because we surely could use the money?

I have responded to folks that I want to do nothing whatever to encourage, condone, or profit from that kind of gambling.

If you want to assist senior citizen programs, sit down and write a check to the state, unencumbered with the Golden Calf desire that you can get something for nothing.

Father Bruce Ritter, who several decades ago was working in New York City trying to rescue teenagers from prostitution and other awful things, wrote of the neighborhood porno shop owner who came into his mission and plopped down a glass jar of coins.

It had been collected from his stable of girls and their customers.

He gave it back.

As much as he could have used that extra money, he turned it down as ill-gotten gain.

The brothel owner left in a huff, got into his gold Cadillac, and drove away.

A Golden Calf award to him for worshiping himself, living off the misery of others, and attempting to buy a little insurance policy with God on the side, just in case.

For what do you and I deserve a Golden Calf award?

Who, us?

That was as hard for the people of Israel to admit as it is for us.

The temptations and opportunities to worship something other than the Lord God are all around.

It is another way of asking the question which we did with last week's lessons:
How are you and I using or abusing the gifts that God has given to us?

And we likely need to ask the prior question: what are the gifts that God gives?

...or perhaps the one before that: Does God give gifts to me?

We know the answers;

--the gifts of light, life, and creation

--the gifts of relationship, community, and church fellowship

--the gift of a hope-filled faith.

--the gift of a persistent Lord and Savior.

That is the gift upon which we focus today in the Gospel reading.

There is lots of bad news that we have heard about our own sinfulness, but there is also Good News about God's persistence and his joy.

The woman loses one of her few coins.

Some have suggested that it was a part of her dowry that is worn as jewelry.

Whatever the situation, it is precious to her.

When it is lost, she lights a dim oil lamp in her house with few or no windows, then she sweeps, and finally gets down and feels all around until the coin the recovered.

She is persistent; and then she rejoices with friends.

That is what God does.

When one whom he has named his own is lost, he is persistent until that person is again found and restored.

And then he celebrates with his friends.

Isn't that what we act out in Holy Communion?

As preparation for worship, we confess our sins, the fact that we have lost our way, again.

The Lord shows us anew how he finds us, and how he molds us and set us on the right course again during the service.

And we sum it up again in the celebration of the meal, the sample of the final banquet with the Lord.

That persistence of God and that celebration with God are great and Good News for us.

With that as a secure foundation, now it is time for the overarching So What question:

What are we going to do because we trust that God will be persistent in pursuing us and working with us?

Would we intend to do less than God in our relationships with each other?

Persistence should be our key-word as well.'What do kids do?

One bit of unhappiness occurs ad a child yells “You're not my friend anymore.”

Adults aren't much better, whether in the general community or even in the community of the church.

We have a policy disagreement and suddenly we're not talking.

We have a list of inactive folks, and the response is “let's clean the rolls.”

It is not easy for pastor or people to change our habits, but our call is to no less than the persistent efforts of the woman's search for her coin.

Richard Hoffler says it well: “...the acid test of a church is the mutual consolation of its brothers and sisters. If a church is a close fellowship, then evangelism and missionary efforts will flow naturally....Members are not added like ornaments on a Christmas tree, they are grafted onto a vine.”

How well are we caring for the gift of each other? The effort is important!

As we get busy with the tasks of searching for the lost, the Holy Spirit stirs up life in us.

Denying those gifts, those persons, that faith would mean death.

How are we caring for those gifts of creation, of the community of faith, of hope, of forgiveness?

Thank God that he is merciful and persistent!

He is still offering them, for which we gratefully say Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.