SERMONS

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Sean Gilbert — 14/10/07

Christ Church 14/10/07
Matthew 5:43-6:8, 16-21

One life.  If we are fortunate, suggests the psalmist, 3 score years and 10.  If not, who knows?  Complex, wondrous, baffling even, yet one life to lay hold of and to generously express as best we can.  A life to give shape and form to yet mysteriously, a life to then leave behind, to let go of; a life somehow bigger than any one of us, yet as transitory and fleeting as a passing leaf on the breeze.

This is the human story and not just its predicament.  And in the simple wisdom of Emily Dickinson, it remains the window of possibility; the conscious recognition that from this seemingly finite, sometimes harsh reality, the needed human qualities of faith, hope and love are always ever-present opportunities.

In his defence speech before the Pretoria Supreme Court in 1964, Nelson Mandela (just before he was imprisoned) said this:
In my youth in the Transkei I listened to the elders of my tribe telling stories of the old days.  Amongst the tales they related to me were those of wars fought by our ancestors in defence of the fatherland.  The names of Dingane and Bambatha, Hintsa and Makana, Squngthi and Dalasile, Moshoeshoe and Sekhukhuni, were praised as the glory of the entire African nation.  I hoped then that life might offer me the opportunity to serve my people and make my own humble contribution to their freedom struggle.  This is what motivated me in all that I have done in relation to the charges made against me in this case.

Mandela’s words are well worth pondering.  Even as a young boy, a seed of desire is sown (interestingly through the story-telling of his elders) and a life-calling - born of the vision of freedom for all - grows and develops into what the world now knows to be a heart of almost singular integrity, humility and courage.  A person, who despite their greatness, does not set himself apart from a common humanity, yet who like Jesus, encourages the development or better still, the enlargement of our own life; one who never sees the finite and the ‘hopeless’ to be a barrier for what can be generously given or for what can be ultimately accomplished. 

Significantly also, this highly fruitful life is understood in terms of a humble contribution, not an all-conquering path of change and influence.  The pressure to be grand is lifted from our already weary shoulders; the invitation to be real and human remains.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also (x2).

As I think I have shared before, this final verse holds many a key for me as to what I think the Christian faith, thus the practical Christian life is truly all about; that being the discovery of an inner treasure, so as to give freely and to live hopefully out of it.  Never just somebody else’s expectations of us, then, never just a religious framework of shame and control, never just a guilt-seared conscience of ‘I must’, ‘I ought’ or ‘I shouldn’t have.’   Rather, what we see in Jesus and his vision of God’s reign, is the permission to be generous to one’s God-given self and out of that radical level of acceptance - the sheer joy of discovery that we are already loved - something new and enriching for others begins to emerge and to flow; slowly and perhaps a little self-consciously at first, but then more consistently and more congruently with the person we are called and encouraged to become. 

And for me, this highly graced principle lies at the heart of stewardship; a growing well beyond fear – of hiding or disparaging one’s real person before God and our community – towards a full expression of our deepest hopes and desires.  In other words, a genuine freedom of being – a liberation of heart – that can never be self-serving, for like Mandela and Jesus it will always take us to risky places of self-giving, even vicarious suffering.  And again like Mandela and Jesus, it is a freedom (and humility) of spirit that builds community, ennobles the stranger and works tirelessly for the sake of harmony and justice.   It is, in short, the very active call of God within our lives.  A call not imposed from above, but one that rises through the growth of heart and consciousness; A call that will not easily be dismissed, in other words.  It is just far too close to the bone.

In this community, as we know, we are truly blessed with tremendous life experience and great generosity of spirit. That is not to say we are perfect, nor does it mean that many gifts and graces are still yet to arise.  But it does mean that faith is not practiced here as but an avoidance mechanism.  Rather it functions as a catalyst for human growth, indeed as the inspiration for greater giving and compassion on a daily basis.  

Stewardship is not a difficult subject to address then!  Nor is it simply about the budget – the bottom line - however imperative it may or may not be.    
It is the Mandela and Jesus principle; that being the capturing of a vision and giving one’s heart to its active and demanding service.  And whilst it may have grand endings or big horizons, it doesn’t need to be grandiose at all.  It simply needs to be true to who we are and what we value about being the Christian church in this place and in this time.  Indeed, it was Mandela who once said, Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.

Ten years ago, the vision of the Effective Living Centre was formed along side of an intentionally progressive faith community, whose worship and spiritual life would become and remain the well-spring of our mission; not a liturgical sideshow on any given Sunday morning, but the very basis for how we then act.  And without any sense of hubris, more a sense of immense gratitude, those interrelated visions are now the creative and highly influential core of Christ Church, Wayville.  Us! 

And not only are those visions our immediate past, they remain our pressing future; one we still need to tend and nurture, and give our shoulders to.  In other words, the task is not finished.  There is still more to be done, particularly given the deadening impact of religious conservatism at present, not to mention the barrenness of faith within so much liberal thought and practice. And whilst it may be suggested that our own time of daring and experiment could now need to be tempered, I’m more of the mind of Carl Jung who once suggested that:
We may think there is a sure road, but that would be the road of death.  Then nothing happens any longer…at any rate, not the right things.  Anyone who takes the sure road is as good as dead.         

The generosity and gratitude of spirit, which is the essence of stewardship, is anything but sure or certain.  It simply responds and acts, blowing where it will, not out of calculation or strategy, but out of the desire to live for something bigger than our often self-absorbed lives; a humble but genuine contribution towards greater freedom, peace and goodwill, whether it be on a local or even world stage.  And so friends, do we dare continue to unearth our treasure, which is nothing less than the mystery of God’s presence in our midst, and to then follow our heart where it lead us in the service of the gospel. 

Now granted, this is miles removed from ‘playing’ church or from following certain ordinances and keeping certain rules.  It is about the discovery of Life (with a capital L) within life – the pearl of great price – that is given to be received freely but equally (and freely) to be shared.

Let us take a few moments for our own reflections and prayer…