Reflections on "Extending Stewardship" Luke 12: 13-21; Psalm 49: 16-20

The sermon went pretty much like I had planned it.  I think it was some good points and was well organized.  

It felt a bit like an "in-house" sermon that only mattered to a few people.  We had several visitors in worship with us, and I think it was hard for them to connect with the sermon.  Maybe any stewardship sermon has that feel to a certain extent, but this one more than others.  

If I did it over, I might have a different introduction that explained the sermon topic in the context of the sermon series.  I thought it was a great line to start the sermon and capture people's attention, but that might have cost the sermon a necessary piece of clarity that a more traditional introduction would have provided.

I generally think any sermon ought to easily provide the answer to the question: "Where is the gospel (good news)?  I'm not sure this sermon did that.

“Extending Stewardship” Stewardship series 2013; FPC, Troy; November 3, 2013; Luke 12: 13-21; Psalm 49: 16-20

Move 1:  I held her hand as she died.  I had gotten the call earlier that day.  Clara had decided to take herself off dialysis.  It was not a surprise, since her quality of life had diminished considerably in the recent months.

They called me because Clara did not any immediate family, and her closest relative, a cousin who was also her lawyer, was in court.  They didn’t think she should die alone.

I was studying for a looming DMin class, so I grabbed one of the books (I can still remember what I was reading), and I headed to the hospital in Lexington.

She was still alert when I arrived, but the next few hours would be a scene made for a movie.  I would hold her hand and talk with her at first; we even prayed; then she drifted out of consciousness, so I sat by her bed and alternated between reading my book and standing by her bedside to squeeze her hand to let her know I was still there.

When she was still able to talk, she started telling me again about how she wanted the money from her estate to be spent.  She was a retired school teacher, who loved going to garage sales, who lived in an old home that she basically spent as little money possible on its upkeep.  At one time, I thought she was barely making it from paycheck to paycheck, but I had learned in the last year when she asked me to look over her checkbook (as a rule, I don’t like to get involved with people’s finances, but this day she was really upset about  some checks that had gotten messed up while she had been in the hospital for hip surgery).  When I compared her bank statement to her check book, I found the problem, and also discovered that she had more money in her checking account than I would make that year.

She had talked to me before about what things she wanted to support after her death, and I had always told her that she needed to talk to her cousin the lawyer, to make sure her will matched the desires she shared with me.  Her response was always, “He’s one of my boys (all her former students were one of her girls or boys), so he’ll take care of me.”

This day, since I had my notebook with me, I jotted down what she wanted to do with her money.  I thought maybe it would be helpful to her lawyer cousin, although I was pretty sure that whatever she stipulated in the will would carry the day, regardless of what she told me on her deathbed.

She finally died.  The nurses came in and we did the paperwork, etc. that was necessary, they took the body, I grabbed by stuff and left. 

As I was leaving the hospital, I met her cousin who had rushed over from court.  He as too late to see her, but I shared with him how her last few hours had gone.  I told him about her wishes for her estate, and mentioned that I had taken some notes.  He didn’t seem very interested, although he did tell me that the church was a beneficiary of her will.    I said, “Ok, but I kept coming back to this list of groups she wanted to support.”  Finally, he laughed and said he’d talk to me later about it, and off we went to our cars.

A few weeks later, his office called the church and asked if I could stop by for a visit.  Off I went, with my list in tow.

Before I could pull out the list, he said to me, “Did you understand what I was telling you at the hospital? The church is the sole beneficiary of Clara’s estate, which is valued at nearly $1 million dollars”

My stunned face showed that I did not in fact understand what he was telling me at the hospital.

Then he smiled and said, “I guess you are the one who has to make sure that Clara’s list gets taken care of!”

And the church did. 

The rest of the money was invested and now annually supports local high school students with scholarships, including one each year to her alma mater for a student who intends to into the teaching field;  and mission work of the church, to mention a few of the things her money has made possible. 

The Psalmist reminds us that we cannot take our wealth with us.

One way to extend our stewardship to God is to remember the church in our will.

Move 3:  In the last year or so, this congregation has received significant funds from embers after their deaths.

a.            two members (husband and wife) remembered the church by stipulating that 10% (a tithe, remember) of their estate go to the church.  

b.             Another member had previously established a charitable annuity, which means that years ago money we put into an annuity that paid out to the member each year, with the remainder going to the church at the member's death.

c.             A third gift arrived through the generosity of a member's family, who chose to give a gift out of the estate.

d.            Others have given specified amounts in their wills.

e.     Shortly after I arrived to serve this congregation, an estate was probated.  The member gave a sizable sum to the Deacon fund.  I did not know the member, but I immediately learned from the gift that the member thought the work of the Deacons was really important.  In fact, the Deacons still have some of those funds available for their use.

e.             In these different ways, members have declared the importance they place on giving back to God and the work of this church in serving God.

f.   The Longest Ride, a recent novel by Nicholas Sparks finishes with a pretty creative, amazing will.  A will whose sole purpose was to announce to the world that the one whose will it is considered most important in their life. 

The will was a testimony to what the person loved and valued most.



I keep thinking about what a powerful witness it must be for families to discover that their loved one has remembered their church in their will.

Move 2: the  parable we read in Luke is often known as the Parable of the Rich Fool.

Named that because the man in the story chooses to focus on accumulating his assets.

a.              In some ways, it fits well with the sermon because it makes the point that at our death all that we are accumulated means nothing.

b.               On the other hand, it seems a bit contradictory because it argues against storing up our wealth while on earth. Of course, in order to have something to give back after our death suggests that we have accumulated something during our life!

c.               But in the parable, we see Jesus pointing toward a way of life that focuses on generosity, rather than accumulation.

Generosity that should define the way we live our lives; generosity that we can witness to after our deaths when we remember the church in our wills and estate planning.

Move 4:  In his will, the American patriot Patrick Henry wrote, “I have now disposed of all my property to my family; there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion. If they had this, and I had not given them one shilling, they would be rich; but if they had not that, and I have given them all the world, they would be poor.” This quote taken from resources provided by Presbyterian Foundation for Wills Emphasis
 http://www.presbyterianfoundation.org/PresbyterianFoundation/media/PresbyterianFoundation/Wills%20Emphasis%20Program/Sermon-1-WE-2009-new-logo.pdf 

We cannot ensure that our family members who survive us will claim the faith that we have; we can help ensure that our family knows how much we value our faith, and we can provide for the work of the church so it can continue to provide opportunities for our family members and others after we are gone by providing support for the church in our wills.

Conclusion:  the Brief Statement of Faith, the most recent confession added to our Book of Confessions, beings with, “In life and in death we belong to God.”

In life and in death we belong to God and all that we have is God's.