30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exodus 33:12-23; Matthew 22:34-36
October 26, 2008

 

Laying on of Hands and Offerings

"Liturgy," as you have no doubt grown tired of hearing me say, is "the work of the people." Although there are occasions when worship takes the form of passive reception –

of being still and waiting for the Lord – for the most part, Sunday mornings call for action.

That’s particularly true today. There’s lots of stuff to do today. First, the session will ordain and install new elders. Second, the congregation will offer up tithes, offerings, and pledges of financial support for the coming year, and third, we’ll eat the free lunch that Cal and Kathleen Engstrom have whipped up for us more or less on the spur of the moment.

I have to miss lunch due to a promise I made to the session up at Fellowship Presbyterian Church, so I won’t comment on the theological significance of eating together. About the first two actions, however, I have some words to say.

Presbyterians make a big deal of ordaining and installing elders. That’s not surprising. The word "presbyter" means "elder." Baptists are called Baptists because they insist on baptism by immersion. Methodists are called Methodists in reference to the methodical piety practiced by the "Holy Club" at Oxford in the 18^th century. Lutherans get their name from the great reformer Martin Luther, and Presbyterians get our name from our form of government. "Presbyterian" means "rule by elders."

Elders or "presbyters" come in two varieties: teaching elders, also known as ministers of word and sacrament and ruling elders, who are elected by the people to measure out the church’s progress in faithfulness to God. Elders "rule" in the sense of governing the church, but their calling is not simply to govern. They are called to seek and do the will of Christ.

As much as we honor the office of elder, who don’t let individual elders get too uppity. All elders, you must have noticed by now, are sinners, and therefore require checks and balances. That’s why no elder governs on his or her own. Instead, elders govern together, making all decisions corporately. They listen, they pray, they wrestle and they argue (They especially enjoy the arguing part). And if they can’t arrive at a decision by common consent, elders vote, and the majority rules.

That, in a nutshell, is Presbyterian polity. Some people call Presbyterianism a form of "representative democracy," but that’s not quite accurate. Presbyters are not "representatives" in the sense that they are to reflect the views of their constituency. They are not called to do the will of the folks who elected them to office. Instead, they are called to seek together the will of Christ who is Head of the Church.

The job description for elders in the Book of Order is a lofty one.

Elders should be persons of faith, dedication, and good judgment. Their manner of life should be a demonstration of the Christian gospel, both within the church and in the world.

It is the duty of elders, individually and jointly, to strengthen and nurture the faith and life of the congregation committed to their charge. Together with the pastor, they should encourage the people in the worship and service of God, equip and renew them for their tasks within the church and for their mission in the world, visit and comfort and care for the people, with special attention to the poor, the sick, the lonely, and those who are oppressed . . .

Those duties which all Christians are bound to perform by the law of love are especially incumbent upon elders because of their calling to office and are to be fulfilled by them as official responsibilities.

A word to those being installed today: If you can hear these words without shaking in your boots, you haven’t really heard them, and you’ve no business being an elder in the Presbyterian Church.

One the one hand this job description is an invitation to hubris. On the other hand, I have noticed in the 29 years since my own ordination that most presbyters are not shy about pointing out the shortcomings of their fellow presbyters. If, as an elder, you are not humbled by your high calling, you will be after a couple of session meetings.

Being an elder is a lot like standing in the sandals of Moses on the top Mt. Nebo. "You see all that?" the Lord says. "That’s the land I promised. That’s where you’ve been heading this past forty years. I’ve let you see it with your own eyes, but you won’t be going there yourself."

Moses was a great leader – the greatest prophet ever, according to the book of Exodus. But in the end, the text suggests, Moses’ story wasn’t about him. It was about God’s will. Clearly, elder Moses died a Presbyterian.

I could say more, but that’s all I’ll say for now about the first thing that happens after this sermon. About the second thing – the offering of tithes and pledges – I have only a little to say. I thought Frank Wood’s sermon was week was marvelous. He said most of what I would have said about financial stewardship – but he said it much better than I.

What Frank couldn’t say, because he doesn’t know this congregation, is this: About twenty percent of the people in this congregation are extremely generous givers. They give sacrificially. They give regularly, and they give not out of what’s left over, but out of their "first fruits." Frank also couldn’t say this: Most of us could give more.

Compared with other Presbyterians in Florida Presbytery and nationally, this congregation does pretty well. We exceed the national average in giving per congregation and in giving per member. It’s those regular, sacrificial, proportionate givers among us who make us look so good in the stats.

The problem is, a measurement like that is irrelevant. Presbyterians are the richest Christians in the country in terms of per capita income. (We passed the Episcopalians years ago.) Rich as we are, however, we give on the average less that 2 1/2 percent of our income to all charitable causes, including the church. In other words, most Presbyterians, including most of us, are able to give more.

We live in anxious times. The whole world is worried about its financial future. There’s nothing like a world financial crisis to help clarify one’s priorities.

Speaking for myself, the smaller my 401(k) shrinks, the more grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ, the fellowship of this community of believers, and the love that bind us together as one body.

Giving follows gratitude, and gratitude increases as we give. "Where your treasure is," said Jesus, "there will your heart be also."

I said earlier that ruling elders are called to "rule out" or measure the progress of the congregation. The "rule" or yardstick for that is not how well do compared to other Presbyterians. It’s how faithful we are to the gospel. In other words, the rule is grace. The rule is eucharist. The rule is thanksgiving. That’s the only rule that really matters, and the only rule ruling elders have any business using.

Laying on hands and laying offerings on the Table – when you think about it, both actions are the work of God’s people in response to grace.

So, now it’s time to get to work.

 

 

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