I have for many years found ways to get out of doing a sermon on raising money, tithing, stewardship, or pledging. I always squirmed a way out of it, but no one ever seemed to notice. A fellow staff member, the head of the Board, or an amazing community member always said “yes” when I asked them to speak on pledge Sunday.  But then Jenell puts my name down for doing a sermon to open the pledge campaign.  Finally caught!

I have had to think about why this topic is one that I have run from.  First, I came from a family that never talked about money. No one knew what my father made financially.  But we knew that he was the bread winner. And about church? Well, all through my growing up the pastor would run off on how we were all country bumpkins and did not do our share in supporting the church and did not know the value of a dollar. And then my father would react with anger about the preacher’s obnoxious pretense. So, I think that it wore off on me and money is not something that I ever want to talk about.

So, I have been thinking about this silence that some of us have about asking for financial help or about sharing our resources and I think that it may come from reticence about speaking about what might be conceived as private. And, of course, that is ridiculous. Money is just money. It helps us create community, do outreach, and become healthy human beings.  We don’t live in a barter system; we spend money to maintain our sustenance and that of others. Sometimes we spend it to show love or joy. But some of us may feel shame that we have too much or too little.  Well, if so, we need to get over it. QUUF is a community and that means that we give out of our abundance. Money is simply paper unless we give it an identity for fostering a balanced life and a format for creating healthy communities of service and friendship.

There are many ways of looking at money. One model is the scarcity model.  I don’t have enough; I need to protect myself.  What if this happens? Or that happens?  Should I buy more insurance? Will I be able to make it? We all know that at times we want to escape when things become unknown or iffy. We want consistency and reassurance. But living in fear for the long run does not satisfy.

And the other model is one of abundance. Feeling blessed in what I have. Being willing to share, knowing that we will provide for one another. That we trust that if I put in my share, others will too. Knowing that we have an abundance and rejoicing in it.  Not needing to hold onto it but give what we have in thankfulness. We all have had moments when we know that life is so very fleeting and precious. It is at those moments when we can open our arms to the abundance that is all around us. Yes, even in Ukraine there is abundance: steadfast spirits, determination, acts of kindness, self-sacrifice, and a willingness to hold up fellow citizens.

A healthy community looks at what it has, makes prudent decisions, and knows that money must also be shared. That is why I love the poem about the grandfather and the bread that was read this morning. He has enough, works hard, and shares his work in blessing. That message took root in his grandson. The simplicity of the poem is what is most striking. We can worry all we want but if we are in a gracious community, we have enough.

Is this an anti-pledge drive sermon? No, just the opposite. Remember the funny story of the stone soup. If we have a rock, we put it in the pot. And eventually everyone puts one more thing into the pot, a carrot, a turnip….and there we are, yummy soup that fills the tummy and brings joy to the community. And everyone eats.  But if we hold onto the one thing that we have for our own security, well, we go to bed hungry.  Especially for the person who owned the rock!

A seventh grader that I know took it upon herself to raise money for a country caught in an environmental disaster. Her tactics were everything from cookie bakes to a pledge drive.  Within a few weeks she made a thousand dollars from the pockets of fellow middle schoolers. She did it from the ground up. She organized others. She was helping create a communal generous heart.

Please click here to read the rest of Kate’s words from her March 2 sermon.