“Inspired by the Saints“
A Communion Meditation Preached by the
Rev. Jean Niven Lenk
All Saints Sunday, November 6, 2011
First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ
Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-11
It was reported[i] earlier this week that a T-shirt vendor has caused quite a commotion at Occupy Wall Street. The fact that she is selling her wares and charging $15 per T shirt is not the controversy; what is upsetting people is that rather than donating the proceeds to feeding and otherwise supporting the occupiers, the vendor is proudly keeping her cash profits. That, her detractors claim, runs counter to Occupy Wall Street’s cause of stopping capitalistic exploitation. She defends her actions saying she is inspired by the American Dream and simply wants to get a piece of it.
The American Dream – prosperity, success, material abundance.[ii] Perhaps it is not just the American dream, but one that has been throughout the world for thousands of years. In this morning’s scripture lesson, the Apostle Paul talks about abundance – both the material and spiritual -- and how we might use that abundance to help others.
At the time Paul wrote his letter, Corinth was a cosmopolitan city and shipping port that straddled one of the Roman empire’s most vital trade routes. Because of its strategic location, the city was populated by importers, retailers, artisans and collectors. The Corinthians, including the city’s Christians, were living in unprecedented luxury, and Paul hoped that the Corinthians would be inspired to give out of their material abundance to their brothers and sisters in need in Jerusalem. We are inspired when God’s Spirit dwells within us and motivates us to respond. But despite Paul’s request, the Corinthians weren’t all that inspired to give. They promised their support, but after a whole year, they had taken no action.
The Macedonians, on the other hand, were not wealthy. Indeed, Paul referred to them as in “extreme poverty” and in the midst of a “severe ordeal of affliction.” And yet – they too were enjoying abundance – not the material kind that comes from wealth, but the spiritual kind which came from a life-giving, life-transforming relationship with Christ. The Macedonians enjoyed an abundance of God’s grace and love, leading to an abundance of joy. The Spirit of God dwelled in their heart, and out of their joy, the Macedonians were inspired to respond eagerly and generously to their Christian brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.
While Paul thought it would be the Corinthians, who – because of their material abundance – would aid the people in Jerusalem, it turned out to be the Macedonians who – because of their spiritual abundance – not only were inspired to respond generously to Jerusalem but also served to inspire the Corinthians into giving generously.
On this All Saints Sunday, we remember and are inspired by the saints of our faith. While we understand the saints of the church to mean our Christian loved ones who have died and gone to heaven, in scripture, saints are alive and well, and the word is always used in the plural.
And it seems obvious who were the saints in the passage from Second Corinthians – the Macedonians who gave generously, despite their scarcity; God’s Spirit was surely dwelling in their hearts, and those Macedonian saints indeed set an example to inspire the Corinthians.
But here’s the kicker – the Corinthians are saints, too; that’s what Paul calls them in his first words of this letter – “…To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia…” Despite their lack of response to Jerusalem’s need, Paul understood that they were forgiven by Christ and that God’s Spirit dwelled within them, too -- and that is why he addressed them as saints.
And just as Paul used the Macedonians to inspire the Corinthians in their giving, saints can inspire us. On this third Sunday of our Stewardship Campaign, we are inspired the by the saints of this church, the generations of the faithful who have gone before us, entrusting into our hands the gift of this church. We are inspired by the saints of today, who sit next to us in these pews, who stir you and me to be more loving, more faithful, and more generous. I hope you were inspired by Susan Lindsay’s powerful witness last Sunday, and especially by her and Fred’s decision to increase their pledge this coming year by 25%.
And someday long in the future, decades from now, perhaps the people sitting in these pews will look back and be inspired to love and to serve and to give to this church by the saints of the early 21st century – yes, I’m talking about all of you. Because just as our lives are touched by those who lived centuries ago, our lives are also preparing the way for those who have not yet been born. We are “ancestors in the making,” the saints and inspirations for future generations. We are the shoulders on which our spiritual descendants will stand, and even today, we are laying a foundation, molding a future, and establishing a legacy for future members of this family of faith.
Therefore, as the saints of this congregation, we have a responsibility to God – and also to the generations that follow us -- to be good stewards of this church, this gift from God; and one way we can do that is by giving generously.
The faithfulness we demonstrate through our Stewardship Campaign not only speaks volumes about who we are and how important our church is in our lives, but our generous giving will also will have an impact on the people who sit in these pews long after we are gone.
May our response to this year’s Stewardship Campaign be inspired by and live up to the faith, commitment and generosity of the communion of saints that have gone before us, and may our generous giving serve as an inspiration and a legacy to the generations to come, by the grace of God. Amen.
