St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
September 24, 2023
Year A, Proper 20: The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
Philippians 1:21-30
Matthew 20:1-16
Rooted in Abundance
I don’t know about you but I’m a public radio fan.
Pretty much whenever I’m driving, I usually turn on WYPR and listen to their news and talk programs. I even like hearing the traffic reports. When I first moved here I had no idea about the places they were talking about, but now I do.
On Friday morning as I was running my day off errands, I had the radio on as usual and listened to the news – and also the annual fall pledge drive.
I thought about how for every pledge drive they have to come up with a different slogan or angle – it must be a challenge.
This year they are suggesting that we can become part of the WYPR “family” by becoming what they call a “sustaining member.”
I was thinking about all of this when I remembered that here at St. Thomas’ today is Stewardship Sunday – the official start of our fall stewardship campaign – which is, in part, an effort to encourage all of us to give as generously as we can to support this church that we love so much.
But, for the church, stewardship is much more than fundraising – it’s really about gratitude – gratitude to God for the many, many blessings we have received. And stewardship is also about generosity – how do we respond generously to the God who has been so generous with us.
Just like public radio, each year we offer a different theme – this year’s is “Rooted in Abundance” – and whoever is preaching on Stewardship Sunday is tasked with somehow presenting stewardship in a way that captures people’s imaginations and moves our hearts.
One way to do that is by coming up with an example of a time when we have given from our hearts and our wallets – to recall a joyful time when our generosity has echoed God’s great generosity.
Gosh, I don’t know, can anyone think of a time like that?
Well, most of you know where I am going with this. Last Sunday was officially Renewal Sunday but, honestly, we could have just as accurately called it Stewardship Sunday.
My goodness – talk about abundance!
I’ve been floating all week.
Now, going into Renewal Sunday, I was pretty sure it was going to be a good day but nothing prepared me for just how wonderful it was. If you weren’t here last week, or even if you were, I strongly encourage you to watch – and listen to - the video of the 10:00 service on our website.
https://www.stthomaschurch.us/sermons/september-17-2023/
But, for now, a quick recap:
Our Senior Warden Jesse Van Geison and I spoke about an important and challenging and emotional topic – the plan to remember and re-member the North Cemetery and the enslaved people and their descendants who are buried out there – resting in sacred ground, just outside our churchyard wall.
Your response has been deeply moving and encouraging. Some of you have expressed relief and gratitude that we are addressing this part of our history and others have been fascinated to learn a little of this previously unknown story and eager to learn more.
Our choir – oh man, our choir – our choir always does a beautiful job but last week was… transcendent. And it was so gratifying to know that the congregation was moved by what they – you – heard – so moved, in fact, that applause broke out!
And then, with our hearts full of the finest spiritual food, most of us made our way over to the Parish Hall for a fine lunch of fried chicken and sides and delicious desserts – including, of course, soft-serve, with optional sprinkles, from the ice cream truck.
With a big smile, one newcomer joked that if we have the ice cream truck every week, he will become a member of our church!
That’s the kind of challenge I can get behind!
But we weren’t just here to enjoy good food and fellowship.
St. Thomas’ the Servant Church swung into action – writing more than 50 personal thank you notes to teachers at Owings Mills Elementary School – assembling 150 beauty and wellness bags with all sorts of treats for guests at the Community Crisis Center (I think this is my favorite – to give people who are struggling not just the basics but something nice, something to make life just a little bit sweet. Just beautiful.).
We created 20 celebration packages with all sorts of good stuff that the principal at OMES will give to Students of the Month and we assembled nearly 40 teacher appreciation bags – to thank teachers who work so hard in an ever more challenging profession.
So, that’s a lot, right?
And more than enough for one day.
But… that afternoon, the Orioles clinched a playoff spot and then managed yet another come-from-behind victory. I confess that I was following the game on my phone before the 5:00 service.
(Actually, a parishioner texted me, asking if I was going to delay the start of the service. I would never do that – of course not – but fortunately it wasn’t necessary anyway!)
So it was quite a day.
It’s kind of hard to describe exactly what it felt like.
But I imagine our Renewal Sunday was sort of like what the hungry and cranky Israelites in the wilderness experienced when the manna fell from heaven – this unexpected blessing – really not quite like anything they had ever seen or tasted before – this unexpected blessing filling them up for the journey ahead.
Or, maybe our Renewal Sunday was sort of like being one of the 5:00 workers in today’s parable.
No doubt they were grateful for the work but still had kind of low expectations – they only worked for a few minutes, after all. Yet, they received more than they would have dared to hope – more than they even deserved.
I love today’s parable - the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard.
I love it because, while sometimes we may not be exactly sure how Jesus’ first listeners heard his parables, in this case I am pretty certain that our reaction is exactly the same as people two thousand years ago.
The landowner gathers workers to work in his vineyard – he promised the first early morning group they would receive the “usual daily wage” and then he brought in another group at 9:00 and then another at noon and yet another at 3:00 and then, finally, he hired the last, probably pretty forlorn group, at 5:00.
Apparently, there were a lot of day laborers desperate for work – just like today.
Well, you remember what happened next.
The 5:00’ers are paid first – receiving the “usual daily wage” – a big surprise, I’m sure – a big surprise which got everybody else thinking that they were going to get a bit more – maybe a lot more - than the “usual daily wage.”
But instead, everyone received the same amount, and the early workers are unhappy – just as they would be unhappy today – just as we would probably be unhappy today.
“Not fair!” we would shout.
But the landowner is generous – sharing abundance - just as God is generous – sharing abundance with all of us.
I mean, seriously, go back and watch last week’s video.
Or, actually, just take a look around right now.
God has been so good to us here at St. Thomas’.
You might say that we are “rooted in abundance.”
“Rooted in Abundance” is this year’s stewardship theme but it’s also just the plain truth.
Thanks be to God, all of us here at St. Thomas’ – you and I – are rooted in abundance.
So my hope is that everyone who considers this old and holy place our spiritual home – whether you’ve been here “all day” or just arrived with the 5:00 crew – my hope is that all of us will give as generously as we can – give money, yes, please, but also give our hearts, just like we did on Renewal Sunday, just like we do around here all the time.
Giving thanks to God who has blessed us so extravagantly – seriously watch the video from last week – my hope is that all of us will give as generously as we can, giving thanks to God who has rooted us – who has rooted us so deeply – in abundance.
Amen.
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