The Rev. Robert Lundquist XXIII after Pentecost 10/23/05 St Paul’s, Ft Collins

Matthew 22:34-46 - Online Text-

What’s the greatest commandment? You’re thinking, “Out of a possible ten,” right? According to Jewish legend, the Torah contains 613 distinct commandments. A much larger pool to draw from, isn’t it?

Jesus responds with two scriptures:

The Shema, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” This is Deuteronomy 6:5.

The other is Leviticus 19:18 – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

What Jesus does is revolutionary – he puts the two together, he equates them with each other. They are two sides of the same coin. It is sacramental – the outward and visible sign of love is for our neighbor, which reflects our inward and spiritual love for God. Love is a tangible thing to Jesus. It’s not a just a warm feeling or a happy thought. Everything (the Law and the Prophets) hangs on both loving God and loving neighbor. It’s love with legs.

Fr Hiram Hisanori Kano lived a life of just this kind of love. He is remembered today, the Sunday nearest his feast day of October 24, here at St Paul’s:

Hiram Kano was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1889. Baptized in 1910, he came to the US in 1916. The Bishop of Western Nebraska asked him to become a missionary to all the people of Japanese descent in the North Platte Valley, which he did in 1925. Hiram was ordained a priest in 1936. On Dec. 7, 1941, the day on which the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, Fr Kano was arrested on the steps of his church. Over the next 4 years he ministered in 5 different prisons, thanking God for the grace to continue his ministry. After the war he returned to Nebraska. Upon his retirement in 1957 Fr Kano and his wife Ai Ivy Kano moved to Ft Collins to be near their daughter Addie. He assisted in the worship and life of St Paul’s during his time in the community. Fr Kano entered life eternal Oct. 24 1988. Both the Dioceses of Nebraska and Colorado have designated this day as Fr Kano day in their respective Diocesan calendars.

~ From the Sunday bulletin of the day

His witness within this community of St Paul’s lasted for nearly 30 years, and is treasured especially by those who knew him. Thank God for servants such as Hiram!

I was once asked in a clergy gathering what authority Holy Scripture holds for me. I was the last to speak, and as I listened to the others it became clear that this was not an intellectual answer for me. I responded, “For me, Holy Scripture has the authority of a love letter.”

Loving God, loving neighbor. This is sometimes referred to as the Law of Love. Somehow that description falls flat for me, almost as an oxymoron. But love has been the identifying trait of Christians from the beginning. Non-Christian sources from the ancient world chronicle the centrality of love for the faithful. Aristides writing around 125 CE, Tertulian a century later, and Emperor Julian the Apostate in the 4^th century CE all commented on the remarkable love that the Christians lived, and not just to their own, but to everyone.

One way in which we love God with heart, body and soul is to pay attention to what we do with what we have. Our stewardship in all things is a spiritual thing. Face it, our days are blessed. God gives abundantly. And it is of the abundance from God that we back to God.

There are 3 aspects to giving, as I see it. And I wear different (though not mutually exclusive hats) in laying them out before you:

First, I want to put on my “spiritual leader” hat. Your giving to God’s work in the world is between you and God. You honor God by making a sacrifice. “Sacrifice” literally means “making holy by giving up.” It shares a root with the words “sacrament” and “sacred.” When you make a sacrifice to God you are exercising control over your wealth. We live in a society in which so many people are controlled by their money. It is literally a spiritual necessity to change that equation, lest the connection with material things becomes idolatrous. Giving to a good greater than oneself magnifies the honor. You need to give, for the sake of your spiritual health. Does that sound shocking? Scripture commends the tithe as the standard for giving to God. Sometimes called the first fruits, the tithe is 10% of one’s wealth. Whether one owned a flock or an orchard, the first tenth went to the temple. A feast for the entire community, rich or poor, was held, and thus was community strengthened.

Let me put on my “CEO of St Paul’s” hat now. When you exercise your spiritual discipline of giving to God’s work in the world, I ask you to give to the ministry of St Paul’s. In making my request I ask you to consider our worship, teaching, outreach and friendship before you think of a spreadsheet. The numbers, albeit important, are a means to the end of carrying out God’s work in our world. So don’t “give to the budget;” give to the ministry we share. When you do, I believe you bring heaven and earth closer to each other. We pray to God every day, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.” I can attest to the excellent stewardship that your leaders have shown with the gifts you’ve already given. Our anticipated 5-year deficit budget is about to be scrapped after 2 years, since the deficit has nearly disappeared! St Paul’s is worthy of your investment.

Now the “new priest” hat – St Paul’s is unique in this community of Fort Collins. An open and inclusive congregation is a relative rarity around here. I’ve heard the poignant stories of the folks who’ve been turned away from or shunned at other churches. Gay and lesbian couples have found a welcoming home here; university students discover a safe place to ask questions. St Paul’s was founded in 1959 as a campus ministry, and those roots are as important now as they’ve ever been. You see, Fort Collins needs St Paul’s.

Me? I tithe. I have for some 17 years. I remember, as a young priest with a wife and an infant son, praying and thinking about my giving. I was working up gradually – 6% this year, 7% next year… and I just went up to 10% that day. I’ve never regretted it, for it gives me both joy and freedom. Studies show that there are very few “former tithers.” It has become a welcome discipline, making the first check I write after every paycheck a gift to God’s ministry through St Paul’s.

You may have heard it said, “the Bible says that money is the root of all evil.” Of course the actual quote is, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Because that love is idolatrous. Money itself, though, is powerful. My money represents who I am – my time, my labor, my experience, my skill. It is a righteous sacrifice to give to God, in Biblical terms.

You may have noticed that the offering plates are treated differently in the last couple months. Instead of putting the offering off to the side, I’ve asked that they be placed on the altar, with the gifts of bread and wine and food for the hungry. I do this because your gift is sacred when it is used to do God’s work through St Paul’s. It is of your substance that you give, and that makes it holy, fit for God’s altar. I am grateful for your gifts and your giving, for I see the difference it makes in God’s world. “… on earth as it is in heaven.”

I ask you to take a pledge card today, and pray over it for the next two weeks. On November 6 we will collect all the commitments we have made together, and dedicate them to God’s use and glory here at the altar. Your willingness to make that commitment is an additional gift to your Vestry, for it allows them to plan income and expenses for the coming year. I personally don’t care if you sign the card or not – I believe we could run St Paul’s with a stack of 3x5 cards with just number, amounts of giving, on them. But we also want to assist you when it comes time to claim deductions round about April…

Notice I haven’t said that St Paul’s needs anything. I do believe that you need to give. I am confident that God will give us more that enough to do what God intends for us to do in 2006. I’ve asked the Vestry to refrain from making a budget until our pledges have been received. Because our God is a God of abundance, not scarcity. We see it in Jesus’ feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. What we are about is celebrating that abundance. And so I ask you – please join me in pledging and giving sacrificially to the ministry of God through St Paul’s.

Thank you.

A Parish For All People!