Stewardship of Earthly Blessings: Isaiah 58: 1-8; Acts 2: 42-47
A year or so ago, I was visiting a friend up in Atlanta. Now she is a big fan of antique stores and looking for historic and interesting things around antique stores, and basically seeing what they have available. So, knowing her love of this, I politely, if hesitantly, agreed to go with her…to the non-air conditioned antique store…in August. While walking up and down the aisles, sweating, we came across this gorgeous small kitchen table. It was beautiful wood, fantastic gold stenciling, ornate, lovely, and she instantly fell in love with it.
The store owner told us this long history of how it was almost 100 years old, where it came from, and how well preserved it was. But something, something in the back of my mind was saying there’s a problem. This table in TOO good of shape for its age. So I got under the table and started looking around. The shop owner immediately and tersely said, “What are you doing?” And then I found it. In small gold stenciling on the underside of the table…Made in China, 1995. How authentic.
Authenticity plays a major role in our lives and in our lives of faith. If we lack authenticity in our worship, our prayers, our witness, then we will utterly fail in our walk with God. Authentic is defined several ways: worthy of belief as being based in fact, conforming to an original, not false, and true to one’s own spirit or character. We see it used in a variety of ways: authentic Mexican food, authentic antique table, and a sincere and authentic personality. Authenticity in our faith and in our worship is vital, and I daresay, the lack of it is the main cause of the decline in church attendance.
In Isaiah, we are told that the worship of the people was not authentic. They went through the motions: showing up at the temple, learning about God, fasting, appearing righteous, pious actions, and so on. They had quite carefully and literally done all the right things, so what’s the problem? Their worship was for appearance, and not for God. God tells them that they are doing it to please themselves. Then God gives them the dreaded list of what is wrong: fasting while still oppressing workers, while fighting and quarreling, going through the motions, failing to truly and authentically live the faith that they act out.
God tells them that their faith should be authentic, and that is seen by how they live and act: free those wrongly imprisoned, go easy on those who are laborers, free the oppressed, share food with the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe those who are in need of good clothing, and do not hide from family who need help. I can almost feel myself choking and sputtering at that list. It’s tough, condemning, convicting of those who say they are faithful to God.
In the book of Acts we are given even more tough instruction: they performed miraculous signs and wonders, they met together and shared everything, they even sold their property and possessions to share the money with those in need, they prayed, they communed, they praised God, and they enjoyed the goodwill of all people. The earliest church was a community, not an institution, and I fear as we we have moved away from that sense of community, we have lost our authenticity.
The church’s mission should center on worship, strengthening relationships to God, helping others find faith, and serving the community. These cover the big areas including the daily worship of the early church, the signs and wonders, and the selling off of everything they had to give to those in need. When the pulpit and the church is used for anything else, the church falls into the trap of Isaiah 58’s warning.
For instance, the church should never be used to advocate for politics or politicians—we must get back to the idea that we render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God, and the church has never belonged to Caesar but is, has been and always will be God’s and God’s alone. And that sinfulness spans all sides of the political spectrum. It is my job, as a preacher and pastor (and indeed of other pastors), to introduce you to Christ and to show you what is in the Bible so that you can work out your salvation, your faith, and your Christian walk with God, to support and help you on your walk of faith., and to work on behalf of the oppressed,, poor, and suffering as listed in Isaiah.
When we are stewards of our earthly blessings, we are authentic in our worship and we are authentic in our charity and giving, not because of a tax break, but because of our Christian desire to help the poor and those in need. Jesus was never stingy with his blessings, with his healing, and with his love of the people, including those who were outcast, untouchable, and foreigners. He offered them healing, restoration, and grace when they needed it the most.
My friends, that is the job of the church and the job of us as Christians. to make sure our actions align with our faith, with what the Bible says, and with how Christ speaks to us. There are parts of the Bible that make us uncomfortable. These few verses in Acts 2 make us uncomfortable. So, we try, then, to explain it way—give only so much to those in need, there’s a percentage. Well, weekly worship is sufficient—I’m getting my dose of faith that way. Once a quarter should be sufficient for the Lord’s Supper, right? NO! No, No. We cannot compromise the truths of the Bible where it makes us uncomfortable or puts a holy strain on our lives. That is not being a good steward. The believers devoted themselves to their lives of faith daily. They gave with wiling hearts, with love, and knowing that they had to walk by faith and not by sight. That, that right there is an authentic way to walk with God.
We must get back to a faith, to a walk with God, that echoes the words of the hymn: “All to Jesus, I surrender. All to him I freely give. I will ever love and trust him; in his presence daily live. I surrender all.” Authentic faith is not that difficult, really. God doesn’t ask for our money, God doesn’t ask for our time, God doesn’t ask for our service. Instead God asks for us, just we ourselves…I surrender all. Over and over Jesus says, “Come follow me.” It may be in the context of giving us rest, of sending us out to be fishers of people, or even to take up a cross.
Those details of our calling (money, time, and talents) will work themselves out as we learn and walk with Christ. We don’t have to know each step of the way because we walk by faith, not by sight. But first and foremost, before we work out the details, before we nail down exactly how this faith thing works and how to be stewards of the tools God gives us here on earth, we must first find an authentic way to worship and follow God. First and foremost, before anything else, Christ calls to us, “Come and follow me.” May we have the conviction to say, “All to thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all”