St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church
Laytonsville, Maryland

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The Gifts of the Wise Men -- January 2006

When I was younger and living in Puerto Rico, we used to celebrate Three Kings Day as well as Christmas. This was great because we would get presents twice! Liturgically, this is the Feast of Epiphany, where we celebrate the wise men from the east's visit to the baby Jesus, Virgin Mary, and Joseph. We know they came bearing gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Odd gifts for a baby, perhaps, but loaded with significance when presented to the King of kings, our High Priest, our Savior.

What does the presentation of gifts by the wise men mean for us today? First, the gifts presented by the wise men were not token hospitality gifts. They were valuable presents given by royalty to a superior King. This tells us that Jesus is worthy of receiving our gifts, extravagant, lavish gifts, whatever they are. He is trustworthy and knows what to do with them. As the Son of God it is proper for us to give Jesus gifts, offerings of ourselves.

Secondly, the presentation, the giving of such gifts is a form of worship. Our offerings placed in the plate Sunday morning is not merely funding a budget. We are symbolically offering our resources, our lives, ourselves to the LORD. We are declaring Him worthy of such a gift and honor. Truly, the LORD is the only one worthy of our lives.

So when Epiphany comes around, let us remember those wise men from the east as role models of giving in the new year.

A Lenten Stewardship -- March 2006

Last October/November, I called most everyone in the parish with a "friendly reminder" about the Pledge Campaign. I spoke with one person right before a party. Another person was waiting to hear about a new baby. Other people had less happy items to share with me. What struck me was there was that there were a lot of situations that don't necessarily show up on the prayer list that could be brought before the Lord in prayer.

As my Lenten observance, I will be praying through the St. Bartholomew's phone directory. Conveniently, there are seven weeks in Lent and seven pages in the new directory. Week 1 starts Sunday, February 26. So at a page a week, a few families a day during my personal prayer time, I'll get to everyone by Easter. I mention this so if you wanted to join me, we could all be on the same page. The Sunday bulletin will have which page we're on that week, so you can join anytime. If you don't have the latest phone directory, please pick one up from the back of the church or the choir vesting area. The directory has a bright yellow cover.

Not knowing everyone personally, I thought prayers for strong marriages, good relationships with children, health, Godly wisdom and guidance, and a closer relationship with the Lord would all be welcome. The people we do know can be prayed for more specifically.

As for the Stewardship application, I think this is a good use of my time this Lent.

An Offering Should Cost Us Something -- April 2006

One of my favorite stewardship principles comes from First Chronicles Chapter 21 where King David orders a census of the fighting men of Israel. The prideful and self-aggrandizing aspect of this census made it a sin. Israel was punished with a plague. To stop the plague, David goes to make a sacrifice to the Lord at Araunah the Jebusite's threshing floor. Araunah offers to give the King the threshing floor and throw in the oxen and wood for the burnt offering. King David replies "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."

Following the same principle our offerings to the Lord need to cost us something. That's why Jesus commends the poor widow and her two pennies over the rich young man. (Mark 12:41-44). The amount, or the proportion, of our sacrifice, whatever it may be, is a measure of how much we value to the Lord. If we present our leftovers and scraps to the Lord, we dishonor Him.

When I consider my own life, I know how guilty I am of this. I sometimes think God is lucky to get anything from me. Certainly my many offerings and great sacrifices could have been better spent and used. In stronger moments, I know this to be a lie. Rather my offerings represent my fingernail hold on Jesus, the only thing keeping me from being completely swept away. Worth everything.

With Holy Week and Easter approaching, I am again reminded of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Redeeming us cost Jesus his very life, which He willingly laid down. We also know that with the Lord no sacrifice is in vain

No One Is to Appear Before Me [the LORD] Empty Handed -- May 2006

I hope you all had a marvelous Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Plus, I trust you were enriched by praying through the directory during Lent. Another nearby church did the same activity. For the record, we were doing it first.

Last month I shared one of my personal stewardship principles - "I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing." This month I will discuss another principle found in Exodus 34:20 - "No one is to appear before me [the LORD] empty handed."

I take this to mean that if I'm at church, I am ready and willing to make an offering. If they pass the plate, I am putting something in it. It does not matter if I just gave or plan on giving later, I am making an offering to the LORD at that moment.

I used to be glad when a collection was not taken (that once), then I could keep my money. Now I look at it as a lost opportunity to draw closer to Jesus. It is a missed chance to reconnect with the LORD; to worship Him.

Furthermore, every offering we make is a chance to practice generosity and giving. With every offering we pass by, we practice greed and reinforce scarcity. I'm already good at the later. I need to practice the former whenever I possibly can.

I understand some people have variable incomes and tight budgets. Nevertheless, consider the principle and benefits of "No one is to appear before me empty handed." It's not a question of what's in our pocketbooks; it's a question of what's in our hearts.

Consistency, for a Lifetime -- June 2006

Last month I wrote about always being ready and willing to make an offering to the LORD when the opportunity arises. That principle came from Exodus 34:20. In order to actually do this requires not only a proper heart attitude, but also saving and re-ordering priorities to have those resources. This means living consistently for the LORD day to day, month to month, year to year.
Financial advisors tell us the way to prepare for retirement is to consistently put aside money every paycheck. It's the consistency with compound interest that allows the IRA to grow. When the Festival Committee prepares for the Christmas Festival, they schedule workdays throughout the year. Habits are made or changed by consistently repeating an action or thought pattern. By now you can tell I liked the gold star for perfect attendance in elementary school.

The same principle of consistency works in the spiritual realm. Our consistency in worship, in giving, in service, in love builds those patterns which keep us close to the LORD Jesus. We don't necessarily gain righteousness, but we gain relationship with Him.

We can also fool ourselves into believing we done more than we actually have, if we're inconsistent. We tend to remember the high points, rather than looking at the average over time which is a more realistic assessment and perhaps much less. Our day to day deeds, words, and gifts may not seem as much, but over the course of our lifetimes their effect is profound for God's kingdom. We just have to remember to do it for a lifetime. Fortunately, that's alright by God. Have a good summer.