First,
I want to thank all who have already responded to our stewardship appeal, especially the two widows who responded in the spirit
of last week’s Gospel of the widow’s mite of truly sacrificial giving.
Is
any celebrating an anniversary today? Anniversaries are the markers we use to
acknowledge important events in our lives. They are times of celebrations and
of remembrance , the good times and the sad times, the joys and the sorrows. A
lot of those occasions happened outside this church – firsts and lasts of all kinds – first born and last born;
first days at school and graduations, the last days at school; first loves and broken hearts; first victories and first losses;
lives filled with the everyday events.
As
believers in Jesus Christ many of those same events are acknowledged, affirmed, celebrated, mourned and comforted within the
walls of this church. We come here as individuals, families, single parents and single people of all ages, all colors, all ethnic groups, rich and poor, people
of deep faith and people with doubts. We encounter all those occasions as the
living church..the faith community of HT, of the Archdiocese of Newark and of the church at large, near and far.
As
Barbara and I approach our 40th year as Holy Trinity parishioners I can recount the many joys and sorrows we shared
here. We baptized our children and grandchildren, celebrated first communions,
confirmations, marriages and sadly, funerals of our loved ones. I cannot imagine
what our lives would have been like without you and the many gifts of your time
and talent and treasure that not only joined us in sharing our joys, but helped us in times of need to keep body and soul together. We are grateful.
In
my 17th year as a deacon, the last 8 working in the rectory, I can tell you once again how your generous sharing
of your time and talent and treasure have helped so many who come to us in times of need.
Your generosity has fed, clothed, sheltered, healed and comforted more people than I can remember. I have reaped the joy of being the hands and face of Christ in your name.
Many
of you know that same joy as you serve in the close to 50 ministries of Word, Worship, Community and Service here at Holy
Trinity. You bring us closer to the sacred through our Word and Worship ministries. You reach out to those in need through Service.
You help us define and celebrate who we are as Community, continuing the legacy begun more than 135 years ago, generation
after generation. It is in the spirit of our prophetic baptismal call and the
Gospel imperative to serve the least among us that today, I invite you to prayerfully consider how you are using your time
and talent and treasure.
To be sure, it is a daunting task, especially in the face of all the challenges so
many face today. The prophet Daniel and Mark’s Gospel speak of the end
times, of trials and tribulations yet to come at a time known only to God. We, you and I, are called to be a signs of hope, the promise of better times, through
the offering of our time and talent and treasure.
The
Reverend James Forbes, retired pastor of Riverside Church in NYC once said that as he reflected back over his life he could
recall many events where God was inviting him to come closer, to go deeper, to go beyond that of which he thought himself
capable.
Some
25 years ago, sitting right there, Barbara and I came face to face with that same invitation to come closer, to go deeper,
to go beyond that of which we thought ourselves capable. We did. We said “Yes” to the invitation to tithe in the spirit of sacrificial giving…we never
regretted it…and we never lacked for anything we truly needed.
That
is the invitation I lay before each and every one of you today. Take the words
of the song “Be Not Afraid” to heart as you make your stewardship renewal decision. Try it. It really works! Be not afraid.
