Sermon - September 25, 2011

15th Sunday in Pentecost – Year A (Pr26)
Philippians 2:1-13

Have the Same Mind

A few years ago, I was involved in a forum at the Strom Thurmon Institute. The speaker was William Schulz, executive director for Amnesty International. I bought a copy of the book he had recently published; he was signing them for participants. I found the title of his book to be interesting. It was: In Our Own Best Interest; How defending human rights benefits us all. When asked about the title, Schultz acknowledged that he and many other human rights advocates were finding it increasingly difficult to excite hearers or enlist support by using the line, “It is the right thing to do.” Rather, they were needing to couch their presentations in explaining how becoming involved would be beneficial to the one taking action.

I thought of this, as I heard the Stewardship Committee’s proposals for today’s emphasis. The tagline for this, the third week of our Stewardship Emphasis, is “Acting Together.” I hope you read John’s article in the Wednesday E-News, or will pick up a copy in the narthex. His article identifies one of the obstacles to efforts of this sort. It is the same obstacle Schultz encountered. The article in UniLu’s E-News pointed out that we live in a culture where individualism is worshiped. As a result, “acting together” can be a hard sell. We are more inclined to want to go our own way, make our own path, set our own priorities. All too often, we are reluctant to sign on until it can be shown that acting in harmony with others will in the end be beneficial to “me.” Is “Acting Together” out of the question, until it can be shown that doing so is really in “our own best interest”?

“Acting Together.” It is the sub-theme of our emphasis “Blessed to be a Blessing.” Acting Together is what we do when we throw our lot into a common effort, allowing the whole to set the course and determine the contours of the particulars. It can be a difficult sell. Maybe this is why the Stewardship Committee asked for four weeks of activity. It takes that much time to get enough folks on board that we can safely plan ministries for the coming year. We, the followers of Jesus, fight an uphill battle in a world where the prime criteria isn’t “How can we join together?” but rather, “What would benefit me the most?”

I was on the phone this week with my buddy from VA Tech. Bill is also on the staff at Luther Memorial, where he too is preaching this morning. Our conversation was on the text from Philippians. It suits well his work at Luther Memorial, where he is the Director of their outreach ministries. I was telling him how appropriate it was for our consideration of what it means to act together.

St. Paul writes, “Make my joy complete; be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” I don’t think Paul was referring to any unity around a shared mindset. Would he have celebrated the attitude among those FSU fans at the face-mask call in the fourth quarter. That was the one that kept the final Clemson drive alive and resulted in the touchdown which made the difference in the final score? The FSU fans around me were pretty united. Yet, I don’t think this is the kind of unity Paul is encouraging. Paul is encouraging us to be of “one mind” as in the mindset we share with Jesus. He even speaks of traits he would assume to be present in those who would share this mind. “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy” then we are more likely to find the unity which makes joy complete.

Encouragement, consolation, love, sharing, compassion, sympathy – once again we speak of traits not often enough championed by the culture in which we live. Sure, we hear talk about “love,” but doesn’t it most often refer to sensual love - rather than love of neighbor, or the love of stranger to which God calls us? It is tough to enlist support for the mindset of which Paul writes.

“Be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Do we even know where to begin?

It seems that the first place we begin is to speak of the difference between “giving” and “purchase of services.” “Giving” involves taking that which has come our way (do I need to remind you that the catechism says everything which has come our way is a gift from God?), giving involves taking that which has come our way and returning the first fruits for God’s use. Most of us structure our week around work, and Clemson football games. How might our planning differ if we started with Bible Study, worship, and acts of Christian service?

Two of our students spoke at this week’s student gathering about inverting our financial planning. I will paraphrase, because I didn’t have a pen to write it down. But they spoke of “Saving – Giving – Spending” rather than “Spending and then seeing what was left over.

“Be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” It begins with an understanding that we have been blessed, so that we might be a blessing. It manifests itself in learning to Act Together.

There is always the possibility that any talk from a pastor about stewardship will come off as self-serving. After all, getting folks to take a turn fixing the Wednesday evening LCM meal means one less thing I have to worry about, right? So let me share a few observations from the perspective of fellow-member of University Lutheran Church.

For the past three summers my baby has been on staff at Lutheridge. While there, he has provided oversight to campers from across South Carolina and the southeast. When we sent UniLu members to camp, we sent them with the assurance that if they needed help while there, they could look for Caleb. He is a great counselor – not my evaluation, but that of those who see him in action. Having acknowledged what he has given, I want to bear testimony to what Lutheridge has given him. Caleb is still a bit unsure as to his career path. That is okay, he will get there. But as he searches, those summers at camp assure him that he has a place in this world; that he is making a profound contribution in the lives of others. He gains so much from those brief ten weeks; it is a benefit which would be denied him, were it not for the faithful stewardship of those who support the camp and see to its upkeep. It is not as a pastor that I express appreciation for those stewards, it is as a father. This would not be possible in his life, nor in the lives of so many others, did we not “Act Together” in supporting the ministries of this Church.

Last May, our family benefited from the promises of scripture with regard to resurrection. When Granna died, it was the message of salvation which gave us the courage to commend her into God’s care. Without that, we would surely have been crushed. That message came to us through the liturgies of the Church and through the sacrament of Holy Communion. Those unchangeable, unwavering promises also came to us through what is so often referred to as the ministry of cards and casseroles. Miriam’s investment in this place – years of taking her place on Sunday mornings, and accepting her turn – returned to her family the assurance that we were not facing those days alone. Her faithful stewardship served as the impetus for other stewards to reach out to her family in the aftermath of her death. “Acting Together” the church eased the burdens and made the transition passable.

“Acting Together” means having a shared mindset among us in which we ask how life might be made better for all of us. “Acting Together” means realizing that all we have is a gift from God and using it as a gift is the best way to ensure that it will move us closer to the joy which comes from God. “Acting Together” does not (yet) come natural to the culture around us, but it is the culture we seek to establish. “Acting Together” means “making our joy complete.”

Amen.