George J. Saylor
April 13, 2008
A staff can be more than just a stick. It can symbolize a lot of things. It might even symbolize a person’s life. There are many professions that are associated with certain objects - teachers have their books, police officers have their badge, doctors have their stethoscope, lawyers have their pitchfork! For a shepherd it’s this- a staff. And we're going to talk about this staff this morning.
We are talking about the Signs of Belonging here at Connections. Last week we talked about the relevance of signs to inform, direct and protect our lives. We talked about the longing to belong. The desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We have this on many levels as people. We might have this great sense of belonging with our family or friends, but feel totally disconnected from the culture or world around us. We’ve all had those wonderful moments of belonging, and those seasons of feeling rootless- moving out of the house, to a new community, a new country, a new job.
Last week we started by talking about our first sign and the foundation of finding true belonging- finding our belonging in God. We were created by God, we have been saved by God through Jesus, and we are called to belong with God in the community of Christ-followers, the church. And we express this great sense of belonging in the thing called worship. We start our week Sunday morning, Soaring in Worship, then we live it throughout the week.
But how do we do that, really? How do we live a life of worship? Through this thing we call Stewardship. Today we go deeper into what it looks like to life a life of worship. And we believe that this idea, this practice of Stewardship is the start. And it’s as simple, and complex, as saying “God, in worship of you, everything I have, everything you’ve given me, belongs to you. And I will use it for you.” Stewardship is embracing this idea that you are not your own, and your stuff is not your stuff alone. But really that you belong to God, and your stuff belongs to God- all your stuff- your time, your talents, and your treasures, as we’ll get into it.
(The rest of the sermon now is totally ripped off- I heard a guy, and I don’t even remember his name, tell this story, and it has stayed with me for years.)
A baby named Moses was born and had all the potential for a great future, for he was a child of God’s chosen people. But in another way he was still born- as good as dead. He was born a baby without a future, without a hope, without a chance to live. Moses was born in Egypt, and into slavery. Pharaoh had enslaved God’s chosen people, and when they continued to grow and multiply, he began to kill them. He ordered that every male baby born be thrown into the Nile to drown or be eaten. The Nile was sacred to the Egyptians, and this was a fitting sacrifice.
Moses mother couldn’t bear the thought. She hid him in the house as long as she could, but babies have a way of letting their presence be known. After three months, she threw him in the Nile, but inside a basket that would float. Moses older sister Miriam watched to see what would happen. She saw Pharaohs daughter come down to the river to bath; she saw her take the baby; then without missing a beat, she approached the daughter and asked if she should get one of the Jewish women to help. And so inside of an hour Moses went from stillborn, to being the firstborn of Pharaoh’s own daughter. God has amazing plans for his people, doesn’t he!
Moses grew up and discovered the truth of his life and his people. One day, in a fit of rage, when he saw an Egyptian beating one of the Jewish slaves, he struck the Egyptian, killed him, and hid him in the sand. But he was discovered, and fearing for his life, he fled into the desert. There he settled down, took a wife, started a family, became a shepherd, and tried to put his past behind him. The baby of promise, stillborn, raised in Pharaoh’s palace, on the run for murder.
Moses probably thought that was the end of his story. For forty years Moses was an alien in the land, and his people, the Jews, remained enslaved in Egypt. But God’s plan for Moses was just beginning. God took this stillborn baby and gave him life; he took this proud prince and humbled him in the desert. Now, and only now, was Moses ready to begin his life’s mission and true calling.
Moses is out tending his flock, when he sees a burning bush. He notices that the bush burned, but the fire did not consume it. Moses went to see this strange site, when stranger yet, the bush began to speak. God laid his plan on the line- I’m going to free my people, and you are going to lead the way. Moses says he couldn't do it. And he was right. He couldn't. That’s exactly the point.
God only calls us to those things that we are incapable of doing without him. In fact, I would argue that it is the litmus test of a calling- if it’s a calling, if it’s really from God, it’s more than we can handle or accomplish on our own. God seems to have a knack for calling humble, lowly people to remarkable things- Abraham, you will be the father of nations! Uh God, if you hadn’t noticed, my wife and I can’t even have a kid, and now we’re looking forward to retirement. When he calls Gideon to be his judge, he hides in a winepress! When he calls Saul to be the first King of Israel, he hides in the storage shed. When he calls David to be the next inline, he’s the runt of the litter in his family!
If there’s one pattern that God seems to fall into, and there really are very few such patterns in our otherwise always surprising God, it’s that he qualifies those he calls, rather than call those who are qualified.
He qualifies those he calls, rather than calls those who are qualified.Because if he did, he’d have nobody to call on. He loves to take us out of our comfort zone. He loves to call people to things bigger than they are. He loves to stretch us, have us depend on himself, and in so doing, he glorifies himself. That’s really what it comes down to- God uses lowly people to do amazing things, so that God gets the credit. And the best part is, from God’s perspective, that as the world looks on they say, surely their God is the living God. Moses’ call and ministry is no exception.
Moses had all sorts of excuses on why he couldn’t be used by God: who was he- an alien, a murderer, a disappoint to everyone. What if they don’t believe me? Who shall I say sent me? I’m dumb, I can’t think fast or speak well. Moses had all the excuses in the world, but God had a plan, and he had only one question for Moses.
What’s that in your hand? Moses replies- a staff, a stick I picked up off the ground, a piece of wood. Nothing special. I use it to keep my sheep in line, to lean on when I’m tired, to steady myself as I walk, to defend myself when animals attack. It’s certainly useful, but it’s just a staff.
But then God tells Moses to do something- throw it on the ground. Open your hand Moses, and throw it on the ground.
Now when God asks Moses to throw his staff on the ground, he’s obviously asking for an act of obedience. But there’s more to it than that. It’s an act of symbolism. Moses may not have known it, and the truth his he probably didn’t. If a bush was talking to you you’d probably just do what it says! But God was about to begin the transformation of Moses and bring everything that had happened in his life up until this point together- and he was about to teach Moses the shepherd, that God was the great shepherd. He was about to teach Moses that like a shepherd leads his sheep. God was going to lead his people. And like a shepherd loves his sheep, God was going to love his people. And like a shepherd cares for and watches over and protects the sheep- God would do all this and more for his people. God has a way of taking that thing that is closest to us, most defining of who or what we are, and asking us to lay it down at his feet.
God wanted Moses to do one thing. One thing to begin this transformation, this new journey…(release)
And from that moment of release, that staff is never the same. That staff becomes a snake that displays the power of God. That staff strikes the Nile, where Moses was to die, and turns it into blood. That staff is stretched out over the Red Sea, the natural divide that kept the people trapped in Egypt, and the waters part, and the people are delivered into the Promised Land. That staff strikes a rock, and life-giving water pours out. That staff is raised high, and the people of God defeat their enemies and live. That staff, from that moment, was no longer the staff of Moses, but the staff of God. And in fact, at several of these key points in Moses life, he calls the staff the staff of God, and not his own.
What’s in your hand this morning? Everything in our hands, everything we have, everything at our disposal, is to be given to God. That’s what stewardship means. It means we let go of the things we hold on to, we give them to God, and then when we pick them up again, they have been transformed. They can now be used for His glory.
We often talk about three categories of things we hold, three things we steward for God- our time, out talents, our treasures. Let’s talk about them in reverse. God asks us to bring him our treasures. At the end of every service I mention that we provide offering envelops in the bulletin, and ushers to collect them. This is an ancient practice as old as the bible- where those that worship God, that have identified themselves as the people of God, give an offering to God The bible gives us guidance that the base offering is 10% of our income. Special gifts go above.
We haven’t made a big to-do about giving money at Connections, that is by design at this stage, but today begins a transition. And it’s simply this- we love God and people too much not to talk about money. We have learned the freedom of stewardship and it’s too good not to share.
Money is not in fact the source of joy for our lives- it is the single greatest source of frustration, stress and worry. More than anything else people report that money troubles are their single greatest problem. More arguments in marriage are over money than anything else. People are in more debt today than ever before. People go to school so they can make money. They work all week long to get money. They play all weekend long and spend money.
It would be unfair and irresponsible of the church to not talk about money when it may be the single greatest obsession of our lives. It would be irresponsible for us not to share the principles of making, giving, saving, using and enjoying money found in the bible- and yes, all those are there and we are going to talk about them- because stewardship involves all of those things- how to make money, how to give money, how to save money, how to spend money and how to enjoy money.
Stewardship of our money, of all our treasures- our homes, our cars, our furnishings, our toys- is about not letting them take control. It’s ironic that we call our stuff possessions. Because the truth is that too many folks are in fact possessed- they can’t break free from their stuff. They belong to their bills, their creditors, their desires for more things. They belong to their stuff. It owns them, and really, that’s no way to live.
Often in the church people have heard that Jesus talked about money more than anything else. Not true. People should read their bible a little more (we'll talk about that next week). Jesus talked about the kingdom of God more than anything else. He preached about experiencing the power of the kingdom of God in our lives. Next to that, he spoke on money. More directly, he taught that the single greatest barrier to experiencing the power of God in our lives was the love of money- or to put it another way- worshiping money. That's why stewardship of our money, and all our treasures, is absolutely essential for following Christ.
We also must steward our talents. A lot of folks brought their musical instruments in their hands this morning, and they’ve laid those talents before God. Others brought a bible to teach the children in our nursery and classrooms. Others brought the coffee and the hope that they would create a warm and inviting environment. Others brought a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, because they have the talent of inviting and bringing.
Moses was uniquely talented and experienced to do the job God called him to do. Likewise you are uniquely talented and gifted to be used by God in some amazing ways. Some of those talents I know we need to use here. We have a 100 jobs to fill, and that’s just the start. We need more folks with the talents and experienced needed to set up, to lead in music, in prayer, in sound, lighting, camera. Web design and management. We need gifted actors and actresses. But it goes beyond this- what’s in you hand- a paintbrush? A keyboard? A stethoscope? A gavel? How had god gifted you, and how will you use that gift for his glory? How will you steward that talent for him?
And you know what, the weirder and wackier you are, the better the plan God has to use you in a wonderful way. My mom likes the bible, she likes art, and she likes shells. So she collects shells and paints bible verses on them. Then she visits folks in the hospital and gives them hand made shells. And the response has been amazing. So if God can use a retired school teacher who likes the bible and shells, he can use you!
Finally, we have to steward our time. How will you steward the days God has given you? Will you spend you time on yourself, or will you give it to God? And if you think your too young to use your time for God, your not. In fact, the younger you are the better- because if you can start giving your time to God now, he can use you for a life time. And if you think you’re to old, Moses was 80 years old when God began his mission. So anyone here under 80- God is still getting us ready for our mission. Anyone here over 80- congratulations- You’ve finally arrived!
I know this- whatever we give, if we give with a sincere heart, God will take it, and God will use it. God has a great history of doing this- he used Miriam’s tambourine to sing His praises. He used young David’s slingshot to bring down Goliath. He used a widow’s last bit of flour and oil to feed her family and Elijah. He used a boy’s lunch to feed more than 5,000. He used widow’s pennies for His glory. He used Mary’s perfumed to anoint his burial.
So what is God asking from you this morning? Chances are you have no further to look than your hand. What have you brought today? What will you give to God? If you give, God will take it, and He will make it His. He will take your child, and now you must raise your child as His. He will take your pledge and use it for the building of His kingdom, and he will take the rest too, because it all belongs to Him. He will take you talent and glorify himself. He will take your hand, and make you his own.
And perhaps there is no greater thing to give this morning. Just as the staff of Moses became the staff of God, so we can become the people of God. Won’t you open your hand, won’t you open your heart, and won’t you take a chance, open your hand and give yourself over to God this morning?
