Homily – October 23

My name is Rick, and I am a checkbook Christian. I’m not really sure how it began. Well, how do these things always begin? It was harmless enough at first. A few coins in the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time, maybe a couple of dollars in the collection plate at church on the rare occasion that I went. I must admit that it was pretty good. I felt that I was doing my part to help out others. So I kept doing it. Soon my occasional cash contributions were becoming more frequent. I guess it was only a matter of time before I graduated to writing checks. Without really knowing what was happening, I found myself responding to charity solicitations. Not all of them, but for some organizations that I deemed worthy.
As I became a bit more aware of my Christianity and began attending church regularly, I found that we are called by Jesus to take care of others. This really helped fuel my habit, as I now had a reason to write checks. In the self-satisfied manner of one of the Pharisees, I was quite proud of what I was doing. I was helping people. And I was doing what God wants us to do. Wasn’t I?
This went on for some time. I even involved the children. We would gather around the kitchen table from time to time (usually around the holidays) and sort through the charity solicitations. We discussed the mission of each organization, and sent a check to the ones we felt were doing good work. I felt that Jen and I were doing the kids a service; teaching them compassion and responsibility.
But somewhere along the line, God burst my self-satisfied little bubble. He has a way of doing that.
You probably know that Jen and I have three sons. But I want to introduce you to another member of our family that you don’t know. This is Rodges. Rodges is also our son. He lives in Rwanda with his mother, father, and brothers. They are subsistence farmers, working extremely hard to scratch out a living for themselves. Rodges and his brothers attend a Christian school where they are educated, fed, and learn the word of God. We were introduced to Rodges by Amy Grant. We were at a concert when Amy started talking about an organization called Compassion that matches people with children who are in need. For a small amount of money each month, you have the ability to make a difference in the life of a child. A worthwhile goal if ever I saw one. They gave us a picture and a bio, we gave them a check. Another great opportunity to write a check and do some good.
But this time things didn’t quite work out the way I expected. You see, one of the nice things about being a checkbook Christian is that you never have to meet the people you help. It is neat and clean to write a check and put it in the mail, safe in the knowledge that you are doing good, while someone else administers the help your money provides. It is an antiseptic approach to giving, which I always found quite fulfilling. Until Rodges. What I didn’t understand when we signed up however, was that our child would actually write to us. While mail service from Rwanda isn’t fast, it does get the job done. It wasn’t too long before we got our first letter from our new seven year old son. It had been translated into English from Kinyarwanda by a volunteer, but it was clear that Rodges was as new at this as we were. He colored some pictures on the letter and told us a bit about his family and his life. We were riveted. It became clear that this wonderful young boy was being helped, and for the first time, we were personally involved in the process. Could there be more to giving than simply writing a check?
Well, since I am not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, I didn’t really get it yet. So God sent another wake-up call my way. Our church back East had agreed to begin hosting homeless families through a group called Family Promise. The folks in this program are usually those who have been forced into homelessness through some unforeseen circumstance. The landlord sold the apartment they were renting, a job was lost, or some medical emergency drained all of the family funds. The families work during the day while the kids attend school or daycare, and then sleep in various churches at night for a week. The church provides the sleeping space, feeds the families, and helps in any way they can.
Our church was going to participate and the outreach ministry began calling around looking for people to stay overnight in the church with the families. When I got the call, my first thought was, how can I get out of this? I did not want to do this. Actually being with people who are in need was WAY outside my comfort zone. I was a checkbook Christian, not a mission field Christian. But I wasn’t fast enough on my feet, and somehow found myself at the church one Monday night. With great trepidation I was introduced to the families and we sat down to a meal. And over the course of dinner, something strange happened. I forgot that these people were homeless. I started thinking of them not as homeless people, but rather just as people. For that is most certainly what they were. People, just like me. Moms and Dads and kids who were just trying to make their way in the world. And like a lot of people, hard times had gotten in their way.
Family Promise is here in Las Vegas too. I have spoken to them and agreed to have Epiphany host families here at our church next year. There will be many ways to help and much to do but one thing is certain, we will be changed by the experience.
Jesus teaches us that “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Working directly with folks who are in need is a humbling experience and one that can change lives; theirs and yours. We find it easy in today’s world to exalt ourselves, but humility can be elusive. My experience as a checkbook Christian was a good start, but it didn’t teach me to love my neighbor as myself. In order to do that, I first needed to know my neighbor as a person. Only then could I begin to love him and serve him. And in serving, I found a measure of the humility that I am often lacking.
I am not saying that you shouldn’t give money to your favorite charities. And before the vestry runs me out of town on a rail, you should give money to the church as well. What I am saying is that it can’t simply be about that. I once heard someone say, “Your talents and skills are your gifts from God. What you DO with them is YOUR gift back to God.” That is why stewardship is not just about money. Time, Talent and Treasure are the three tenants of stewardship. Notice the order? God calls us to give first of our Time. Volunteer to help other people. That is what I was missing in my time as a checkbook Christian. Visit a friend who doesn’t get out much, work at the food bank at Christ Church, read to school children. You will be amazed at how good it will feel to see the people you are helping. You will be glad you got involved.
Next give of your talents. OK, so not everyone is a doctor or a construction worker. But we are all given gifts by God. Maybe you are a great cook, or a good listener. Perhaps you can knit or teach people to whistle. Everyone has talents because God created each of us in his own image. And since God doesn’t make junk, you ALL have a talent. Find it and use it to help people.
Finally, yes, give of your treasure. We are a wealthy society and often take the things in our life for granted. I learned this from Rodges. At Christmastime we are allowed to send a small gift. He wrote back a wonderful letter telling us about his gift. He had used it to buy the family a goat, pounds of beans for planting, pounds of meat for the family to eat, shoes for himself and his brother and had given the leftover money to his mother to help the family. What had we sent him? 25 bucks.
My name is Rick, and I am a recovering checkbook Christian. I hope and pray that you will be too.