First Parish Unitarian UniversalistA Life that Counts
A sermon preached by the Reverend Diane Teichert
First Parish Unitarian Universalist - Canton MA
March 20, 2005
Canvass Sunday
In my sermon last week, I told you about my four day silent retreat at a Benedictine monastery during my Study Leave in early February. Today, I want to tell you about my experience on one of those two Sundays when I did not have responsibilities here at First Parish. If you thought a silent retreat at a monastery an unlikely venture for a Unitarian Universalist minister, maybe this one will be even more surprising!
I attended worship at a non-denominational Christian evangelical church, what some might call a “mega church.” It’s called Grace Chapel and it’s located in my town, but on a stretch of road that I rarely travel, so I don’t often think of its when I think of the houses of worship in Lexington.
While on vacation in other parts of the country, several of my Unitarian Universalist colleagues have visited the more famous, and larger, of these growing churches, such as Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA where Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-driven Life, is the senior pastor. They boast 15, 000 members, with six worship services every weekend and a huge physical campus that makes it possible for them to simultaneously offer a rock n’roll and a gospel version of their 9 and 11:15 a.m. Sunday morning services in separate venues from the main service.
These mega-churches make us Unitarian Universalist ministers wonder, “what ought we be doing differently?”
I have to admit that the first time I heard one of my colleagues talk about his vacation worship experience, I felt uncomfortable. Why do we need to know what these folks are doing? I know why they’re successful. It’s because they provide easy answers to impossible questions, and a watered down version of the teachings of Jesus that fits right in with materialistic American culture. And, besides (and this might have been my real objection to attending) wouldn’t they spot me as an interloper? Or, might I find myself mysteriously called up to the altar to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior?
However, my friend, our minister in Bedford MA, John Gibbons, is the same trouble-making, justice-working, care-providing UU minister with the smiling Buddha in his office that he’s always been. Despite his numerous spy trips into “enemy territory” over the years. You’ll be fine, I told myself, and made my plans.
At the Grace Chapel website, itself an impressive affair, I learned that its mission is (and I quote) “to Point People to Jesus Christ and Create Communities of Kingdom Builders.” I also learned that they were in the midst of a month long campaign called “A Life that Counts” with sermons on the theme and 31 testimonials on their website, by staff and elders of the church on how and why coming to Jesus had changed their lives.
I took the time to read many of those “A Life that Counts” testimonials. How, at a time of need, the person came to Grace Chapel and found spiritual hope and material support. How becoming a follower of Jesus had led another to give up bad habits. How some one else had been called away from a successful academic career to become a missionary, and bring people in far away places to Christ. How the death of a loved one had drawn them into questions of faith that Grace Chapel was helping them answer.
I had to wonder: are we Unitarian Universalists changed by our faith, by our faith communities like these people say they are? I thought about myself: I wouldn’t put it that way, but you could say I was called away from a successful organizing career to become an evangelist for our good news of hope that liberates and love that makes justice that then makes peace, and to help build a sense of community where we care for each other, that sustains our spiritual journeys.
And, I thought about you: many of you are here because of the loss you feel after the death of a loved one. Many of you have made it through a divorce or unemployment because of the support you get here. Many of you have given of yourselves and your talents in places of need around the globe or closer by. Many of you have lived and spoken out for our principles in your every-day lives as workers, family members, neighbors, and citizens!
And, yet, I still had to wonder: how many of us, even myself, would say we are as changed by being UU’s as these Christians say they are changed by their faith and faith community? Is it that we were better people than they were to begin with? Or, are we just more humble, or more reticent? Or, are they more committed?
Back to the home page of the website where the four Sunday services were listed, I decided to attend the 11:15 “contemporary” service. Come Sunday morning, I donned my nice black slacks and a sweater, and put a few dollars for the offering plate in my pocket so that no one would see a Twenty in my wallet.
The most direct route from my house took me past the high school and I was just about to allow myself a moment of nostalgia about our home nest made empty by two of its graduates, when I saw a sign out front “Grace Chapel. Park Here.”
Well, I was still five or six city blocks away and the sidewalks were a mess along that way, and I figured there must be a good reason for satellite parking, so I pulled in to the high school parking lot. A few people seemed to be waiting around, one of whom answered my question with “wait here for the van.” And, soon a 40 or so passenger, classy mini-bus arrived, boarded its passengers and made its way to Grace Chapel. I could have walked there faster than the van drove, due to all the congestion created by Grace Chapel traffic.
The African American woman who sat next to me on the ride said the classical music and excessive heat in the van reminded her of the nurses office where she was the school nurse, and how when a kid came in sick, she made them remove their head phones, put classical music on and got them to lay down on the cot which was right next to the radiator and asleep they were in an instant! When we arrived at Grace Chapel, she cheerfully bid me a good morning and disappeared into the crowd.
Inside, the 800 or so person auditorium was packed. (Do they fill this place four times every Sunday, I wondered? That would be 3200 people!) Everywhere I looked and asked, the only empty seats were being saved. No usher escorted me in. Where was I to sit? I finally found a spot. Everyone was already on their feet, singing and clapping. Joining in was easy because the words were projected on huge screens in front—it was an upbeat song of praise and thanksgiving with a rock beat, but not very interesting musically.
It gave me a chance to look around. I saw people of all ages, but many, many more young adults than we have, proportionally. Mainly white, but not exclusively so—on both sides of me was a mixed race (mixed sex) couple. The dress ranged from windbreaker and jeans to suit, tie, dress and nylons, trendy hair do’s but no piercings other than ear that I saw. The fan-shaped auditorium had sloped seating, theater-quality chairs, balcony, orchestra pit with live orchestra and a small jazz band, large wide stage up front, a podium no pulpit, with high risers for the large choir, the two huge projection screens behind them on either side and a cross in between.
Pastor Bryan (that’s his first name), the senior pastor, preached a good message that day, called “Living in the Zone,” fitting for the living a Life that Counts theme, with a tie-in to the Patriots because it was Super-Bowl Sunday. He said we ought to be like the Patriot’s who were surely going to play like it counts, play in the zone. We ought to live like it counts and play in our personal zones of best impact, highest influence, greatest contribution. To give back to God what He has provided, whether it is time, treasure or talent.
His message made me stop and think: does what I do count? Do I live for myself? Or for something larger? Apart from being the minister, do I give generously of my time, treasure and talent here? Do I give until it feels good, really good? Or do I give only what I can, what’s easy? Do I give as little as I can to still feel okay about myself, or do I give the most I can?
Turns out, Grace Chapel was then in the midst of its stewardship drive, just as we are launching ours today. It was giving generously of one’s treasure that was the undercurrent emphasis of that day. To really Live a Life that Counts you’ve got to count your financial resources, maximize them, and then give generously of them to the church. Grace Chapel even offers a financial planning workshop for its members (among a long list of programs, the length of which we could offer too, if we had 45 staff members like they do!).
And when they say give generously, they use the word “tithe,” as was prescribed for the Israelites of Biblical days. Many Pentecostal, evangelical and fundamentalist churches in the U.S. today, even those in low-income areas, expect a tithe from their members, in addition to what they contribute to charities and political campaigns. No wonder they’ve got the power they’ve got right now. They are committed to their beliefs and it shows in their checkbooks!
In this vein, the lead article in the Grace Chapel newsletter, a copy of which was given to me as I entered the auditorium, caught my eye. Headline: “Special Matching Gift Donation.”
A Grace Chapel couple, who feel they have benefited from tithing, had pledged additionally this year to make a special gift to be used to match the increases toward tithing made by other Grace Chapel attendees. They would match those increases dollar-for-dollar. For example, the article explained, “A household with annual income of $50,000, currently giving 2% to the church, is contributing $1,000 per year. If they now commit to giving 5% of their income for the next 12 months, their annual giving will increase by $1,500 to a total of $2,500. Then, the donor couple’s matching gift will provide an additional $1,500 to the Grace Chapel ministry.”
The newsletter further explained that they will “utilize a simple and confidential ‘honor system’ process in which any commitment you make will be between you and God alone. The church will not be asking for any information about your income.”
Now, on the one hand, I was astounded. These suburbanites from Lexington and Medford and Woburn and Billerica, Bedford, Waltham, and other towns not much different than the towns around here were talking about tithing!
But, on the other hand, I surmised that perhaps few were actually tithing. Thus the need for this matching gift, with the example cited of going from 2% to 5% of annual income. Far short of 10%.
Still, though, I want us to be as committed to our liberal faith as conservative Christians are to theirs. Not just to increase our influence in the world, but because it would represent an increase in the influence of our faith in our own lives. Ours would be Lives that Count. And that would be good for all of us.
And, so, I am excited that our stewardship drive, the canvass, as you heard from Dave Bryant and will read in the letter going out this week, is setting forth the ideal of a quarter-tithe. That’s 2.5% of income.
The leadership recognizes that some of you may already be doing a half or a full tithe—it would be hard to know, since we don’t know each other’s incomes. And others will have to give far less— for them, a smaller sum represents a very large commitment. So, every past, present and future contribution is totally and sincerely appreciated.
But, I have a suspicion that most of us might need an incentive to move us up to that quarter-tithe. Does anyone want to step forward to offer a matching grant? J
Someone suggested that we give UU t-shirts or hold a fancy dinner this year for anyone who quarter-tithes or more. The canvass committee decided, though, not to do it. Not to set people apart from one another in that way. But, if we did do it, I would want to qualify for that t-shirt, or dinner out. I want to increase my financial commitment to First Parish!
My spouse and I want to make that jump to 2.5%. We’ve discussed it together. But, we don’t want to be alone. Somehow, it seems unseemly for the minister’s to be the top giving household. We want to be joined by others who have the means to do it. We’ll do it if you do.
So, speak to me after a service between now and April 10 th, the end of our canvass. Or, drop me an email, send me a card, give me a call, and say you’re going to give a quarter-tithe or more, and I will too. Confidentially, on the honor system. Between you and your conscience, or between you and your God, by whatsoever name you worship.
I certainly don’t want to make anyone feel bad if they cannot pledge much this year. I only want that we all feel good about our contribution to First Parish, not in comparison to what others give, but good inside ourselves. I only want that we each give til we feel good. Til it counts. Those who live a Life that Counts feel good inside.
I am committed to our good news of hope that liberates and of love that makes justice that then makes peace, and to this caring community that sustains our spiritual journeys. I have faith you are committed, too.
I am excited by the spirit that moves through us, from the past and forward through the ages to come, in this caring community that sustains our spiritual journeys.
I am excited by the spirit that moves through us, from the past and forward through the ages to come, through this sacred space in our times of worship, through the dancing of 200 middle-schoolers in our upstairs hall two weeks ago, and through the music-making in our downstairs hall last night.
And, I am excited by the spirit that moves through our every-day lives when we live out the good news of hope that liberates and of love that makes justice that then makes peace.
I have faith that you are excited too.