By David H. Morgan

From talk given at Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church

We are living in turbulent times. Al around us in the past year we have witnessed a myriad of storms:

1. Natural Ones: such as many hurricanes, earthquakes, forest fires, and other sorts of weather extremes. Just this morning, and many times recently, there remain more and more articles about rising seas nationally, continued turbulence in the oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, and local flooding persists…”When will ti end?!” you may, and rightfully so, implore?

2. We have also witnessed storms man-made: mass shootings continue unabated, racial strife seems to persist, recent challenges to what patriotism (i.e., the National anthem protests) mean and do not mean, stark political enmity and harsh vitriol remain entrenched, terrorist strikes have become commonplace, regular news just like our weather and our sports, and our Nations’ socioeconomic challenges remain fairly unabated.

3. Interpersonal and personal strife: Many in our country are dealing with this, and I sum this plague up as the 3 A’s:

4. Absence: from institutions that were once sacrosanct, such as belonging to a church or contributing to charities, community activities are often attended sparsely (except our “Trunk or Treat”!), and many homes in this land remain without a parent, much less even a role model.

5. Abuse: this is the white elephant in the room that many of us may eschew, for domestic violence remains the #1 form of injury and death in American households, more so than our other maladies. And, of course, there is the ever-increasing awareness of mental forms of addictions, such as opioid and heroin abuse, alcohol, etc.

6. Accountability: elusive, “Why me?” or “It’s not me, it’s them. believe today’s sermon theme will further explore this theme. Whew, with such a morose environment, you may be now thinking, asking yourself, “What does this have to do with stewardship?”

It is precisely against this backdrop of rampant external turbulence and internal uncertainty that may be clouding or obfuscating (yet another) another need, our call, as Christians, to stewardship. “Oh boy, not again” you may be quietly musing to yourself, and understandably so. However, yes, it is that time, that time of the season, that harkens us, once again, to challenge who we are and what we are do, as Christians. And, against these aforementioned, and very real, external forces and challenges that have certainly tugged at our total fortitude-physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual-that I suggest now beckon a new paradigm, a new catharsis, in how we think and act, about stewardship.

In addressing this, I would like to frame this year’s Stewardship campaign in terms we may have used in the past, but may not have really fully internalized nor embraced their personal import to us. So, I wish to share with all of you some real, yet perhaps unmasked, ways to view stewardship. A new set of lenses may be in order….

1. Why do I give? There comes an innate satisfaction and comfort knowing that if I have the resources to help others, I do so. It is not about the quantity, the terms or conditions, or even the type of giving that matters, but the empathy extended. I would even suggest that lending one’s ear to a beleaguered or fearful soul is but one manifestation of such empathy. Personal: One of my dear clients with MS, is a resident of the Florida Keys, is one example of how I was able to mute and offer solace and comfort about her consternation of just “where her funds went” (!!) after Hurricane Irma. The storms of Nature need not infiltrate our very being, I suggested. Even offering solace to her husband and CPA seemed to ameliorate her angst. She (has continued to) thank me profusely for “talking her out of her anxiety” several times. So, simply put, this offer of comfort, empathy, and mere listening was my personal gift to her.

2. What does stewardship do for me? As a student, a long time ago, one of my professors once admonished, “No matter how thin the pancake, there are always 2 sides.” | would suggest that when we give, we ask not “What is in ti for us/ourselves”, but instead, query “What will my giving do to, or for, that other person?” “How can I affect a positive outcome?” | believe it is the “wrong side of the coin” four us, as Christians, to focus on or dwell upon, and ask “What is in it for me?” The kind and empathetic gesture is to enjoy, savor, and really take notice how our giving may impact the way that other person feels or reacts. My upbringing and lessons learned over the years has taught me that giving is not about the expectation of reciprocity or hoped for repayment but, rather, the extension of the abundance and joy with which we revel in.

John F. Kennedy once said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” Stewardship dictates that we live our words, we make our character count, it is our conduct that we display towards others that ultimately define us.

3. How have I given? I frame this reply in several manners. First, my talents. Each of us has been granted gifts from God, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I try to continually exert each of these talents daily and weekly:

A. Physically: how about helping a neighbor pull wet carpet and move a piano drenched from the hurricane?

B. Emotionally: try to listen to a beleaguered widow/widower bemoan his/her loneliness and lack of purpose in later life as they
are alone more than desired, or never getting a call, in over 25 years, from an estranged son or daughter?

C Mentally: how about helping a confused layman understand some obtuse demand legal notice sent as bulk mail from some anonymous direct mail charlatan?

D. Spiritually: how about quoting a favorite passage from the scriptures or from a sermon or from a benediction in our everyday life? Or, how about giving a book of reflections about our meaning here on We as Presbyterian’s can do this easily, if we really are the “Chosen Frozen!”

As I close this morning, one of my favorites passages is Ephesians 4:1-3: ” walk in a manner worthy…..

I also wish to share with you the stark dichotomy of how stewardship may help. My wife and I visited England in the summer of 2014. On our last day in London, we opted to tour Buckingham Palace, home of the monarchy of the U.K. I, like most, was awed by the opulence and grandeur of the facility, the grounds. As we left, there lay on the sidewalk a homeless man, huddled against the black security gate of the palace. At that instant, I was suddenly struck by the juxtaposition of the two worlds, opulence and grandeur just inside that gate vs. poverty and despair on the other side. Yes, he may have been indolent or chosen this destitute path, but, what if he did not? What if he was merely dealt a bad hand of cards in life? It was then that I wondered (once again), just then, “Would not giving, of some sort, have minimized or abetted such starkness?” I know, my sole contribution, in whatever form, may not have materially altered this man’s plight, but what if many more of us tried to extend more compassion to similar souls? So, in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, t h a t in me you may have peace. In the world, I have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Is that not AL of us, our ultimate goal, to overcome this world? I submit to you this morning that this church can be the “4 D’s of stewardship: Discernment, Direction, Development, Dedication. It may just offer a bridge to future person’s, separated by a fence…..

Thank you.

– David H. Morgan

---

• Tweet