Job 1:1, 1:1-10

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." The Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason." Then Satan answered the Lord,"Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die." But he said to her, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom God also created the worlds. Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When Jesus had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere, "What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor, subjecting all things under their feet." Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you

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“Am I saved?” is a big question in a lot of churches. The Presbyterian Church just isn’t one of them. “Am I serving?” is our big question. Am I serving God’s glory with my life?” That’s our “biggie.”

Now I know a lot of you are members here, yet, you are not Presbyterian. And that’s fine and good and no problem at all. You don’t have to be a Presbyterian to be a member in good standing in a Presbyterian congregation because we Presbyterians think of ourselves as Christians first and Presbyterians second. That is the reason Presbyterians participate gladly in what is called World Communion Sunday. We don’t think of the Lord’s Supper as a Presbyterian meal, we think of it as the Lord’s refreshment table for all God’s people.

However, there are certain beliefs that give a Presbyterian church its “go” power. Our ideas about God, Jesus, Church and Creation make our theological motors purr like a kitten. These are beliefs that energize life in a Presbyterian congregation. Our ideas and beliefs are called the Reformed Tradition. As inheritors of the Reformed Tradition, we don’t think we are smarter or better than other Christian traditions: it is simply our family “belief” tree.

You know how we get our name: Presbyterian? The name does not come from our beliefs but from our form of church organization or government. “Presbyterian” comes from the Greek word in the New Testament which means “elder.” Our governance is by elders, and these elders along with the pastors are supposed to make sure that our big beliefs shape our mission
to serve God’s glory in creation.

This morning as I preach the sermon we have all come to call the annual sermon on the amount, the big question is: Am I serving God’s glory? Is our congregation serving God’s glory? The “serving the glory question” is a stewardship question.

When I marry people, there is a vow which the bride and groom repeat after me as they give and receive the rings. Part of that vow goes “...and with all that I am and all that I have I honor you.” The bride and groom repeat those words to each other. That’s the way Presbyterians understand marriage. It’s a God-given relationship where we understand loving someone as “honoring” someone for life. That’s also what we Presbyterians mean by stewardship. God gives us life, and we as Christians in the Presbyterian tribe vow to God “with all that I am and all that I have I honor you.”

Erma Bombeck once wrote in one of her newspaper columns an article entitled “What’s Saved Is Often Lost.” It was a column about her thoughts on Judgment Day. She wrote, “I always had a dream that when I am asked to give an accounting of my life to the higher court of heaven it will be like this.” The voice from Heaven begins by saying: “So, empty your pockets. What have you got left of your life? Any dreams that were unfilled? Any unused talent that we gave you when you were born that you still have left? Any unsaid compliments or bits of love that you haven’t spread around?” Then Bombeck says she hopes to answer: “I’ve nothing to return. I spent and used everything you gave me. I am as naked as the day I was born.” That’s a tremendous understanding of life: that nothing is to be held back, nothing is to be left over, nothing is to be returned to heaven when life is over.

It is called stewardship. It is spending and using up everything God gives for God’s glory so that at the end of life, we have nothing left over to return to heaven. And on the Day of Judgment we are standing as splendidly naked before God as the day we were born. I don’t know what Erma Bombeck’s religion was, but she sure thinks like a Presbyterian.

Because of the Scottish influence on the Presbyterian Church, we get teased by other Christians. They call us the Frozen Chosen. They also like to tease us about being tight with our money, too. But I have been a Presbyterian church worker for 30 years, and I am here to tell you that Presbyterians are very generous with their money when it comes to stewardship. Presbyterians give to support outreach missions in their community and internationally. Presbyterians give to maintain their church buildings. Presbyterians give to support Christian education and their church staff payrolls. I think Presbyterians are generous with their money because in our church the big question is not “Am I saved?” but “Am I serving?” All my dreams and talent and power and love, and my financial resources---are they all in the service of God’s glory?

The resistance we have to overcome is the fear that somehow we must hold back from trusting God that there won’t be enough. We forget that one of our basic human problems is not knowing when enough is enough, that the best life is the life where we insure ourselves against having nothing. Oddly enough, that doesn’t work in the spiritual realm. In the spiritual realm, the realm of our life with God, we live by a different kind of principle concerning holding back.

Writer Annie Dillard in The Writing Life makes this point when she advises writers:

One of the few things I know about writing is spend it all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later time in the book or for another book: Give it, give it all, give it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water...Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.

In his popular book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey tells about “... the man who asked another, on the death of a mutual friend, ‘How much did he leave?’His friend responded: ‘He left it all.’” He used his life up in giving, in serving. So in the end he had nothing left. He didn’t hold anything back. I can’t think of a sadder experience than to go to your safe, open it up after all those years, and find nothing inside but ashes.

Sherry and I will join you in being ready to share. The Challenge Budget presented by the elders of the church calls for a 5-percent increase to fund the 2004 vision of ministry for our church. Sherry and I will increase our pledge by 15 percent. We will go from the gift to the church of $7200 this year to a pledge of $8400 for next year. We don’t do it to be show-off examples but to be accountable leaders. Sherry and I believe one of the most important ways
we answer the question “am I serving” is with our money. Though it might sound crazy, disciplined percentage giving simply increases your odds of being happy. It’s fun. It feels good. You know you own your money. Your money doesn’t own you.

When you arrive at the place of giving a substantial percentage of your money away and give it cheerfully, then you are going to die well because in your living you have practiced letting go, and in the end that’s what death is: letting go. Learn to let go. Learn to serve God’s glory. Be ready to share. Learn to get naked before the Lord. Get to heaven without having to return anything left over just as on the day you were born. In the end, you will be glad you did. Seeing God smile that glorious smile will make it all worthwhile.

In a Presbyterian church, we believe saving is what God does and serving is what we do. Like the character Job, come hell or high water, we won’t abandon serving God’s glory. Like the writer of Hebrews who uses such extravagant language to describe the Christian belief about God in Christ, so we Christians all are called to honor God with all that we have and all that we are.