Trinity 21 – Year B: Generous Giving Sunday 2024
Isaiah 53.4-end, Hebrews 5.1-10, Mark 10.35-45
Yours Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory,
the splendour and the majesty.
For everything in heaven on earth is yours.
All things come from you,
and of your own do we give you.
Amen.
Warning Sign: Changed Priorities Ahead. Hold that thought….
Some people instinctively know what their priorities are.
In the classified section of a newspaper in June of 1978 an advertisement read: “Farmer with 160 irrigated
acres wants marriage-minded woman, with tractor. When replying, please show picture of tractor.” The
Farmer knew what he wanted!
In the Guardian Lonely hearts ads, from more recent times, another advertisement read: “Sussex Damsel
seeks Knight for love and romance. Loving, loyal, passionate. Looking for the same”. The Sussex Damsel
knew what she wanted!
A question for you: What are your priorities in life?
Have you ever spent much time thinking about what you should spend your time on, and how to spend your money? Interestingly, many people have not. What a tragedy it would be to have gone through your whole life and at the end of it, look back, and realize that you spent all your time, money and energy on things that were pointless and had no value or worth. How sad it would be to realize that you had wasted your entire life on vain pursuits. One of the questions last week’s Gospel asked of us was to consider where our faith sits within our own priorities in this life?
And, in addition to that, what might we be willing to give up to ensure that God is always central to all aspects of our life? The situation for the rich man this caused some disquiet and for the disciples of Jesus too! Jesus’s example of the camel and eye of a needle may have surprised them, but it serves to remind us all just how hard it can be, impossible really, if we try to achieve things in this life solely in our own strength. Yet, with God, all things are possible and, for the disciples (as for us) becoming totally committed followers of Jesus is going to ask a great deal of us. Hence the ‘changing of priorities ahead’. As Christians this does bring joy and hope, but also a lot of hard work and self-discipline, setbacks and difficult times too.
Jesus would have understood the need to provide the basics in life for ourselves (and those we love). We don’t necessarily have to sell all we have and give the money to the poor such that we ourselves then need help to survive. However, we do not need to store up our “treasure” (whatever that might be) and we do need to be ready to give, to be generous when Jesus calls us to and, like much in life, generosity needs to be practised.
In today’s Gospel on this Generous Giving Sunday, we continue to hear Jesus patiently loving his disciples into God’s ways, rather than their own.
In response to James and John’s requests Jesus patiently explains, once again, what it means to follow him and what greatness looks like in his kingdom. Jesus repeats that he is going to face violence and death, and that as his followers they need to be prepared to face them too. And he points out that his kingdom is not like the ones we know in our world.
In human terms, the greatest are the ones with the most power, authority, or money. Maybe they are even the ones with the most likes and followers online. But to be great in God’s kingdom, we must follow in Jesus’s footsteps by being willing to serve others, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”
James, John and all the disciples will indeed become great – but by following a different path from what they expect. Their way is not through places of honour, the power to command others, and the ability to do whatever they want. Their way is to follow the way of the cross, through loving service, suffering, and focusing on lifting up others. Their priorities would be ‘changed ahead’.
As followers of Jesus here and now, the way of the cross, the path of loving service is also our path. This sounds like a hard path, and sometimes it may be. But Jesus never asks us to go where he has not gone or to do anything he was not prepared to do. In our Gospel reading, Jesus was walking ahead of the disciples towards Jerusalem, and he still walks ahead of us now. We are not left comfortless or without help.
We are entering the season of Autumn, a season it seems of coughs and colds, but rather more poetically, in the words of Keats; a ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’. As the days become shorter and nature reacts to temperature changes with colour and abundance we celebrate the Harvest and store provisions for another year. We are reminded that this is also a reflective season, as creation begins the process of dying back before winter comes. For Christians, autumn is a time when we give thanks to God for all his provision, and we recognise our dependence on God’s generosity once again.
This Autumn the Vicar and PCC are inviting the whole Church here to engage in a review of our priorities in life, to consider again where our faith sits within our lives and in particular inviting you to make your own autumn review of your financial giving. We ask this of you in the name of the God of grace and abundance, who creates and restores, who breathes new life into all things, and embraces us with an everlasting love.
We are all called to embody a spirit of gratitude, and to dream generous dreams. W are all called to be sacrificial, and regular in our giving as part of our ongoing relationship with God and His church. Only you can pray and discern how much you give, in terms of your money, your skills, and your time. We invite you to do that afresh over the next few weeks.
Our church wouldn’t run without the generosity you, and many other people giving of their time and talents, to the many tasks and activities that enrich our worshipping community and outreach. Without these commitments the ministry and mission of St Andrews would be diminished and all this before we count all the hours given outside our church to other charitable organisations and good causes. Every gift of time and talents is appreciated. Your financial gifts are also greatly appreciated; a huge thank you to you all, as you contribute so generously.
Today, also on behalf of the PCC of St. Andrews, I want to share with you just a taster of the prayerful work we have been engaged with since our PCC Away morning in June. With the help of a facilitator from the Diocese, we have embarked upon a new journey here, to renew our Vision and Values as a Church, and to draw up a new Mission Action Plan, ‘changing our priorities ahead’. The first steps we are taking on that road together is to share with you our four new Vision words, our changed priorities ahead:
The Parish of St Andrew, Biggleswade:
Christ-Centred – Welcoming – Inclusive – Outward-Looking
With pray that with this inspiring new Vision in heart and mind, we will fleshing out these bones, giving us a renewed sense of purpose and the direction of travel, working and praying through the creation of our new MAP. We look forward to sharing the developments with you all over the next months ahead. Please do speak with me, or any PCC member further, if you’d like to know more – and please pray for this process, as we discern God’s way forward, discerning together how we will live out our ‘changed priorities ahead’.
And so for today, an invitation to each of us to review, under God, our priorities in life, and on this Generous Giving Sunday 2024, we invite you to engage with your own financial giving review. We invite you to prayerfully review your level of monetary giving for the mission of this your Parish Church which strives to be Christ-Centred, Welcoming, Inclusive and Outward looking. We are mindful that for some this will mean an increase in giving, for others it may mean what you give might need to be reduced, and that is understandable.
As you leave Church today you will receive a Generous Giving Sunday envelope with a letter from me on behalf of the PCC, two new leaflets we have created to share the bigger picture with you and a Response Form and envelope. We sincerely hope and pray that you will respond by Sunday 17 th November – when we will be offering to God prayers of thanksgiving for your Generous Giving.
Thank you for your engagement on this Generous Giving Sunday, 2024, and thanks be to God for all that you are able to give for the building up of God’s kingdom, here on earth.
Yours Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory,
the splendour and the majesty.
For everything in heaven on earth is yours.
All things come from you,
and of your own do we give you.
Amen.
The Revd. Liz Oglesby-Elong,
Vicar of the Parish of St. Andrew, Biggleswade.