Psalm 112
Mark 10:17-27
Malachi 3: 5-12

Pls join me in a moment of prayer
Holy God, we come before You with grateful hearts, thanking You for this day. We ask that the spirit of worship we experience here would overflow into every aspect of our lives. As we reflect on the call to good stewardship, remind us that Your work is being accomplished in and through us. it is by the power of Your Holy Spirit that we are strengthened and inspired. Guide our hearts and minds today as we seek to honor You in all that we do. Amen.

This topic that we’re looking at - the question of what it means to be a good steward? - is a huge question. This marks our final Sunday in this series. And in our time we’ve seen that there are so many ways to look at stewardship - every area of our lives can be examined through the lens of stewardship.

Early in our series, Pr John set the stage - stewardship is nothing less than all that we do with all that we have. And we’ve covered a lot of ground in the last four weeks - we’ve had secular, contemporary thought from Chris Anderson’s book Infectious Generosity, we’ve examined the sacred - sometimes confusing - words of Jesus; we’ve talked about how gratitude can flow into generosity, Pr Pam reminded us that every good gift is from God and that nothing is truly ours. We have been challenged to focus on God’s abundance rather than our lack. We’ve thought about the awesomeness - and frightfulness - of being entrusted with everything that God has made.

And today in my turn at bat as we bring this sermon series home, I want to focus on the condition of our hearts and the power of God to save - because that is at the core of stewardship. No amount of prodding or poking or advice-giving as Chris Anderson does in his book will change our hearts. The kind of transformation that all of humanity needs in order to really get this stewardship thing comes only from God.

In the gospel reading today from Mark we see that not everyone is able to receive the teaching of how to be a good steward - not everyone wants this transformation. That as badly as we know that we need it - not all of us or even most of us - will ever heed the call. Like the rich young man in this story, many of us hear the words of what we need to do and we turn away, grieved - knowing that the power that we have in ourselves is not enough. We are not strong enough to turn away from our sin.

But Jesus has good news - “For mortals, it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
Jesus tells us that this transformation of heart - this thing that we need in order to be good stewards - is not done by human striving, it’s not even done by sacrificing out of our own willpower. Our ability to be good stewards rests in the goodness of God alone, You cannot save yourselves, Jesus says. This is a divine work, that God and God alone initiates and completes.

A couple of things stand out about this story that I think particularly speak to many of us our world today - this man is different from so many that we encounter in the ministry of Jesus - he’s not physically ill, he’s not a social outcast, he doesn’t have a demon - he’s a law-abiding, good citizen, and he’s rich - so in the eyes of his culture, he’s been blessed by God; God’s favor is on him and his family line, evidenced by his wealth.

He seemingly has everything.

We’re told he is running to meet Jesus and once he gets there, he falls to knees and calls Jesus Good Master/teacher - a term of reverence - we see this man, in his posture, his position, he is desperate - but not in the ways that the world could see, this man’s dis-ease, his lack of peace, is not because of external factors.

God knows that many of us look all together on the outside, yet on the inside feel a gaping lack.

Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher and theologian, wrote a book called “sickness unto death” and it’s about despair. The universal despair that we all face is part of our human condition. He says that the root of despair lies in a failure to ground our identity in God. When we base our identity on finite things—like success, relationships, or material wealth—we live in a constant state of despair because all finite things are subject to loss and change. It’s like the person who builds their house upon the sand.

Kierkegaard says that people often present a stable exterior and that those same people can be internally grappling with profound doubts, fears, and existential crises. The disconnect between appearance and reality is one that we are all familiar with- we don’t have to think too hard to recall a news story about someone who looked like they had it all together and no one would have imagined that they could have killed their spouse and their children. This disconnected state of being, this perpetual state of grief, is one that Kierkegaard believed could only be resolved through a deep, personal relationship with God and a commitment to living according to the ways of Jesus.
In our story today about this rich young man, Jesus tells the man what will cure his despair - he needs to sell everything he owns and he needs to give the money to the poor. And then he needs to follow Jesus - he needs to receive more teaching, he needs to be in a living, loving relationship with God and God’s people, to come and be part of the community of God.
This is the same message that God speaks to the people of Israel in the book of Malachi. God accuses the people of robbing God and declares that they are under a curse because of it.

But God, in God’s mercy, doesn’t leave them in their cursed state; but God offers them a remedy.

The solution God provides is straightforward: they are to give. God says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse." This isn't just about individual giving—it's about the collective act of bringing everything together. God calls them to unite what they have, to pool their resources as a community.

And what's the result of this collective offering? When they bring the full tithe into God's storehouse, there will be food in God’s house. This isn’t just literal food, but it’s symbolic of God’s provision and blessing being restored to the community. By giving back to God, they are acknowledging where the gifts came from and they are saying, we trust you with our future.

This message isn’t just for the people of Israel in Malachi’s time; it resonates with us today. It reminds us that our giving—whether it’s our time, our resources, or our talents—isn’t just an individual act but a communal one that has the power to bring about God’s blessing in our midst. When we come together, when we give collectively, we participate in God’s work of provision and transformation, not just for ourselves but for the entire community.

God is telling us - I provide for all of your needs, you are my people; and when you, as my people, give materially to people who do not know me, I, your Father, will feed you spiritually; and when you give to others out of what I have given to you - they will see my goodness through you, and they will know of me, they will be spiritually fed. The people of God are materially and spiritually provided for as we give - as well, people outside the communities of the people of God are materially and spiritually provided for as we give. This is a central tenet of the economy of God.

This is the only place in Scripture where God says “test me.” Do this - bring the whole tithe - and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

This is an invitation, and it has God’s guarantee. In God’s love for the whole world, God asks us to listen and obey.

The two greatest commandments Jesus tells us - love God and love your neighbor. And they flow in and out of each other - they cannot be separated. If you love God, you will love your neighbor. By showing love to your neighbor, you are loving God. And the hardest way to say/hear this - if you do not love your fellow humans, you do not love God.

This series on stewardship is rooted in love - the same love that saw that young man 2000 years ago and understood the divide between what Jesus asked of him and what he knew he could do in his own strength - and these teachings, this series, comes to restore our relationship with God just as Jesus came to do for this young man.

God has provided for us in many ways when it comes to helping us be good stewards. First, we have Jesus, who is always interceding for us according to the will of the Father. Second, we have the Holy Spirit, who continually works within us, bringing awareness of our sin—not to crush or condemn us, but to lead us to repentance and transformation through God’s love and mercy. Third, God has given us each other—this community and others like it—so that we might confess our sins to each other and be strengthened through prayer, encouragement, accountability, and bearing each other's burdens.

I know the ways that this series has challenged me. It’s brought awareness to certain things in my own life that need to be brought back into alignment with God’s purposes. And it’s hard - I don’t want to let some of the things go - I like sitting in my bed at the end of a long day, scrolling through photos of vintage jewelry and old cut diamonds - but I know how much better I feel when I, instead, devote that time to reading the Word, to praying for friends and those that I know are having a hard time, to checking in with my husband and seeing how his day went. And I have seen what God does when I turn back to God with my finances - when I give 10% - how God multiplies the little into much, how the desires of my heart are changed.
May we not be driven away from God in this time. May we not harden our hearts and block our ears to the call. May we hear the innovative and creative voice of God, urging us toward new opportunities to give more of our time, talents, and treasures, while also drawing us back to the practices that have been fruitful for us in the past.
How is God calling you to serve the world today? What is God asking that you give? Do not be discouraged by what you think you don’t have or what you think you can’t do. God fills in every gap of our inadequacies. If you are feeling led to give in a new way, do not walk away grieved - I encourage you with the love of God that you can do it! And God will do it in you.
God doesn’t need our money, our time, or our talents. They are for us. They’re for you. They’re for me. They’re for everyone outside of these walls. They are for all of creation.
If you are feeling challenged by this series and want to talk with someone, to pray with someone, please see one of the pastors here or talk with a trusted congregation member.
May the wisdom and power of God to do the impossible continue to be upon each one of us.
Amen.