Two men crash in a small plane on an uncharted desert island.  One of the men runs frantically all over the tiny island looking for help.  When he returns, he rushes up to the other man and screams, “There’s no one else on this island!  There’s no food and no water!  No one will ever find us out here!  We’re going to die!!” 

 

The other man leans back against the fuselage and calmly responds, “Don’t worry.  I make ten million dollars a year, and I tithe to my church.”

 

The first man is unimpressed and cries, with even more panic in his voice, “You’re money’s worthless here!  We’re going to die, I tell you!  We’re lost forever!”

 

His companion looks at him again and smiling, repeats, “Don’t worry.  I make ten million dollars a year and I tithe to my church.”

 

Frantic and frustrated, the first man says yet again, “To heck with your money!  We’re doomed!  There is no way we’ll ever be rescued!”

 

And the other man replies calmly, “Listen to me carefully.  I make ten million a year and I tithe to my church.  My pastor will find me!”

 

Today is the second Sunday of our annual Stewardship Campaign.  It is also the day Protestants throughout the world observe “Reformation Sunday,” on which we remember and celebrate our particular Christian faith tradition which had its roots in sixteenth century Germany. 

 

It used to be that this last Sunday in October would be an opportunity for Protestants to gather together and celebrate the fact that a Protestant was not a Roman Catholic.  Fortunately, these days Protestants and Catholics spend more time focusing on the beliefs which unite rather than divide us, and certainly our differences seem small in comparison to other parts of the world where wars are being fought and people killed in the name of religion.  But I think it is important for all of us, particularly those who are new to the Protestant tradition, to understand what the Reformation was all about and why we set aside this day each year to remember its legacy. 

 

One of the major tenets of the Reformation has its origins in this morning’s Scripture lesson from Hebrews.  The New Testament tells us that Jesus is our intercessor, our mediator, our Savior and King.  But only the book of Hebrews, which was written to Jewish converts to Christianity, tells us that Jesus is our High Priest. 

 

Our passage read by Tom explains that, unlike the mortal temple priests who had to offer sacrifices for their own sins and the sins of others, Jesus is “holy, blameless, undefiled,” and he thus becomes both the eternal high priest and the perfect, once-and-for-all-time sacrifice.

 

In the early sixteenth century, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther –who wrote our opening hymn, “A Mighty Fortress” -- considered the scriptural teachings of the book of Hebrews and others like them and determined that the Church was not living them out faithfully.  In response, he assembled 95 theses, or declarations, about how he thought the Church should be reformed, and he posted them on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517.  The ideas he advocated were so radical and revolutionary that they changed the face of Christianity forever, and they included a reinterpretation of the role of priest.

 

In simplest terms, a “priest” was and is one who speaks to God for the people, a person who serves as an intermediary between people and God.  But Luther believed that scripture supported the concept of the “priesthood of all believers.”  He maintained that every Christian has a personal, direct relationship with God that does not need to be mediated by anyone.  He also advocated the right of every person to read and interpret the scriptures themselves rather than through a priest.  And he contended that every Christian is a minister with a calling from God.

 

Another practice of the Church which Luther found objectionable was the selling of indulgences, which were actual certificates people could purchase from the church that absolved them of their sins and promised their salvation and eternal life.  Pope Leo X approved the sale of indulgences to help raise money to complete the construction of Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.  How’s that for a Stewardship Campaign?!

 

But Luther disagreed with the idea that God’s forgiveness is granted on the basis of financial contributions.  He believed scripture teaches that salvation is God’s free, unmerited, gracious gift to humanity in Jesus Christ; we cannot earn it, we cannot buy it from the church; all we can do is accept it and live in gratitude to God for the gift of God’s gracious love.

 

Luther wrote and said many things that have withstood the ages, but perhaps my favorite is this sage and for us, timely, observation: “There are three conversions necessary in the Christian life: the conversion of the heart, [the conversion of] the mind, and [the conversion of] the purse.”

 

On this second Sunday of our Stewardship Campaign, it is time for each of us to consider – with our heart, our mind, and our purse – how we might express our personal gratitude to God for the gift of God’s gracious love.  In this morning’s Old Testament lesson, the Psalmist exalts, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  With our heart, our mind, and our purse, how will each of us bless and praise God, God’s Son the Christ, and this, Christ’s Church? 

 

This is a personal decision between you and your God; there is no intermediary.  Unlike that millionaire on the deserted island, your pastor doesn’t know how much money any of you earn, and your pastor doesn’t know how much any of you give to this church.  It’s a personal decision that is between you and God.

 

We ask that, over the next few weeks, you consider what percentage of your income God is calling you to give to God through this church.  And then on November 19, Pledge Sunday, please bring your completed pledge card to worship, and during the service, bring it forward and place it on the altar in a visible act of your commitment.  Pledge Sunday falls – not coincidentally – on Thanksgiving Sunday, and I can’t think of a better day and a better way to give thanks to God than to give back to the God from whom all blessings flow.

 

Now is the time for each of us to consider how deeply God has blessed our lives, and how we might respond with thankfulness.  Now is the time to consider our personal relationship with God through Christ.  And now is the time for each of us to consider how we might give thanks -- with our hearts, our minds, and our purse -- to our God and to this body of Christ, our beloved First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ. 

 

The heritage of the Reformation is that the Christian faith is not about trying to gain God’s favor or buying our way to heaven.  It is about living in gratitude for the gift of God’s gracious love.  And so, during this season of stewardship, let us reach deep into ourselves and cultivate a spirit of thankfulness.  May that thankfulness lead to a conversion of our heart, mind, and purse.  And may our gift be a loving and grateful response to our loving and gracious God and to this, Christ’s church.  Amen.