Stewardship

Arlington United Methodist Church

This is the text of a talk I gave at church yesterday. Obviously, it's geared for that, but it could apply to any situation; your own church, your kid's school, the neighborhood library. Too many people feel that their contribution has to be big, so they do nothing. Find your gift, and give it, no matter how small you may think it is. Someone else may not think so.

Stewardship talk  Dec 30, 2013

Good morning. I thought I’d start with the time-worn tradition of giving you the dictionary definition of the topic. So I got out my handy-dandy smartphone, went to the Dictionary.com app, and looked up stewardship. Now I was always told not to use the word you’re defining in the definition. Ahem. Quoting: “Noun, #1 the position and duties of a steward.” Big help. BUT “#2 the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.” That’s better. I’d say Arlington fits that definition.

There’s so many things that I feel I owe the people of this church. I feel like I should be a good steward and that I should be one of those who impact the well-being of the church and its people. But I can’t always do much monetarily. When they announced the roof repair campaign, for example, I REALLY wanted to help in a big way, but I just couldn't  But there are other ways to be a good steward. I was in the restaurant business for close to 30 years, so I know my way around a kitchen. I’m not a chef, but I can boil water. That’s a gift that I can give. There are millions of little jobs around here that YOU can help with. There’s a sign up sheet in the commons for someone to just get here a little bit early and make coffee. The Road needs people who can come occasionally and do set up and breakdown…and you get dinner! Room in the Inn needs people to do laundry. The Worship Committee needs people to be communion servers. The choir needs people to sing. Some of the committees need people to simply come and contribute ideas. And on and on. And the great thing is that many of the jobs can be done when you would be here anyway. The more hands you have, the easier the work. Can’t contribute a lot of money? Give some time instead. You’ll feel better for it. I promise.

I Don't Know What I Want to Say

I don't know what to say about Sandy Hook Elementary School. I don't. I was leaving the Surgical Center after my hernia surgery when we heard the news on the radio. All I can remember thinking for quite a while was "just kids" Just like everyone else, this tragedy seems worse because of the young children involved. And in my mind, it truly is worse for that very reason.
I have often wondered, both to myself and even out loud to others, how a parent could survive the loss of a child, especially an unexpected loss. (I believe I've mentioned this in a previous blog, but I don't feel like looking it up.) Words fail me when I try to articulate it. I just can't imagine it. That's a big part of the horror of this, the empathy with those parents who are having to deal with this right now. Lord, look out for them and help them get through it.

The discussion has moved, as it should, to two issues: Gun control, and mental illness. There must be more of an effort in this country, indeed, in the world, to identify people who have the proclivity to do something like this and help them. Posted today:

UK Prime Minister ‏@Number10gov

Worried that someone close to you is showing signs of #dementia? Visit http://www.  nhs.uk/dementia  #xmas2remember #dementiachallenge

Unfortunately, I have not seen a similar tweet from @BarackObama, @whitehouse, @Senate_GOPs, @RepublicanHouse. But I have seen this:

The Associated Press ‏@AP

White House says gun control is part of the answer to curbing violence but not the only solution: http://apne.ws/V3uQG7  -AB

To be honest, this was going to be about guns. I even did some research. I may write that tomorrow.

But after looking at this, I think the mental illness aspect demands more attention than it gets, and will get in the next little while. I've tried to do a little research, but most of what I found quickly through a Google search seems to me tainted by a reluctance on the author's part to say too much, because they want to make sure that they're not all lumped together.

 Example:

"Posing these questions is itself not without risk: being perceived as dangerous can have a devastating effect on a person's prospects for relationships, employment, housing, and social functioning. People with mental illness already bear the burden of much social stigma, and I am loath to add to it." (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp068229)

I'm sure the author is right. I'm sure he's a good doctor, and he does go on into a deep discussion. BUT everything is political. To properly handle this issue, people must be identified in the early stages and treated and monitored. They deserve to be helped as much as I deserved to have my hernia fixed. It's all the same. It's the right thing to do. BUT, that takes money. Where is it coming from? 

I don't have the answers. I don't really know as much about this aspect as I feel I should. So, I'm asking all of you to do what I'm going to do more of: pay attention to the issue of how people with emotional and mental issues are dealt with and helped. Does it contribute to the horrible and terrible situations like Friday?

Sorry. I don't even have a good clean ending.