An Act of Faith

A Sermon for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25, Year B)
October 27, 2024

Text: Mark 10:46-52

Now, O Lord, take my lips, and speak through them. Take our minds, and think through them. Take our hearts, and set them on fire. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Last week, I received an email from the American Red Cross. Before I even had a chance to open it, I figured it was probably just a thank you note for donating blood at the blood drive we had last month at St. Mary’s.

Well…I was right.

It was a thank you note for giving blood.

But, then I kept reading the message and realized that it was much more than just a simple thank you.

In the email, I was notified that, after making sure that all of our local needs for blood were met, my donation was sent to help a patient in need at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge, Georgia.

Now, of course, I don’t know the name of the actual person who was helped by my donation.

But, I really appreciated the email.

Because sometimes, I don’t think we realize or give much thought to how impactful it is when we choose to give away something of ourselves without expecting anything in return.

When I give blood, for example, I don’t do it in exchange for something else.

And, I usually don’t give much thought to the individual person whose life may be saved because of my donation.

I just give.

And, I trust that the Red Cross—or whoever’s taking my blood—will take what I’ve given and use it in the best way they know how, by giving it to someone in need.

Sometimes, though, it’s nice to be reminded that our gifts—whatever those may be—are being used to help actual, real-life people.

It’s nice to be reminded that our gifts make a real difference in people’s lives, sometimes in ways that we may never know.

As I read that email and thought about how my donation impacted that one person’s life, it made me realize that we do the same thing in church right around this time of the year when we start talking about stewardship and the importance of giving to the church in the upcoming year.

One tool that we use at St. Mary’s when we start talking about stewardship and giving to the church is a narrative budget.

We used this for the first time last year in our stewardship campaign, and I thought it was very affective. So, we’re doing it again this year.

A narrative budget is different than a normal, line-item budget that you might see at a business meeting.

A narrative budget tells a story.

And, in our case, it tells a story about the life of our parish and how the money we give to the church is used to impact the lives of our parishioners and our community.

It’s about more than just dollars and cents on a page.

It’s a visible reminder that every dollar we give to the church goes to support our mission and ministries.

And, make no mistake about it, friends.

Our church does a whole lot, especially for the size of our parish.

When you open up this year’s narrative budget—which will be available soon— you’ll find a list of several different ministries that are supported by our parish.

Under the Children and Families category, you’ll see ministries like Children’s Chapel for our students in grades K-5, Vacation Bible School in the summer, Trunk or Treat (which we’re getting ready to do this afternoon), EYC for our youth in grades 6-12, and our Christmas Pageant (which we brought back last year and plan to do again).

Under the Formation category for ministry, you’ll see things listed like our Rector’s Bible Study on Wednesday mornings and our Rector’s Forum on Sundays. You’ll see special programs like Confirmation Class, Episcopal 101 for newcomers, and Wednesday night programs during the seasons of Advent and Lent.

Under the Outreach category, you’ll find ministries like our monthly Rice and Beans Ministry, Laundry Love, Jo’s Community Dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and our annual Coat and Blanket Drive (which will begin next week).

For Community Life, you’ll see ministries like our Ministry Fair (which we had last month), Second Sunday potlucks, monthly Episcopal Church Women gatherings, and our weekly Cursillo Reunion Group.

Under the Worship category, you’ll see that there are multiple opportunities for worship and prayer offered at St. Mary’s throughout the year, which also include special services around Christmas and Easter.

This is just a partial list of all that goes on in our church.

There’s so much more.

And none of it would be possible without the generosity and commitment of our parishioners and the people who give to our parish.

Another thing you’ll read in this year’s narrative budget is that almost all of our income for the year comes from the gifts of our members and the friends of our parish who support us.

We receive no outside funding from the diocese or the national church or from anywhere else.

So, it’s up to all of us—working together and empowered by the Holy Spirit—to keep all of this going.

This is part of the work that God has called us to do as a community of faith.

To be good stewards of all the many gifts God has given us.

To give our time, our talents, and our money to support and grow our ministries for the building up of God’s kingdom.

This is the purpose of our annual stewardship campaign, which officially begins today.

Over the next month or so, we’ll be reflecting on the importance of showing our gratitude to God by practicing good stewardship and giving back to God that which God has already given us.

Each Sunday during our campaign, a member of our stewardship committee for this year will address the congregation for a few minutes and talk about the importance of giving.

All active members of our parish will receive a packet in the mail this week that will include several things, including: a letter from the stewardship committee, a copy of the narrative budget I mentioned earlier, a pledge card, information about proportional giving, and a small token of our appreciation for all that you do to support our parish.

All of this will lead up to the culmination of this year’s stewardship campaign on Sunday, November 24th, which we’re calling “Celebration Sunday.”

This will be the day to bring your completed pledge cards to church (if you haven’t turned them in already).

And, after we’ve collected all the pledge cards that morning, we’ll bring them to the altar during Communion and ask for God’s blessing to be upon them, a sign of our renewed commitment to serving Christ in this place.

So, that’s just a little bit of what to expect over the next few weeks.

And, I say all of that to say this:

Your gift, no matter the dollar amount, makes a difference.

Every one of you.

Your gift—your pledge—is important.

Because it’s about more than just dollars and cents.

Your pledge to the church is a sign of your love for God and for this parish.

And, it represents your commitment to making sure that all the good work we do here continues on for the sake of the Gospel.

To give, without expecting anything in return, is an act of faith.

Because we do so, trusting that our gifts will be used to accomplish something we believe in.

As I was reading our Gospel lesson for this week about the healing of blind Bartimaeus, I was struck by one, particular detail from the story.

If we look at the beginning of the passage, Jesus and his disciples are passing through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem.

A blind beggar named Bartimaeus hears that it’s Jesus who is passing through, and he cries out to him, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Bartimaeus has already heard of Jesus and knows that he can heal him.

But, many of Jesus’ followers try to prevent him from disturbing Jesus by telling him to be quiet.

After all, why would Jesus care anything about a blind beggar on the street?

It certainly isn’t worth his time to stop and care for the man.

But, despite the crowd’s best efforts to silence him, Bartimaeus calls out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus hears Bartimaeus cry out, and immediately, he stops walking and tells his followers to call the man over.

So, they say to Bartimaeus, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.”

And this is the detail of the story that really stood out for me this week.

When Bartimaeus hears the invitation, he quickly springs up from where he’s sitting, throws off his cloak—probably the only thing he owns, and comes to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks.

 “My teacher, let me see again,” Bartimaeus pleads.

Jesus tells him, “Go; your faith has made you well,” and immediately, his sight is restored.

There’s something about that detail in the story—the reaction Bartimaeus has when Jesus invites him to come closer.

There’s a sense of longing and desperation in Bartimaeus.

It’s almost as if he’s been waiting for this moment his entire life.

He’s been waiting for so long to be seen and heard and cared for.

And, he believes with all his heart, that this Jesus is the one who can restore his sight and make him whole again.

When he springs up from where he’s sitting and throws off his cloak and comes to Jesus, it’s an act of faith.

He puts all of his trust in Jesus because he has nothing else to hold on to.

And, in the end, it’s his faith—his act of trusting in God’s goodness and mercy—that brings him the healing he desires.

Yes, the healing of blind Bartimaeus is a great display of God’s love and healing power working through Jesus.

But, it’s also a remarkable display of faith.

Because of his faith in Jesus, Bartimaues was finally able to experience the power of God’s healing presence in his life, in more ways than one.

This is a lesson for all of us, I think—especially during this season of stewardship.

We may not need to be healed in the same way as Bartimaeus was.

But, all of us are seeking a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.

All of us want to know God more fully in our lives and to be transformed by the power of God’s love.

All of us want to be more faithful and more giving in our walk with Christ.

And, one way we can do this is by practicing good stewardship of all the many blessings God has given us and by being intentional about the ways we give of our time, our talents, and our treasure.

We can step out in faith, as Bartimaeus did, and put our whole trust in God, knowing that he is doing far more—in our lives and in the world around us—than we can ever hope for or imagine.

Amen.