Stewardship Sermon Starters

Pastor Lee Griess
Assistant to the Bishop and
Shared Stewardship Staff
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

October 5, 2008
Matthew 21:33-46
No Longer Tenants


There was a television commercial a few years back that can help us understand more clearly what is being said here. It showed a funeral procession of expensive automobiles driving single file behind a hearse toward a cemetery. As the camera focused on the passengers in the first car and continued to focus on each of the following luxury automobiles, the announcer’s voice could be heard. It was supposed to be the voice of a lawyer reading the deceased person’s Last Will and Testimony which each one of them would soon be hearing. “To my nephew,” the voice said, “who didn’t know the value of a dollar, I leave one dollar.” “To my grandson, who spent money as though it were nothing, I leave nothing.” And on and on the announcer’s voice went as each of the relatives passed by in their fancy cars. The messsage was clear. Each of them had obviously lived their lives in ways that indicated they would waste anything entrusted to them.

As the commercial drew to a close, a young man in a simple, plain economy car (just coincidentally the same kind of car being advertised) brings up the rear. His clothes are not fancy and his vehicle seems out of place. The voice, however, ends the recital of the Will with these words, “And to my grandnephew who believed a penny saved is a penny earned, I leave my entire fortune of one-hundred-billion dollars.” The message was clear. Anyone watching the commercial would have easily understood what was being said.

I only wish that those of us hearing Jesus’ parable this morning could just as easily grasp Jesus’ message. But then, perhaps a second illustration can help.

There was a church located next door to a supermarket. Since the church was short of parking spaces and the supermarket was closed on Sunday mornings, the church leaders approached the owner of the supermarket for permission to park in the lot. The supermarket owner’s response was “fine. You are welcome to use the parking lot 51 weeks a year.” “What?” the church leaders asked. “What about the other week?” And to that the supermarket owner replied, “That week I will chain off the lot so that you will always be reminded that the lot belongs to me and not the church.” Do you see his point? It is so tempting in life – in all of our strivings and workings, in our daily living and doings – to take credit for the good that happens and to blame the bad on somebody else. And on that point, this parable is also clear – we are not the owner of all that exists. We are not even the owner of what we have. God is. All that exists, all that we have, all that we accomplish is God’s gracious activity at work in our lives and to be truly human we must 
                    Recognize God’s presence in our lives 
                    And respond to God’s blessing with generosity and gratitude, remembering that in love through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are more than tenants. We are children, loved, redeemed, invited to live within the grace and mercy of God.