The Third Conversion
Sermon Given at Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church
March 5, 2017
by The Reverend Craig M. Nowak
“Martin Luther,” Carl Scovel reminds us in our second reading, “once said if he heard the world were going to end, he would go and plant an apple tree.”
What would you do?
Admittedly, I haven’t thought about this question very often, but when I have, planting an apple tree or anything else for that matter, did not enter my mind.
For much of my life I’ve been too cynical to imagine planting something would be anything but a fool’s errand in the face of an imminent end to a tragically mixed up world. That changed some fifteen years or so ago however, when I walked through the doors and into the sanctuary of a Unitarian Universalist church for the first time. It was there that I discovered, to echo words the choir sang this morning, “the church that blesses you.” A community and faith of head…and heart, which together gave me a renewed sense of hope, meaning and purpose, that I might, in turn, go out and similarly bless the world.
Granted the change wasn’t immediate. It took time. As D.H. Lawrence once noted, “A person has no religion who has not slowly and painfully gathered one together, adding to it, shaping it, and one's religion is never complete and final, it seems, but must always be undergoing modification.”
This developmental or evolutionary understanding of faith is not limited to D.H. Lawrence or the well known theologian James Fowler and his “Stages of Faith” or the UU Minister Richard Gilbert with his curriculum “Building Your Own Theology”, but stretches back even further. Indeed, Martin Luther recognized that faith is an evolutionary endeavor too, noting “ People go through three conversions in their faith: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.”
The first and second conversions, as Luther called them, “head” and “heart” get most of the air time in church…through sermons, religious education, music and the various ministries of the church. Today we turn the spotlight toward the third conversion, what Luther calls, “the pocketbook.” Yes, this is, at least in part, the money sermon.
Most ministers…and laypeople…I know don’t like to talk about money. Some of us grew up in households where regardless of income or wealth money simply wasn’t talked about or when it was it felt so icky it was as if you should don a hazmat suit and tongs. This uneasy relationship with money is one reason the third conversion is necessary. Now, I can’t say I like talking about money, especially from the pulpit, but I do it anyway because it’s important to do so.
It’s important for the simple fact it takes money to pay for all of the expenses that come with operating a church…utilities, maintenance, repairs, salaries. Cumulatively these provide the infrastructure and resources to live into our mission and engage in ministries within and beyond these walls, to develop and offer worship, pastoral care, programming, adult and children’s religious education, choir, and to build a beloved community for ourselves, our children and future generations.
This is why we have an annual canvass: To raise money to fund the operation of the church and support its mission. During canvass, which is this month, members will be canvassed…asked, as part of the responsibility of membership, to make a financial pledge to the church.
Friends of the congregation, those of you who attend regularly, but haven’t formally joined, are invited to make a pledge as well. Friends can be connected with a canvasser by talking to or contacting me or our church president (Amy Frisella).
For the record, I don’t ask you to do what I wouldn’t do. My husband and I pledge and have since my first year as your minister. And we’ll be increasing our pledge by 10% this year.
There’s no way… and no point… in sugar coating it, canvass is about money. And surely giving money in the form of a pledge is today how we might understand Luther’s “third conversion…that of the pocketbook.” But is this conversion simply a matter of resigning ourselves to the fact the church needs money to operate and giving what we can?
Think about other conversion stories you’ve heard or moments you’ve experienced…whether mythic or mild. When I do this, they all seem to share at least one characteristic, an “Ah ha” moment. A moment in which we suddenly see things differently, often more expansively and interconnected than before.
This is where the practice of stewardship comes in.
One definition of stewardship I’ve recently encountered and really like is, “Building the foundation for a future we will never see.” This foundation is built through the commitment of people who give what we sometimes call the three T’s…time, talent, treasure. People who practice stewardship generally do so through some combination of these three things reflective of personal ability, availability, passion.
The practice of stewardship is giving rooted in trust. Trust in the value and worthiness of that to which we are committed, a goodness which transcends our finite selves…be it a set of values and principles, life, or God…. Luther’s intention to plant an apple tree if he were to learn the world was going to end, is an expression of such trust.
Thus, the third conversion, viewed through the lens of stewardship is not simply the dutiful preservation or financing of the present, it is a commitment to “stand by” and indeed embody this faith…to walk the longer journey of active hope, placing radical trust in, as Scovel writes, “the goodness that made and sustains this earth, to work good beyond our vision and control.” Grounded in the present, stewardship is also mindful…and hopeful for the future. Stewardship is a type of witness, a living testimony affirming the value of our faith, which, in the words of Olympia Brown, “has comforted us in sorrow, strengthened us for noble duty and made the world beautiful."
It is not unlike planting trees. Recall for a moment the story of the man planting trees in our second reading. Though working in the present he is also building the future. His actions are described as, “correcting the ravages of the developer.” And he’s said to be telling a less than hospitable world, “I’m going to be around for a while; don’t count on me leaving.” Later raking leaves beneath those trees, once thin saplings waving in the breeze, now grown lovely tall and fulsome, he reminds us, “the price of liberty is labor as well as vigilance.”
This is a man who believes in the the value, worth and necessity of his commitment and lives building (or planting) a foundation for a future beyond his years.
But as Scovel says, “There’s more to this story.” He notes the man who planted these trees worked in an office. Scovel wonders what impact the man’s stewardship, “the planting and raking of his small corner of Eden”, had on his life…
Did it get him in touch with the world of green and growing things? With work and people who are real? Did it connect him to warmth and seed time…harvest and winter…the true abundance, frailties and resiliency of life? Did it keep him responsive and grounded in the rhythms of nature? And help him discover a depth of life that cannot be learned by books, seen through binoculars or conveyed through lectures?
Scovel then wonders if the man’s digging, watering, and weeding…his ongoing stewardship… constituted prayer, a way of of reaching out and into the depth of our existence.
Thus we’re left to wonder, are these potential connections, discoveries and commitments the reasons/catalyst for or effects of conversion?
Maybe it’s a little bit of both.
Following the amazing, inspiring youth service a couple of weeks ago, I asked Laurel Burdon, our Director of Religious education to invite our children and parents to respond to the question, “Why are you glad the church is here?”
Here are some of the responses:
“Kids matter here.”
“It makes me think about the world.”
“My daughter is learning that there is not just one way of viewing faith”
“It helps me live my UU values week after week”
“It’s fun and I know a lot of people who are kind.”
I don’t know about you, but I could imagine any of these could being a reason or effect of conversion. An “ah ha” moment or realization when, we’re moved to support or are reminded why we support the church…Inspiring us to take up or continue and deepen the practice of stewardship.
A good friend of mine used to tell me he gave until it hurt…just a little. For him, stretching far enough to feel it, was his “ah ha” moment, an indication of growth in the present and the inspiration for a deepened commitment toward the future.
Whether you experience or come to see your conversion so to speak as the reason or the effect of your giving and stewardship, know that your support whether first time or continued is appreciated and vital.
Indeed, this year, 2017, marks the three-hundredth anniversary of this religious community, an anniversary we share in common with four other area churches. Each church endures today because for three hundred years people have, in their faith, experienced conversions of head, heart and yes, pocketbook.
These stewards of the past help build the foundation upon which our present day faith stands…a future they would not see nor could likely imagine.
Yet, they, chose, in the words of Olympia Brown, to “Stand by”… and indeed for…“this faith,” committing the time, material and financial resources necessary to live into, carry forward, and indeed expand it’s “great message.”
And so let us, with gratitude and joy, prove ourselves worthy of the trust our forbearers placed in the future now us. Let us take up and carry forward the mantle of stewardship and “Stand by this faith”, that we and our heirs, following the charge of Olympia Brown, may, “go on finding ever new applications of these truths and new enjoyments in their contemplation, always trusting in that which ever lives and loves” at the center of our being.
Amen and Blessed Be
Sermon Given at Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church
March 5, 2017
by The Reverend Craig M. Nowak
“Martin Luther,” Carl Scovel reminds us in our second reading, “once said if he heard the world were going to end, he would go and plant an apple tree.”
What would you do?
Admittedly, I haven’t thought about this question very often, but when I have, planting an apple tree or anything else for that matter, did not enter my mind.
For much of my life I’ve been too cynical to imagine planting something would be anything but a fool’s errand in the face of an imminent end to a tragically mixed up world. That changed some fifteen years or so ago however, when I walked through the doors and into the sanctuary of a Unitarian Universalist church for the first time. It was there that I discovered, to echo words the choir sang this morning, “the church that blesses you.” A community and faith of head…and heart, which together gave me a renewed sense of hope, meaning and purpose, that I might, in turn, go out and similarly bless the world.
Granted the change wasn’t immediate. It took time. As D.H. Lawrence once noted, “A person has no religion who has not slowly and painfully gathered one together, adding to it, shaping it, and one's religion is never complete and final, it seems, but must always be undergoing modification.”
This developmental or evolutionary understanding of faith is not limited to D.H. Lawrence or the well known theologian James Fowler and his “Stages of Faith” or the UU Minister Richard Gilbert with his curriculum “Building Your Own Theology”, but stretches back even further. Indeed, Martin Luther recognized that faith is an evolutionary endeavor too, noting “ People go through three conversions in their faith: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.”
The first and second conversions, as Luther called them, “head” and “heart” get most of the air time in church…through sermons, religious education, music and the various ministries of the church. Today we turn the spotlight toward the third conversion, what Luther calls, “the pocketbook.” Yes, this is, at least in part, the money sermon.
Most ministers…and laypeople…I know don’t like to talk about money. Some of us grew up in households where regardless of income or wealth money simply wasn’t talked about or when it was it felt so icky it was as if you should don a hazmat suit and tongs. This uneasy relationship with money is one reason the third conversion is necessary. Now, I can’t say I like talking about money, especially from the pulpit, but I do it anyway because it’s important to do so.
It’s important for the simple fact it takes money to pay for all of the expenses that come with operating a church…utilities, maintenance, repairs, salaries. Cumulatively these provide the infrastructure and resources to live into our mission and engage in ministries within and beyond these walls, to develop and offer worship, pastoral care, programming, adult and children’s religious education, choir, and to build a beloved community for ourselves, our children and future generations.
This is why we have an annual canvass: To raise money to fund the operation of the church and support its mission. During canvass, which is this month, members will be canvassed…asked, as part of the responsibility of membership, to make a financial pledge to the church.
Friends of the congregation, those of you who attend regularly, but haven’t formally joined, are invited to make a pledge as well. Friends can be connected with a canvasser by talking to or contacting me or our church president (Amy Frisella).
For the record, I don’t ask you to do what I wouldn’t do. My husband and I pledge and have since my first year as your minister. And we’ll be increasing our pledge by 10% this year.
There’s no way… and no point… in sugar coating it, canvass is about money. And surely giving money in the form of a pledge is today how we might understand Luther’s “third conversion…that of the pocketbook.” But is this conversion simply a matter of resigning ourselves to the fact the church needs money to operate and giving what we can?
Think about other conversion stories you’ve heard or moments you’ve experienced…whether mythic or mild. When I do this, they all seem to share at least one characteristic, an “Ah ha” moment. A moment in which we suddenly see things differently, often more expansively and interconnected than before.
This is where the practice of stewardship comes in.
One definition of stewardship I’ve recently encountered and really like is, “Building the foundation for a future we will never see.” This foundation is built through the commitment of people who give what we sometimes call the three T’s…time, talent, treasure. People who practice stewardship generally do so through some combination of these three things reflective of personal ability, availability, passion.
The practice of stewardship is giving rooted in trust. Trust in the value and worthiness of that to which we are committed, a goodness which transcends our finite selves…be it a set of values and principles, life, or God…. Luther’s intention to plant an apple tree if he were to learn the world was going to end, is an expression of such trust.
Thus, the third conversion, viewed through the lens of stewardship is not simply the dutiful preservation or financing of the present, it is a commitment to “stand by” and indeed embody this faith…to walk the longer journey of active hope, placing radical trust in, as Scovel writes, “the goodness that made and sustains this earth, to work good beyond our vision and control.” Grounded in the present, stewardship is also mindful…and hopeful for the future. Stewardship is a type of witness, a living testimony affirming the value of our faith, which, in the words of Olympia Brown, “has comforted us in sorrow, strengthened us for noble duty and made the world beautiful."
It is not unlike planting trees. Recall for a moment the story of the man planting trees in our second reading. Though working in the present he is also building the future. His actions are described as, “correcting the ravages of the developer.” And he’s said to be telling a less than hospitable world, “I’m going to be around for a while; don’t count on me leaving.” Later raking leaves beneath those trees, once thin saplings waving in the breeze, now grown lovely tall and fulsome, he reminds us, “the price of liberty is labor as well as vigilance.”
This is a man who believes in the the value, worth and necessity of his commitment and lives building (or planting) a foundation for a future beyond his years.
But as Scovel says, “There’s more to this story.” He notes the man who planted these trees worked in an office. Scovel wonders what impact the man’s stewardship, “the planting and raking of his small corner of Eden”, had on his life…
Did it get him in touch with the world of green and growing things? With work and people who are real? Did it connect him to warmth and seed time…harvest and winter…the true abundance, frailties and resiliency of life? Did it keep him responsive and grounded in the rhythms of nature? And help him discover a depth of life that cannot be learned by books, seen through binoculars or conveyed through lectures?
Scovel then wonders if the man’s digging, watering, and weeding…his ongoing stewardship… constituted prayer, a way of of reaching out and into the depth of our existence.
Thus we’re left to wonder, are these potential connections, discoveries and commitments the reasons/catalyst for or effects of conversion?
Maybe it’s a little bit of both.
Following the amazing, inspiring youth service a couple of weeks ago, I asked Laurel Burdon, our Director of Religious education to invite our children and parents to respond to the question, “Why are you glad the church is here?”
Here are some of the responses:
“Kids matter here.”
“It makes me think about the world.”
“My daughter is learning that there is not just one way of viewing faith”
“It helps me live my UU values week after week”
“It’s fun and I know a lot of people who are kind.”
I don’t know about you, but I could imagine any of these could being a reason or effect of conversion. An “ah ha” moment or realization when, we’re moved to support or are reminded why we support the church…Inspiring us to take up or continue and deepen the practice of stewardship.
A good friend of mine used to tell me he gave until it hurt…just a little. For him, stretching far enough to feel it, was his “ah ha” moment, an indication of growth in the present and the inspiration for a deepened commitment toward the future.
Whether you experience or come to see your conversion so to speak as the reason or the effect of your giving and stewardship, know that your support whether first time or continued is appreciated and vital.
Indeed, this year, 2017, marks the three-hundredth anniversary of this religious community, an anniversary we share in common with four other area churches. Each church endures today because for three hundred years people have, in their faith, experienced conversions of head, heart and yes, pocketbook.
These stewards of the past help build the foundation upon which our present day faith stands…a future they would not see nor could likely imagine.
Yet, they, chose, in the words of Olympia Brown, to “Stand by”… and indeed for…“this faith,” committing the time, material and financial resources necessary to live into, carry forward, and indeed expand it’s “great message.”
And so let us, with gratitude and joy, prove ourselves worthy of the trust our forbearers placed in the future now us. Let us take up and carry forward the mantle of stewardship and “Stand by this faith”, that we and our heirs, following the charge of Olympia Brown, may, “go on finding ever new applications of these truths and new enjoyments in their contemplation, always trusting in that which ever lives and loves” at the center of our being.
Amen and Blessed Be
Proudly powered by Weebly