ALL SAINTS MARGARET STREET

TRINITY 3, 2009
Sermon preached by the Vicar, Fr Alan Moses at High Mass

"As you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you - so we want you to excel also in this generous work." 2 Cor. 8.7

What is this "generous work" Paul is speaking about? It is the collection he was raising among the churches he had founded for the poor of the church in Jerusalem.

A few verses earlier, at the beginning g of the chapter, Paul has spoken about the "the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for their favour of taking part in the relief of the saints...Accordingly we have urged Titus that as he already made a beginning, he should also complete among you this generous work."

Our passage is the heart of Paul's appeal to the Corinthian Christians to fulfil their pledge to this collection: a project close to Paul's heart The word "collection" hardly begins to capture the theological significance of the enterprise. We see this in the other words he uses to describe it, both here and elsewhere: charis -grace; eulogia - blessing, leitourgia - a priestly service, koinonia - fellowship, communion, participation. Just before our passage he says that this relief work- diakonia, is both a work of grace and an act of Christi9an fellowship, a tangible gesture of gospel solidarity and love between Gentile and Jewish Christians.

Having held up to them the example of the Macedonian Christians, he now addresses them directly. Rather than trying to arouse a sense of competition with other churches, Paul reminds them of their own qualities and accomplishments, praising them for the accomplishment of their faith, speech, knowledge and earnestness, the asks them to "excel in this act of grace also". - Remember that this is a church with which Paul has a had a great deal of trouble; not because they were spiritual deadbeats, but because their abundance of spiritual gifts had led to spiritual one-upmanship and divisions among them; playing off one church leader against another.

The word "grace - charis" - is more central in this passage than might appear from the English. It was the grace of God given to the Macedonia n churches; then the same word is used for the "favour" or "privilege" of the Macedonians including Paul and Titus in their collection project. At the beginning of our reading it refers to the "act of grace" or "generous undertaking" represented by the collection. For Paul, these are all expressed in the one word charis, covering what we might call "grace" or "favour" or "thanks", depending on the context. But gratitude cannot be compelled, and Paul assures them that his counsel is not a command but an appeal to show "that your love also is genuine".

Then we reach the real theological heart of Paul's appeal: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he has become poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich."

Here we have both a summary of the gospel and a description of what has been called "the economy of God". The Greek word oikonomia, originally a "household" , has come to have a meaning which stretches from "economy" in our modern fiscal sense of the word to God's universal plan for salvation, the "divine economy". Paul's encompasses both, since God's saving act of grace in Jesus Christ is also the model for our "economics" as Christians. The rest of the passage spells out the implications of this theological economy in terms of the Corinthians' contribution to the saints at Jerusalem.

Paul starts out by saying something about what makes a gift "acceptable" beginning with the "readiness" to give. The Corinthians had demonstrated this the previous year by pledging their support. But Paul would not agree with Hamlet that "readiness is all", for he now exhorts them to complete their own act of grace by actually contributing what they have promised. In other words, they must put their money where there mouth is.

He then goes on to speak about how much they should give. He tells them to complete their contribution "according to your means - out of what you have". A gift is "acceptable according to , to what a person has, not according to what he does not have" (v 12). He does not mean that "others should be eased and you burdened" (13a) Then comes the key word in Paul's theological economics, isotes, translated "equality" or "fairness" or "a fair balance". Paul does not mean the kin d of equality where each side gives an equal amount, but rather a fair apportioning . The context and examples to which Paul appeals, illustrate what he means. It is about reciprocity, as shown by the relationship between Jesus Christ and believers (9) and by Paul's claim that "your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that their may be fairness" (v 14).

Striving for excellence is a Christian virtue only when excellence is properly defined. Paul does this by insisting that excellence in financial stewardship is not defined by giving a sum large enough to the new organ named after you or having a plaque on the wall of the newly-restored church. Instead, it begins with humble gratitude for God's self-emptying in Christ that prompts an eagerness to give in response. A year ago, Paul noted, many were not only setting aside money for the Jerusalem church, but filled with the desire to do so. Paul speaks of recapturing their eagerness to show gratitude to God. The larger gifts offered by the wealthier members of the community are not more "excellent" than the smaller gifts of those of more modest means, for excellence in Christian giving is measured not in pounds but by the desire to gibe which steams from our gratitude to God.

There have been times when I have found myself being lectured by Christians of a certain persuasion about the virtues of tithing. They rarely ask if I tithe; assuming I suppose, that as a benighted Catholic, I don't. If only those inadequate parishes would tithe. I usually respond, as charitably as I can manage, that tithing is actually not difficult if you are have a good job in the City or a private practice in Harley Street. It doesn't make much difference to your lifestyle: the weekend house in the country, the foreign holidays, private education, the four-wheel drive for the school run. If you are a pensioner or a single parent it makes a sizeable one.

This doesn't mean that we can ignore the fact that many parishes in our tradition have pretty shabby records when it comes to giving. Too many of them have depended for too long on subsidy from others. Paul twice uses the phrase "fair balance" asking the Corinthians to weigh their present abundance against the needs of the saints in Jerusalem. He does not ask the Corinthians to give so sacrificially that the equation is reversed. , but rather to be a so claimed by charity that their deepest need is to share their abundance with brothers and sisters who are less materially blessed.

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul had upbraided them for their irreverent behaviour at the Eucharist, which took place in the context of a communal meal. The better-off who did not share their provisions with the less well-off were warned that in failing to acknowledge the presence of Christ in their poorer brothers and sisters, they were failing also to discern the presence of Christ in Sacrament.

Here Paul refers to the Manna which sustained the people of Israel in the wilderness. No matter how much or how little was gathered, each had only enough for their needs. Christians called to live a Eucharistic life, a life of grace, of gratitude, are called to "such an equality that nobody starves and nobody hordes his abundance at another's expense." (John Calvin)

In addition to expressing gratitude to God, Christians are called to give out of a genuine love for their brothers and sisters. Paul was concerned for the relationship between the new Gentile churches and the Jewish church in Jerusalem. There was ample scope for division on ethnic and religious grounds.

What has all this got to say to us?

Some years ago, the Diocese of London moved from a way of funding its life which was a kind of taxation system, an assessment based on the numbers on your electoral roll. People responded to this by various forms of tax avoidance or evasion. The Common Fund is modelled d on a Pauline appeal to generosity. To a considerable degree it works. Our Deanery of St. Marylebone, contributes at a higher rate than a deanery in Stepney, although the parishes in Stepney are probably giving a higher proportion of their income. Within our deanery, which has some wealthy parishes, we also have the parish of St. Paul's, Rossmore Road, the Lisson Grove Estate, which has the worst statistics on urban deprivation in the whole of London.

Here on Tuesday evening, there will be a meeting of parish treasurers from our Deanery of St. Marylebone with our Area Finance Adviser and the Archdeacon, to present to them the facts and what we are hoping to raise from the parishes in the coming years in order to pay the bills without cutting staff. Over the years there has been a transformation in the attitude at this meeting. The grumpiness which used to be there has almost gone and our Deanery has a record of generous response to the Common Fund.

Last week, when we were saying "Farewell" to Matthew Duckett who was ordained deacon in St. Paul's last night, he spoke of how important it was that this parish supported the Common Fund because that had helped pay for his training. He was one of 36 deacons ordained in St. Paul's yesterday. This diocese normally has 120 ordinands in training at any one time: so many that we export them to other parts of the church. This gift comes at considerable financial cost, but we would be a miserable lot if we did not thank God for it with our giving.

This does not mean that all is perfect. A voluntary system is vulnerable to those who are not willing. Very rich churches, sometimes for reasons of theology, or perhaps more accurately church politics, refuse to give more than their own clergy costs. They want control over how "their money" is spent. This parish has always been willing to give more, and to give it without strings attached, because it understands that to be "catholic" is to be committed to the whole. That involves trusting the diocese or the parish in wherever it is, to spend the money properly and not to insist that the Church in Jerusalem be exactly like the church in Corinth.

Last week, I chaired, for the last time, the annual conference of USPG Anglicans in World Mission, whose work with the churches of the Anglican Communion we support. What many people in the Church of England do not realise is that the Church of England supports the world Church largely through voluntary support of mission agencies. There is no massive grant from the General Synod; with giving from parishes and individuals as the icing on the cake. What parishes and individuals give is the cake. That giving has levelled off in recent years; and that at a time when relationships within our communion are under severe strain.

Here at All Saints we support the work of USPG and we have just begun to support a new project in Trinidad and Tobago where Richard Owen is using his skills as a music teacher to get children in churches and church schools involved in musical activities as a means of protecting them from rising crime, drugs and gang activity. A project involving music seemed just right for a parish which enjoys such wonderful music as part of our worship week in week out.

When you get round to reading the Parish Paper you will see that after 14 years here, and ten years as an Area Dean, and my spell as chairman of USPG, the Bishop has agreed that I should have some study leave. I am going to begin this with a pilgrimage, a sort of walking retreat, from Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela. This is a trek of 720 kilometres, or 500 miles in old money.

It came to me in a dream that in addition to the spiritual, not to mention physical benefits accrued from this undertaking, there might be a financial one too. So, I am appealing for sponsorship for two causes which have been at the heart of my ministry over the last 14 years: the restoration of All Saints and the work of USPG. Any money raised will be divided equally between the Restoration Appeal and our USPG project. The sponsorship forms will be out next week.