Sermons Preached at Church of the Redeemer

On Christian Stewardship                                 

John H Marenghi

Good Morning.

Let my presence here today be a lesson for all of you. When you see someone from the Stewardship Committee coming toward you at a coffee hour, please realize that you could find yourself standing up here in front of our parish giving a sermon about Stewardship. Really, this could happen to you one day! 

Frankly, I was humbled and honored when Mary Ellenberger asked me to speak today and I am delighted to be of service to our parish. 

However, I am not accustomed to standing in front of a large group and talking about my faith in God or about my thoughts on Christian Stewardship. But this year marks our 15^th year at the Redeemer and I have some perspectives to share. 

I cannot offer you a biblical or theological dissertation on Christian Stewardship this morning. There are others among us who are far more qualified than me. But I know, after all my years at the Redeemer, that any discussion about Christian Stewardship is a discussion about the people here, a discussion about all of you. You are remarkable people, who are united by faith in God, who keep the Holy Spirit among us and who come together here on Earth, as Jesus did, to “make things happen” in the name of God. 

While I was preparing my remarks and reflecting upon my last 15 years in this parish, I was moved by how much all of you have meant to me and my family during our times of great joy and great tragedy. You have inspired me by your service and devotion to God. The clergy and lay people, the young and the old, have shown me what it means to live a life of Christian Stewardship. There are so many of you that give your time, your talent and your treasures continuously throughout the year and throughout life.

Please allow me to bear witness.

Cathy and I were married fifteen years ago on July 29, 1989 at Saint Peter’s Church in Osterville and we settled into life in Chestnut Hill. I wanted to find a spiritual home here, and in the fall we came upon the Redeemer. Steve White was our Rector, Sam Rodman was our Assistant Rector and Lloyd Dahmen was the Senior Warden. I recall how wonderful the worship services were. I was inspired - and at the same time I could find peace from the often chaotic work world. As we sailors say, this is “my port in the storm”. When we wandered into our first few Coffee Hours, the parish hall was always “buzzing” and you could feel a sense of mission and community. Soon, we were going to Foyers and getting to know so many wonderful people. Lloyd and Gene Dahmen, Dick and Diane Schmalensee, Charlie Cooney and Peggy Reiser, Eric Fossel and Jan McDonagh, Robbie and Cindy Johnson, Peter and Abby Coffin, Steve and Tish Mead, Myra Siegenthaler, George Bass, Lee and Jean Fisher…and so many more as time went on. During these simple dinners, we got to know one another and I was overwhelmed by how much people cared about one another, the Church and all of the various programs and services. 

Then, in 1990-91, the “baby boomlet” arrived at the Redeemer. Our daughter, Laura, was born on October 2, 1990 and we would strengthen our bond with God and the Redeemer through the Sacrament of Baptism. This joy was something that we shared with all of you and I recall so many proud parents coming forward with their babies to be baptized: Jack Marston, Caroline Brewster, Lily Bullitt, George Haydock, Carlin Dacey, Emily Sampson. We would experience this happiness again on February 25, 1997 when our second daughter, Julia, was born. During every baptism at the Redeemer, I realize the true meaning of Christian Stewardship when all of us in the congregation pledge to “do all in our power to support these persons in their life in Christ”.  

Now, for a moment, fast forward 13 years to May 2^nd 2004 when our “baby boomlet” received Confirmation and became adult Christians. On the night before Confirmation, at a party hosted by Judy and Tom Bullitt, proud parents watched their “babies” turn into the Senior Youth Group and many of them would soon leave home for a mission trip to Hawaii.  

The older I get the more I realize how much our children can teach me when I take the time to listen to them. We volunteered to “teach” the Church School for a few years. Our first and second grade children taught me how to really read the scripture and explain the lessons so that a 7 year old child could try to understand the mysteries of our faith. I received far more than I gave. 

I have learned the meaning of Christian Stewardship through the Sacraments of Marriage, Baptism and Confirmation and you have also shown me the true meaning of Christian Stewardship during times of sickness and death. In 1991, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died in 1992 at the age of 68 after a long illness. Your prayers really helped. 

 We are very fortunate that God has called us all together here at the Redeemer. 

Each September, when we return from our summer break, you can really feel the energy and the presence of Jesus Christ everywhere in our Church. The Vestry gets back to work and all our Committees shift into “overdrive”. During my own service on the Vestry, I was, and still am, inspired by all those who serve others. I can recall our Senior Warden, Robbie Johnson, who is a cardio-thoracic surgeon, coming to our meetings right from the operating room. And when Robbie left, Ted Haffenreffer took over with his valuable guidance and all his years of experience. Our Vestry today is stronger than ever and we continue to thrive under Suzy Westcott’s devotion and stewardship. And of course we are now blessed to have our priests Dorsey and Judith. 

So now is the time for all of us to renew our commitment to serve in some capacity. When I served as Co-Chair of the Stewardship Committee with Donna Robinson for two years, we were fortunate to have our predecessors available to help us through the transition and soon we had 65 committee members working with us. Everyone was incredible! So please help Mary and Cotty. 

This is also the time of preparations for Advent and Christmas! (You realize that I am the unofficial Co-Chair of the Christmas Market). I really hate the winter but I cannot imagine anything better than Christmas at the Redeemer with all of you. Our Christmas pageant always gets rave reviews. And of course our Christmas Market and Auction Dinner has come to define the meaning of Christian Stewardship. Tell me:

1)          How many trees do you think Michael Aylward has

delivered in the past 15 years?

2)          How many meals did Debby and Jim Notman serve over a decade of Auction dinners?

3)          Do you think that Gerry Conway might know how many children sat on Santa’s knee while he was visiting the Redeemer?

And then …before you know it…it will be Ash Wednesday …the Lenten Series …then …Easter Sunday……… 

Thank you all for showing me the meaning of Christian Stewardship.

Amen.

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Megan Sampson

Good Morning -

When Cotty asked me to speak to the congregation, a number of thoughts went through my head.  Though I have often been a lector, public speaking is not one of my fortes. Reading the printed word is one thing, but coming up with something original is quite different. I almost felt as though I were back in college and had somehow forgotten that a fifty-page paper was due the next day.

As I considered the request, how was I to say no? How could I say no to what means so much to my heart and soul?

It made me reflect upon what it is about the Redeemer that is so important to me. I thought of the beauty of the church, the stained glass windows, and of course, the music. The music is a part of church I cherish most; I love to hear the choir, the organ, and the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord. There are times when only this music will soothe me.  There is nothing quite like our choir singing and Michael’s playing and the concerts we are privileged to hear. These are indeed strong forces which bind us together.

But, naturally, I think of the Redeemer, my church, as more than bricks and mortar.  I think of you, my friends, my fellow parishioners, and what strength I get from you in our mutual journey. I cannot tell you in words just how important this is to me.

Of things I wish I did more of, highest on my list, and perhaps yours too, is reaching out to others. I cannot push my belief and conviction upon anyone, but I can testify to the unique power of friendship, strength, and love in this church and the ties that bind us all.

As I look out to you this morning I see parents of my children’s friends, and friends of my own parents – people I cherish, sitting in these pews. Everyday I see people from the Redeemer and it is wonderful to have this church’s bond.

Everyone sitting here today, by the hand of God, takes care of my soul, gives me strength when I lack courage, picks me up when I fall, and shapes my life and my family’s life. God bless you.

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Herculaneum

Endicott Peabody, Jr.

Some years ago, Andrea and I were touring in Italy and stopped to see the village of Herculaneum. As many of you know, Herculaneum was buried along with its more famous neighbor, Pompeii, by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D.  

We were struck by the excavations which had been going on for years and yet had uncovered only a small part of that unlucky place. Buried by tons of mud and ash, the village seemed suspended in time as people and homes were literally encased in the muck which had solidified into concrete. Mud was frozen in waves pouring into windows and doors and only through years of careful chipping and scraping was the village returning to the light.  

We saw beautiful tile floors of intricate design now beginning to reappear, and once busy kitchens with pots and cookware still in the ovens, some with food still preserved inside them. But what moved us perhaps the most was what was believed to be a small living room with a little niche carved into the wall. In the niche was a small cross standing simply by itself. It had not been all that long since the crucifixion of our Lord, and yet here was this cross, a symbol so recognizable to us. Did it have the same significance to this family? In my imagination might they perhaps have seen Christ or one of the Disciples in person?

I have often thought about those faceless and unnamed inhabitants. What had become of them? Had they escaped…..or more likely been consumed by the tidal wave of scalding earth and ash? And what events had led them to discover this new Christian faith and to display a cross in their home? What courage it must have taken to embrace the words of the crucified Christ or the disciples that carried on after Him. What commitment they had shown by their simple act of placing this cross in their home. Surely, Christianity was still deemed by many to be heretical and many thousands would be persecuted and killed for their beliefs for centuries to come. So, I have further wondered how hard it must have been to sustain their faith in light of the events that were unfolding in their world.  

I spoke on this Sunday some years ago and talked about how I began to discover my faith as a teenager. I referred to my new found faith as my “secret weapon” which I could deploy when I was feeling vulnerable and needing a bit more backbone. Today, it is this faith that helps to guide me and my family and gives us strength and confidence to face the challenges that we encounter. Like that family in Herculaneum, we have happily chosen to follow Christ as our Savior, but we are fortunate because we have something more: We have found something to sustain us.  

When we moved here in 1984, we spent a few Sunday’s “shopping” for a church to attend. And frankly, we assumed it would be All Saints Church (not far from here) mostly because my Grandfather after retiring as Bishop of Central New York, had been rector there for many years and we knew a few people in the parish. But for a number of reasons, there just was not a “fit”!

Happily we came here and were warmly embraced by Steve Smith, the Associate Rector and many of you who are here today.  Without even knowing us, YOU made a commitment to us and we have happily returned that trust. And believe me, what we have put in, we have received back many fold!  

So, my family has found another “secret weapon”, and that is our association with The Redeemer.  We are nurtured by the intimacy of the 8:00AM Sunday service, uplifted by the pastoral care we have received, and buoyed by the friends we have made and continue to make.  How lucky and proud we are to be a part of such a vibrant, caring and giving parish. How grateful we are that we have The Redeemer to sustain us.  

I would be less than honest with you if I did not tell you that when Suzy Westcott called me last spring and asked me to join Mary Ellenberger as a co-chair of Stewardship, I was less than enthusiastic. In fact, I have always secretly dreaded getting that phone call. There is only one thing that makes me more uncomfortable than being asked for money and that is …asking people for money!  

But after leaving John Hancock a year ago, I had told myself that now I had the time to try to give something back to my church and community from which I have been so enriched. And the Lord, wasting no time gave me the chance. I just had envisioned easing into it a bit, not jumping in with both feet. What a difficult and thankless task, I thought.  

How wrong I was! From the beginning, this parish has ONCE AGAIN been so very supportive and embracing. First, you made my job insurmountably easier by going out and finding a wonderful new Rector, giving us a solid footing for “our New Beginning.”  Then, to my amazement, every single person Mary and I have called on to help in this year’s campaign has enthusiastically said YES. And then, as if that was not enough, you keep saying “Thank you” to me, instead of the other way around!   

So let me end this part of my talk with a resounding  THANK YOU!

Thank you for twenty years of Sustenance, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to give something back!  

Permit me to spend a few minutes on this year’s Pledge Drive:  

Our focus and direction this year is something quite different.  Acknowledging and celebrating that we truly are a neighborhood parish, we have divided the parish into 35 neighborhood groups that range in size from 4 to 12 families. Next week, October 24^th, Commitment Sunday, 35 tote bags like this one, representing each of the Redeemer’s neighborhoods, will be consecrated by the rector. Each of the bags will contain a list of everyone in that neighborhood, personalized and secure envelopes containing your pledge cards and instructions on how to complete your pledge card and pass the bag along.  

Let me be clear!

No one will come to your house and stand over your shoulder while you complete your pledge! No solicitor will call as you sit down to dinner! You have the luxury of considering your pledge in private with your family.  All that we ask is that you complete your pledge promptly and deliver the bag in person to another family on the list! This process doesn’t work if the bag doesn’t keep moving, or is just left on your neighbor’s front porch. So call them, and hand the bag off in person.  If you encounter problems, call the neighborhood captain! Or call me or Mary…even when we’re having dinner! We are here to help!

We have 2 weeks to get these bags around our neighborhoods and return them to the designated captain. On Sunday, November 7^th, the captains will return their tote bags to the church, hopefully bursting at the seams, and the process will be complete!  

Mary and I, as well as all the members of the Stewardship committee, hope that the parish will embrace this new pledge process as less cumbersome and yet allowing each family time and privacy to consider their commitment to the Redeemer. As the co-chair of Stewardship, I would not fulfill my obligation to this parish if I did not ask you to please consider your pledge carefully, and to increase your pledge meaningfully from last year if you are able.  

I would also like to ask those of you who have not pledged in the past to please make such a commitment this year.  

Is it not a reasonable goal to try to achieve 100% participation?  

Your church’s budget is based on pledged dollars and the Vestry cannot consider weekly Offering Plate collections in their planning. A pledge from every family in our parish would indeed be a NEW BEGINNING!  

THANK YOU