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November 17:
Call: Stewardship Moment
Text: Luke 21: 1-4
Prophet Isaiah 12: 1-6
The Gift
The story is simple and familiar
We have heard it over and over again
This morning we hear it once more: Luke 21: 1-4
The rich persons contributed out of their abundance
The poor widow with the two copper coins
Contributed out of her poverty
Money she could have used
For needs not personal indulgence
For necessities not delightful luxuries.
It sounds like a stewardship scripture And it is
Although that is not why we are hearing it today.
We are hearing it because it reminds us of what we often miss
That scripture is about attitudes and motives and emotions
Not about acts and not about money.
The woman needed her money,
But she was so grateful to God
That she gave God priority over herself.
The rich men gave also
But to comply with the law and to buy God's favor
In contrast to the woman's giving her gift
out of love and gratitude
Our other scripture this morning is also about attitude
For the words God spoke through Isaiah this morning
are about Joy, Gratitude, and Trust
These are attitudes - not actions
But actions flow out of them.
A lot of our scriptures are about attitudes.
The parable of "The Good Samaritan" (Bible Study this week)
deals with the attitudes of each character
What were
the attitudes that enabled the priest and Levite to pass by?
What was
The attitude that caused the Samaritan to stop to help?
My favorite OT scripture from Micah says we are called
to do justice but to love kindness
Love is an attitude
an attitude inside of us that makes us kind
It is not a rule telling that we had better be kind
"and that there are consequences if we are not ..."
Unfortunately, all too often, however,
we respond to scriptural commands as if they are rules
Complete with rewards for obeying
And punishment for not
And thus in the story from Luke
Both the rich men and the poor women give
But what separates them is their attitude
We know that attitude is important and drives our actions
And yet, I think that we actually prevent ourselves from developing trusting, loving attitudes
for fear of human failure
For many of us are afraid to risk such failure
And therefore choose human ways and values
Rather than choosing to trust God
After all we know what human criticism and human ridicule are
We can imagine them
Because most of us have experienced them
And so when called to make a choice,
we often choose the wrong one.
A half century ago Richard Stolley had to make a choice
He had to choose whether to show understanding and patience
to a man who had something he wanted
Or Whether to be pushy, selfish, and aggressive
In the hopes of getting it before anyone else could.
Which of those choices reflect an attitude that is
Born in Christ's example and nurtured by Christ's teaching
A teaching that tells us
That to love God, we must love our neighbor?
Let me share the story and its details
The decision had to be made
In Dallas, Texas
On November 22, 1963
A place and date
that all of us born before 1950
will never forget.
Stolley was sent to Dallas that afternoon by LIFE Magazine
boarding a plane less than an hour
after learning that President Kennedy had been shot.
At 6:00 that evening he was astonished to learn
that a Dallas business man had, by chance,
filmed the assassination
The man's name was Abraham Zapruder
Immediately Stolley found and called Zapruder's home
When no one answered, he called every fifteen minutes
No answer, No answer, No answer
Finally about 11:00 that night
a tired, shaken, and weary Zapruder answered
having just returned from getting the film developed
Stolley asked if he could come right over to see the film.
Zapruder said, "No."
Explaining that he was exhausted
And that he was overcome by what he had witnessed.
Zapruder did, however, invite Stolley to come to his office at 9:00 the next morning.
This was when Stolley had to make his decision:
He had to choose between pushing to come right over
Or recognizing what Zapruder had gone through
And agreeing to meet the man in the morning.
What choice would you or I have made?
What choice would Christ have advised?
What choice would reflect an attitude that would make God smile?
Well, Richard Stolley made his choice
He chose to wait instead of pushing
His choice reflected an attitude of love, understanding and concern
After all the man with the film
Had not only watched the shooting of the young president
He had also watched the film that he, himself had made
That was a lot to take in.
Stolley's choice was the one
that you and I know Christ would have advised
It was the choice
that you and I know reflected an attitude that undoubtedly made God smile
It was the choice
That you and I think and hope that we would have made.
But think:
He had to know how his editor would react
If this choice enabled some other news organization
to swoop in
and buy the film while Richard waited for the morning?
Can't you just imagine
"You fool! What kind of a newsman are you?"
And if the berated reporter had responded
"But I made God happy."
"This was the choice Jesus' teachings required me to make"
And finally, the editor again,
"Well Jesus Christ didn't hire you, I did
You work for me, not for him."
The next morning Stolley went to Zapruder's office
Arriving at 8:00 rather than 9:00
And he got to see the film with a couple of secret service agents
Before Zapruder's 9;00 showing to other news people
While Zapruder was showing it to the other media
Stolley waited in the office with Zapruder's secretary.
Both he and the secretary were from Illinois
And they got talking about high school basketball
After the larger showing was over
Zapruder told the other reporters that because Stolley had been the first to contact him, he was going to talk first with him.
While the men were conversing,
Reporters outside the room pounded on the door and shouted
After a particularly violent bang
Zapruder looked at Stolley and said, "Let's do it."
That is how LIFE magazine purchased the Zapruder film
Abraham Zapruder died in 1970
Stolley called Zapruder's business partner to check on a few facts.
As they were talking, the business partner asked,
"Do you know why you, and not one of the other reporters, got that film?"
"The money?" Stolley answered
"No, someone would have matched the amount or increased it."
"Was it my promise to not exploit the film?"
"That was important, but you got it because you were a gentleman."
And he went on to cite,
Not badgering about coming to the house that first night
Treating Zapruder with respect during the negotiations
And his friendly dealings with the secretary
While some other reporters had treated her harshly.
All of which reflected that loving understanding attitude
That Jesus Christ expects of us.
Richard Stolley got the film
A film we will hear a lot about this week as we observe
the fiftieth anniversary
of what still remains
the most stunning day in the lives of many of us.
More importantly, he got to hold his head high
Because, at risk to his career,
His actions flowed from that Christ taught attitude.
But you know, in this story
Stolley might not even be the best example of that attitude
For Abraham Zapruder
Had a very valuable asset
And chose to whom to sell it
Not by the amount offered
But by the attitude of love he saw in the purchaser
That was an attitude that he didn't see in those who were banging on the door and shouting.
Like the poor woman with the two copper coins
Both Richard Stolley and Abraham Zapruder set examples for us of the kind of attitude that God wants us to have.
Their attitudes should inspire us.
Interestingly enough, while the LIFE reporter was trying to reach the cameraman that Friday evening
I personally had the chance to observe this loving attitude
As it was exhibited by the clergy of the churches in Baldwinsville
Who got together that very night
To lead a worship and prayer service .
Nearly four decades later, I was clergy
And on September 11, 2001
I was stunned once again,
but still inspired by the attitude of the Baldwinsville clergy,
I felt called to lead a worship and prayer service.
Seeing examples of the attitudes that God wants
can instill them in us - unless we are too afraid to let them.
Can we give God a greater gift than a attitude that is
like Christ taught
like Christ expects.
After all, we do work for Him.
And each of us must have an attitude that reflects
A LIFE that belongs to Him
And which is not a magazine.