GTPiper Stewardship Witness
October 18, 2015
A cynical definition of stewardship is the church’s effort to beguile or guilt its members into
forking over enough of their hard-earned money--money that belongs to the
parishioners--to meet the annual budget.
I’d like to give a real-life illustration of stewarship that I believe is more accurate.
7 ½ years ago, when Leslie and I arrived to begin our service at St. Gabriel’s, the Vestry
made an arrangement for us to help purchase a home in the pricey South Coast real estate
market. They contributed $210,000 in joint equity toward the house we picked out and
purchased in Rochester. The Piper family’s gratitude for that incredible generosity toward
us leaves us with a happy sense of obligation to care for that property, and for the church’s
investment in it. Since we have become stewards of that property—that is, managers of a
good thing that has been entrusted to us, and for which we must one day give an
accounting—we have been mindful to maintain and improve it. The gardens are now lusher
and more expansive; the lawn greener, the spots of moss and tundra are gone; and the
building in better shape than it was when we bought it. That is stewardship: the grateful
care of what does not belong to us, but which has been entrusted to us to manage.
That is—for the faithful—our true situation with all the wealth we handle in this lifetime.
God entrusts it to us. Grateful for the gifts, we manage them to the benefit of our
Benefactor.
Let’s imagine, just for fun, that when I arrived at St. Gabriel’s, 7 ½ years ago, I made this
announcement to the vestry: By October, 2015, I’d like to contribute $50,000 to the work of
God in the Episcopal Church, with most of it coming to St. Gabriel’s.
The first thought most would silently have is something like, “you’re either bluffing, or
you’re out of your mind. Why would you do that?” Once they discovered that I was sincere,
the next thought folks might have is to wonder what sort of trust fund I have access to… or
how large an inheritance I’d recently received. The reality is that is neither of those sources
to draw on.
Imagine the inner discourses among people with practical economic common sense:
“Geoff, you can’t do that without considering the opportunity cost.




You could, with that same amount double the equity in your home;
you could reduce, by more than half, your daughter, Katie’s outstanding college
loans.
You could, instead of driving that eight-year old, dented Hyundai, buy a new car
every four years;
You could put that money into your 403-B for retirement.


You could, if the committee approved your application, join the prestigious
Kittansett Club.
You could travel to the Mediterranean with Leslie every year for a really great
vacation.”
So why has your rector--mindful of these other legal, laudable, and commendable uses of
his wealth—directed this sum of money, in something like 192 contributions, from each
pay check, all from monthly income, to the work of Christ at St. Gabriel’s? And what do all
these contributions over the years mean to me?
I’ll start by telling you what these contributions don’t mean to me.
I don’t think of this giving as remitting a portion of my salary back to the church to reduce
their annual clergy expense.
I don’t think of this as underwriting a $7,000 annual line item in the budget, for instance
the Book keeper’s salary.
I don’t think of this giving as an interchangeable substitute for using my gifts of time and
talent in practical day-to-day ministries with God’s people.
I don’t think of my giving to St. Gabriel’s as directing some of my surplus wealth to a nice
community organization like the YMCA or the symphony.
I do think of this ongoing giving as a direct, pure act of devotion and thanks to almighty
God, from whom I have received everything that matters: every good thing, everyone I love,
everyone who has ever contributed to my well-being and joy in any way.
I do think of this as a spiritual discipline that helps me grow in godliness. I neither
understood nor practiced this kind of generosity before, at age 22, I saw my need to receive
Christ as my Lord, my teacher, my helper, my Good Shepherd, my redeemer, the one who
frees my from my sin: past, present and future. I believe that I owe everything I am and
everything I have to God in Christ, a debt of love that I can never repay.
Once I accepted my role in this world as Christ’s servant, I came to understand the regular
giving of the first part of my income (now a tenth of my take home pay) as a remedy for one
of humanity’s most common spiritual diseases. A casual description of this disorder is to
hoard all the income we can, to buy things we don’t need, typically on credit, to impress
people we don’t care for. Giving a significant first piece of my income back to God in
gratitude reminds me, every time I do it, of where, and in Whom, my true security rests.
I do think of this sharing as helping to develop a character trait. Just as eagerly as I want
embody courage, honesty, compassion, loyalty, faithfulness and kindness, and all the rest of
the Christian virtues, I want to embody generosity. One of the best insults I have ever
received came from my beloved younger brother, when Leslie and I were serving in
outport fishing villages in northern Quebec. My father was teaching an extra evening
course at the local community college, and he suggested that he might send a check for
$500 up to us to help keep us afloat. I’m told that my brother Andy, remonstrated with him:
“Dad, don’t do it! He’ll only give it away!” Dad sent the check. With gratitude, Leslie and I
put it to good uses.
God continues to supply us with everything good, beyond what we would ever dare to ask
for or imagine.
Oh… one other stewardship detail. Because this house we live in is God’s house, entrusted
to us for a season, we try to use it for His purposes. We host dinners and social events there
that benefit others. We have invited a homeless man--employed full-time and supporting
his young daughter—who was living in his car in the cold winter months, to come and
enjoy one of our empty rooms. He is improving his credentials to get a higher paying job.
He has become a friend and helps out around the house in many ways.
This is pretty candid talk, I realize, and probably not what most of you are used to when
hearing about money in a church setting. But I’m walking precisely in our Lord’s footsteps
here. As you know, he spoke frequently about how our attitudes and habits with wealth are
inextricably linked with our spiritual well-being. “Where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.”
I don’t want to miss any of the real treasures of this life, or the life to come. And I want,
with all my heart, to see that none of you misses those treasures either. God bless each of
you, and thank you for giving Cathy and me an attentive hearing on this sensitive subject.
And thanks to each of you for the parts you play in the ministries and mission of Christ in
this parish.