A Critical Moment, A Shared Commitment
by Ed Hinson
Now it's time for somebody to stand up here and talk about stewardship. I start with the idea that there are many options for giving. If you're online watching from a computer, you can give online.
We have a QR code. You can do it in a modern way. And shortly we'll be passing the plate.
And you can do it the old-fashioned way. You can put your contribution in the [offering] plate. You can send a check.
Our website, which I spent some time looking over to get ready to stand up here to talk to you today, has all kinds of valuable information, including how to give. Shortly, we will be coming up here and putting in either the pledge card that you brought today or a piece of paper that says you've already pledged. I hope you'll take that seriously.
Once again, our website tells you how your money is going to be used. We all know it's a critical time for this church. We have a new name, and we're seeking a new senior minister, and we're looking forward to 2027.
2027 is hard for me to fathom. I came back to Charlotte in 1977, which is going to be 50 years next year, which is hard to realize. In looking over our website, I was reminded that this church was founded in the period 1942-43.
We've just been through a contentious election. Lots of things are going on in the world. We're all worried about AI, and I could make a long list of how we live in challenging times.
We have lots to worry about. It struck me that the people who founded this church had more to worry about, because in the 1942-43 period of time, the Nazis were dominating Europe. Pearl Harbor had been bombed, and we were having a war in the Pacific.
These folks thought that it was a good time to start a church here in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over the years, we have offered thoughtful, quality Christian education and excellent worship. We talk about being on a journey of faith, and we now have changed our name to the [Myers Park] Covenant Church.
We have our Covenant on the back of your order of worship. Sometimes we get together and read it. It's only four paragraphs, so it can hold your attention.
The third paragraph says, "We covenant together to nurture this church as a community of faith and an instrument for reconciliation in the world by worship, which we're doing today; by Christian education, which we offer; and by the dedication of our personal and material resources, and by all the other ways we express the significance of our lives with God and one another." Well, shortly, it's going to involve dedication of your personal resources. We're not asking for everything.
Many of you know that my day job is as a lawyer, and there's a little parable in the Bible about Jesus having an encounter with a lawyer. Sometimes they call him a rich young ruler, some translations call him a lawyer. In law school, they teach you not to ask too many questions. And this young man, who was very bright, got up and asked Jesus a series of questions, one of which was, "What should I do? What should I personally do?" And Jesus, who was often inclined to turn a question [around, said], "Well, what do you think?" Well, the Shema says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
And Jesus said, "Good answer, very good answer." The lawyer asked one too many questions. "Well, what else can I do?" And the Scripture says that Jesus loved him, and he said, Well, give everything you've got to the poor and come and follow me."
And this fellow, who had plenty, decided that was a bridge too far, and he left and went away. And he was heartbroken because he had to manage his money. A little different scenario, a little different twist on what you had to say.
Well, we're not asking for everything. We're just asking for what you, on your journey of faith, can do right now to help this church. I hope you'll be generous.