The Church of the Ascension
November 4, 2007

In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  AMEN.

Today is a day about commitments.  In a few moments we will witness as two couples, who have been married for 50 years each – a total of hundred years of marriage, pretty impressive - renew their vows before all of us.  They made commitments to each other and to themselves to live a particular way and to bear with those promises all of the responsibilities, the joys, and the sadness that come with a lifetime commitment.  Today is also a day when we as a parish consider another kind of commitment, in this case a financial commitment to this community, to its mission, its ministry.  In some ways the kind of commitment of which I speak is not dissimilar to that of a marital commitment.  There are times when our communion is as sweet and pleasing as new love; there are times when passions flow, passions of commitment and sometimes of disagreement; there are times when our community is as comfortable as down comforter; and there are times when we are challenged to move and grow with considerable discomfort and fear. 

Every year as sure as cooler temperatures come, fall brings conversations about stewardship.  Some years if I am totally honest I have a creeping feeling that the words are tired and that there is absolutely nothing new to say.  Besides that, the church is accused (sometimes rightly so I think) of talking too much about money anyway.  I hope that we don’t do that.  I confess to you my personal discomfort with the whole topic.  I grew up in an environment that viewed talk of money and religion to be as taboo as a frank conversation about sex.  AND TRUST ME: that was taboo!!   I have lived 54 years without that conversation; and with any luck, there is not on the horizon!  So when I wade into a discussion about the need, even the command, to support the church financially, I do so with fear and trepidation.  But it is a conversation that must be had.  We struggle now to balance a budget that has not been balanced for a decade.  Of course, there are other ways to support the church – with time and talents, but the financial support also has to be there for us to remain able to use our time and talents here.

There is clear biblical basis for giving.  The tithe, an offering of a tenth of income, is as old as Judaic history.  It is the standard the Episcopal Church holds before all of us as members, and it is a worthy goal.  But resorting to biblical fundamentalism, while an easy shot with plenty of precedential gravitas behind it, is something that I can’t do with a straight face.  We are not biblical fundamentalists; and for me to pretend to be in this isolated case would be an assault upon my integrity and your patience.  Besides that, Jesus had a different tact: he said that God wants all of what we have.  Some people he told to give all they had to the poor; with others no comments about giving were recorded, but it clear that he enjoyed the hospitality of friends, who had the means to entertain.   As in the Old Testament, understanding what Christ asks of each one of us is a matter ultimately between each of us and God.  God always, scripture claims, honors a cheerful giver; I would probably take a bitter one even with gritted teeth!  Happily, God is God and I am not.  The process of deciding of how much to give is always personal – a commitment between you and God.  You will not be “billed” if your pledge gets behind!

What we do know is that an encounter with Christ rings a generous chord in our hearts.  Zacchaeus upon being spoken to by Jesus began to plan how generously he might repay those whom he taxed even as scurried down the tree.  Coming face to face with Christ never leaves us the same.  For us one of the places that we come face to face with Christ is this place, this parish, the Church of the Ascension.  And so for me the basis for making a plea for financial commitment is to ask you to consider how significant the parish is to you and how significant is your experience of Christ here – in the bread and wine shared around this table, in the hopes and dreams of our children as they learn and grow, in the friendships within this community of believers, in the outreach that we support, in the hymns we sing.

Today as we often do during the stewardship drive, we shall hear from a parishioner, not a heavy sell, but a few words from the heart, from the heart of a person who is new to us, a few words about how she found her way here, why she stays, and why she supports the parish.  Joanne Izzo, who had the great courage and fortitude to drive from her home in Brooklyn over the Verrazano Bridge on the morning of the marathon, will come now to speak to us.

Comments from Joanne Izzo

As some of you know by now I come from Brooklyn to worship here at Ascension. You would think that living in the Borough of churches I’d find a community with whom to worship.  There are some very fine communities in the Diocese of Long Island, as well as in NY, but they were not where the Lord called me to be. Thank God I found you. In the last two years of what has been a long discernment process, I had all but given up the search for the needle in the haystack. I whined and nagged God, and finally pitched a fit and said to the Almighty: ‘Well, if you have called me to the Episcopal Church, then find me a parish!’ And that was the last pray I uttered on the subject back on Labor Day weekend.

Theologians say that to understand what a community believes one needs observe how they worship, for we pray as we believe.  This is part of the story. It is in the Coffee hour that one discovers if the community believes what they pray. So now you know why I came and stayed, and, why you are stuck with me. You are in short an answer to a prayer.

We know prayer as a felt movement rising up from deep within us, sometimes a sigh or a groan when there are no words, other times, very specific words, or questions, queries qualms and confusion, sometimes complaints and at others calling God to account. But under the interior movement rising within us is the leaven of God’s Spirit praying within us, praying that we might hear God. You are an answer to God’s prayer.

It is a great joy to experience such a moment in life when you realize that God’s prayer is answered in how we respond to and treat one another.  Only after finding you did I fully comprehend that God was the leaven in my prayer. That it was the Spirit of Jesus who started me off on a journey from the Rome to Canterbury. It was God alone who would pick the community and the time – and the Almighty is choosy and won’t be rushed.

You are an undeserved gift. I thank God for the grace to stand before you today and declare my gratitude to God for leading me to you. Your hospitality and humility are remarkable.  What grace I see in your faces, and hear in your voices lifted in prayer and praise. Grace in your laughter, care and concern for one another and the world beyond your doors. I am delighted by your sense of fun-raising money for the support of the parish which includes a commitment of the parish support charitable programs as well as perform works of mercy.

The road from Rome to Canterbury has not been one of weeks or months, but one of years. I see how much this was in God’s time. The journey was marked by hope and disappointment, prayerful discernment, study and reflection. Over the years occasionally God placed in my path members of the Episcopal community lay and clerical to guide, support and challenge me. God also ensured that I had several occasions to witness the whole picture of the Episcopal church/Anglican communion by showing me through others the darker side of church politics and polity in this branch of the church catholic and universal. I alternated between  an ambivalence of not discerning correctly or leaving behind the known for the unknown. Truth be told, I think I baulked at the cost of discipleship more than anything else. I have grieved many people and lost a few friends along the road because of my decision. The narrow gate is narrower than I imagined. God has taught me in silence and whittled me down to the right size to fit through the gate – Thus do I find myself here at your door, knowing that God is not finished with me not by a long shot.

Here today a prayer is rising to my lips, God is at it again. This is how it sounds: “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ by the light of the Holy Spirit you have led me here, to this community, they are rich in your love, generosity, gifts and talents, what could I possibly have to offer? What do you ask of me here in this place?”

So yes, it is true, I did ask Buddy for envelops. I’ve been long enough without a home community that it is actually a privilege and delight to contribute as I am able.  I also asked Buddy how I could be of service. I bring a heart aching with longing and hope to celebrate the Good News of Jesus Christ with you in gladness and singleness of heart.

Thank you, Joanne.  I know that I speak for all who have gotten to know you when I say to you that we give our thanks for God’s answering of your prayer.  Your presence among us and that of our other newcomers is an occasion of thanksgiving and goodness.  And not just because you ASKED for envelopes!  Can you imagine!  I loved it, and she had a box within the hour!!

This is a day of great rejoicing – for this table around which we share our common lives sustains us in ways that money can never buy.  God is indeed great; great bounty surrounds us.

In the name of God: AMEN.