SURPLUS

It is October. This is the traditional "stewardship" month in the Episcopal Church. We cajole and plead, quote scripture, relate our individual faith stories, and hold up the needs to maintain the physical plant that "God" has given us to care for and protect. And then we hope for the best as we Vestry members struggle to form a budget around what has been pledged. In these days of dwindling membership, dwindling interest in the church property, and even dwindling interest in the church mission, it is a struggle. Some of us get it. Some of us do not.

I would suggest for those of us who do NOT, that we should look at out surplus. It was pointed out in today's sermon that self storage units are popping up all over the place. And why? Because we do not have room to house all of our belongings. Not all of our NEEDS, all of our belongings. We have so much that we have to pay to store it someplace other than where we live. One wonders why we need it then. One wonders why. Why do we have "stuff" that isn't necessary daily, isn't necessary to be in our home. Why? Think of your attic as the storage place. Same questions. Why?

Then there is this word "abundance" that church people like to throw out at us. Giving from "abundance." Is that the same as surplus? Somehow it seems different to me. I tell myself that I give from abundance. Do I? Surplus seem to me like excess. What is left over in great amounts after what has been necessarily used. Abundance seems to me an amount that is enough to satisfy the immediate needs. Surplus goes way beyond that. I want to give from abundance. So what do I do with the surplus?