Readings:
Joel 2.23-32; Ps 65; 2 Tim 4.6-8, 16-18; Luke 18.15-30
May I speak in the name of God, always Creating, Redeeming, and Sanctifying. Amen.
Who wants to be dependent upon others?
We are taught to in our society to be independent.
When Jesus tells his disciples that it is to babies and toddlers that the kingdom of God belongs, how does that sit with you? We have only one toddler who worships with us.
And so, this reading about babies and toddlers is coupled with the story of the ruler who wants to know how he can inherit eternal life. If we read it the way Luke places it, the ruler has just heard Jesus say that the kingdom of God belongs to babies, and he asks, ‘well how can I get a piece of that? I follow the commandments.’
We tend to focus on the softer side of Jesus, a lot. Don’t get me wrong that is a crucial part of who he is, but he was clear and decisive at all times and especially to those who needed to hear it. This man follows the commands and the understanding at the time would tell him and everyone around that God has blessed him for this through his financial gain. And Jesus just rips that out from under his feet.
“Sell everything and give it to the poor, then come and follow me.”
Because money itself is not God’s blessing. We are blessed by God with what we do with the money that comes our way. Money allows us to put food on the table for our families. Money allows us to put roofs over the heads of our families. Money allows us to be philanthropic. Money itself is not the issue.
Yet Jesus says, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Jesus is talking about the eye of a sewing needle here. I don’t know the last time you tried manipulating a thread to go through the eye of a needle, but that is almost impossible in itself, let alone a camel.
You may have head, like I have, that this is referring to a gate in Jerusalem that was particularly narrow and when pack camels where brought to it, they had to be unpacked, everything walked through and then repack the camel on the other side. While that is annoying, it is by no means impossible. And, no such gate has ever been found.
No, the people are shocked to hear Jesus say this. Shocked because wealth, at the time, is a sign of God’s blessing and Jesus has said that it is impossible for them to enter the kingdom of God. Impossible for mortals, possible for God.
The problem is independence. The problem is not needing to rely on God anymore because you have everything you could possibly need and more.
Like the story that Jesus tells in Luke 12 about the rich landowner who has a terrific crop one year and realises his barns aren’t big enough for the harvest. So instead of redistributing the left overs, he wastefully tears down the perfectly fine barns he already has, and rebuilds bigger ones. Then says to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
We could try to spiritualise this story, as many have. But this is one of those ones that is as clear as day. It is not an easy reading. We are being told that wealth is a danger to our relationship with God to the point of making it impossible to enter the kingdom of God. And that the thing that will help greatly is making ourselves as dependent upon God as possible. That is why there are many people we regard as saints who have been radically dependent upon God, giving up their wealth to follow Jesus. St Francis and St Clare of Assisi being just two examples.
So, we get to the tricky part of this sermon.
I promised you a frank discussion of the financial situation in our parish. I can only give you broad brush strokes here, but there will be more detail in the letter we send to you all through the week.
Budget revision
Richard has done a preliminary budget for 2026. He estimates that it will cost us $155,000 to continue our ministry here to the same level as these last three years that I have been here. He also estimates that we will have an income of $135,000.
We start this conversation with a budget deficit of $20k.
In 2024 we managed a $4k profit. This was helped out by some very generous donations and the Montessori hall hire agreement.
In 2023 we passed a deficit budget of $-20k, which we managed to just about break even with. In 2022 you passed a deficit budget of $-8k, but actually had a profit of $10k, and in 2021 the actuals were a deficit of $10k.
2025 - At our AGM this year, we passed a deficit budget of around $6k. We then lost our hall hire with Montessori to the tune of $12k, making this year’s foreseen deficit to be around $18k.
As at the end September, we had a forecast deficit of $-9k and our actual is a deficit of $-12k.
Bank: We have $35k in the bank with $20k of that set aside for major capital works such as replacing the car.
In the 3 years that I have been here, our cash balance has decreased $20k.
Costs
Officially, the day to day workings of the parish are to be funded by the parishioners. So our costs of $155k is officially meant to be raised by us in our regular giving. We have 50 households in our parish records, split evenly, that amounts to $60/week. Obviously, for some that would be a huge burden and for others that would be much easier. This allows then for the funds raised at parish dinners, events, and stalls, to be put towards mission beyond the parish walls. I would love for this to be our goal in the coming years.
The biggest costs of our budget is made up from wages and stipends.
Office Admin is $12k, $1400 Super, LSL $1200.
My stipend is $80k, with $12k of Super. LSL $1800.
Bringing total salaries and on costs to $116,890 of our $155000 expenses.
Everything is on the table!
One of the things we very seriously need to consider is whether we can afford to keep our Office Administrator. While Leanne has been away, we haven’t had a Gazette and crucially, we haven’t kept on top of our compliance. Leanne has thankfully been meticulously going through everything while she’s been back the last couple of weeks.
When I say everything is on the table, I mean it. You might decide that a full-time priest is beyond the ability of the parish to sustain in the long term. It is not an especially easy decision to make to go to part time ministry, it involves meetings with diocesan council etc. but if it needs to be done, it can and should be done.
Other large expenses which we need to be aware of comes from the maintenance of these buildings. There is much in the rectory that needs to be updated simply because its aged out, such as the windows which have ageing frames that bend and flex whenever we open and close them, and fly-screens that no longer fit the spaces. To fix that is going to be a huge expense for which there is no budget.
We need to consider what to do with the car because it too is ageing. We have works coming up that the parish council have agreed to have done which will cost more than the car is worth at trade-in. We do have $20k set aside for this, but I am deeply uncomfortable spending that money on a car which would leave us with only $10-15k in the bank.
Where should our giving come from?
Our giving is from the movement of the Holy Spirit within us. I do not know what any one of you gives, and I should not. Only you can make that decision and it should be done in faith, in a response to your love for God and a commitment to the mission of God in the Centenary Suburbs.
One of the questions we need to face is, Why are we here? If it is just to have someone to minister to you, those of you who come to worship on Sundays, then we probably could just continue with deficit budgets and things would slowly dwindle and this place would eventually close.
Now, if that is what is decided then that is ok. It may be that God is making room for something different here. It is a question that we need to ask.
But I genuinely don’t hear that from the way that the Spirit is moving. I hear and feel that we are being called to turn to look outwards more. To find ways that we can address the needs of the community.
To be Loving and Compassionate, to create Belonging, and Disciple people.
These things take time and money.
So I continue to ask you to pray about what you are able to give. Is it possible to be radical? To give radically as Jesus asks of the wealthy man?
This place is dependent upon you and upon God, so lets pray together about how the spirit is asking us to respond.
Amen.