Last weekend was Stewardship Sunday - there is a humorous story about a man who calls the rectory and asks for the “chief hog of the feeding trough.” The secretary was somewhat scandalized by those words and said, “sir, we do not refer to our pastor as the ‘chief hog’ we call him Father or Reverend. The caller said well, I’m not into all that high fluent language - I just wanted to give $10,000 to the building fund and I wasn’t sure who to speak with. The secretary responded, “O sir, you are in luck the big pig just walked into the office.”

Every year it is good for us to reflect on our stewardship - the sharing of our time, talent and treasure for the building of the Kingdom of God. God has given us all that we have - our gifts and talents are not meant to be hoarded but rather shared - used for God’s glory. Each one of us should consider what God has given to us and in prayer assess how we are using God’s many gifts. What am I doing with all that God has given to me? That is what Stewardship Sunday is all about - an honest reflection on what I am doing with the gifts of my life.

As far as the parish is concerned you may well have noticed in the bulletin that our Sunday collections are not quite what they were last year. The recession has affected many of us - unemployment or underemployment, stock losses, increased costs of living - there are many factors that have had an impact on us. Each of us must weigh our responsibilities and respond with trust in God. I know that many are making extreme sacrifices when it comes to the support of the parish. As your pastor I want to thank all who so generously and lovingly support St. Peter’s not only with your treasure but also with your time and talent. The recent Harvest Dinner was a great expression of our parish - so many people gave so generously of their time, talent and treasure. The gift of your time, and there are so many who give of their precious time, is what makes this parish such a great community. Thank you one and all.

As a parish we have made great progress in eliminating the debt incurred with the construction of the Emmaus Room addition. Just a few years ago when the project was completed we had a debt of $715,000...the debt as of June 30th was down to $121,000. It will not be long before this debt is retired. Again, my gratitude for the sacrifices being made by so many of you.

This weekend we are remembering our beloved parishioners who have died during the past year. Although the stewardship report was printed in last Sunday’s bulletin, I was not able to speak about stewardship because of the death of my older brother. Jim was 61and died within 3 weeks of being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the liver. Please know of my heartfelt gratitude for all of your support and prayer. Of my three bothers, Jim was the jovial, the fun-loving one. He will be greatly missed.

At first I was going to apologize for the fact that part of this homily today has been devoted to stewardship. It seemed inappropriate on this day of remembrance of our deceased that we would be reflecting on our stewardship. But in actuality stewardship is really all about living and dying in the Lord. At the time of death we ponder our loved ones -how well did they live? And how we are living - how well are we using the gifts God has given us?

There is a story from Africa, a Christian man by the name of Zacharias who served his community well - an elder in his parish. After a long life of service to his church and the people of Kenya, Zacharias was laid to rest. At the funeral one parishioner said of Zacharias, “We will miss him. He went ki-sabuni” - it is Swahili for “like a bar of soap.” “Like a what?’ she was asked. “Ki-sabuni,” she repeated. “You know. In the house, the bar of soap sits next to the basin, available morning, noon and night to all - children, adults, the elderly, family and guests alike. It never discriminates or complains of being used and reused. It is taken for granted as it slowly disappears, until someone exclaims, ‘Gosh, the soap is gone!’ Zacharias was that kind of man.” That is the kind of people we are all called to be - humble and generous, ‘soap-like’ in our service to God and God’s people.

Today the gospel so clearly stated, “we do not know the day or the hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” when our lives will end. And that is not something to be fearful of but rather hopeful in. God has made us for salvation, not for damnation. Today, as we gratefully remember those who have passed into everlasting life, let us renew our commitment to live “soap-like” - to live generous, humble and compassionate lives, until that day comes for us when our journeys have ended on this earth and our hearts will be joined again with our loved ones and with God’s, for all eternity.