Not a Sermon.

Not a sermon.

Ya Ya!  So it's been a while.  Such is life.
Today, instead of a sermon, I offer you an idea for your own sermonising work.

Every week.

Yup, every week, there is something about stewardship, generosity, thankfulness, and giving that can be found in the scripture and the sermon.  That means, every week your people should be hearing something, even floating softly in the background, about stewardship.

It is no longer OK to just preach a "Stewardship" sermon once or twice a year.  

Every week.

Which means...

Stewardship, therefore, no longer becomes something scary or guilt ridden or shameful.  It's no longer that dreaded Sunday everyone hates.  It's just another part of our growing in faith.  Like talking about love, or forgiveness, or grace.  Like reading the Bible and prayer.  Just another normal part of following Jesus.  Every week.

So how?

Here's the great idea.  Above my computer where I pray and think and sweat and eventually write a sermon, there are some notes to remind me of certain things.  Not a clutter about schedules and busy-ness, but to help me focus and remember things that I too easily forget.

Try adding a reminder to your work space with these 2 questions:

1. What does this story/scripture tell me about God's abundance?
2. How should we respond to God's abundance?

That's it.  Simple, right?  Right.

So try it.  Every week.  Those 2 questions.

And you may not preach on the answers to those questions, or at least they may not form the central points of your sermon, but by asking them and pondering them the answers to them will sneak into your message.  The Spirit will work with them and like seeds thrown onto good soil, who knows what amazing harvest God will bring about.  

Stewardship.  Every week.

Go!

A sermon about the Mission & Service of the United Church of Canada

Faith & Love Lead To Action
The Mission & Service of the United Church

In the reading from the first letter of John (1 John3:16-24), we heard these words:

“Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”

“And this is God’s commandment, that we should believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus the Christ and love one another, just as Jesus has commanded us.”

This is one of those times when the Bible speaks clearly. Faith and love lead to action.

What a perfect introduction to the Mission & Service of the United Church.

You see, we believe that the purpose of the church is to do God’s mission.

The people of the United Church engage in God’s mission together through Mission & Service.

Faith and love lead to action. Doing God’s mission.

Individually; and together.

So let me say, “Thank you for your leadership in doing God’s mission!”

What you do here and beyond here, through Mission & Service, is an important part of doing God’s mission for the healing of the world.

Now before I get into some details about Mission & Service, I want to do 2 things.

First, my story.

And then, your stories.

First, let me tell you why I give, and specifically, why I give to Mission & Service.

In addition to giving to support our local congregation, my wife and I give to Mission & Service because no matter how much the local congregation is doing, it can only do so much. Our local congregation, in partnership with out local social service agency, has a monthly Pay What You Can Community supper called Community Can Dine. It has a winter clothing drive. It supports the local food bank and speaks out on injustice. It’s all great and it’s all important, and it makes a difference, but it can only ever go so far. Mission & Service takes us further. Mission & Service allows us to be part of making a real difference in the lives of people we won’t ever meet in places that we can’t go. And it does it all the time, not just when our lives and work schedules make it possible.

And I know there are lots of great organisations out there doing social justice work and helping people, but Mission & Service does it with and from a faith perspective. We serve and care and love and everything else that Mission & Service does, all the nitty gritty detaily stuff, as an embodiment of Jesus; as a way to live out our faith and do what Jesus did and taught. That makes Mission & Service different and special; and that’s really important to us.

Now it’s your turn.

Sharing why we give is an important part of stewardship and Mission & Service giving.

And I realise that not everyone here today gives to Mission & Service, yet.

So let’s just talk about Why I Give, period, since I am certain that everyone here gives, in some way, shape, or form.

Do “Why I Give” exercise. Share your story of why you give with a person sitting near you and listen to their story in return.

I hope you found that inspiring.

I hope you also find this inspiring.

In 2017, Mission & Service provided $5 million to support 92 global partners in 21 countries around the world.

Acting for peace and justice, building capacity, implementing programs, and responding to humanitarian crises, the church accompanies global ecumenical and interfaith partners in the regions of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Faith and love lead to action in order to be part of God’s mission.

In 2017, Mission & Service provided $3.4 million to support community and justice work.

This work in Canada supports communities and social justice ministries as they work toward eliminating poverty and engage in the ministry of healing and reconciliation including, the caring work of 33 chaplaincies, the Healing Fund, and initiatives that nurture right relations between Indigenous and settler peoples.

Faith and love lead to action.

In 2017, Mission & Service provided $2.2 M for theological education and ministry support.
Your Mission & Service giving educates and equips our leaders for the church that we are becoming by providing funding for 7 theological schools and 3 education centres. It also provides some student education bursaries.

Faith and love lead to action

In 2017, Mission & Service provided $7.7 M for faith formation.
This includes programing in ministries with children, youth and young adults, Indigenous people, and United Church Women, support for LGBTQ+ people and networks, as well as stewardship, ethno-cultural, intercultural, and diverse communities in ministry.

Faith and love lead to action

In 2017, Mission & Service provided $6.8 M to support local ministries by providing:

• programming and financial support to congregations as they transition in ministry, operate in remote communities, or experiment with new ministries

• renewal and new ministry support through the EDGE Network

• launching Embracing the Spirit to fund innovation in local communities of faith: as Embracing the Spirit develops, grants for innovation will increase.

This map shows all the congregations across Canada that get support from Mission & Service in order to survive and make a difference in their communities.

Faith and love lead to action

In 2017, Mission & Service provided $2.6 M to support Conference staff as they provide leadership and resources to presbyteries, ministry personnel, and local ministries. 

As in previous years, General Council Leadership and Governance is funded from other revenue and draws on reserves. Pension and Group Insurance is self-funded.

Faith and love lead to action

For a short, inspiring glimpse into many of the ways Mission & Service is making a difference across Canada and around the world, let’s watch the current Mission & Service music video.
See what you can spot that is important to you.

Mission & Service is truly a way that your faith and love are erupting in action.

If you want more inspiring stories of what you are doing through Mission & Service check out the Stewardship toolkit web-site.

Like us on Facebook at Mission & Service.

Follow us on Twitter. @UCCanmission_service

OR…

Read the Mission & Service At A Glance.
Your go-to information brochure.

Let me close with this…

Our main tasks are to Inspire people, to Invite every person in our communities of faith to make a meaningful annual gift for Mission & Service, and to Thank people for doing so.

Giving for Mission & Service is part of our stewardship journey, a regular part of our life of faith.

Remember, Faith and love lead to action. Doing God’s mission.

How cool is it, that after telling our stories, we get to invite people to come and be part of God’s mission?  And thank them when they do so.

Mission & Service changes lives every day.

Sometimes our lives.

Thank you.

Crazy like God

Genesis 17:1-22 – 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Begin this message by singing "Pass It On."  Voices United 289.

Today, I’d like to invite you to do that. To pass it on.

You see, as people of the Christian faith, there are certain core beliefs and understandings which we hold. One of the most important of those is, “since God created it all, everything belongs to God.” EVERYTHING.

Which means that everything you like to think of as “yours” and I like to think of as “mine” is actually God’s. Whoa.

Now I believe this says a lot about God.

Think about it. Isn’t it amazing all that God has given you? How much God must love and trust you? Incredible!

That’s grace!! Getting what you don’t deserve and not getting what you do deserve. Grace. Incredible!

The Creator of the universe trusts us, you and me, with the creation. Hands it over to us and tells us to use it as if we were God. But it’s our choice.

Says a lot about God.

It also says a lot about us. Or it should.

If everything I have belongs to God, and if God has graciously given it to me, to each of us, to you, and if you really believe that, then thankfulness and gratitude have to abound. It’s quite a gift we have been given. Everything. Like our (examples)

This in turn says a lot about what we do with what we’ve been given. Or at least it should.

If it all belongs to God and is a gift from God and I am truly grateful for it, then shouldn’t I use it the way God would use it? Shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t you?

Shouldn’t each of us be crazy like God?

I mean what kind of God goes around making promises to people; like “I’ll give you this land.” Or “I don’t care if you’re 100 and your wife is 90; you’re going to have children!” Or “I need you to circumcise yourself and all the other males in your family. Trust me. It’ll be OK. You'll like it.”

What kind of God gives away a universe? Or gives us God’s son, and forgives us when we kill him? That’s some crazy, foolish, God.

Shouldn’t each of us, also, be crazy like God?

Even better! Shouldn’t we be crazy together? Gracious. Loving. Generous to a fault; with everything we have been given. Loving and forgiving. Just like God. Shouldn’t we pass it on?

Imagine what could happen through this congregation, because of this congregation, if # of you chose to pass on say 10% of your worth to the _______ programs. Because _____ is important here. Or to the ________ program. Because ___________ are important here. Or to the outreach programs and organisations with which you are in partnership. Because you have discovered that you are part of a larger community into which God has placed you to make a difference and they are just as important.

What could happen? Is that crazy like God?

If 10% excites you, imagine 20%. Imagine if you arranged to leave 50% of your worth, after you die, to support this congregation. What kind of difference could this crazy bunch of faith-filled people make, in this community, with resources like that?

And that would still leave you with another 50% for the larger Mission & Service of the United Church.

That’s my invitation for you today. Pass it on.

Leave a legacy.

A legacy of faith and action. Show them who’s boss. Be crazy like God. Give it away.

Pass it on.

AMEN.

Pets, Vehicles, Power-Tools, and Children

Scriptures:

Genesis 1:1-31 – creation.

Psalm 24

Today I want to start with a question.

1. Anyone here have a pet? (hands up)
2. Have you ever left your pet with someone else to care for it?
3. What were your expectations of that person? (get answers)

Is this resonating with anyone else?

Maybe it wasn’t a pet. Maybe it was a vehicle. Maybe a power-tool. Maybe a child.

Now who’s been on the receiving end? Anyone ever been asked to look after a pet, or a vehicle, or a power-tool, or a child?

How did that feel?

Now if you’re anything like me, if I leave something with you to take care of, I expect you to take good care of it. Likewise, if I am given something to look after, I want to do a good job of it. I’m not going to drive your car at 200 km/hr along the 401. I’m not going to turn your pet “free-range”. I won’t encourage your child to climb the bookcase, or stuff them full of junk food, or pee on the electric fence.

I hope we agree on that.

I think that when it comes down to it, when someone gives us something to look after for them, or when we give something to someone else to care for on our behalf, it is really a sign of trust and says something about the significance of our relationship.

If I ask you to watch my dog while I’m away, it’s because I trust you to take care of my dog. I trust that if something happens, you will do your best to care for the dog. If decisions have to be made, you will make the best decision you can, in order to care for the dog.

Agreed? Good.

Now at this point, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with church-stuff. And you would be within your rights to do so.  So let me help join the dots.

What we have been talking about so far is an important idea within our faith called, STEWARDSHIP. Quite simply, stewardship is how we care for and use that which is not ours, on behalf of its owner. Like that pet, or vehicle, or power-tool, or child, or whatever.

When you look after the pet and their owner comes back and the pet is still alive and healthy and has been well taken care of, then you have been a good steward of the pet. Similarly, for the child (alive, healthy, happy, well taken care of). Or for the power-tool or vehicle (full tank of gas, not broken, good working order).

I think it’s safe to say that we all know how to do this! We know how this works. We’ve been on both ends of it. We GET stewardship. Right?

Now, let’s bring it into the church stuff.

As people of the Christian faith, there are certain core beliefs and understandings which we hold. One of those, which is critical to stewardship, we heard in among the words from Genesis which were read this morning. You’ll also find it at the beginning of Psalm 24.

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
(Psalm 24:1-2 – NRSV)

“Since God created it all, everything belongs to God.” EVERYTHING.
[pause]

Let me tell you a story that is supposed to be funny.

God was once approached by a group of people who said, “Listen God, we’ve decided we don’t need you anymore. These days we can clone people, transplant organs and do all sorts of things that used to be considered miraculous.”
God replied, “Don’t need me huh? How about we put your theory to the test. Why don’t we have a competition to see who can make a human being, say, a male human being.”
The people agree, so God declares they should do it like God did in the good old days when God created Adam.
“Fine” say the people as they bend down to scoop up a handful of dirt.”
“Whoa!” says God, shaking God's head in disapproval. “Not so fast. You get your own dirt.”

Everything belongs to God.

Which means that everything you like to think of as “yours” and I like to think of as “mine” actually is God’s. Whoa.

Let me remind you, guest speakers can get away with anything.

Like suggesting that none of us actually owns anything we have. God owns it all.

Like going further to suggest therefore that the stewardship thing applies to everything we have. That it’s our job, as people of faith, to take care of everything, to use everything we have, on God’s behalf, for God’s good, the way God would; just like you would with the neighbour’s cat, or your grandchildren.

And yes, when you take this stewardship thing seriously, it changes everything.

I mean, think about it. Isn’t it amazing all that God has given you? How much God must love and trust you? Incredible! That’s grace!! The Creator of the universe trusts us with the creation. Hands it over to us and tells us to use it as if we were God. Which, by the way, should not just produce huge gratitude, but a fair degree of terror. What a responsibility?!! It’s crazy, right?

But, that’s our God. Gracious. Loving. Generous to a fault.

And that’s what God wants us to be, as well. Gracious. Loving. Generous to a fault. With all we have been given. (everything)

Which, when you say it that way, maybe isn’t so crazy after all.


So here’s what I want you to do this week to help this message take root in your life.

1. Think about what it means if everything you have really belongs to God and your job is to use it to be gracious, loving and generous to a fault.

2. What is one thing you can do this week with the stuff God has entrusted you with that would please God? Do it.

3. In your praying and quiet time this week, thank God for all you have been given.

AMEN.

Since many preachers are very busy the next month or so, here's a sermon you can use in January to give yourself a break.  Posted early!

Sermon – Mark 4:30-32
Small But Mighty

Examples of small things

1. $5  How excited would you get if you were told you were going to be given $5? Very nice, but not much these days is it? Can’t eat out and get much of a meal for $5. Can’t buy a shirt. Can’t fill the car with gas. $5, very nice, but not much.

2. A snowball.  As a kid, or not, did you ever make a snowball? A snowball is nice, but you’re kind of limited with only one, aren’t you? Not a good idea to start a snowball fight, with only 1 snowball. Your offensive will be pretty short. And your aim had better be pretty accurate.

3. A good deed.  There is an organisation within Scouting called Cubs. Cubs belong to the Cub Pack. One of the first things new Cubs are taught in order to be part of the Pack is the Cub promise.

The Cub Scout Promise: I promise to do my best, to love and serve God, to do my duty to the Queen; to keep the law of the Wolf Cub Pack, and to do a good turn for somebody every day.

Each week when Cubs meet they have to report what the good deed was they each had done that day. For a group of 20 8,9 & 10 year olds, they aren’t out saving the world, but they dutifully report how they had helped at home, or done their homework (which doesn’t really count) or held a door for someone.

Very nice, but not really much on a global scale.

Big scale perspective

On a global scale, when we look at the events of the last year, when we consider the challenges facing our species, our nations, our country, our planet; it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. What do you do when [insert global disaster issue]? What do you do when [story of refugees or displacement or war]? What do you do, when another world leader [fill in the blank]?

What do you do?

And there’s more. That list of challenges and disasters doesn’t include: [insert other global scale issues] and so much more.

What do you do?

Options

Do you choose to live in denial? Wilful ignorance? If I just pretend it isn’t there, or it isn’t going to happen, then it won’t be real. I’ll insulate myself from it so I don’t have to acknowledge it. No TV news. No radio news. No newspaper. No Facebook or internet. There’s nothing I can do, so there’s no point in even thinking about it. I’ll just live as if everything’s fine.

But what kind of choice is that? What kind of life is that? For followers of Jesus, it’s not a choice at all. When we committed our lives to following Jesus, we committed ourselves to serving others sacrificially, not ignoring them. We committed ourselves to doing justice and righteousness. We committed ourselves to loving God first and foremost and at the same time to loving others as we love ourselves.

As followers of Jesus, we are true to our commitment, true to our Saviour, when we face situations, embrace challenges, and respond to tragedy and disaster and evil any way we can. And that will be different for each of us, depending on our own situations and the resources God has given us to work with.

Small things count

Remember that $5 you were to get that didn’t really do very much? [use numbers from a recent United Church appeal] Recently the United Church has raised over $40,000 to help the displaced Rohingyan people. Doesn’t sound like much, all those thousands of people on the other side of the world, but to them, it’s life.

Check out the Gifts with Vision catalogue. $5 won’t get you anything, on it’s own. But find a friend and $10 will help provide food for people in the north of Canada, or help Aboriginal people struggling from the “Sixties scoop”.

We often hear through the Minute for Mission about what we United Church folks are doing in Canada and around the world, to change lives, to save lives, and to really make a difference. Imagine what more could be done if each of us gave an extra $5 today to Mission & Service.

Remember that one snowball? Put it on the ground and push it, or roll it down a hill. Now it’s a different story. That’s why ideas and solutions “snowball” as they grow and pick up momentum.

Remember the “Good turn to somebody every day”? If we could get everyone in our wider community to be intentional about doing a good deed for somebody else, every day, our attitudes would be different and our society would be changed.

Gospel Reading

In today’s gospel reading we heard Jesus teaching the people about the Kingdom of God by using the example of a mustard seed.  Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed. Though this is one of the smallest of seeds, it grows to become one of the largest of plants, with long branches where birds can come and find shelter.” (Mark 4:30-32 - NLT)  

Imagine that, the Kingdom of God starts out tiny. Insignificant. Hard to notice.

Like a looney, or a toonie, or a $5 bill.

Like a snowball.

Like a single good deed or a random act of kindness.

Until it grows. Until its effect ripples out. Until others join in. Until suddenly, it’s not so small anymore.

Until, “it grows to become one of the largest of plants, with long branches where birds can come and find shelter.”

Reassurance & Challenge

In a world which can be so overwhelming at times, Jesus reminds us that small things count. There’s no such thing as too small to matter. $5! A piece of litter picked up along the street. A hug. Two words, “I’m sorry.” A glass of water.

No small thing is not worth doing, as we strive to follow Jesus’ example any way we can. And I truly believe that mustard seed by mustard seed, our faith will grow and our world will be changed.

Things to try:

1. Do a good deed for somebody else every day this week.

2. When did something small done for you, or to you, teach you about following Jesus?

3. Say this simple prayer, “God bless ” for someone each day this week.

AMEN.