I don't preach on Romans very often.
In fact, I believe this might be the first time I've done so. One of
the basic reasons for this is that Romans is a long, carefully worded
document from Paul focusing on basic Christian tenets, a
Jewish/Gentile divide, as well as an attempt to garner support for
his mission. Good or bad, this long letter has probably done more to
shape Christianity than any other piece of scriptural writings.
Because of both its content and its
length, it is difficult to use as the basis of a sermon series. Add
to that the way the lectionary chops it up, and you would do a grave
injustice to it. Romans is much better suited to an in-depth study
than a series of sermons.
That said, today's passage was just too
good to pass up – especially given where we are as a parish right
now.
In two weeks we will celebrate St.
John's Day and hold a ministry fair. During that time you will get
to see all of the different ministries we offer. You will also have
the opportunity to sign up to participate in as many of those
ministries as you choose. Along with that, though, please remember
that it's not quantity, but quality. If you only sign up for one
thing and do it well, that's preferable to signing up for many things
and doing none.
The Ministry Fair is also the lead-in
to our annual pledge drive, as this event focuses on the time and
talent portion of what we pledge to the life of St. John's. It is
through our time and talent where the work of ministry is done. Our
time and talent are the visible incarnations of our pledge to the
church and to the mission of God.
As we move forward as Christians,
Episcopalians, and members of St. John's, we need to continually ask
ourselves, “Who is God calling us to be?” and, “What is God
calling us to do?” Maybe we are called to increase the Community
Cafe one Saturday a month so that we serve people on both the 2nd
and 4th Saturdays. But that particular decision will only
happen when we spend time discerning God's call for us, when we look
at the time and talent offered, and when we evaluate the increased
financial base something like that will require. But that's just one
example. Maybe we are called to expand our relationship with Bester,
or increase our involvement with Micah's Backpack, or maybe we offer
an Evensong service one or more times a week.
All of this gets back to what Paul has
to say in this passage from Romans, and it is all tied to the
question of priorities. There are, of course, exceptions – I will
never ask anyone to choose between paying their pledge and buying
food or necessary medicine. But in general, where is your faith and
your parish on your personal priority scale? Are we presenting
ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, to God?
The Church, and by extension our
parish, can only be identified by its people. The mission of the
Church is to restore all people to unity in God through Christ. How
that happens, though, is as wide and varied as the people who make up
the body of this holy institution.
We are one body with many members, and
not all members have the same function. Each of us have different
gifts, and those different gifts allow us to do many different
things.
This is, I think, both the blessing and
curse of St. John's. It's a blessing because we do a lot of stuff.
I've said this before, but that was one of the things that originally
attracted me to the parish profile. There is a lot going on here.
And, as I said in the newspaper article that ran shortly after I
arrived, this is a place that gets it. You understand that “church”
isn't just what happens between 8 and Noon on Sunday.
But it's also a curse in that because
we are a fairly large congregation there may be a tendency to think,
“Oh, someone will take care of that.” It's a curse in that it's
easy to hide in a large congregation. It's easy to think that we can
simply write a check to pay for a particular ministry.
The reality is, though, that a few
people do most of the work, and they could use help. The reality is
that we are not as financially sound as people might think, and the
amount of money we have is strictly based on how much you pledge and
donate.
How might we combat this curse? I'll
give you a sneak peak of my upcoming Ramblings – I think we might
need to think small. Here's what I mean by that.
When I was in Montana I served two
small congregations. One of them was in the big town of the valley
with a population of 700, and when I arrived they had about a dozen
members – all women, all but one over 70 years old. By the time I
left, their membership had increased to about 45. But this isn't
about that increase, it's about what they do.
That parish maintains their old
building. A new roof went on while I was there, and they just did
the 10-year re-oiling. They've made other improvements like new
carpet, repairing stained glass windows, painting, and installing a
new furnace. They've opened up their parish hall for community
events and after-school programs. They coordinate a community
worship service once a year. They involve the community in Holy Week
events. They run a wood bank where they harvest, cut, stack, and
deliver wood to those who can't afford to heat their homes. They
participate in the meals-on-wheels program. They can do all this and
more because EVERYONE participates. Everyone
utilizes their gifts and talents as different members for the benefit
of the one body.
As we prepare to move into the pledge
drive season, it is a good thing to acknowledge all that we do. But
I also stand with Paul when I say, “I appeal to you, brothers and
sisters, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God.”
Yes, we are a large parish. Yes, we do a lot. But everything we do
is the result of the work and gifts of individuals. It just may be
that in thinking small we will accomplish much greater things.
Amen.
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