There are not a lot of gifts that I remember getting as a child, it’s not that I didn’t get a lot, it’s just I don’t remember any of them. I didn’t get a red rider BB gun or a bicycle when I was young, and I never got that new car with the big red bow when I was 16. While there is no gift I remember receiving as a child, there is one gift I remember giving and that was little pewter turtle pin that I gave my Mom. I was maybe 8 or 9 years old and my Mom left me in a gift shop to buy her a gift while she went to the grocery store (this was back in the days when in a small town you could leave your child in a store while you went down the street to shop). All the money I had was in a little black change purse that had the zipper along the top. The gift I picked out was that little pewter turtle pin and the woman got it out of the cabinet and to an 8 year old boy – it was the best gift you could give your mom because it was jewelry but it was also a turtle. So she told how much it was and I opened my little change purse and emptied it out. We counted out the money together and I didn’t have enough. I was a few dollars short and I was devastated. The woman behind the counter could tell I was heartbroken so she said, don’t worry about it, I’ll make up the difference.
Obviously to this day I remember that gift. I can picture the pin, the store, the woman behind the counter, the little black change purse, everything. I can’t tell you what I got for Christmas that year, but I know what I gave because what I gave required me to give everything I had. It’s the only gift I ever gave that cost me everything and then some and isn’t that what this Christmas story is all about – giving more than we ever thought we could, giving all we have and then still needing more? Think about all the characters in this Christmas story: Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Magi even the baby Jesus – they all gave more than they ever thought they could, and yet everything they gave still wasn’t enough – each one needed more. Mary and Joseph gave all they had to give and yet they needed the help of God to bring their child into the world and they needed God to help them make the long journey to Bethlehem and then find them a place to deliver their child.
The shepherds gave their time and even jeopardized their jobs by leaving sheep in the fields to go and find the child that the angels told them about, but they also needed more. They first needed those heaven sent angels to tell them about the child, and how to find him. They needed the spirit of God to give them boldness and courage to share the good news about what they found. And the Magi gave more then they had ever planned on giving. They gave their time to make a long journey. They had to finance that journey with their own resources and the trip took longer than they planned because once they arrived in Jerusalem they were told they now had to travel to Bethlehem, and then after their visit with Mary, Joseph and Jesus, they were told to return home by another way. So they gave their all, their time, energy, resources, they gave up their safety and security to travel through dangers deserted areas, they went longer and farther then they planned. They gave more than they thought they ever could, but they also needed the help of God. They needed a star to guide them, they needed religious leaders to tell them where the child was to be born, and they needed an angel to tell them to return home by another road so that both they and Jesus would be safe. They gave their all – but still needed help.
So one of the things we see in common among all these characters is that they gave. They each gave more then they ever thought they could, they gave everything they had, but they also needed the help of God. But God himself also gives. God gave his all in Jesus, but even God needed the help of others. God needed Mary and Joseph to say yes. God needed Mary and Joseph to follow through on their commitment to the very end. So the real spirit of Christmas isn’t in getting gifts – it’s in giving and giving more than we ever thought we could. Christmas is about giving more, but not more gifts bought at Wal-Mart or Target, more gifts of our selves.
The real spirit of Christmas is about giving more of our time, energy, love and help. We need to give more of ourselves to God in worship, we need to give more of ourselves to our family so we can strengthen those all important bonds of love, we need to give more of ourselves to our friends who enrich our lives and offer us support, and we need to give more of ourselves to the people of God and to God’s people around the world. We need to give more of ourselves to our neighbors and those in need all around us. Simply put, we need to give more.
Giving more is the next step in the Advent conspiracy and while on the surface it may seem like a contradiction to last weeks step of spending less, it really isn’t. When we say we need to spend less, it’s spending less money on those gifts that a month from now, a year from now or 10 years from now we will have forgotten and giving more of those gifts of time, energy and resources that will make a lasting difference in the lives of our family, friends and world. If you think about it, the very best we can give is the gift of ourselves. Beyond any gift you can wrap up in a box, the gift we all want from others is their time, attention and love, and that was the gift given in Bethlehem so long ago.
God didn’t send us a gift that needed to be unwrapped. God didn’t send a gift you could put in a box, God gave a gift wrapped in flesh and blood – God gave the gift of his time, attention and love in the person of Jesus. Look at John 1:1-4, 14. So God and the word are one and that word – God – became flesh in the person of Jesus. We call this the incarnation – God coming to us in human form. God gave the gift of himself in Jesus. But Jesus wasn’t just the gift of God in human form, through Jesus God gave us the gift of forgiveness which not only restored our relationship with God, but opened the door for restoration and healing in all relationships. Through Jesus, God gave the gift of joy and laughter that lifted people’s hearts and lives. Jesus was always being criticized for having too much fun, and I am convinced that one of the reasons such large crowds followed him was because people wanted to be around Jesus, not because of what he could do for them, or what he would give them, but because Jesus love and joy just lifted people up.
By coming to us in the person of Jesus, God shows us that the greatest gift we can give to anyone in this season is the gift of our selves, our time, our energy, our joy and our love. In fact, if we want to give a true Christmas gift, a gift that reflects the original Christmas gift given in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, we need to give of ourselves, so let’s give more of that gift, let’s give more of ourselves.
So how do we give the gift of our presence? In the bulletin there are some wonderfully creative ideas on how to give the gift of relationship. How about the gift of a movie night with your family or friends once a month for the entire year? A box of popcorn doesn’t cost much and if you buy it from the scouts you are supporting our own youth, and Dick Snyder reminded me that you can check out movies from the library for free, so it’s one way we can spend less and yet give more. What about giving a coupon to spend the day with your child or spouse or a friend doing what they want to do. What about giving our time to the children and youth of the church in prayer or service? We could be a prayer partner for a youth, or read stories to our children. We can also give more of ourselves in missions and help people in our community who are in need, or help a service agency like Habitat or Paws that meet the needs we have right here in Centre County. And of course there are still ways to give our time to the Christmas Dinner and build relationships with those we will serve and those we will serve with.
In the Advent Conspiracy book there is a wonderful story of a young man who gave his father a pound of coffee with the stipulation that he had to drink that coffee while they were together talking and sharing. In the days it took to drink that coffee, the father and son got reacquainted and a relationship was healed. How can we give ourselves in ways that relationships can be healed and strengthened? How could this kind of gift save a marriage or transform a family. The one thing it will require from us is time, our most valuable commodity, are we willing to give more of that gift?
Giving more may also mean giving more or even giving all of our money to those who are in real need. You can give these gifts through the church and help our children, youth and missions, or you can give these gifts through different missions and ministries that provide resources for those in need around the world. When you give more than you ever thought you could – you enter into the Christmas story. When you spend all you have in giving yourself to others – you will remember those gifts for a lifetime.
As we give more of ourselves in relationship and in gifts that make a real difference, we also need to remember that no matter how much we give, those gifts won’t accomplish anything alone – they need the spirit and presence of God to go with them. Even Jesus needed the spirit and presence of God to go with him. Jesus was God in the flesh, but it says that at the baptism of Jesus the spirit of God descended on him like a dove. The spirit of God was with Jesus daily and it was the constant indwelling of God that gave Jesus the strength and power to do all that God asked him to do.
No matter how much we give, we still need the strength of God’s spirit to help make our gifts transformational. We need God going with us as we give ourselves to others. We need God using our gift of time and energy in mission and ministry to make a difference in the lives of others. On our own, we will just serve a meal on Christmas Day, but with the spirit of God working in us and through us, we will offer hope and peace and a love that will change the lives of others. On our own, we will just read a story to kids, but with God working in us and through us we become those shepherds who share the life changing message a Savior’s love and grace.
Giving more is good, giving more of ourselves is good, giving all we have is good, but the message of this nativity story is that giving all we have is still not enough, we still need God giving through us. So as we give more, let us ask God to give more of himself through us so that together we can change peoples hearts and lives and transform the world around us.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Advent Conspiracy ~ Spend Less
The circumstances around the birth of Jesus did not come about by chance. God worked through the Emperor Augustus to call a census so that Joseph and Mary would have to make a journey to Bethlehem. You see, Jesus needed to be born in Bethlehem because according to the prophet Micah, Bethlehem was where the Messiah was to be born (Micah 5:2-5). There are no coincidences here. Did you notice that this passage also talks about the Messiah in terms of a Shepherd, and to whom did the angels first go to proclaim the good news of great joy that the Savior had been born? Shepherds. So again we see that nothing came about by chance. The location, the first worshippers, it was all according to God’s plan. God had this moment planned out for centuries, some think God planned this moment from before the beginning of time. So nothing took God by surprise, which means God planned to have Jesus born in a stable and laid in a manger. God knew that there would be no room in the inn and that was the way God wanted it.
Since it is God making the arraignments here, Jesus could have been into the opulence of a palace. God could have chosen for Jesus to be born in the finest Inn surrounded by servants, washed with purist of water and wrapped in the most expensive of linens. And then after the child was born, Mary and Joseph could have dined on the richest of foods surrounded by the leaders and rulers of the day, but that was not what God chose. God chose simplicity. God chose poverty. So why do we choose to celebrate this event with all the elaborate excess of today? Why do we chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus by giving more than we can afford, eating more than what is good for us, and giving in to all the excess that we see in the world around us. God turned away from the world to come in simplicity so why do we worship God in this season by turning away from simplicity toward the greed and excess of the world? In so many ways it doesn’t make sense.
Of all the steps in the Advent Conspiracy journey, this is by far the hardest one because it directly confronts what the world tells us this season is all about. If we listen to the world around us, if we listen to the advertisers and the retailers, they tells us that Christmas is all about getting what we want. For the past few years I have watched my niece and nephew sit down on Thanksgiving day and go through all the Christmas Ads. They go through the stack and make their lists of what they want. They already have more clothes, games, books and toys then they could ever need, but that’s not the point, this season isn’t about what we need, it’s about what we want. How many times are we asked, what do you want for Christmas? Even if we don’t want or need a thing, people still want to know what they can give us. There is a part of me that wants to shout – nothing. I don’t need anything and I don’t want anything because that is not what this season is all about. Jesus was born in a stable – God chose poverty and simplicity so why don’t we? No really, why don’t we? This Christmas why don’t we choose to honor Jesus and worship God by making the same choices God did? Let’s choose simplicity and this Christmas let’s spend less.
Now again, please understand that spending less doesn’t mean spending nothing. It is good to give gifts to one another. While God chose to come in simplicity and poverty, the gift he gave, the gift of Jesus was generous. So spending less doesn’t’ mean we spend nothing, it means we spend less. But even spending less is open to interpretation. What does it mean to spend less? Less than what? Less than last year? Less then what we planned to spend? Less than what the average American will spend on Christmas, which is $1,000? What does it mean for us to spend less?
The truth is that it will mean different things to different people. What I want to propose is this, can we ask ourselves what it will mean for us to spend less, and then can we take some time to listen to what God says? Spending less might be a journey of just one less gift a year for many years until our celebration and worship really honors Jesus. Spending less might mean giving nothing to those people who have everything because, well, they have everything. Spending less may mean not giving a gift to someone who has everything but instead giving a gift in their name to someone who has nothing.
When I was thinking about the Advent Conspiracy as a message for us as a church during this season, I had to ask myself how I was going to implement these steps in my own life. What was it going to mean for me to spend less and give more? When I asked myself that question, there was one thing that came to me over and over again. For me to spend less meant that what I give to my parents this year was going to have to change. I can say this now because my parents aren’t here today, and don’t tell them this because it will ruin the surprise, but for many years now my sister and I have given my parents the fruit of the month. When we asked ourselves a number of years ago what to get someone who had everything and really didn’t need anything, we came up with the idea of fruit of the month because we know that they love fruit and so they would eat it and enjoy it. So for many years now we have done this, but when I started asking God what it was going to mean for me to spend less and give more, God said pretty clearly I needed to buy one less gift and that gift was the fruit of the month for my parents.
So my sister and talked about this and my sister had wanted to make this change a few years ago, but I was the one who dragged my feet. I didn’t want my parents to be disappointed. I didn’t want my parents to feel unappreciated, but my sister finally said, Andy, think about it, we are having a pineapple or 6 pears delivered to their house once a month – how does that honor Jesus? They can buy fruit anytime they want and it would be so much cheaper, so let’s take that money and buy an animal for a village through the Heifer project. They will appreciate that gift even more.
So this year, again don’t tell my parents, but this year we are not sending them fruit every month, instead we are sending a water buffalo to a needy village in their name, and the truth is that this will mean more to my parents than a pineapple in March or pears in February and the water-buffalo will change the life of a community. That’s what it means for me to spend less, I don’t know what it will mean for you, but I do know this, if you ask God how you are to honor Jesus by choosing simplicity and poverty over greed and excess, He will tell you, and then he will show you how to do it.
Spending less might simply be buying one less gift this year. Spending less might mean making sure that what we do buy is responsible and ethical. Do the gifts we buy honor Jesus? Do the movies and games and music we give to our children honor the values of God’s kingdom? Do the clothes we give reflect the values we want to promote? Are the gifts we give made in ways that are just or do they use child labor? Does our spending help people or simply line the pockets of multinational corporations? There are ways we can give gifts that promote economic justice. For example the Lutheran Church sells Equal Exchange coffee, tea, nuts and chocolate. The money from these products goes directly to the people who produce them and so our money makes a greater impact in the lives of people and communities that are struggling. So spending less might not mean giving fewer gifts, maybe it means making sure the gifts we give honor God and change lives.
Spending less might mean supporting local businesses and local families? I have to say that since I have moved to Bellefonte one of the greatest blessings to me has been Mussers Dairy. I was visiting with Joan Musser in the hospital after her fall a year ago and I learned that her family had a dairy farm and they had a farm store, so I went to just see what it was all about and to be supportive, but that visit changed my life, or least my milk buying habits. I no longer buy milk anywhere other than Musser’s dairy (and no I am not being paid for this advertisement). It not only is great milk, but I am happy to support a local family. We are fortunate to live in an area where we can support local merchants and farmers. You want fresh eggs, see the Groves whose free range chickens are producing more than they can handle.
Spending less might mean buying recycled gifts so that our spending is helping the environment. Or maybe it’s buying second hand gifts. Can we shop at the Faith Centre first and not only save some money and help the environment but also help people? Shopping at the Faith Center supports their mission and ministry in our community, which mean the hungry are fed, people are helped, and those who are lonely have a place to go. Spending less doesn’t have to mean fewer gifts; it can also mean spending our money in ways that honor Jesus.
As you ask yourself what it will mean for you and your family to spend less, I hope you will also share your ideas with one another because we can learn from one another how to spend in ways that truly honor God. I heard someone last week say they only give three gifts to one another because Jesus received three gifts from the Wiseman. For many people that might be a radical change, and it may be a goal to work towards with our children, but how exciting that people are trying to enter into the gospel story in ways that honor God.
Whatever choices we make this season, however God may call us to spend less, my hope is that we will take seriously the choice that God made when he entered this world and turn away from the excess and greed that we see all around us this time of year and choose simplicity. Can we enter into this ancient story and live in ways that reflect the heart of God and the values of God’s kingdom?
Since it is God making the arraignments here, Jesus could have been into the opulence of a palace. God could have chosen for Jesus to be born in the finest Inn surrounded by servants, washed with purist of water and wrapped in the most expensive of linens. And then after the child was born, Mary and Joseph could have dined on the richest of foods surrounded by the leaders and rulers of the day, but that was not what God chose. God chose simplicity. God chose poverty. So why do we choose to celebrate this event with all the elaborate excess of today? Why do we chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus by giving more than we can afford, eating more than what is good for us, and giving in to all the excess that we see in the world around us. God turned away from the world to come in simplicity so why do we worship God in this season by turning away from simplicity toward the greed and excess of the world? In so many ways it doesn’t make sense.
Of all the steps in the Advent Conspiracy journey, this is by far the hardest one because it directly confronts what the world tells us this season is all about. If we listen to the world around us, if we listen to the advertisers and the retailers, they tells us that Christmas is all about getting what we want. For the past few years I have watched my niece and nephew sit down on Thanksgiving day and go through all the Christmas Ads. They go through the stack and make their lists of what they want. They already have more clothes, games, books and toys then they could ever need, but that’s not the point, this season isn’t about what we need, it’s about what we want. How many times are we asked, what do you want for Christmas? Even if we don’t want or need a thing, people still want to know what they can give us. There is a part of me that wants to shout – nothing. I don’t need anything and I don’t want anything because that is not what this season is all about. Jesus was born in a stable – God chose poverty and simplicity so why don’t we? No really, why don’t we? This Christmas why don’t we choose to honor Jesus and worship God by making the same choices God did? Let’s choose simplicity and this Christmas let’s spend less.
Now again, please understand that spending less doesn’t mean spending nothing. It is good to give gifts to one another. While God chose to come in simplicity and poverty, the gift he gave, the gift of Jesus was generous. So spending less doesn’t’ mean we spend nothing, it means we spend less. But even spending less is open to interpretation. What does it mean to spend less? Less than what? Less than last year? Less then what we planned to spend? Less than what the average American will spend on Christmas, which is $1,000? What does it mean for us to spend less?
The truth is that it will mean different things to different people. What I want to propose is this, can we ask ourselves what it will mean for us to spend less, and then can we take some time to listen to what God says? Spending less might be a journey of just one less gift a year for many years until our celebration and worship really honors Jesus. Spending less might mean giving nothing to those people who have everything because, well, they have everything. Spending less may mean not giving a gift to someone who has everything but instead giving a gift in their name to someone who has nothing.
When I was thinking about the Advent Conspiracy as a message for us as a church during this season, I had to ask myself how I was going to implement these steps in my own life. What was it going to mean for me to spend less and give more? When I asked myself that question, there was one thing that came to me over and over again. For me to spend less meant that what I give to my parents this year was going to have to change. I can say this now because my parents aren’t here today, and don’t tell them this because it will ruin the surprise, but for many years now my sister and I have given my parents the fruit of the month. When we asked ourselves a number of years ago what to get someone who had everything and really didn’t need anything, we came up with the idea of fruit of the month because we know that they love fruit and so they would eat it and enjoy it. So for many years now we have done this, but when I started asking God what it was going to mean for me to spend less and give more, God said pretty clearly I needed to buy one less gift and that gift was the fruit of the month for my parents.
So my sister and talked about this and my sister had wanted to make this change a few years ago, but I was the one who dragged my feet. I didn’t want my parents to be disappointed. I didn’t want my parents to feel unappreciated, but my sister finally said, Andy, think about it, we are having a pineapple or 6 pears delivered to their house once a month – how does that honor Jesus? They can buy fruit anytime they want and it would be so much cheaper, so let’s take that money and buy an animal for a village through the Heifer project. They will appreciate that gift even more.
So this year, again don’t tell my parents, but this year we are not sending them fruit every month, instead we are sending a water buffalo to a needy village in their name, and the truth is that this will mean more to my parents than a pineapple in March or pears in February and the water-buffalo will change the life of a community. That’s what it means for me to spend less, I don’t know what it will mean for you, but I do know this, if you ask God how you are to honor Jesus by choosing simplicity and poverty over greed and excess, He will tell you, and then he will show you how to do it.
Spending less might simply be buying one less gift this year. Spending less might mean making sure that what we do buy is responsible and ethical. Do the gifts we buy honor Jesus? Do the movies and games and music we give to our children honor the values of God’s kingdom? Do the clothes we give reflect the values we want to promote? Are the gifts we give made in ways that are just or do they use child labor? Does our spending help people or simply line the pockets of multinational corporations? There are ways we can give gifts that promote economic justice. For example the Lutheran Church sells Equal Exchange coffee, tea, nuts and chocolate. The money from these products goes directly to the people who produce them and so our money makes a greater impact in the lives of people and communities that are struggling. So spending less might not mean giving fewer gifts, maybe it means making sure the gifts we give honor God and change lives.
Spending less might mean supporting local businesses and local families? I have to say that since I have moved to Bellefonte one of the greatest blessings to me has been Mussers Dairy. I was visiting with Joan Musser in the hospital after her fall a year ago and I learned that her family had a dairy farm and they had a farm store, so I went to just see what it was all about and to be supportive, but that visit changed my life, or least my milk buying habits. I no longer buy milk anywhere other than Musser’s dairy (and no I am not being paid for this advertisement). It not only is great milk, but I am happy to support a local family. We are fortunate to live in an area where we can support local merchants and farmers. You want fresh eggs, see the Groves whose free range chickens are producing more than they can handle.
Spending less might mean buying recycled gifts so that our spending is helping the environment. Or maybe it’s buying second hand gifts. Can we shop at the Faith Centre first and not only save some money and help the environment but also help people? Shopping at the Faith Center supports their mission and ministry in our community, which mean the hungry are fed, people are helped, and those who are lonely have a place to go. Spending less doesn’t have to mean fewer gifts; it can also mean spending our money in ways that honor Jesus.
As you ask yourself what it will mean for you and your family to spend less, I hope you will also share your ideas with one another because we can learn from one another how to spend in ways that truly honor God. I heard someone last week say they only give three gifts to one another because Jesus received three gifts from the Wiseman. For many people that might be a radical change, and it may be a goal to work towards with our children, but how exciting that people are trying to enter into the gospel story in ways that honor God.
Whatever choices we make this season, however God may call us to spend less, my hope is that we will take seriously the choice that God made when he entered this world and turn away from the excess and greed that we see all around us this time of year and choose simplicity. Can we enter into this ancient story and live in ways that reflect the heart of God and the values of God’s kingdom?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Advent Conspiracy ~ God is with us
I don’t know about you but sometimes the whole Christmas season leaves me feeling a little bit like Charlie Brown, who said, I just don’t understand Christmas. Instead of feeling happy, I feel sort of let down. Sometimes this entire season leaves me feeling just a little let down. It’s not the music, decorations or food – I love all that. It’s not the times we gather together for worship or fellowship – I love that. It’s not the message of God coming to be with us in Jesus because there is simply no greater story to tell. For me, I think it’s that when January comes and all the decorations are put away, nothing has really changed, and there is a part of me that wants our celebration of Christ’s birth to literally change the world.
The first Christmas changed the world, it changed everything, but can our celebration of Christ’s birth change the world in which we live? I have to hold out hope that it can, but our celebration of Christmas will only change the world if our celebration of Christ first changes us. Today I want to invite you to join me on a journey that can not only change how we celebrate the gift of Jesus; it can change us and if it can change us, it can church the world around us. The journey really only has three steps, but they are not simple because they challenge our very idea about what Christmas is all about, those 3 steps are to spend less, give more and love all. While we will explore these steps in more detail in the weeks to come, we need to know what they are today so they can shape our priorities and our decisions making in the days to come.
So are we willing to spend less in this holiday season? Now before you get too concerned, I am not saying spend nothing. Giving gifts is fun and important for many reason, but can we make the decision today to simply spend less. Can we buy one less gift this season, and then maybe take that money to help someone in need. Spending less can do three important things. #1, it will keep us out of deeper debt which is important for many of us, #2, it will remind us that Christmas really is not about what we find under the tree, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, it’s about God coming to live with us and with us, and it’s about living life the way Jesus taught us and showed us, and #3, spending less frees resources that we can then share with those who are in need and it is that simple act of sharing that can change lives.
You see, spending less leads right into the second step which is to give more. Now we are not talking about giving more gifts we are talking about giving more of ourselves. Can we give more of our time, love, prayers, talents, energy and resources to the work that matters most to God. This fall we learned that relationships are the most important thing to God. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The most important thing to God is relationship, so are we willing to give more of ourselves to God and to others to build and strengthen those relationships. Can we get involved in the ministry of Faith Church and get to know one another right here, and can we get involved in the work of the church in our community to get to know those around us? Can we give more to make sure Faith Church has an effective ministry today and a vital future tomorrow? As you have heard, today we have the opportunity to give to the Christmas dinner which will help feed families all across our community. Can we give our time, or money, or maybe our talents at baking pies and desserts, to help make this dinner an event that will people’s lives?
In the weeks to come we will also learn about opportunities to give ourselves to the work we do with Children and Youth. There will be opportunities for us to give our time as well as our money to our next generation. The real hope is that the gift of ourselves t our children and youth will help build stronger relationships one another and that together we will grow closer to God. We will also be able to give more of ourselves to the mission work we do through Faith Church. We will learn about opportunities to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, provide homes for the homeless, justice for the oppressed and comfort for those who are lonely and afflicted. If we will give more of ourselves to outreach and missions we will not just change the lives of others, but our lives will change. So in this season can we give more?
The third step is to love all. Think of the people who first worshipped Jesus. A poor peasant girl, a carpenter and some dirty shepherd were the first people gathered at the manger to worship Jesus. A while later some well educated foreign dignitaries, the Wisemen, arrived to worship the one who had born King of the Jews. The birth of Jesus screams out one message loud and clear – God loves all, from the weak and poor, to the rich and powerful. Jew and Gentile, black and white, all people, and so the call for us as followers of Jesus is to love all, not just a few, not just those we like or those who look like us, but all people in all places at all times.
So that’s it: spend less, give more,and love all. Three steps that can change the world, but only if we will first let these six words change us, and these words will only change us if we understand that as we spend less, give more and love all – God is with us. What really changes us and the world around us isn’t that we buy one less gift, or volunteer our time at the Faith Centre and reach out in love to others, what changes us is that we do these things with the power and grace of God working in us and through us.
God desperately wants to change the world around us, but God’s plan is to do this through us. Again, think back to that first Christmas. God changed the world through the birth of Jesus, but Jesus only entered into this world because two people allowed God to first work in their lives. If we will allow God to work in our lives, like Mary and Joseph, then through us, God can, and I believe God will, change our world. So let’s look at how God worked in Mary and Joseph and see how we can enter into this ancient story of God’s power and presence and love.
Luke 1:26-38
For Mary to say yes to God, it took incredible courage because she had no idea how Joseph might respond. She didn’t know if Joseph would understand what God was doing; she didn’t know if Joseph would stand by her side, or if he would cast her aside. It took real courage for Mary to say Yes to God’s plan and it was through that courage that God was able to accomplish his will and come to live with us.
So it is our courage in saying Yes to God that can change the world. Every time we have the courage to not think about what is good for us but focus on God’s will and say yes to God’s plan, God has the opportunity to not only shape our lives, but the world around us. But it takes courage to say Yes because we don’t know how the people around us might respond. Just making the decision to buy fewer gifts this season may not be understood by our family, friends and neighbors. People may accuse us of being a scrooge, or simply not caring. It takes courage to stand firm in what we hear God asking us to do, but if we will say yes, not only will our lives change, but through us God as the opportunity to change the lives of others and that’s what changes the world.
It was a quiet moment, in a small town, when a young girl said yes, and that courageous decision changed her life and changed our world forever. Can we enter into that same story today? It’s a quiet moment, this is a small town and if we will say yes to Gods will and if we will agree with God’s plan, this might be the very moment when our lives will change. This might be the very moment when God will start working through us to change the world around us. In this moment of quiet worship, will we say yes to God and begin a journey of walking in the light of God’s love and power?
Saying yes to God will most likely cause us to change our plans, so are we willing to make those changes? When Joseph was called by God to change his plans, he did. When Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant, he wanted to end the relationship quietly, but God had other plans. Matthew 1:19-24. Joseph’s original decision to dismiss Mary quietly was a very gracious thing to do. Joseph could have made Mary’s pregnancy a public issue, he could have disgraced Mary, or even have her put to death, but he didn’t. Once God explained what was going on and that the child to be born was indeed from God, Joseph was willing to change his plans. The call of God literally changed Joseph’s life, and because Joseph was willing to make those changes, the world changed.
My hope is that when we hear the call of God in this Advent season, we will also change our plans. If we are going to spend less, give more and love all, some things are going to have to change. Spending less will require us to make some fundament changes about how we live not just in these next four weeks, but through the rest of our lies. We need to look at and evaluate our priorities. Giving more will also call us to change our priorities so that our lives can reflect the life and heart of Jesus. Not thinking of ourselves first but finding ways to help others and love others each and every day is a new of thinking and living and it will require us to change direction.
Will we be open to God changing our plans, priorities and passions this season? Can we begin some new traditions with our families where together we work to make a difference in our community, or in a community in Sierra Leone, the Sudan or South Dakota? If every family connected to Faith Church made some changes so that we spent less and gave more and loved all, I am convinced that Bellefonte would look different, Centre County would look different and our world would look different, but we have to be willing to make some changes, and those changes need to start today.
God can change the world by changing us, and we are changed when we enter into this ancient story and find the courage to say Yes to God and change our plans, but there is one more place where we can enter into this story and experience the presence and power of God, and that is through the shepherds of Bethlehem. After the shepherds heard that a savior had been born, they went to find the child, and after they found him, they celebrated. Luke 2:17-20.
After the Shepherds found Jesus they celebrated his birth and it was their celebration, their worship, that changed people’s hearts and lives. Our celebration of Jesus can still change the hearts and lives of others so we need to celebrate the coming of Emmanuel – God with us – and we have lots of opportunities to do that in the weeks to come. There is the Christmas musical in a few short weeks, there is a worship celebration we are hosting at the Marion Walker Middle School in Zion, and of course there are our candlelight services on Christmas Eve. Each celebration gives us the opportunity to not only celebrate the gift of Jesus, but it gives us the opportunity to invite others to celebrate the gift of Jesus as well and maybe it will be that celebration which will change their lives.
This Advent and Christmas season can be different if we will enter the story and have the courage to spend less, be willing to change our plans so we can give more, and celebrate the birth of Jesus by loving and inviting everyone to celebrate with us. We can not let this season pass us by in whirlwind of activity, we can’t arrive in January wondering what it was all about and feeling a little bit let down, we need to accept the light of Christ into our lives and allow God to dwell deep within us. So let’s enter into this ancient story and together take this advent journey and allow the presence of the living God to change us and through us to change the world.
The first Christmas changed the world, it changed everything, but can our celebration of Christ’s birth change the world in which we live? I have to hold out hope that it can, but our celebration of Christmas will only change the world if our celebration of Christ first changes us. Today I want to invite you to join me on a journey that can not only change how we celebrate the gift of Jesus; it can change us and if it can change us, it can church the world around us. The journey really only has three steps, but they are not simple because they challenge our very idea about what Christmas is all about, those 3 steps are to spend less, give more and love all. While we will explore these steps in more detail in the weeks to come, we need to know what they are today so they can shape our priorities and our decisions making in the days to come.
So are we willing to spend less in this holiday season? Now before you get too concerned, I am not saying spend nothing. Giving gifts is fun and important for many reason, but can we make the decision today to simply spend less. Can we buy one less gift this season, and then maybe take that money to help someone in need. Spending less can do three important things. #1, it will keep us out of deeper debt which is important for many of us, #2, it will remind us that Christmas really is not about what we find under the tree, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, it’s about God coming to live with us and with us, and it’s about living life the way Jesus taught us and showed us, and #3, spending less frees resources that we can then share with those who are in need and it is that simple act of sharing that can change lives.
You see, spending less leads right into the second step which is to give more. Now we are not talking about giving more gifts we are talking about giving more of ourselves. Can we give more of our time, love, prayers, talents, energy and resources to the work that matters most to God. This fall we learned that relationships are the most important thing to God. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The most important thing to God is relationship, so are we willing to give more of ourselves to God and to others to build and strengthen those relationships. Can we get involved in the ministry of Faith Church and get to know one another right here, and can we get involved in the work of the church in our community to get to know those around us? Can we give more to make sure Faith Church has an effective ministry today and a vital future tomorrow? As you have heard, today we have the opportunity to give to the Christmas dinner which will help feed families all across our community. Can we give our time, or money, or maybe our talents at baking pies and desserts, to help make this dinner an event that will people’s lives?
In the weeks to come we will also learn about opportunities to give ourselves to the work we do with Children and Youth. There will be opportunities for us to give our time as well as our money to our next generation. The real hope is that the gift of ourselves t our children and youth will help build stronger relationships one another and that together we will grow closer to God. We will also be able to give more of ourselves to the mission work we do through Faith Church. We will learn about opportunities to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, provide homes for the homeless, justice for the oppressed and comfort for those who are lonely and afflicted. If we will give more of ourselves to outreach and missions we will not just change the lives of others, but our lives will change. So in this season can we give more?
The third step is to love all. Think of the people who first worshipped Jesus. A poor peasant girl, a carpenter and some dirty shepherd were the first people gathered at the manger to worship Jesus. A while later some well educated foreign dignitaries, the Wisemen, arrived to worship the one who had born King of the Jews. The birth of Jesus screams out one message loud and clear – God loves all, from the weak and poor, to the rich and powerful. Jew and Gentile, black and white, all people, and so the call for us as followers of Jesus is to love all, not just a few, not just those we like or those who look like us, but all people in all places at all times.
So that’s it: spend less, give more,and love all. Three steps that can change the world, but only if we will first let these six words change us, and these words will only change us if we understand that as we spend less, give more and love all – God is with us. What really changes us and the world around us isn’t that we buy one less gift, or volunteer our time at the Faith Centre and reach out in love to others, what changes us is that we do these things with the power and grace of God working in us and through us.
God desperately wants to change the world around us, but God’s plan is to do this through us. Again, think back to that first Christmas. God changed the world through the birth of Jesus, but Jesus only entered into this world because two people allowed God to first work in their lives. If we will allow God to work in our lives, like Mary and Joseph, then through us, God can, and I believe God will, change our world. So let’s look at how God worked in Mary and Joseph and see how we can enter into this ancient story of God’s power and presence and love.
Luke 1:26-38
For Mary to say yes to God, it took incredible courage because she had no idea how Joseph might respond. She didn’t know if Joseph would understand what God was doing; she didn’t know if Joseph would stand by her side, or if he would cast her aside. It took real courage for Mary to say Yes to God’s plan and it was through that courage that God was able to accomplish his will and come to live with us.
So it is our courage in saying Yes to God that can change the world. Every time we have the courage to not think about what is good for us but focus on God’s will and say yes to God’s plan, God has the opportunity to not only shape our lives, but the world around us. But it takes courage to say Yes because we don’t know how the people around us might respond. Just making the decision to buy fewer gifts this season may not be understood by our family, friends and neighbors. People may accuse us of being a scrooge, or simply not caring. It takes courage to stand firm in what we hear God asking us to do, but if we will say yes, not only will our lives change, but through us God as the opportunity to change the lives of others and that’s what changes the world.
It was a quiet moment, in a small town, when a young girl said yes, and that courageous decision changed her life and changed our world forever. Can we enter into that same story today? It’s a quiet moment, this is a small town and if we will say yes to Gods will and if we will agree with God’s plan, this might be the very moment when our lives will change. This might be the very moment when God will start working through us to change the world around us. In this moment of quiet worship, will we say yes to God and begin a journey of walking in the light of God’s love and power?
Saying yes to God will most likely cause us to change our plans, so are we willing to make those changes? When Joseph was called by God to change his plans, he did. When Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant, he wanted to end the relationship quietly, but God had other plans. Matthew 1:19-24. Joseph’s original decision to dismiss Mary quietly was a very gracious thing to do. Joseph could have made Mary’s pregnancy a public issue, he could have disgraced Mary, or even have her put to death, but he didn’t. Once God explained what was going on and that the child to be born was indeed from God, Joseph was willing to change his plans. The call of God literally changed Joseph’s life, and because Joseph was willing to make those changes, the world changed.
My hope is that when we hear the call of God in this Advent season, we will also change our plans. If we are going to spend less, give more and love all, some things are going to have to change. Spending less will require us to make some fundament changes about how we live not just in these next four weeks, but through the rest of our lies. We need to look at and evaluate our priorities. Giving more will also call us to change our priorities so that our lives can reflect the life and heart of Jesus. Not thinking of ourselves first but finding ways to help others and love others each and every day is a new of thinking and living and it will require us to change direction.
Will we be open to God changing our plans, priorities and passions this season? Can we begin some new traditions with our families where together we work to make a difference in our community, or in a community in Sierra Leone, the Sudan or South Dakota? If every family connected to Faith Church made some changes so that we spent less and gave more and loved all, I am convinced that Bellefonte would look different, Centre County would look different and our world would look different, but we have to be willing to make some changes, and those changes need to start today.
God can change the world by changing us, and we are changed when we enter into this ancient story and find the courage to say Yes to God and change our plans, but there is one more place where we can enter into this story and experience the presence and power of God, and that is through the shepherds of Bethlehem. After the shepherds heard that a savior had been born, they went to find the child, and after they found him, they celebrated. Luke 2:17-20.
After the Shepherds found Jesus they celebrated his birth and it was their celebration, their worship, that changed people’s hearts and lives. Our celebration of Jesus can still change the hearts and lives of others so we need to celebrate the coming of Emmanuel – God with us – and we have lots of opportunities to do that in the weeks to come. There is the Christmas musical in a few short weeks, there is a worship celebration we are hosting at the Marion Walker Middle School in Zion, and of course there are our candlelight services on Christmas Eve. Each celebration gives us the opportunity to not only celebrate the gift of Jesus, but it gives us the opportunity to invite others to celebrate the gift of Jesus as well and maybe it will be that celebration which will change their lives.
This Advent and Christmas season can be different if we will enter the story and have the courage to spend less, be willing to change our plans so we can give more, and celebrate the birth of Jesus by loving and inviting everyone to celebrate with us. We can not let this season pass us by in whirlwind of activity, we can’t arrive in January wondering what it was all about and feeling a little bit let down, we need to accept the light of Christ into our lives and allow God to dwell deep within us. So let’s enter into this ancient story and together take this advent journey and allow the presence of the living God to change us and through us to change the world.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thanksigiving ~ The Chair
Mstislav Rostropovich is widely recognized as one of the greatest cellist of the 20th century and many consider him one of the greatest cellists of all time. Rostropovich lived in the Soviet Union all his life and during the height of the cold war he spoke out passionately for human rights and artistic freedom. The more he spoke out, however, the more his own rights and freedoms were curtailed by the Soviet government. His concerts, foreign tours and recording projects were all canceled and the state-run media imposed a black-out of his name and all his activities. Finally the state gave him an exit visa so he could perform in Paris, but once his concert was over the government refused to allow him to return. In 1978, the soviet government stripped Rostropovich of citizenship and informed him that he and his wife could never return home.
On Nov. 9, 1989, 20 years ago this month, Rostropovich heard that the Berlin Wall was coming down and the communist regime in East Germany was falling apart. His heart was full of gratitude because he knew with the whole Eastern bloc coming undone, his exile from Russia would soon be over and he would be able to return home. As news of the Berlin wall coming down spread, Rostropovich thought about how he might be able to express his thanks and gratitude for this great moment, so he came up with a plan. He caught the first plane he could to Berlin, jumped into a cab and told the driver to take him to the wall. When he arrived at the wall it his intention was to play his cello, but when he got there he realized that he suddenly had to worry about something he had never had to worry about before: a chair. You can't play the cello without a chair and in every concert or rehearsal he had played the chair had always been provided for him. Never before in his life did Rostropovich have to worry about a chair, but now he had to find one. So he began knocking on doors of homes close to where the cab had let him off and finally a German family produced a small kitchen chair and Rostropovich was able to sit in that chair in front of the wall and play his cello.
What Rostropovich played that day, was a piece of music he had never recorded. He played a Bach cello suite and when asked why he chose that particular piece, he said, I chose Bach to say thank you to the great God. Bach is known as a sacred composer who often expressed his faith and trust in God through music, and so Rostropovich chose that specific composer as his way of thanking God for the changes that were about to take place. I don’t know if Rostropovich had Psalm 65 in mind, but look at verse 8, those living far away fear your wonders (or they are in awe of your power and strength) and as morning dawns and evening fades (or when a new day is coming – when there is a new beginning) you, God, call forth songs of joy. In the new day of freedom that was coming for Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, God called Rostropovich to come forth with songs of joy and a Bach cello suite was the song he chose.
Before his death in 2007, Rostropovich was able to return to Russia and he held several concerts in his homeland. This month we have celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and as we think about that historic event and the testimony of this amazing musician, I want us to think about one simple thing, the chair. In this season of thanksgiving, this chair reminds us of all the things in life that we take for granted, but shouldn’t. Rostropovich had always taken for granted that there would be a chair to sit on when he wanted to play the cello. As the wall was coming down, not only did Rostropovich give thanks to a great God, but he began to give thanks for all the people who helped provide for him and take care of him throughout his life. Sometimes it’s when things aren’t there when we need them, or when they are suddenly taken away, that we realize just how important they are.
I wonder if that’s how the Pilgrims felt during the first year they struggled to survive in this new land. When they left their home in England in search of freedom, I wonder if they knew how hard it was going to be? In England they had everything they needed, life may not have been easy at times, but they had homes and food and clothes and doctors and a secure and stable life. They had what they needed, but when they arrived here, they had nothing. I’m sure there were times that first year when they realized just how much they had taken for granted when they lived back in England, in this new world they didn’t even have a chair. The first year for the Pilgrims was a difficult one. For every home they built, they dug 7 graves. Life was so fragile that I’m sure they didn’t take anything for granted and at that first harvest they stopped to gave thanks to a great God for all the simple things that he had provided, like food, shelter, the help of the natives, and a chair to sit on.
My fear is that because we have so much around us all the time that it becomes easy for us to take many things for granted, so maybe this chair can help remind us of all the things God has given us for which we need to stop and give thanks. If we go back to Psalm 65 we begin to see some of the things God has given us that we should never take for granted. Psalm 65:2 says, you who hear our prayers. Too often I think we take for granted that God hears our prayers. Think about it, every time we cry out to God – God is there. Whenever we are in need – God is there. Every single word we pray God hears and we can’t take that for granted.
If we read through the gospels we find many stories of people crying out to Jesus. There was the blind beggar who cries out Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me – and Jesus hears him and has mercy on him. Jesus heals the man and restores his sight. There are the 10 lepers who cry out to Jesus for healing and Jesus hear them and heals them. Jesus even hears those who cry out in the silence and the desperation of their hearts. There was a woman who had been sick for 10 years and in her desperation she silently reached out her hand to touch the hem of Jesus robe and while she doesn’t make a sound, Jesus hears the cry of her heart and heals her. God hears us – every word we cry out to him in our hearts – God hears and God responds according to his will and purpose and plan.
God not only hears us, but God forgives us. Look at Psalm 65:3. What I like about this verse is that it doesn’t say, when we sin (singular) that God forgives us, it’s when we are overwhelmed by sins (plural) that God forgives us. God knows that our failures and sins are going to be many in life. God knows that daily we will fall short of what he wants for us, and yet when we are overwhelmed by all of this sin, God forgives us. God’s love and grace is always there and we can not take that for granted. Everyday we need to give thanks to a great and gracious God.
So the chair can remind us that God is always with us to listen and forgive and as it says in v. 5, draw us close to him, but the chair can also remind us of all the people God places in our lives to help us. Rostropovich took for granted the people who always provided for him a chair, but on that day he was thankful for a German family who gave him a chair. I wonder how often we take for granted those people who love, serve and care for us on a regular basis. As we gather with family and friends this coming week I hope we will take the time to give thanks for those closest to us who offer so much love and support, but there are so many other people that help and support us that too often we overlook. Too often we take for granted firefighters, police officers, emergency service personnel, doctors, nurses, teachers, the list goes on and on. There are so many people in our community that work hard to serve and protect us and too often we take them for granted, we just assume they will be there when we need them. Again, what a great time of year to stop and simply say thank you to all those who help us.
On Friday I was in the bank and in case you didn’t know, last week was bank teller appreciation week. At first I thought that seemed to be stretching things a little bit, but then I thought about how at the branch I use the tellers have always been nice to me, they have answered my questions when I had a problem and never made me feel bad if something I did went wrong, so when I got to the counter I made sure I took a moment to say thank you and let them know what a good job I thought they always did. The teller’s face turned all red and she got a big smile and said I was only the second person who had said thank you. We need to do a better job at appreciating those people who serve us. Even if it is there job to serve us, it means so much for people to hear those two words.
Can we send a note with our children to the schools thanking the teacher or custodian or principal for a job well done? Can we send a note to a doctor or nurse who helped us through a difficult time? Can we say thank you to those in our community who volunteer time and energy to help serve and protect us? I’m thankful that as part of our Christmas dinner we do try to remember and give thanks for the firefighters, police and emergency service workers in our community by making sure they have a dinner on Christmas day. And let me just say right now to all of you (because in some way or another all of you will help I know) thank you for working so hard and giving so much to feed so many on Christmas Day. You are not taken for granted, I and many many others appreciate all that you do in Jesus name.
As we remember and give thanks for the people who help us, we can’t just think about the people who support us here and now, what about all the people in the past who have helped us get to where we are today? Stop and think about what you are sitting on right now? Rostropovich took for granted his chair, do we take for granted the pews that are always here for us? Do we take for granted this church that so many people over so many years have worked hard to provide for us? Actually, many of you were probably here when the original church was built, or when 20 years ago these pews were put in. If you were here then, let me say, “Thank You.”
As we give thanks for those who have provided for us, we need to ask ourselves, am I willing to give and serve and sacrifice so that there can be a chair here for the next generation? We have the opportunity in the months and really the years to come to help put a new roof on the building, and pay off our mortgage which will be a blessing to the generations who follow us. My hope is that 20 years from today there will be a pastor standing right here saying that the congregation gathered for Thanksgiving that year can’t take for granted those who went before them, but that they need to stop and give thanks for a congregation that 20 years ago said, we are going to put a new roof on the building, and we are going to put in a new Heating and AC system, and we are going to pay off the mortgage so our children and grandchildren will have a place of worship and ministry, and just a place to experience life and faith together. My other hope is that many of you will also be here 20 years from today actively involved in the life and mission and ministry of Faith Church.
So the chair reminds us that we can not take for granted all the love and grace that God has given us and all the people God has given us, but the chair also reminds us not to take for granted the world in which God has placed us. If we look at Psalm 65:9-13 we see all the things God gives us for which we need to give thanks. God provides water for the land. He sends showers to soften the earth so food will grow. God blesses the crops and brings forth the harvest, a harvest which we will share in this coming week, and because of the water, grain and livestock that God provides, we are able to experience not just the feast of Thanksgiving, but all the joy of life. Everywhere we turn in this world we can see something for which we can give thanks; the question is will we take the time to thank God? Will we take the time in the middle of family, food, football and the frenzy of this season to simply stop and give thanks to God, the one who created and gives us everything?
Do you know that the number one command of scripture isn’t to love God or love our neighbor – it is to remember. Over and over again God calls us to remember who he is and what he has done and the reason God calls us to remember so many times is because God knows that in the midst of all the busy-ness of life, we will forget and will take for granted all that he has given us. So this thanksgiving, take an empty chair and put it at your table as a reminder to give thanks to a great God for all that he has done, and allow the empty chair to remind you of all the people who have shaped your life and continue to love, serve and care for you, and allow the empty chair to be a reminder that the God who created the heavens and the earth is still the God who listens to us, forgives us and draws us close to him.
On Nov. 9, 1989, 20 years ago this month, Rostropovich heard that the Berlin Wall was coming down and the communist regime in East Germany was falling apart. His heart was full of gratitude because he knew with the whole Eastern bloc coming undone, his exile from Russia would soon be over and he would be able to return home. As news of the Berlin wall coming down spread, Rostropovich thought about how he might be able to express his thanks and gratitude for this great moment, so he came up with a plan. He caught the first plane he could to Berlin, jumped into a cab and told the driver to take him to the wall. When he arrived at the wall it his intention was to play his cello, but when he got there he realized that he suddenly had to worry about something he had never had to worry about before: a chair. You can't play the cello without a chair and in every concert or rehearsal he had played the chair had always been provided for him. Never before in his life did Rostropovich have to worry about a chair, but now he had to find one. So he began knocking on doors of homes close to where the cab had let him off and finally a German family produced a small kitchen chair and Rostropovich was able to sit in that chair in front of the wall and play his cello.
What Rostropovich played that day, was a piece of music he had never recorded. He played a Bach cello suite and when asked why he chose that particular piece, he said, I chose Bach to say thank you to the great God. Bach is known as a sacred composer who often expressed his faith and trust in God through music, and so Rostropovich chose that specific composer as his way of thanking God for the changes that were about to take place. I don’t know if Rostropovich had Psalm 65 in mind, but look at verse 8, those living far away fear your wonders (or they are in awe of your power and strength) and as morning dawns and evening fades (or when a new day is coming – when there is a new beginning) you, God, call forth songs of joy. In the new day of freedom that was coming for Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, God called Rostropovich to come forth with songs of joy and a Bach cello suite was the song he chose.
Before his death in 2007, Rostropovich was able to return to Russia and he held several concerts in his homeland. This month we have celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and as we think about that historic event and the testimony of this amazing musician, I want us to think about one simple thing, the chair. In this season of thanksgiving, this chair reminds us of all the things in life that we take for granted, but shouldn’t. Rostropovich had always taken for granted that there would be a chair to sit on when he wanted to play the cello. As the wall was coming down, not only did Rostropovich give thanks to a great God, but he began to give thanks for all the people who helped provide for him and take care of him throughout his life. Sometimes it’s when things aren’t there when we need them, or when they are suddenly taken away, that we realize just how important they are.
I wonder if that’s how the Pilgrims felt during the first year they struggled to survive in this new land. When they left their home in England in search of freedom, I wonder if they knew how hard it was going to be? In England they had everything they needed, life may not have been easy at times, but they had homes and food and clothes and doctors and a secure and stable life. They had what they needed, but when they arrived here, they had nothing. I’m sure there were times that first year when they realized just how much they had taken for granted when they lived back in England, in this new world they didn’t even have a chair. The first year for the Pilgrims was a difficult one. For every home they built, they dug 7 graves. Life was so fragile that I’m sure they didn’t take anything for granted and at that first harvest they stopped to gave thanks to a great God for all the simple things that he had provided, like food, shelter, the help of the natives, and a chair to sit on.
My fear is that because we have so much around us all the time that it becomes easy for us to take many things for granted, so maybe this chair can help remind us of all the things God has given us for which we need to stop and give thanks. If we go back to Psalm 65 we begin to see some of the things God has given us that we should never take for granted. Psalm 65:2 says, you who hear our prayers. Too often I think we take for granted that God hears our prayers. Think about it, every time we cry out to God – God is there. Whenever we are in need – God is there. Every single word we pray God hears and we can’t take that for granted.
If we read through the gospels we find many stories of people crying out to Jesus. There was the blind beggar who cries out Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me – and Jesus hears him and has mercy on him. Jesus heals the man and restores his sight. There are the 10 lepers who cry out to Jesus for healing and Jesus hear them and heals them. Jesus even hears those who cry out in the silence and the desperation of their hearts. There was a woman who had been sick for 10 years and in her desperation she silently reached out her hand to touch the hem of Jesus robe and while she doesn’t make a sound, Jesus hears the cry of her heart and heals her. God hears us – every word we cry out to him in our hearts – God hears and God responds according to his will and purpose and plan.
God not only hears us, but God forgives us. Look at Psalm 65:3. What I like about this verse is that it doesn’t say, when we sin (singular) that God forgives us, it’s when we are overwhelmed by sins (plural) that God forgives us. God knows that our failures and sins are going to be many in life. God knows that daily we will fall short of what he wants for us, and yet when we are overwhelmed by all of this sin, God forgives us. God’s love and grace is always there and we can not take that for granted. Everyday we need to give thanks to a great and gracious God.
So the chair can remind us that God is always with us to listen and forgive and as it says in v. 5, draw us close to him, but the chair can also remind us of all the people God places in our lives to help us. Rostropovich took for granted the people who always provided for him a chair, but on that day he was thankful for a German family who gave him a chair. I wonder how often we take for granted those people who love, serve and care for us on a regular basis. As we gather with family and friends this coming week I hope we will take the time to give thanks for those closest to us who offer so much love and support, but there are so many other people that help and support us that too often we overlook. Too often we take for granted firefighters, police officers, emergency service personnel, doctors, nurses, teachers, the list goes on and on. There are so many people in our community that work hard to serve and protect us and too often we take them for granted, we just assume they will be there when we need them. Again, what a great time of year to stop and simply say thank you to all those who help us.
On Friday I was in the bank and in case you didn’t know, last week was bank teller appreciation week. At first I thought that seemed to be stretching things a little bit, but then I thought about how at the branch I use the tellers have always been nice to me, they have answered my questions when I had a problem and never made me feel bad if something I did went wrong, so when I got to the counter I made sure I took a moment to say thank you and let them know what a good job I thought they always did. The teller’s face turned all red and she got a big smile and said I was only the second person who had said thank you. We need to do a better job at appreciating those people who serve us. Even if it is there job to serve us, it means so much for people to hear those two words.
Can we send a note with our children to the schools thanking the teacher or custodian or principal for a job well done? Can we send a note to a doctor or nurse who helped us through a difficult time? Can we say thank you to those in our community who volunteer time and energy to help serve and protect us? I’m thankful that as part of our Christmas dinner we do try to remember and give thanks for the firefighters, police and emergency service workers in our community by making sure they have a dinner on Christmas day. And let me just say right now to all of you (because in some way or another all of you will help I know) thank you for working so hard and giving so much to feed so many on Christmas Day. You are not taken for granted, I and many many others appreciate all that you do in Jesus name.
As we remember and give thanks for the people who help us, we can’t just think about the people who support us here and now, what about all the people in the past who have helped us get to where we are today? Stop and think about what you are sitting on right now? Rostropovich took for granted his chair, do we take for granted the pews that are always here for us? Do we take for granted this church that so many people over so many years have worked hard to provide for us? Actually, many of you were probably here when the original church was built, or when 20 years ago these pews were put in. If you were here then, let me say, “Thank You.”
As we give thanks for those who have provided for us, we need to ask ourselves, am I willing to give and serve and sacrifice so that there can be a chair here for the next generation? We have the opportunity in the months and really the years to come to help put a new roof on the building, and pay off our mortgage which will be a blessing to the generations who follow us. My hope is that 20 years from today there will be a pastor standing right here saying that the congregation gathered for Thanksgiving that year can’t take for granted those who went before them, but that they need to stop and give thanks for a congregation that 20 years ago said, we are going to put a new roof on the building, and we are going to put in a new Heating and AC system, and we are going to pay off the mortgage so our children and grandchildren will have a place of worship and ministry, and just a place to experience life and faith together. My other hope is that many of you will also be here 20 years from today actively involved in the life and mission and ministry of Faith Church.
So the chair reminds us that we can not take for granted all the love and grace that God has given us and all the people God has given us, but the chair also reminds us not to take for granted the world in which God has placed us. If we look at Psalm 65:9-13 we see all the things God gives us for which we need to give thanks. God provides water for the land. He sends showers to soften the earth so food will grow. God blesses the crops and brings forth the harvest, a harvest which we will share in this coming week, and because of the water, grain and livestock that God provides, we are able to experience not just the feast of Thanksgiving, but all the joy of life. Everywhere we turn in this world we can see something for which we can give thanks; the question is will we take the time to thank God? Will we take the time in the middle of family, food, football and the frenzy of this season to simply stop and give thanks to God, the one who created and gives us everything?
Do you know that the number one command of scripture isn’t to love God or love our neighbor – it is to remember. Over and over again God calls us to remember who he is and what he has done and the reason God calls us to remember so many times is because God knows that in the midst of all the busy-ness of life, we will forget and will take for granted all that he has given us. So this thanksgiving, take an empty chair and put it at your table as a reminder to give thanks to a great God for all that he has done, and allow the empty chair to remind you of all the people who have shaped your life and continue to love, serve and care for you, and allow the empty chair to be a reminder that the God who created the heavens and the earth is still the God who listens to us, forgives us and draws us close to him.
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