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Sermon November 18, 2018
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Annual Meeting
Pentecost 26, Proper 28, Track 1
http://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Pentecost/BProp28_RCL.html
And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
Please be seated
Recently, I’ve been in discussions where I notice a strong scarcity mentality. It’s that either/or place. In one case, a person was concerned that if people in their parish gave money to the Episcopal Home, there would be less money at their particular parish. In another case, it was a discussion about addressing racism and how if everyone were treated equally, it would mean that some people, most likely those considered White, would need to give up something so all could be equal.
I knew what I was hearing was coming from a place of scarcity, an either/or world view. In order for you to have something, I must give up something. There is not enough to go around for everyone, so I need to hoard and gather what I can for myself and my family. There’s not enough.
In the midst of these discussion, I flashed upon our garden. That garden was a beautiful lawn…beautiful grass, right Tootser. Yet, with some soil and hard work, that plot of ground produced hundreds of pounds of produce; definitely over 600! Okay, we did have to give up some of the grass and lawn of the backyard, that is true. And yet, look what that small plot of ground produced! So much abundance.
What if we believe there is enough for all of us? What if we live in a worldview of abundance? What if we understand there is enough and it’s just a matter of the will to make it all happen?
I love the verses from Hebrews we heard this morning. We are to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Provoke is an interesting word. It suggests strong action. It means to stimulate, cause, precipitate, goad. It’s a very active and action-oriented word. It also implies that we need some strong action to move us to the abundance of love and good deeds. That maybe love and good deeds don’t come to us naturally.
Yet, we all have heard time and time again that love isn’t love until you give it away. That love only expands and extends once you give it away. I hope that the story, life and teachings of Jesus Christ provoke you to love more. I hope that God’s mercy, forgiveness and love provoke you to good deeds.
Today we have our Annual Meeting. Our annual report details some of the ways we provoked each other to love and good deeds. We haven’t captured everything in this report. Yet, it is impressive and exciting. We come together and do so much. Right now, we’re buying gifts, clothes, books and grocery cards for 40 children for Christmas. We collected so many school supplies and backpacks.
We regularly collect food for the Food Bank and we had quite a Lenten altar. And this was in addition to the fresh produce we provided. Some of us donated produce from our own gardens plus the produce from the church garden and we estimate about 1,000 pounds was donated!
We visit with the people who live at the Commons and Gardens on a regular basis. We tithe our trusts to so many wonderful organizations and causes.
We maintain this beautiful meeting space and share it with others for game nights or art events or knitting and crocheting meetings or weddings or funerals.
We gather here or in Thompsontown each week to praise God and strengthen our faith. And so many of you make sure we can praise God and pray to God and share the communion meal and coffee hour too. You’re organists, readers, or on the Altar Guild or greeters or Eucharistic ministers, or acolytes or vergers. You’re teachers for adults and for children and youth. You provide refreshments for coffee hour or pot lucks. You take care of the yard. You meet in fellowship at the Wednesday breakfasts. You serve on Vestry or on a committee. You give money and you give time and you give your very selves.
It’s tiring to think of doing all of these things as a single individual. Yet, we come together and work together and there is abundance. There is love and there are good deeds. Together we provoke each other to this love and these good deeds.
This parish has done so for 143 years. Sometimes just a few people meeting in each other’s homes or in public places. Since 1889, meeting in this space or in Thompsontown – nearly 130 years in these spaces we continue to worship in today! We continue in the love and good deeds of those who came before us. We build the foundation for those who will come after!
Amen
