Josh. 3: 7-17; Matt. 23: 1-12  After I?ve said, ?I will?  E/DC  Oct. 30/05

1. E ? Imagine what it must have been like for Moses not to see all his hard work in the wilderness come to fruition in the promised land.  So terribly hard to say good-bye.  It was for the people.  Our scripture last week tells us they wept to lose such a leader, such a person.  How could they go on?  One of the first things God does is remind them the Ark of the Covenant is God?s visible sign that ?I will be with you.?  Despite all the difficulties they had in the desert, in spite of all the grumbling and turning away, God?s first concern is that they will know, ?I will be with you.?  Pretty incredible love.

2. E ? And we have more signs to remind us.  The cross that says with power that God?s incredible love is with us no matter what happens, how unfair or difficult life is.  New life will come out of even the most painful times.  The sign of baptism.  So from our earliest memories, we know we are loved by God.  Saints.   The people God sends who love us no matter what, and hold up the hard truths about love and justice and generosity.  So we may still know God proclaims, ?I will be with you.?

3. E - Stewardship is our response to the amazing love and commitment of God to us.  Joining our ?I will? to God?s ?I will.?  It?s everything we do after we say, ?I will.?  In baptism our parents answer for us, and we begin to learn from them and our church family how we will respond to our own  ?I will? of confirmation.  It?s living out the commandments Jesus drew together.  Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbour as yourselves.

4. DC 1 How do Matthew?s baptism, a wonderful visiting choir, and stewardship connect in one service?  Stewardship is our response to the amazing love and commitment of God to us.  Joining our ?I will? to God?s ?I will.?  It?s everything we do after we say, ?I will.?  In baptism our parents answer for us, and we begin to learn from them and our church family how we will respond to our own  ?I will? of confirmation.  As we live both promises we begin to see that we give to the community, and also receive from them, like our choir today, in a wonderful sharing of all the gifts we?ve been given.

5. DC 2 The people Joshua was leading into the Promised Land had been given many incredible gifts in the desert.  Water, bread, meat, God?s leading.  Still it was very difficult and they complained and turned away.  Yet despite all the grumbling and unfaithfulness, one of the first things God does for Joshua and the people is to remind them that the Ark of the Covenant is God?s visible sign that ?I will be with you.?  God?s first concern is that they will know, ?I will be with you.?  Pretty incredible love. We have very different concerns, very different ways of seeing the world.  And important signs of God?s promise to us.  Like the sign of Matthew?s baptism.  So from our earliest memories, we know we are loved by God.  The first step of stewardship.  Second step our grateful response to that love.  Jesus summed up how we do that.

6. First, love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  When we do that, we are most whole.  Most energetic, most at peace.  Think of us as a circle.  Divide it in 4.  In each quadrant, there is one of: body, mind, emotions and spirit.  When we love God with our mind, we ask questions, keep our minds active and give ourselves opportunities for learning.  Choose what we spend time thinking about.  Loving God gives a healthy mind.  When we love God with our body, we take good care of what we put in it and how much, how we exercise according to our abilities, how we spend our time, getting time for rest.  A healthy body.  Loving God with our emotions, is admitting to ourselves and sharing honestly what we?re feeling, and taking responsibility for what I?m feeling ? not ?You made me?!?  Finding time for laughter, creativity and beauty.  Healthy emotions.  Loving God with our Spirit, is taking time to greet the spirit in me, and listen for Holy wisdom in private or public worship.  And inviting the spirit in me to greet the spirit in you.  The amazing paradox is that when we love God with our whole selves, we are also loving ourselves.  It?s how we?re re-created even in the midst of our most difficult times.  Good stewardship begins with ourselves.
7. Third part of stewardship.  And our neighbour as ourselves.  Another part of our response to God?s incredible love.  Another reason to make sure we love ourselves.  So we are able to love others.  Sometimes it is indeed a difficult choice to love.  Those either so like us it grates, or so unlike us, it?s hard to understand how they think and feel and act.  The good news is that God also helps others choose to love us when we?d otherwise be rather difficult to love as well!

8. There?s a popular saying that it takes a village to raise a child.  I agree.  I?d also add it takes a whole congregation to raise a mature adult.  Each one brings such different gifts, abilities, training, experience, and resources.  We need everyone.  That?s why when people tell me they don?t need to come to church to be a good person, I tell them I agree.  And that we need them.  With their unique gifts and personality.  It?s not just about what I need, is it?  And at times I may be able to give differently ? either of my money or time or energy.  The beautiful poem ?Footsteps? talks of us being carried by Christ at those most difficult times in our lives.  Our faith community does that as well.  I may need to be carried for a time, and then it will be my turn to carry others.  Other times we work together in team.  That?s also one of the reasons it?s so important to have a church in our communities.  We share not only the Gospel, but our very selves.  A visible sign of all we believe.

9. E - This congregation is taking a hold of our stewardship challenges well.  Way back in winter we dared to dream about what we hope for St. A?s UC.  We wanted there to be a church in 5 years.  We wanted to balance our budget.  A second goal is help our congregation grow.  Inviting and welcoming people into our congregation was part of this beginning with a brochure that went out to all households.  We recognized how personal invitations are the very best way of spreading the good news of how important our church family is.  And we?re seeing how well that works!  And we still have room for more!  We thought some special events would be good.  And we had the wonderful play Billy Sunday and the delicious desserts.  There?s a special charge event ? Prairie Chaff choir, this Sunday.  We thought intentional car-pooling might help, so I hope someone who is going, will call out after worship for people to sign up for a ride.  We now need to decide if fundraising will be our way to meet the budget or our own prayerful stewardship response.  We wanted to clear out the front and clean up and a lot?s been done.  More opportunities in the nursery.  Paint would brighten it up a lot.  New toys and regulation playpen would make it safe and inviting.  We have people sharing their ministry in choir and special music, hymn committee, worship committee, coffee and fellowship, M&P, Presbytery, repair and maintenance, SS, Book club, and board.  In all of this, there?s energy and joy as faith grows and the Spirit is welcomed even more deeply into our lives and ministry together.  As people accept that their work with and for the church and in their families and communities and work places is ministry also, all becomes more filled with meaning and purpose.

10. DC - This congregation is taking a hold of our stewardship challenges well.  Way back in winter we dared to dream about what we hope for DC?s UC.  We wanted there to be a church in 5 years.  We wanted to balance our budget.  Last year putting out the word to those who regularly support us brought in generous contributions that enabled us to meet our budget.  We invited the Moyer?s to do their play Billy Sunday and had an amazing dinner theatre.  We now need to decide if more fundraising will be our way to meet the budget or our own prayerful stewardship response. A second goal is help our congregation grow.  A suggestion by several was more fellowship events, and we have a volunteer for that for the New Year.  We now have some volunteers to get a nursery started, and some people to use it and help with it.  We need new toddler toys and a regulation playpen to make it safe and inviting.  We have people sharing their ministry in special music, hymn committee, worship committee, M&P, Presbytery, SS, coffee and fellowship, repairs and maintenance, Book club, Presbytery, Retreat Committee and board.  In DC there are so many different ways you share your ministry with the community.  The boards and foundations all need people.  It can be draining and discouraging.  Or life-giving as we are re-created in good stewardship for ourselves, and others.  The fine art of saying no.  And celebrating all we do have.  Recognizing the gift of community in DC.

11. Our Season?s of the Spirit resource created a poem from last week?s scripture from Thessalonians.  It could be entitled Stewardship.  (DC It?s certainly how we ask God?s help to live as the new Church family for Matthew.)

Be bold!  Be Gentle!  Embrace love?s warm flow around, among you.

Abused, knocked down here and abroad, we feel the Spirit rising, and you are a part.

Joy, strength, the Spirit we call Holy guides me in guiding you.

The same Spirit who guided Moses, Joshua, Silas and Chloe, Timothy and Lydia.

This Spirit spirals, swirls, turns until all is God and God is all in you, in us,

In this Spirit?s power nothing can keep us down.

As we share Spirit, selves, souls with one another,

May God witness to our witness;

To our hearts intertwined pulsing with Love.

May God continue to bless us in our ministry together.  As we join our ?I will? to God?s ?I will be with you!?