Click 2 Save: The Digital Ministry Bible

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I called my mom yesterday and told her she needs to order this book.

Click 2 Save

Click 2 Save: The Digital Ministry  Bible
by Elizabeth Drescher & Keith Anderson (click here to view on Amazon)

Jon actually told me about this book, so the credit really needs to go to him this time around (well – and to the authors).

What I like about this book is that it is PRACTICAL.  There is some theory in the very beginning – Drescher and Anderson talk about how the book came to be and why digital ministry is so important – but it very much is a guide for how to engage these different medias (mediums? media?) in your churches.

They talk about six specific types of digital media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs, YouTube and FourSquare.  They include demographics on who is using these platforms and offer suggestions for how your church can engage them.  There are different learning and using strategies presented, depending on whether you are a “novice” “oblate” or “superior” users.

At the end of the book there are profiles of pastors, church and faith-based organizations – how they are engaging these platforms and how digital ministry has enhanced their ministries.  Real life examples?  Yes, please!

There are also an array of surveys and interactive discussion questions that would be really helpful in a group setting!

The nice part is that this is not an exclusive “how to” manual.  Obviously every church is different and what works for one may not work for another - and the authors acknowledged this.  The key it to think about digital ministry within the context of your own ministry.

This book kind of blew me away.  I am obviously already engaging a lot of this media, but it just opened doors, windows and entryways into new ways of using them.  It also made me think about a few things …

  • … how I am utilizing my social media time (okay, okay, how I am wasting my social media time – I need to be more efficient!).
  • … how I want to separate my own personal media from the church’s media – this is easy on Facebook, but should I create a separate church Twitter account?  Instagram account?  Obviously I am not the pastor of the Sarah Congregational Church, but I live my ministry and that clearly shines through in my personal social media accounts.
  • … updating our church website – if I am using social media platforms correctly, I should be able to cut back on some of the content of our website (which will hopefully make the really important information more visible!).

Listen to this …

Digital ministry is relational and networked, and these relational networks reach far beyond the local church

Now, as it happens, we think this is true of all ministry. We take our cute on this from Jesus’ instructions to his most immediate disciples, who were called not to establish churches per se, but to journey throughout the nations … to share God’s healing love among God’s people … and to proclaim God’s kingdom … not as some futuristic fantasy, but as real and present in the love and compassion of one human being in relation to another. “They departed and went throughout the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere,” Luke’s gospel tells us (Luke 9:6). Christianity, it turns out, is a road trip, not a building. It is, that is, relational and networked. And, certainly, is mobile.

(‘…’ indicate scriptural references included)

Page. 176

Virtual “Amens” all around!

I hope y’all in enjoy this book as much as I did!  The authors are amazing – I reached out to both on Twitter and they engaged my conversation, followed me and encouraged me to follow up if I had questions.  So helpful!

Let me know what you think of it!

Pentecost Stole

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Another favorite stole of mine from Olivia at Stitchin’ Time …

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I actually bought this stole for my installation back in October of 2011. I didn’t shop around much for it – I liked my other stoles from Olivia, so when I saw this on her website I ordered it right away.

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It really is a perfect Pentecost stole. It’s not to over the top, but you definitely get the imagery of the day.

You know, it’s a shame Pentecost only comes around once a year …

:)

The Breath Of The Holy Spirit {Pentecost Altar Design}

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We had a wonderfully visual Pentecost celebration this weekend at RCC!

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Balloons are a confirmation tradition – it just makes things more festive. :)

The altar:

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I was inspired by this photo on Pinterest (I can’t get the embedding to work!) …

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I think I was so inspired by this because of how the steps to the altar were used in the design.  If you have the three-dimensional space, you may as well utilize it, right?

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For safety reasons I didn’t use as many candles as they did – and we actually did not light the big white candles until after the children went down to Sunday School.

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In terms of fabric, I bought the red and gold specifically for this installation (4 yards of red and 2 yards of gold).  The white fabric I had on hand (probably 1.5-2 yards).

(For those of you beginning to collect supplies for altarscapes, this may be helpful.  I had some red fabric, but it wasn’t long enough – I tend to buy out of the remnant bin a lot, which means you’re only getting about 1 yard of fabric.  Remnants are great for most designs, but it is helpful to invest in longer bolts of fabric (4-5 yards) for bigger installations every now and then.)

This was a simple, simple, simple installation!  Let me know if you have any questions!

On The Wings Of The Holy Spirit

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It was an honor to preach at Jon‘s installation this weekend!

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Here is my sermon … I was preaching with Westfield in mind, but I think it speaks nicely to experiencing transitions in ministry.  Enjoy!

(And if you live in the Danielson, CT area – check out the church!)

***

John 11:1-44

On The Wings Of The Holy Spirit

I come bearing gifts! Three of them, in fact (how Trinitarian of me).

The first gift comes with a story.

A few weeks ago the choir at my church was rehearsing before worship. I walked into the sanctuary as they were running through the hymn, “We’re Marching to Zion.”

The last time I sang this particular hymn was actually at Jon’s ordination in 2010 at Elon Community Church United Church of Christ in Elon, North Carolina. Now this was the south, where ever church was influenced by the Baptist Church; there was energy in the church when we sang that hymn. We sang, we moved, we clapped and we marched right on into Zion.

As I am sure you can imagine, the energy was not quite the same at my church that morning. I mean, let’s face it, New England country churches are not exactly known for moving, dancing and clapping during worship (YET!). And so I may have insinuated (okay, okay, I came right out and said it) that it seemed like our choir wasn’t so much marching into Zion as they were kind of, well, strolling into Zion.

I was told to just stick to preaching.

And that nobody would clap with me.

Fast forward a few weeks; I was telling Jon this story over dinner and we started talking about how we, as worship leaders, can bring some of that spirit and soul into our traditional churches without making people feel too uncomfortable. Jon told me that he always prepares people to sing “We’re Marching to Zion” by encouraging them to step outside of their comfort zones, to feel the Holy Spirit move through them and to sing out with passion and enthusiasm.

And then – and this was my favorite part – he usually removes his ring in preparation for the intense and spirit-filled clapping that will come during the refrain of the last verse.

That’s my kind of marching.

So, Jon, my first gift to you this afternoon is a bowl. It was made by Lindsey Epstein, who owns a pottery studio in Rehoboth. As you continue in your ministry with this community, as you continue to breathe a new spirit into worship and as you continue to journey with them through new and different experiences, may you always have a place to put your ring when you make people clap with you during a hymn.

I wanted to share this story because, not only will we be marching into Zion later on in the service, it reminds us that transitions in ministry – whether it be transitions in leadership, transitions in church structure or transitions in the period of time that we are living in – are multifaceted. There is always a lot going on. They force us to get our hands dirty; they encourage us to try new things; they can be hectic and confusing; and sometimes they make us uncomfortable.

But one way or another they always find a way for us to feel the breath of the Holy Spirit.

A lot of this is already happening at Westfield Church. As someone watching from the outside, I have been a witness to some spectacular things like Victorian Christmas, beautiful fabric installations and altarscapes and a church-wide painting effort that spruced up the common areas of the building. Members and friends of Westfield Congregational Church, let me assure you that something incredible is happening in your midst right now.

We just heard a reading from the gospel of John that speaks volumes. In addition to a story of the miraculous healing of a man named Lazarus, we start to see signs of the invitation that Jesus extends to us into the priesthood of all believers, of Jesus’ call for us to be the Body of Christ.

I read a commentary on this text that said, “Like much of the rest of this Gospel, the passage points repeatedly to the importance of the act of believing (always a verb in John, never [a noun]).” {West, Audrey – Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 2, Page 141}

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” And Martha replied to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, I believe.”

And after he arrived at the tomb and told Martha to remove the stone, Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

First and foremost, Jesus calls us to believe. Jesus calls us to believe in God, the powerful creator, to believe in the teachings and the truth of the Gospel and to believe in the sustaining presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus reminds us through the healing of Lazarus that belief is not something we have, it is something that we do. Jesus does not want us to be seeking belief in our lives, rather he wants us to live our lives believing.

I think the same is true with the church. We cannot look for belief in the church, we have to believe in the church. We have to believe in the church if we want it to experience healing and growth. We have to believe in the church if we want it to thrive. We cannot wait for something miraculous to happen in order to believe in the church, we have to believe in the church in order for something miraculous to happen.

You – as a congregation – have to believe in this church. You have to believe in your ministry, both inside and outside its walls. You have to believe, not only in who you are, but also in who you can be. You have to believe in one another as you journey together.

Lazarus – a man who had been dead for four days – walked out of his tomb alive. It truly was a miraculous expression of the act of believing. What awaits this church through the act of believing? The possibilities are endless.

This story also reminds us that – in addition to calling us to believe – Jesus calls us to be part of his ministry in the world. The healing of Lazarus was not complete when he walked out of the tomb. Jesus then said to the people, “Unbind him and let him go.” Jesus called the people of that community into his healing ministry; he called them to help nurture and strengthen Lazarus and to be part of the resurrection that was happening in his life.

Jesus invokes healing in the world, but he also calls us to be part of that healing as well. We have to be active participants in the Body of Christ in order for the Body to function well.

In the New Testament, the second chapter of the Letter of James reminds us that, “faith by itself, it is has no works, is dead.” {NRSV James 2:17} In a similar way – a church, without works, is also dead. Without strong and vibrant leaders, a church will not thrive. Without strong and vibrant leaders, a church may not even live.

And when I say “leaders,” I am not talking about the pastor.

Do I think that you have made an absolutely wonderful choice in calling Jon to be your pastor? Yes! Do I think that Jon will energize you, push you and lead you in transformative directions? Yes!

But Jon is not Westfield Congregational Church. YOU are Westfield Congregational Church. This is your church. And your church needs you to be an active participants in its life and ministry in order for it to grow and to thrive.

When someone is ordained, it is common practice for ordained clergy to come forward and take part in the ancient tradition of the laying on of hands.

When Jon was ordained, he not only invited ordained clergy, but he invited everyone who was present that day – EVERYONE! – to come forward and lay their hands on him. When I asked him why he said to me, “Because we are all part of the priesthood of all believers.”

Jon, my second gift for you this afternoon is a poster of a photograph I took at your ordination. You asked me specifically to capture this moment, the moment when the priesthood of all believers came to life in that space and affirmed your ministry. You never wanted to stand alone in ministry – not even for a second. From the very beginning, you wanted to be part of something much bigger.

Westfield Congregational Church, with this gift, I invite you into this moment three years ago – and I also invite you to create your own moments like this in the days, weeks, months and years to come. Know that this church needs you. This church needs you to accept the invitation extended to you into the priesthood of all believers, to heed Christ’s call into the Body of Christ and to be a minister within this community of faith. You all have so much to give, so many passions and talents to share.

The real work of Christ did not end with his death, it only began. There is so much more work that needs to be done. This text demands of us full participation in the Body of Christ. Jesus demands of us full participation in the Body of Christ.

And the vitality of this church demands of you full participation in the Body of Christ.

I am not saying that this will always be easy. As we celebrate today remember that we are living and ministering within the imperfections of a human world and the church is no exception. Your journey together may not always be smooth. You, as a congregation, will make mistakes. Jon will make mistakes. You will face conflicts. You will not agree on everything. And you may not always like each other.

But on this day of Pentecost, remember that we are all united by a spirit. Through the best of times and the worst of time, you will be strengthened and lifted up by the Holy Spirit.

(And when the Holy Spirit is not enough, make sure you have an ample supply of Cherry Coke Zero.)

I cannot think of a better day than Pentecost to celebrate Jon’s installation. There is a spirit alive and at work at Westfield right now. It exists within the community and it exists within every single one of you.

Through the creativity of some and the hard work of many, we are surrounded by beautiful and tangible expressions of the Holy Spirit in the sanctuary. And later on in the service, everyone will be given a piece of this installation; a reminder to you that the Holy Spirit is with you always – strengthening both you and this community.

So – Believe always. Actively participate. And feel the spirit move.

You are the Body of Christ. You are the priesthood of all believers. You are Westfield Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, united, strengthened and lifted up on the wings of the Holy Spirit.

And it is good. It is very, very good.

Thanks be to God!
Amen.

A Letter To The 2013 Confirmation Class

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Sunday’s sermon – so proud of my Confirmation Class!

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A Letter To The Confirmation Class

Dear Caleb, Rachel, Sophia and Abbie,

I cannot believe that our time together is over. It seems like just yesterday that we gathered for the first time in Fellowship Hall and began talking about what it means to think about faith.

When our discussions first started, you always kind of silently looked at me with perplexed expressions on your faces. “Why does Rev. Sarah keep asking us for our thoughts and opinions?” your faces always seemed to read. “Isn’t she supposed to be teaching this class?”

Well … yes.

But … no.

Confirmation is about learning about the church – both the Church universal and the church that we are a part of. But it is also about starting to explore your own faith. Because as you prepare to take part in the Rite of Confirmation, as you get ready to affirm your baptismal vows and become a member of the Rehoboth Congregational Church, I think it is important that you not only know about the histories and traditions of the church that you are joining, but that you also start to think about how you can influence the future of it as well.

At the very beginning of our time together, I asked you and your mentors to write down what you would change about the church if you had unlimited funds and no other limitations. While the mentors scribbled furiously about paint, air conditioning, increased staff and more, you all politely looked at one another and then at me. “I don’t know,” you kept on saying. “I think the church is okay!”

Caleb, Rachel, Sophia and Abbie – you were right. The church is okay – in fact, I may be biased, but I think our church is pretty spectacular and in an incredible place right now.

But that was not the point of the exercise.

The point of the exercise was to get the four of you to start to take stock in this church, for you to feel like the church is just as much yours as it is your mentors, your parents and the people who have been members for their whole lives. And while you weren’t quite ready to make that list back in the fall – I think you may be now.

Over the past nine months, the four of you have completely opened up. You have actively taken part in our conversations and asked insightful questions. You have stepped up, both in worship and in the community. You led worship in various capacities throughout the year – and read strongly, even at those times when I asked at the last minute and only gave you a few minutes to prepare.

As we continued to meet throughout the year, I watched as each of you engaged within the life of the church. You attended fundraisers and community events. You helped out in the church school and with the missions committee. You were – and I hope continue to be – active participants in Senior High Youth Group events. Without complaint, you showed up at the Anawan at 5:45 on Easter morning to lead the Sunrise Service AND you rolled almost $400 in coins after our One Great Hour Of Sharing collection. You never seemed to come and be involved because anyone was making you; you always seemed like you genuinely wanted to be here.

Sometimes it is hard for teachers to really know what their students are absorbing. And since I am a firm believer that Confirmation should not involve tests, I always have to take it on faith that you are learning and growing throughout the process.

A few weeks ago, I realized I had nothing to worry about.

The five of us were meeting in my office to plan the worship service that you led on May 5th. Because one of our meetings had been cancelled we were running out of time to plan and I was not really sure how the service would come together. And you know me – I get a little bit picky about worship.

Well, you outdid yourselves.

I hope I never forget the joy I felt in my heart as I worked at my desk and listened to the four of you dig through hymnals, bibles, concordances and liturgy to put together that service. You were thoughtful and faithful in your planning. You laughed and had fun with the process. You wanted to make sure the service had a theme, made sense and flowed together. You worked together to write a beautiful description of the service without any help from me. You wanted the congregation to find meaning in the worship you were putting together.

And they did.

I received so many calls, messages, emails and texts in the week that followed that service telling me what a wonderful job the four of you did.

I think if I were to ask you today what you would change about the church if you had unlimited funds and no other limitations, the conversation would be different than it was nine months ago. And not because you really want change anything – because you know that you do have a voice, that this is your church and that you are ready to become members.

If you take one thing away from this year, let it be this: Faith is truly a journey. You will never find all the answers, understand completely and know exactly what you believe. And that is okay. Because you are constantly growing, moving and changing. Just enjoy the journey.

As we celebrate Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit within the Church, remember that as a member of the Church universal, you are always strengthened, supported and lifted up by the Holy Spirit.

But as we celebrate the four of you on this Confirmation Sunday, remember as well that as a member of the Rehoboth Congregational Church, you are always strengthened, supported and lifted up by the people sitting in this sanctuary today.

I am so proud of you.

Wishing you grace – unexpected,
Rev. Sarah

p.s. Confirmation does NOT mean you get to stop coming to church.

Thanks be to God!
Amen.

A Perfect Pentecost

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I had the most incredible Pentecost yesterday!

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It started with a service at RCC where we confirmed our four 9th graders …

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And continued in Westfield Congregational Church where I preached at Jon‘s installation. Such an honor to be asked!

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A perfect day indeed. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do!

White Pathways Stole

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Not a new stole, but certainly an old favorite!

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This stole was an ordination gift from my congregation in Connecticut.  They bought it from Olivia at Stitchin’ Time.  She does wonderful work!  And she is so nice to work with – sweet and accommodating.

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This was my first (and for awhile, only) white stole, so it has gotten a lot of use.  I’m happy to have some new white ones to add into the rotation, but this is still a favorite for funerals and anytime I am using imagery of life and journeys.

Keep up the good work, Olivia!  I’ll make another order soon. :)

Altarscape: God’s Work In Our Lives

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Sometimes I use altarscapes as more of an intentional visual aid for my sermon. Sunday’s altar was a great example of this!

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I opened the sermon with a story about these shells, as well eluded to white stoles throughout the Easter season towards the end of it.

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I really wanted both the white stoles and shells to pop, so I covered the table in a royal purple fabric and put the stoles over it. Then I piled black sand on a tile and placed the shells there.

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I stepped back and realized it needed something, so – as an afterthought – I brought in the tea lights.  The light reflected really beautifully off of the glass and sand.

I like the way this came together.  Click here to read the sermon!

God’s Work In Our Lives

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This morning’s sermon – enjoy!

***

Acts 16:9-15
John 17:20-21, 25-26

God’s Work In Our Lives

Look at these shells.

They are beautiful, aren’t they?

I picked them on a Thursday morning on Captiva Island in Florida in January of 2011. I had flown into Florida the day before to interview for a job at a church on Sanibel Island.

My phone rang while I was picking up shells; I looked down – it was Bruce. He was in New York City, which was in the process of digging out after (what the media was dramatically referring to as) “Snow-mageddon 2011” hit the northeast. The following conversation ensued:

Sarah: Hey – what’s the snow situation up there?
Bruce: Sarah – there is SO much snow! They are reporting over 20 inches in Central Park. The entire city is actually shut down, it’s crazy! I have never seen anything like this before.
Sarah: Wow!
Bruce: So what are you doing?
Sarah: Well … I’m walking on the beach picking up seashells. It’s a beautiful morning – I think it is supposed to hit 80 degrees today!

::silence::

Sarah: Are you still there?

I never confirmed this, but I have a feeling that in that moment Bruce probably debated hanging up on me.

My flight home was delayed that afternoon, giving me a lot of time alone to think. I thought while I walked the beach, while I took pictures of the ocean and while I stared at the palm trees out the windows of the airport.

I thought about the church, the people I had just met and the position that I was interviewing for.

I thought about how frustrating the search and call process was – and how badly I wanted to find a job; to be settled into a pastoral position at a church so I could really begin my vocational ministry.

When I finally made it home to Connecticut I continued to think about all of these things. I thought throughout the weekend and until Tuesday evening when I received a phone call from the chair of the search committee at that church in Sanibel.

They offered me the job.

I should have been ecstatic. Not only had I been offered a job and not only had I been offered an opportunity to be in ministry with good and kindhearted people that I really enjoyed meeting and spending time with, but – y’all – I had been offered a job in Sanibel Island! No one in their right mind turns down a job in Sanibel Island.

But something else happened that weekend. In the midst of thinking about this church in Florida, I also had a conversation over Skype with a search committee at a church in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

And there was something about that conversation that I couldn’t quite shake.

So the next day – while it sleeted outside – I made a phone call and turned down the job in Sanibel Island.

I visited Rehoboth for the first time the following weekend. And that I feeling that I couldn’t shake after our conversation? It got stronger. And it actually started to make some sense to me.

When the call came from the chair of that search committee offering me that job, I did not hesitate – or talk to Bruce about it, actually – to accept.

You know, you never know when God is doing something great in your life and how it will affect the people you meet along your journey.

Less than two months later, as I was packing for our move to Rehoboth, I came across the shells that I had brought home with me from Sanibel. Truth be told, I was not exactly sure what to do with them. I was not really sure what they represented to me at that point.

The answer to that question becomes clearer and clearer to me the longer I engage in ministry within this community.

I put the shells in my office here at the church. Because besides taunting me throughout the cold and snow-filled New England winters, I think they represent a small piece of a larger story about God’s great work in our lives.

Let’s look at the first two verses of this morning’s passage from the book of Acts again:

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. {Acts 16:9-10}

It is imperative for me to point out that Paul did not originally intend to go to Macedonia. At this point in his ministry, Paul was traveling with two men, Timothy and Silas; they planned to journey next to the Roman province of Bithynia in the northern province of Asia Minor. But a man came to them in a vision and asked them to move in a different direction.

And they followed this voice and ended up in Macedonia, a place that we know today as Greece.

And this is how Christianity was brought to Europe.

You never know when God is doing something great in your life and how it will affect the people you meet along your journey.

We are in the midst of the Easter season at the church. In the Christian year – the one that starts at the beginning of Advent, at the very end of November or beginning of December – Easter is not simply a one day celebration; it is a season that lasts for several weeks.
Clergy continue to wear their white Easter stoles and themes of resurrection permeate throughout the music and liturgy. During this season preachers often take the opportunity to focus on texts from early on in the book of Acts, ones that show how the church really began to take form, grow and expand.

This Easter season reminds us the Christian Church did not just experience the resurrection once on that first Easter morning. The Church has experienced – and continues to experience – the resurrection every single day. We are Resurrection People; we live in a post-resurrection world, one where we know how the story of Jesus on the cross ends. And as Resurrection People we not only celebrate that story, but we also celebrates God’s continuing presence in in our lives today.

This story from Acts – a story about three men traveling to a new place to share the Gospel, meeting a woman Lydia and baptizing her and her family, expanding this new church to include the Gentiles – shows us tangibly how the Christian Church began to spread throughout the world. But it also reminds us that God is as much as part of our stories as we are. God pushes us in unexpected ways to unexpected places to share our stories and invite others into our faith and into our communities.

Paul planned to travel to the northern province of Asia Minor to share the Gospel; but God nudged him in another direction. And something pretty spectacular happened.

I turned down that first job offer because I felt as though God was nudging me in another direction. And I believe that something truly spectacular is happening here in this community.

But isn’t that what the Christian faith is all about? Heeding God’s call for us in our lives and watching in amazement as spectacular things happen?

Christ’s resurrection was a monumental moment that changed history and acted as a catalyst for a new religious tradition.

But the resurrection did not end there. It has continued within the lives of Christians over the past 2,000 years and it continues within our lives today. God works in the most mysterious of ways and places, moving us in new and different directions, yet continues to unite us as the Body of Christ along the way.

The gospel passage that we heard earlier affirms this to us as we are reminded of Jesus’ prayer to God, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,” – every single one of us – “that they may all be one.”

I read something this week that I thought was worth sharing. Kathryn Matthews Huey, author of a preaching resource called “Sermon Seeds” reflected on this passage from Acts and said the following:

The journey of Paul and Silas into new and unexpected place, in ministry with new and most unexpected people (women! Gentiles!), is the story not only of the early church but of the church throughout the ages. As we embark on God’s mission in our day and in our own setting as well as around the world, we are more, together, than simply the sum of our parts: we are the Body of Christ, at work, in the world that God loves. {Sermon Seeds Year C: Inclusive Reflections for Preaching from the United Church of Christ, by Kathryn Matthews Huey, page 133}

I passed East Providence High School yesterday and the marquee under the sign read, “Your story matters.” So true. Your story does matter. The way God is working in your life matters – it matters here in this church and it matters within the Christian story.

We will close our worship service this morning by singing the Easter hymn, “Christ Is Alive!” This reminds us to celebrate the resurrection every single day and listen to God’s still speaking voice nudging us along our journeys.

You never know when God is doing something great in your life and how it will affect the people you meet along your journey.

Thanks be to God!
Amen.

Exploration Of Faith

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This morning’s sermon … enjoy!

Matthew 9:28-29
Mark 5:36

Exploration of Faith

In her book Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts On Faith, Anne Lamott told a story about her son’s seventh birthday. Sam wanted to go paragliding in a tandem harness with an instructor, but she was petrified to let him go. “I told the instructor that we’d think about … but I already knew that I didn’t want to go,” Lamott recalled. “I do not have any illusions that I would make a good paraglider. What confused me, however, was how much freedom I was supposed to give Sam. I’m unclear about the fine line between good parenting and being overly protective.”

“The next morning, the day before Sam’s birthday,” Lamott wrote a few pages later, “I was still lying in bed when I remembered an anonymous poem I’ve seen several times over the years. I says that after we jump into the darkness of the unknown, faith lets us believe that we will either land on solid ground, or we will be taught how to fly.”

When we jump into the darkness of the unknown, faith lets us believe that we will either land on solid ground, or we will be taught how to fly.

There is a difference between faith and religion.

Religion is what we – human beings – have created and recreated over the years. It is Judaism and Christianity and Islam. It is Catholicism and Protestantism. It is the Congregational Church and now the United Church of Christ. It is why we are the Rehoboth Congregational Church.

Religion is important. It develops communities. It creates a sense of security. It organizes structure. It tries to explain the world and how we should live in it. It creates a livelihood for those who feel called into vocational ministry.

But it is not enough.

At its best, religion is insufficient. And at its worst, religion is divisive.

As the world continues to grow and evolve and becomes an increasingly more hectic place to live, I am convinced that humanity needs to focus less on religion and more on faith if we want any chance for peace to prevail.

Faith is a lot more personal that religion. It is something unique to every single person. I believe that everyone has faith, regardless of what they do or do not believe. It is an individual’s understanding of the world around them. It is a distinctive and inimitable belief. It is a person’s acceptance of and relationship with God.

Faith gives people a sense of comfort in a world full of the unknown. It gives them strength when they otherwise might be weak. It gives them love through anger, compassion through frustration and grace through imperfection.

Faith is something that we all hold inside of ourselves. It creates passion. It draws us out of our shells and helps us to see the world, not only as it is, but also as it should be – and could be. It ignites a spark that opens us up and allows us to be God’s ministers throughout the world.

Faith is something that Jesus carried with him – through his ministry, within his teachings and to his death on the cross – and it is also something that he prayed we would all carry throughout our lives and throughout our ministries.

The confirmation class planned our worship service this morning. The theme of the service, “Exploration of Faith,” not only opens a window and allows you to peak into the confirmation process, it also creates the opportunity for you to think about your own faith. It allows you to remind yourself of why you come to church, why you are involved in this community of faith and how you are being called by God to minister in this world. Exploration of faith implies that you are not looking for one specific answer; rather you are simply soaking up everything you find along your journey.

Faith is something that we must hold onto – through the best of times and through the worst of times. Our first scripture for this morning – a story about Jesus healing two blind men – reminds us that we are active participants in how our faith can affect our lives. Jesus asked the blind men, “Do you believe that I am able to [make you see]?” and they replied, “Yes, Lord.” And when Jesus heard this, he laid his hands on those men and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.”

The faith of those two men was just as important to their healing as the touch of Jesus was.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the world. But your faith should not add to that uncertainty; in fact, your faith should be the foundation that sustains you along your journey.

People often ask me, “How do you believe?” On a weekly basis, people are curious about everything from my belief in the existence of God to the inerrancy of scripture and doctrine to the relevance of the church. And my simple answer to that question, “How do you believe?” is always, “I just do.” Because I have found throughout the years that I am a much stronger and more Christ-like person if I allow belief to be my starting point and not my destination.

“But overhearing what they said,” reads our second scripture from Mark, “Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”

Do not fear, only believe. Faith is promised to us in scripture. And we are invited to engage that faith and see where it takes us.

Faith truly is a journey. You never reach a point where you finally figure everything out; you are constantly learning, growing and changing. And your faith will continue to open your eyes to the world around you and the possibilities that lie ahead.

For our life, for our religion and for our faith – thanks be to God!
Amen.