Accomplishments and Attempts, Jan 27, 2008

Isaiah 9:1-4
Mathew 4:12-23
On the day of Annual Gatherings, be it for a Corporate Meeting, or a Birthday, or Anniversary, or at a Memorial at the end of a Life, there is always a question of what did we accomplish, has anything we worked at mattered, what can we point to and say this is the thing we did this year, with all we had.

Speaking with a friend serving another church, she described with pride “We increased the endowment by 20%”, which really meant someone had died and left the church a million dollars. Earlier this year, someone reflected upon our year, and described that the one thing, the only thing we had done, was to build a clinic in Africa... At the time I wanted to interrupt and ask what about, and what about, but realized that all this would do would be a defensive argument, so withdrew to a more opportune time. That is a powerful phrase that MATTHEW gives us about Jesus. None of the other evangelists use it, and Matthew describes Jesus in this way 10 times. Rather than protesting the arrest of John the Baptist, JESUS WITHDREW. Rather than fight with the crowd, JESUS WITHDREW. Having been tested by the Pharisees and Scribes, NONE DARED ASK HIM QUESTIONS and HE WITHDREW. More than a statement of Apathy or of Non-VIOLENCE, Matthew recognizes that Jesus MADE ATTEMPTS and if people did not accept he withdrew and ATTEMPTED AGAIN, ANEW. That is what God does, NOT a grand plan where every decision is PREDETERMINED for us, but in this circumstance God tries to get through to us, and if we accept well and good, if not God withdraws and ATTEMPTS ANEW, then God WITHDRAWS & ATTEMPTS ANEW. We imagine life this continuous uninterupted PATH OF ACCOMPLSHMENTS, a Ladder of Successes, stepping stones to greater responsibility, but life is more a dance, of ATTEMPTING and TRYING AGAIN.

I recall a year ago, after referencing that one of the tranisitions we had made as a congregation was acceptance of the idea of each of us “holding up and being held as a child of God”. That for the last decade the Pastor had been going out into the congregation during worship to comfort a child and using that as an image of what we each seek in worship and faith, to be UP HELD, TO BE COMFORTED, TO BE CARED FOR as if OUR PRESENCE IN LIFE MATTERED. Going a step further, we suggested that as the church is a MINISTRY OF BELIEVERS we could each hold and comfort another's child, challenge and comfort one another, and then proceeded to take every child and give them to someone else to hold and care for throughout the worship service. And very SUBTLEY, so much so you may not have noticed, Deacons and neighbors in the pew have begun to do this on a regular basis this year. Would that we could carry that even a step further. Rather than waiting for parents to have a need for someone to care for their child while they do otherwise, if we could seek others out and suggest “You had a baby six months ago, have you gotten out much since? Would you like to have tea together, or could you allow me to have time with the baby while you do something for you?

With the wisdom of Solomon, Someone offered that they would pledge a gift if others would match it, and together we would lower the Adjustable Rate Mortgaged Debt of the Church, paying of $200,000. Not only did the congregation do so, but the Session took this as a statement of faith and commitment and invaded the Church's Financial Reserves to repay the debt, by in essence borrowing from ourselves. What we had not planned on, was that another individual with a GRACE FAR SURPASSING ANNANIAS & SAPHIRA would assess their priorities and their IRA and 401K payouts and elect to begin to contribute to the Church, while they could enjoy seeing what this would do.

Over the summer those in the Bell Choir and those who just played for fellowship took a week-long class together, and out of this we now have the Chancel Bells, the Fellowship Bells, the Em-Bell-ishments and the JAZZ-iBells.

TWO SISTERS died within a year and left the church a gift that allowed us air conditioning.
A BOY who had gotten into trouble, was never forgotten/ continually prayed for, and grew into a man, now to be elected as an Officer and Servant of the Church.
I am awed and overwhelmed to describe that ecumenically, we have been invited to share in leadership at Funerals and Baptism with the catholic Church.
We were allowed to celebrate that Refugees who came to us seven years ago, have now become AMERICAN CITIZENS, one graduated CUM LAUDE from LeMoyne College and has enlisted in the UNITED STATES ARMY, others have Married and Gave us the OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE IN A WEDDING none will soon forget.
BUT ATTEMPTS are not always ACCOMPLISHMENTS. Part of what it means TO FOLLOW CHRIST is to REACH OUT without Knowing, without Controlling the Outcomes of where we go. That is hard for us to let go of. We are destination driven, outcome based and we thrive on CONTROL, on our own Self-Determination.

Years ago, in another church, there was a desire for an OUTDOOR WORSHIP AREA. Having received several small endowments we put these together and bought 40 Norway Spruce seedlings at $25 each. Carefully, we laid out a double circle, spacing the holes, filling them with peat and manure. Three times a week, every week, we watered and cared for the seedlings, until winter came. The following spring we discovered that the deer and woodchucks had had a feast, all that was left were 3 of the 40. Undaunted, someone planted a Dozen more. When the summer's drought burned up 6 of these, many began to wonder, but every year there was an attempt to plant several, knowing only a few would survive. Twenty years later, there is a beautiful outdoor Sanctuary, and the description that is upheld is “ISN'T IT WONDERFUL THAT THOSE WHO PLANTED THIS PLANTED ONLY A FEW EACH YEAR TO STAGGER THEIR HEIGHT & ARRANGEMENT.”

There is an integrity in reading these pasages together, CALL of Disciples and PARABLE of TALENTS.
FIRST because we RATIONALIZE and REASON our way through the Gospel, as if saying to ourselves we need to FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS' TEAHINGS, we TRY TO ACCEPT JESUS AS OUR PERSONAL SAVIOR, we seek to be ETHICAL and MORAL MANAGERS, making good decisions. But there is a difference, “Following the example”, trying to “accept his teachings” makes GOD INTO A LESSON, A PHILOSOPHY THAT CAN BE MASTERED. Instead, we are CALLED TO FOLLOW CHRIST and LIVE OUR FAITH to BECOME.

MANAGERS look at all the resources they have, and determine what is the least expensive, how can I best manage and distribute among what I possess. LEADERS listen and seek for what needs to be done.
There is a beauty in Jesus having caled FISHERMEN, for fishing is not a team sport of trying to outwit or outplay the other, not looking for who is fastest or strongest, or smartest. FISHING allows the individual to wade out into the water, to push off from shore, and imagine what would this element of nature desire? A fly, a spoon, a worm, a minnow, marshmallows? Be creative, imaginative, what does this we do not kn ow hunger after? Once they have taken the bait, playing, dancing, competing against the elements of nature themselves to catch what no one else ever has done. All the while knowing that n the end there is a STORY TO TELL.

This year, we attempted to have an INNOVATIVE WORSHIP ON SUNDAY NIGHTS and two people came. We had OPEN THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSIONS and one came. Sometimes we need to withdraw and try again at a different tme anew.

One of the most amazing parts of going to Sudan recently, was eharing fresh applications of the Bible. Listening as people described that LIKE THE TOWER AT BABEL people were content to settle in a place and work together, until different dialects and new words of a new generation arise. The way you form a new TRIBE is to form a new language or dialect. Listening as the Medical Professionals described that there are reasons for INFERTILITY, both natural and acquired, and how privledged we are to live in an era where our future is not determined by having numerous sons and daughters to provide for us. Learning that there is a parasite, called the GUINEAWORM that as a microscopic organism burrows up through a person's foot or hand, where it grows in the arm or leg until it dies, then the white blood cells attack this foreign body and it burns. Often described as BURNING SERPENTS, this is the story n Moses of the people who had complained being inflicted by these, and the difficulty that f you try to cut them out, or can get hold of the end, they just break off, but that piercing the arm or leg with a small sharp stick you can carefully twist winding the serpent up to extract whole, like the Doctor's symbol for medicine.

But there was yet another, so blunt and direct, it was impossible to miss. Three years ago, visiting this same place, before I left to go on a far journey returning home to America, I disributed gifts and pledges. I had been asked to carry a cardboad box full of money as years of salaries to people who had not been paid. I gave a family a significant gift that allowed them to get their son out of trouble and return a Prodigal home. I also gave a man, whom many did not, but who called himself Rural Deacon Elijah, a gift for purchase of oxen and plows to develop a cultivation program. I gave to a man who asked for $20 a twenty dollar bill. And promised, that somehow, though at the time it was unclear, we would create a clinic for health care. Returning to that Village, all those whose salaries had been reimbursed now had new jobs, the compound was greatly enhanced with trees and buildings and crops being planted. The Prodigal, had not only come home, he now owned a hotel and cars and businesses. Asking about Elijah, and describing the gift, I was taken to a neighboring village, where there was a man named Elijah, who did have the oxen and plows and was cultivating fields, but he was not the man I had given it to. Apparently, who ever accepted responsibility for this project, acquired the name Elijah and kept it going until someone else came along to con tnue it. But also, seeing the man who had asked for $20, he took me by the hand and led over to a place where he dug in the ground and pulled out a large SNAIL SHELL, inside of which was the $20, which nothing had been done to, it had not been lost, it had not been risked, it was held for the possibility you might one day return.