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You know
that our stewardship theme is "A Beautiful Journey." This
journey is our journey with God through our lives. Two weeks ago, we
showed you the poster and you received the brochure in the mail, or we
handed it to you in worship (if there is anyone that has not received a
brochure, please raise your hand).
Last week I went to my
"home" church, the Byfield Parish Church, and celebrated the
three hundredth anniversary of that fellowship. One of the wonderful
aspects of the Saturday evening meal was looking back at the history of
the church. Many of those that have trained for ministry at the church,
and/or served the church, in the last fifty years were invited to reflect
on their experience. Those of us that shared were asked to reflect on our
place at Byfield Parish and how that prepared us for the ministry we
participate in today.
After this, we had the
opportunity to have the pastor share from the writing of the pastor in
1783. He wrote of the experience of his children and those other children
of the community that grew up in the church and the effect they had on the
formation of Massachusetts and ultimately the birth of the United States.
He wrote of the struggle for the abolition of slavery before it became a
national concern in the nineteenth century. He wrote of the birth of the
Governor Dummer Academy, the writing and final draft of the Massachusetts
Constitution (which later effected the U. S. Constitution), and so much
more regarding the Parish participation in the birth of our nation.
When the people were
experiencing this era in history, it was not history it was their life.
When we look back we are able to see how the individual pieces fit
together to make the whole. The questions they asked are the questions we
continue to ask: "How can I come closer to God for a more beautiful
journey through life?" "How can I walk in the perfect will of
God and bring Him glory?"
Though they would not have
necessarily seen it at the time, we have the perspective of history and
can marvel at how a small community church effected the history of the
United States. What’s even more interesting is that if the current
pastor had not done his homework, most of us would not have known this
part of the truth of our nations glorious history. Sometimes history
remains obscure. However, if we are willing to remember we can see and
know the whole picture of God’s working in the life of the Body of
Christ.
Look at the poster. If we
stand close to it, we can’t see the whole picture. To see the whole
picture we must stand back to look. The purpose of our stewardship
campaign is to help us to stand back, take stock, and consider the
question: "How can I come closer to God for a more beautiful journey
through life?"
This brings us to the theme of
this morning’s message: "Come Closer to God." Look at the road
leading to the mountain in the distance. I’d like you to consider our
church as the summit of the mountain, and our visit each week as a journey
to get a better perspective of life. For some, coming to church is
considered an arduous affair, much like trying to scale a real mountain.
However, for many it is an exhilarating journey filled with moments of joy
and wonder.
It is easy to wander through
life without a specific destination in mind. However, for the journey to
have significance it is best to have focus. Seeking the face of our
Creator is where our journey begins. Gathering with others of like mind
and heart is the means by which we come closer to God. The Church, not the
building but the gathering people, is the second greatest gift that we
have next to the cross of Jesus Christ. If the Church is the summit from
which we gain perspective, then it is here that we find meaning and
purpose in life. Here, we form a foundation and a belief system for living
a full and enriching life.
To appreciate the true
significance of the church in our life, look at this picture and in your
mind’s eye make the summit disappear. What would we have left? We would
have a road, but where would it take us? Without the church, what would
words like honor, trust, truth, integrity, compassion, and charity, even
mean? Who would supply us the Golden Rule for living life? Could we look
to the world to supply us this wonderful thing we call hope?
This brings me to the last point about the
third element of stewardship called "resources." When we think
of our resources in life, we should always be aware that our financial
resources are only a tiny fraction of the resources we have at our
command. Think about your own life. Many of us can remember times when we’ve
been broke
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