“We give to God and his Church - Sacrificially” FUNDING OUR FUTURE - Sermon 3 Sunday 24th October 2010 - All Saints

Atacama Desert, Chile 

Do you know where the Atacama Desert is?   

On about the 5^th of August this year, I discovered that the bleak and dusty Atacama Desert is in northern Chile.  Not as a result of a sudden interest in Geography, or a foreign trip, but because the news broke that 33 men were trapped deep down in the San Jose mine.  They remained trapped for 69 days at the San Jose Mine.

Many years ago, I regularly went caving, and, as far as I can remember without fear but now even the thought of being trapped underground frightens me.   69 days trapped seems incomprehensible.  The last couple of months must have been bad, but by then they knew that they had not been given up.  A risky engineering solution for their rescue was being put together: “We should have them out by Christmas” we were told. 

But, what about those first 17 days when they had no clue that people on the surface had not given up hope for them, had God given up on them too?  Put yourself in their place for a few moments, what must have been in their minds as the temperature rose, food and water was running so low that they only ate a morsel every 2^nd day.  Just stop in that dark place.  How were they going to die, because that seemed the only likely outcome?  Would God intervene for their lives?   

Of course, now we know that all 33 were recovered, and in reasonable health (even the diabetic).  Many would say that this rescue came about because of the persistence of the search and recovery teams, urged on by the personal interest of President Pinera, the ingenuity of the large groups of scientist and experts descending on Hope Mine from many parts of the world.   

But, did God intervene or not?  We are told that there was plenty of prayer at and in the mine as well as in this church and many others, as well as our private prayer.  But, God does not, as far as I know, carry about a few hundred tons of mining equipment, but He knows someone who does!  Certain men and women do!  They were to be Gods hands, feet and promise.   

So what do we learn,

·         We may not need God as we used to because we have grown into quite omnipotent beings ourselves with the help of technology: God might as well be dead, but what about our spiritual dimension, has that kept up? 

·         We do need God, for a while, at least, for that first 17 days as it were; before we are able to take over from God.  ·         We do need God; but He also needs us to give our strength for material things to happen.  Our spirituality affects all aspects of our being so God is part of each one of us.  For this to work, we cannot ignore our spiritual being.  ·         Will you help by keeping at least this church (that is the people) properly equipped to do our work?  For this we need somehow to find an extra 50 or 60 thousand pounds a year and match it with a corresponding growth in spirituality to walk closely with God.   

To Zarephath 

Let’s slip back about nearly three millennia to Zarephath and journey with Elijah to the widow’s home.  I have always imagined her home to be rather isolated in a dusty desert region, like the Atacama Desert.  I say this partly because the previously nomadic tribes had not yet got the hang of agriculture and partly because of the drought (1Kings 17¹ brought about by God for the disobedience of King Ahab in worshiping Baal)   

What is different?  Obviously no trapped miners, but a widow and her son preparing to take their last meal in despair that there was no more food after that.  This was her 17^th day as it were and don’t be mislead, she was just as trapped as the 33 miners.  Probably many other people were in the same situation Just as they are today.  Would you dare ask her for her last morsel?  God did, through our companion Elijah.  And she responded, would you?   

That widow shows us what sacrificial giving is about.  A cynic would say that she knew that she was going to die with her son anyway, so if not tomorrow, why not today?  You may think, like I do, that because her spirituality could accept God’s word through Elijah:           

  “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said,; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.”  (1Kings 17¹³)  She accepted the reliable promise from God through Elijah that the jug of oil and bowl of grain would not run out until she no longer needed them.  This is very similar to Jesus’ promises to us of eternal life, but first, we have to come to Him.  I venture to say that this is difficult without the church and its infrastructure to support us and allow our spirituality to grow until we can reliably know what God will do for our sacrifice.   The widow gave all she had to you (remember I said that you were to accompany Elijah) and our saintly companion.  Will you do the same for this church, or at least pray about what and where God wants your contribution to His Kingdom.    Jesus Shows the Way 

As in so many aspects of our lives, Jesus has been there before us.  St. Paul gives us in his letter to the Philippian Church an idea of what Christ has given up for us.  Not just His life in the most terrible way on a cross, but His equality with God to become human, and a slave for all of us.  (Those of you who have kindly thought about my questionnaire on what Jesus knew about Himself and how He relates to the Father) Clearly, we are to share in the love of the Trinity and aspire to understand and emulate, as far as is possible, Jesus’ life, giving Glory to the Lord.   This is why we need to give sacrificially, to pay the many thousands of pounds that the church infrastructure needs to survive every year.   

Peter Fails Before he Has Begun What if I fail to meet this challenge to give sacrificially?   The answer to that question may lie in Peter’s experience during the trials of Jesus.  Is there anyone here who would condemn him for denying Jesus three times when the going got particularly tough?  Jesus predicted that all His disciples would desert Him, but Peter was sure that he had the strength to resist.  He did not.  Yet look how God was able to use Peter in developing the church as we know it all over the world.  It was Peter who first brought Christianity to the gentiles, yet he was the first to deny Jesus.  Three times Peter denied Jesus in the short space of a night time.    We must learn to develop our spirituality.  Theologians remind us that our spirituality is as much a part of our whole being as the nose on our face (although I confess that I have never seen it put that way).  Our individual spirituality includes our whole life: every part of it, from work to play, even the parts that we may be ashamed to confess.  I believe that it is only through working hard at building a greater collective spirituality that we can hope to sustain Christian beliefs and standards through the 21^st century.  But here is the rub, if we cannot meet and worship God as a praying community, in a suitable building, all but the most hardy may fall by the wayside and other people seeking God for the first time may not be able to find their way in.   

Please pray about what I have said.  After much prayer and uncertainty, the PCC have stepped out in faith to renew the hall here and provide a room and other facilities at Sts. Philip and James.  This will spend our capital, but that is better husbandry than letting it to dwindle away over a few years paying for our everyday needs.  Then we still would not have a sustainable income and none of the things we urgently need to make the church more successful.  Now you need to step out in faith and consider what you should be giving financially and spiritually.  

I know that we all do not have Elijah to guide us and gently reassure that to give sacrificially may be what God wants of me.  Maybe it should hurt a bit though, and in these uncertain financial times it may hurt a lot.  The chart given out last week  and also on the web site will tell you what others give (without revealing who they are), and you can draw back and give a little at any time if necessary, and reduce if times get harder, praying for someone else to take your place.  It would be wonderful if we, as a church, could gather all the necessary resources that when people are in troubled times we can give very practical help.   

Could we, as a Christian Community support the widow of Zarephath?  Could we ask for God’s help? 

Amen

John Simson

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