“God Alone”
July 30, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
We probably take it for granted, but we really are in a special place. One of the wonderful things about our small village and area is that, even in such a place like ours, we have a large number of organizations, clubs, and businesses, all of which make up the unique fabric of our town and surrounding area, and which help make our community the truly special place it is. And, each organization and business helps provide something our community needs in order to thrive and keep going. We have the stop-and-go to keep all the vehicles going through town, and any extra needed things, even for people just passing through; the Café, Village Inn, Jerry’s, and Charlie’s to provide us with food and drink; the insurance office to make sure our buildings and houses are covered; Greg’s and Tony’s to keep our cars and trucks in good repair; Mug and Brush and Robin’s to help our hair look good; Brubaker’s to provide us with things for our fields, animals, and gardens; the Hardware Store for all kinds of things for our houses, buildings, and gardens; our counselors to provide extra support, a listening ear, and a helping hand; and we even have our local bank, horse carriage shop, sign maker, carpenters, graphic design business, deer processor, ironworkers, trailer sales, tax preparer, and many, many others. Also, among our organizations, CAMP gives out food and other needed items to those who lack anything in our area; our Community Garden provides a place for us to grow a lot of things together; our sports leagues give our kids fun games and healthy competition for everyone, both players and spectators; our Historical Society helps preserve important items from our heritage, and helps remind us of our town’s rich history; our Farm Bureau helps cover our farms and give other benefits to its members; our park and pool gives us a fun place to play, relax, walk, and explore, while our Community Center provides a place for special gatherings; our Police and Fire Departments help keep us safe, secure, protected, at peace, and assisted in crisis; the school Booster Clubs, Masons, Rotary, and FABA provide monetary and material assistance in all kinds of ways, and also, through special fundraiser events, give us and our community opportunities to get together to have fun, food, and entertainment; our schools provide education for our children and all kinds of other activities for students and all of us; and, last but certainly not least, our Village Council and Township Trustees help make sure our area infrastructure keeps running smoothly. I also apologize if I’ve forgotten anyone, and, please do tell me if there’s anyone else I need to highlight; because, again, the point is, we have a lot of people who provide all kinds of things we need right here just in our small area. But we also have to remember that we, our church family, is still just as much a special part of the mosaic of everything that makes our community the special place it is – we can’t leave ourselves out, or discount ourselves and the special role we play. The reason is because we can offer something that no one else can. We exist for something more than just to make people better, give things out, or even provide a simple service: we are here to bring people to a healing, life-changing, and ultimately life-saving relationship with God. And that, in the long run, is what is most important.
The reality is, our community couldn’t exist, thrive, or be what it is without God. And, the God we worship is the only true God. Only God made the universe and this world, only He saved us by His death and resurrection, only He is keeping us sustained, and only He will make everything perfect at the end of time as we know it. As God, speaking through the Prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading says, “There is no other Rock; I know not one.” He alone is who we rely on in times of trouble; He alone is the source of all of our blessings; He alone is who we worship and call on in prayer; and it is only His Word which we rely on for guidance and answers. And this is something which we alone can provide: only we can bring people to a relationship with God, because only we can offer God. Only we can make special promises, speaking for God. Only we, as God’s family, the church, can pray for people and let them know, either in our words or actions, that God is with them and He loves them. And, only we, the church, can offer salvation, a way to be saved for eternal life with God, which is only through believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. People need Jesus. And only we can provide Jesus.
And that means something for us as much as it does for everyone else: we come to church each week to get back to the most important thing for us: our relationship with Jesus. God also encourages us, “Do not tremble, do not be afraid.”: even though we may think God is someone to be afraid of, or it might be what we’ve been taught at some point, God isn’t someone for us to be afraid of: He is someone who we can come to at any time, who really and truly loves us, is sympathetic to us, and is always on our side. As Paul reminds us in our Second Reading, when we don’t know the words the pray, the Holy Spirit actually verbalizes what is in our hearts, and brings all our prayers, even our unspoken ones, to God. We may not realize it, but we are the only religion that believes God actually prays for us even when we can’t pray ourselves. This is especially comforting, because it means even when we’re in such trouble, or so frustrated or down that we don’t know how to express ourselves, God still hears and answers us. This is also something we can offer other people. So, we can’t just keep what we have to ourselves: we have what we have in order to share it with everyone else. This is what it means when God calls us His witnesses: to tell others about Him and what He does.
Today, Jesus reminds us that this world is moving towards a final harvest. Someday, He will return, and will take everyone who believes in Him to live with Him in His Kingdom. Even as the crops are growing in the fields right now ready to be harvested, there are many people who are searching for something other than just living life and going through the motions of day-to-day existence. There are people who are looking for a relationship with someone greater than themselves, who they know will always be there for them at every moment – and that is God. There are people who are looking for connection with other people, fellowship, belonging, and needing to find a place where they are accepted, loved, and welcomed. There are people who are looking for a purpose and meaning for life, and who can find it in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There are also people who are looking to make a difference and be a blessing to others. There is a harvest waiting here in Farmersville and beyond. The fact that houses around here are usually sold faster than they can even be listed on the market shows how more and more desirable our village is to live in – but it’s also a sign that we have an outreach, a mission field, to get back into.
When I lived in Southern California before coming here, whenever I was invited to supply preach at another church, I would remind everyone about their mission, to keep planting seeds, seeds of faith, love, and hope wherever they were; and to keep focused on what God wanted for them: to bring people to Him. And now, it’s time for us to hear that same message. Especially as we start winding up the summer break and heading into the fall, we can be looking forward to opportunities God is giving us to reach out and bring people in. Events like our Ice Cream Social and Fall Dinner, just to name a few, can be opportunities not only to raise funds to keep our church family going, but to reach out to invite and welcome. There are many, probably more than we realize, who are looking for something which we, by being our own unique selves, can offer, and satisfy a need – a need which can be satisfied by Jesus.
Actually, a way to think about what we are all about is not that our church has a mission. Yes, we are who we are, but our mission is not our mission exclusively. As Alan Hirsch says,
“It’s not so much that the church has a mission, it’s that the mission of God has a church.” Everything we do, we actually do not only on behalf of St. Andrew, or even LCMC, but on behalf of God. It is His mission, His will, His power we are carrying out. We do nothing only for ourselves: it is all for God, and what He wants for other people.
Think about it as us having a packet of seeds each, or a plant in a pot. Now, think of us as having a spot in our yards or gardens which is bare, and in need of something to be planted, which will blossom or bear fruit and add something unique to our garden. Think of the places we live, as being like our yard or garden. What spots can we think of that need something planted there? Or, another way to think of it, who needs Who is someone we know, maybe someone next door, on the next block, or across town, we can be praying for? Who needs to experience healing, especially while going through a crisis, trauma, or major life change? Who needs to be shown love, especially while feeling lonely, excluded, cast out, or ignored? Who is someone who needs something we might have extra of, or don’t need any more? Who needs us to show them a special kindness? The seeds we plant with other people, especially seeds of love, kindness, and hope, are the ones which will bear fruit, help touch and change people’s lives in special ways, and, most of all, help them experience God and want to believe in Him; and be part of the coming harvest. As part of our community, and the communities in which we live, by the power of God, we can help make a positive change in our community. We can be a community church again. We can bring the healing and comfort from God someone needs, if we are open and willing to doing so. And, most importantly, when someone comes to visit us, we all can help them feel welcome and accepted. And, this is also a mission we share with all the other churches. We will especially be able to see this next week for our Community Worship Service, when we will all be coming together to be reminded that we all, whatever building we may happen to be gathered in the rest of the year, have been given seeds and plants to plant where we live. This is how we can be God’s witnesses, and be who we really are, who we are meant to be.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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