Mission:Home and Away

A sermon preached on Sunday 19th September at 7:00 Holy Communion Service in St. Columba's

Heavenly father, take us, mould us and help us by the power of you Holy Spirit to be the people you would have us be. In Jesus name we pray - Amen

One of the many privileges of ministry is that myself and the Rector get to visit people in their homes, and also from time to time get to speak at various groups in the parish and beyond.

This past week I was asked to speak at our Ladies Guild about my experiences of the African Church - The theme I proposed was Mission: Home and Away - It was a topic I really could get into and one in which I enjoyed preparing for.

During that evening I was recounting how in Uganda, I witnessed the mission partners at the time working in partnership with local people. Instead of the partners telling the Africans what they could do for them. They brought groups together and asked them what their needs were, wrote them down and then give each individual a few stones and ask them to put them down as to what they perceived as the most crucial needs were.

Then when they had identified those needs - then the partners were able to ask those gathered as to how they could help to meet those prioritized needs.

It was a great way of working out of the gospel in practical ways. For the African church the needs were basic health, sanitation, mosquito nets, employment, water.

I then wondered, if we were to take a group of people in a different culture and ask them to list some of the needs, some of the worries what would they say...

So I did list those which the ladies gave me on Wednesday Night:

The List breaks down into Church and society

Within this parish - Getting Teenagers involved, keeping them after confirmation, having youth organisations, families coming to church, the welcoming of visitors and new parishioners, those not able to get to church, communication within the parish and between churches.

Within society today - The suicide rate, Apathy to Christianity, crime, unemployment, isolation, loneliness, the effects of budget cuts.

I wonder would you have anything to add to that list?

In a programme which was aired this week on UTV Archbishop Alan Harper was speaking about the future of the church - he illustrated what the church needs to do asking a group of people to form a circle - 2 ways to do this - the first being the obvious way all looking into the centre, the other being facing outwards. His point was that we are to be a people who look outwards, who look at the problems of society, speak into situations, show practical help.

We as Christians have an amazing message to share with the world - a message of a relationship with God which can impact with the world around us.

Our Christian faith fills the deepest longings of the heart, provides purpose and direction for those who are struggling with questions of meaning, self-worth. When the church steps up and presents the good news in loving and practical ways the world will take notice.

Our Christian faith compels us to visit the lonely, the sick, the vulnerable. Our Christian faith compels us to out of our love for God, out of our worship of him to go the extra mile, to walk in another’s shoes, to draw along side them and to support them.

This all draws upon what we do sunday by sunday here in church - and centres on our Holy Communion service,

As we gather together once again tonight we realise that although we use words which we say are the same, ancient words - we are not - we have grown, we have concerns which we didn’t have last week, last month, last year.

Our priorities are different, our thoughts for the things which we need to do when we get home from church are different. In the Holy communion we as the church gathered together are one body, different people yes but one unit. A body which is intended to work together for the good of all its members.

We read in this evenings scripture how God was able to use circumstances to restore the fortunes Israel from exile in Babylon from the book of Ezra, we also read from the Gospel of John how in the midst of Jesus’ conflict with his opponents he was able to keep focused on who he was and what he was about, speaking to them about his identity and his father’s priority of looking after the individual - healing on the sabbath?

As Christians our imperative has to be concerned about the things which God is concerned about, that is the building up of his kingdom. We are his ambassadors, representing him to those we meet on a daily basis - wherever we are.

So when we are faced with lonely people we’ve no option but to do what he would do
When faced with those who are struggling, we’ve no other option than to do what he would do
When faced with injustice we have to stand up for justice
When faced with apathy we have to challenge it
When faced with declining numbers of young people we have no option than to tackle the problem
When faced with whatever other problems or issues we need to take action

We do this because our God is a God of action, a God not just of theory but of practical solutions to practical problems. He is not a God who stands Idly but got involved in the messiness of the world.

Whatever we may be facing this week, whatever problems, worries, concerns - there is a way through, a way which will work out for Good.

Let us pray.