no, i know, i know how far it's gone myself

maybe i'll believe it from somebody else

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 4th Chapter!

Today is our Annual Meeting, an occasion for us all to gather and thank God for the ministry we’ve been called into together during 2013. Today is a time to reflect together, and to prepare to continue that ministry together. 

It is also worth noting that as God calls us to continue Trinity’s ministry into 2014; Trinity’s mission will go into its 130th year!

That is no small thing, I know it hasn't always been easy; so before we begin I’d like to say how thankful I am for each of you, how proud I am of you all.

So, thank you.

Okay with that said, let us move on to the sermon.

Today’s sermon will be a theological reflection on the Annual Report; so this sermon along with my written report is most of what I have to say on the Annual Report.

As this sermon is a meditation of our report I am giving today’s sermon, not from our wonderful pulpit, but here closer to y’all. 

I want to be on the same level because this sermon is not dictating to you all about the Annual Report, but rather discerning with you all what the Annual Report means to us all today.

Now many of you have already perused the Annual Report, and if you haven’t yet, don’t worry; it’ll be in your hands soon enough. As you read this report, you’ll be confronted with a decision: what to make of this report. 

Now, the truth about this report is; as so many others things — life, stories, even today’s Gospel; the truth about this report largely depends on what you make of it.

what you make of it…

Depending on what you make of it, this report could just as easily be a story of where we are, 

as easily as it could be a story of who we hope to be, 

as easily as it could simply be a formal report of Trinity in 2013.

That’s true; how we see this report depends on is what you make out of them, what we make out of these reports…

For instance, if you decide reports aren’t all that interesting, that they’re only a dull formality, then they will be. 

And I’ll tell you, when Randy and I were in the thick of putting all this together, the report could feel that way.

Honestly, though, this report is, at its heart, a story of what we are together, what we hope to be together, what we sense God calling us to be together.

So I invite you to view this report as such a story…

Now, the truth is we should do so well as to meditate upon what we feel God is calling us to be together. This exercise deserves commendation because; what story is true about us at Trinity, just as the Annual Report, will depend largely upon what we decide to make of what we are, what story we decide deserves our trust.

That’s the truth…

You can see this dynamic can play out on an individual level in our “I am a child of God” exercise. 

For instance, daily we say “I am a child of God” to tell ourselves, to remind ourselves of what we are - of whose we are. 

We remind ourselves of which story is true about us because we all know that at the end of the day it’s all too easy to start believing those other stories, not that we’re children of God but that we are what we buy, do, or have.

Those of you who have been reminding yourself that you’re a child of God regularly, have you started to notice that the more you remind yourself the easier it gets to believe indeed we are children of God, and to live your life as such?
I bet you have…

See, the debate about which story of Trinity is true is just like the daily exercise of reminding ourselves, against all those other stories, of the story is true about us; that we’re children of God. 

Just like your own life, at the end of the day, what story is true about us here at Trinity will depend on what story we tell ourselves about ourself…

Now, I say this as one amongst you, one with you; not someone apart and away in the pulpit;

it is my observation that there are primarily two dominant stories about what we are here at Trinity.

The first is obvious, it’s told much too often; we’re an old, small congregation; we’re worn out and our best days are well behind us…

The second is an other story;  a story told in whispers, it’s evidence is seen only in glimpses at sudden moments… 

This other, more interesting story goes something like this: God has kept Trinity alive because God has something in mind. This other story notices all the different things that are happening, and this other story keeps eluding to other, different, new things happening right here.

In fact, those who believe the other story about Trinity is true, seem to be open doing some new things here.

Donnie Hillard’s joke aside ;-)

How many Lutherans does it take to change a lightbulb?

The answer being, “Change?!?!”

Here’s the thing, and this is equally problem and solution; the story that will be true about Trinity is whichever one we decide to believe, 

whichever story we decide to trust, 

and so whatever story we live out…

You know, though, this crisis over which story we believe is an old one. In fact this crisis of interpretation is put on full display in today’s Gospel.

It’s a great story isn’t it?

There’s Jesus, walking along and he sees two brothers going about their everyday jobs; fishing, throwing their nets into the sea. 

Suddenly, though, Jesus does something unexpected! He calls these two to follow him, so he can make them fishers of people.

Then, just as suddenly these two do something just as unexpected! They drop everything, leave everything and follow Jesus; they follow him immediately.

From that remarkable encounter, Jesus continues on his way and then he sees two other brothers, along with their father, going about their everyday jobs; fishing, mending their nets.

And just as sudden, Jesus does another extraordinary thing, he calls these two as well!

And just as suddenly, these two do another altogether unexpected thing; they drop everything, leave everything and follow Jesus immediately, too!

Wow. That’s such a great moment.

There’s a problem, though. Good as this story may be, it is just too much for many to stomach. There is something about this story makes us uncomfortable; and all too often we try to let our discomfort have the last word…

So we tend to deal with our discomfort with today’s Gospel in a couple of ways:

Either we romanticize this story. 

“What a wonderful moment it must have been,” we say. Insisting Jesus was somehow undeniable and those brothers were so more than faithful.

When we do that, though, we make the Gospel little more than a fairy-tale with absolutely no bearing on the lives we live day-in and day-out.

The other way we try to deal with our discomfort is to rob this story of al it’s power.

“More than likely this call story isn’t as remarkable as we make it out to be,” we say. Insisting Pete, Andy, Jimmy and John must have been pretty familiar with Jesus before that moment; and we highlighting the fact, and it is a fact, that they all returned to Capernaum. 

Yadda, yadda.

Could you be anymore bored by this telling of today’s Gospel?

The thing, though, is that both of these responses reveal our doubt.

It’s hard for us to believe that God could, that God even would come to some ordinary folks, going about their everyday business and suddenly, unexpectedly call these all-too normal people.

That, however, isn’t the only problem our doubt has with today’s Gospel. See, because it’s also hard for us to believe when God’s call comes to ordinary people, in the midst of ordinary days, everything can change. It’s hard for us to believe that ordinary folks could, that ordinary folks even would drop everything to follow Jesus in a moment.

Now I’m with you in your struggles with today’s story; but here’s the problem:

Our doubt doesn’t get the last word…

What Matthew, and the incarnation for that matter, insist is that God does come to ordinary people in the midst of their ordinary days.

Furthermore, what Matthew, and the witness of John, Jimmy, Andy and Pete insist, though, is that when this God who takes on bones and flesh shows up, even as we’re in the middle of whatever we’re doing, we can’t help but drop everything and follow.

It’s as I like to say, there’s a temptation to make these stories more palatable. The truth, though, is God doesn’t need me protecting you from God. God intends to show up and make disciples out of folks like us, out of you, 

out of us.

Hard as it may be to believe, this is what the witness of our faith insists; God does show up to ordinary folks - that is why the incarnation matters -

and ordinary folks do drop everything and follow when the Word of God encounters them.

When Jesus, God in bones and flesh, shows up and says follow me; mere humans like us can’t help but follow.

Doubt does not get the last word on that…

So, here’s the thing;

which story is true about us, which story is true about Trinity?

Are we a small, tired and dying social group?

Or, are we a group of followers gathered in Saunderson Heights within the congregation of Trinity who, together, hear God saying “Follow Me” and live out that call?

I’d like to tell you the decision is yours, but I’m sorry it isn’t…

The decision ins’t mine, either. As one called to be bound to God’s Word let me proclaim what story is true:

As we, like James and John, go about our day, as we try to mend our old nets; God shows up and says follow me, and when that happens we can’t help but drop what we’re doing to follow as God calls us, as God calls you.

You can be skeptical if you’d like, but in the long-run it isn’t going to do you any good.

God will have the last word.

As people who are named God’s children, as folks called to follow, let us briefly turn our attention to the report.

I’d like to lift up a few things — Good and troubling:

• The membership committee organizing the BHS Rally - where we handed out treats and put out flyers for our services,
• The Helping Hands Backpack blessing, when over 45 backpacks were assembled with supplies left over(!),
• What about running SHARE after Community Action couldn’t, and with at least 8! folks helping yesterday - a Saturday morning!
• The Animal Shelter Blessing,
• The Compassionate Friends Network Vigil,
• Replacing the shingles on the parsonage,
• Replacing the sanctuary lighting,
• Beginning to raise funds for the “bridge roof,”
• The regular collection for the Community Action food pantry and the Domestic Violence Shelter,
• 39 households pledging over $100,000 -including 19 pledge increases, and 2 new households pledging!
• Unfortunately I must add our actual budget is closer to $140,000, and we have 12 fewer households pledging this year than last year,
• Or what about the beautiful, new Easter banners members assembled,
• Take a look at the Helping Hands report(!)
• and the Helping Hands regular meetings, with great faith-discussions
• Hosting CROP, and serving as treasurer,
• Here are a few things that aren’t in the report, but they’re coming up and they excite me: 
• How about the membership committee organizing a Blessing of Bikes shortly before Ragbraia, 
• The Sunday School Spring/Fall project - Organizing a Blessing of the Animals service,
• Finally, how everyone has come together to witness to the resurrection with Mary. How God has called us to gather to make final arrangements and to act out the confession that God’s promise is true for all those claimed, and that not a moment, not a circumstance will abdicate that promise.

So, you tell me; 

is this list a litany of an old, tired and dying congregation,

or is it a description of a group of people who have become convinced that indeed God has declared they are children, and that God has shown up in bones and flesh in the middle of their everyday to call them to follow?

You tell me,

but I think we all know the answer.

Regardless,

You are a child of God.

Amen