October 14, 2007 Message

October 14, 2007
Romans 8:28, John 15:16
“Your Gifts Are More Than Money”

"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you. - John 15:16
“That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” - Romans 8:28

This past week I’ve thought about the words of today’s text many times, especially the part when Jesus tells his followers: “you didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you,” and at first I thought, ‘well, that’s pretty simple – God has chosen people like you and I to be doing all the things we’re doing. And that’s pretty special – to be chosen – right? I hear that and I stand taller, my shoulders go back a little and my chest goes out a lot, and my expression takes on a certain smugness. To be chosen, to be picked, to be selected is good, right - but for what?

“To be put in the world to bear fruit,” Jesus says. And I think, woe! That’s not really a suggestion he’s making. He’s not hinting. It’s more of a command, when you get right down to it. And that makes it not quite so simple. In fact that could make things a little complicated, to say the least. Now there are expectations, things I should do, things I can’t imagine myself ever doing. And my only out is to think, ‘Well, maybe Jesus wasn’t talking to all of us after all.’ Maybe he was just talking to the apostles. Or maybe he’s just taking to some of us. Yea, that’s it. He’s just talking to a few of us. Wrong!

I think Jesus was speaking to all of us. We have all been ‘chosen’ and ‘placed in the world’ ‘to bear fruit.’ The problem may be we haven’t fully understood the part when he says, “As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.” In other words, ‘If you’re on God’s team, God will provide all you need to do the work, if you ask.’ Actually I believe God has already provided all the resources this church needs to fulfill God’s plan for us today, we just haven’t realized it, yet. And so we need to ask God to point out all of those things to us and to help us realize the resources are there in the future as well.

When we think of resources, we usually think of financial resources – our money, our investments. It’s true, our money is part of our resources, but there is more. Our resources also include our time, our possessions, our contacts, our hobbies, among other things. The question we want to ask ourselves as Christians is this, “How do we best utilize the resources we’ve been given to impact God’s purposes for God’s church – here in this place and in the world?”

Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-21 not to “store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” So what’s the difference? Well, his point is that we are to invest in things that have eternal value, of which there are only two: God and people. How do we invest in these? By using our resources well, that’s how.

Remember the parable of the talents? The more that is invested, what? The more that is received! The more resources we use for God’s purpose, the more resources we will be given, so that we will have even more resources to use, and even more resources to be given… what a wonderful “catch 22, isn’t it?”

You have heard the saying, “from those to whom much is given, much will be expected,” right? This is what that parable means. The more you have been given, the more you are expected to give. And the more you give, the more you will receive. And the more you receive, the more you are expected to give… and on and on and on – that’s eternal.

Investing in things that are eternal also involves setting priorities based upon our experiencing the kingdom of God – living in the life of Christ, experiencing God’s presence and love - now. We can use these resources in so many ways to glorify God. Whether it is making school or health kits or filling them; walking from Watkins to Norway in the CROP walk or sponsoring those who do; volunteering our time at Bidwell-Riverside or helping out with the Bazaar; going on a mission trip to South or Central America or writing a check for one of the special Sunday offerings; providing music for worship or breaking up cement; cooking breakfast or drying dishes; teaching a lesson or leading a song; inviting others to church or giving them a ride; baking pies or eating them - all are important and necessary in being the church. I can’t begin to mention them all.
Our contacts (all those people in our address books) are resources, too. Maybe we can ask them to speak to a Sunday School class or other group in the church. Maybe they can help with a project or be a resource for ideas or information. What are your resources? Who are the people you know? How can you use them to serve others and glorify God?

And what about your experiences? We all have a past. Good or bad – our experiences make us who we are today. Some people give themselves credit for the good things that happen to them and blame God for the bad. The reality is that we are not responsible for all the good things, and God doesn’t cause the bad things that we experience, even though God is always at work to use those experiences – good and bad – to fulfill God’s purposes.

Some of you have experienced devastating things in your life: perhaps the death of someone very close to you, a divorce, the loss of a job, or whatever. Your life was turned upside down. But you made it through it all. Might God use you today or tomorrow to help someone going through the very same thing? You bet! In fact, God probably has plans to do just that.
Some of you may, in the past, have been involved in doing something for the church. Maybe your experience wasn’t good – not because you were doing anything wrong, but because you were doing the wrong thing. What others are to do may not be what God intends me to do. But God does expect me to do something – and has in fact already provided the resources for me to do it. I may already know what they are not, I just need to find out what they are!

When you think about it, all our experiences – family experiences, work experiences, all our relationships and circumstances – are components of who we are and what we might do. Everything in life prepares us for our ministry. In that sense our experiences, good and bad, all draw us closer to God, and as we see God use them for God’s purposes, we develop a better understanding of God’s will I our lives.

What experiences and circumstances in your life might be used for God’s purposes?

Jesus has called us to love and in so doing, to bear fruit in this community and in the world. He urges his followers to make a difference. To do that, we must use our resources, our experiences and our circumstances for God and for others. What does it mean to be a Christian?

Mark Twain said the difference between a word and the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. United Methodist Bishop, William Willimon has said, “Christians are those who, through baptism, have signed on, have publicly committed themselves, to obey Jesus.” The late Dr. Paul Sherer once said, “The fundamental joy of being a Christian consists not in being good. But in standing with God against some darkness or some void and watching the light come.”

If nothing else today, remember this: God has chosen you. God is with you and in you, and God is empowering you. You see, as committed Christians we are not doing our work. We're not even doing God's work. God is doing God's work through us!

That's why Jesus makes the astounding statement that the Father will give us whatever we ask in his name--not anything we want, not anything that we might try to do, but what God wants and wills to do through us.

And that is to love God’s creation.