Looking Ahead
Revelation 21:1-6; Matthew 6:24-34
I remember when I was in Cornwall, where the Annual General Meetings were an occasion where the congregation stayed away in droves. Seriously… on the one Sunday where people could come and participate in the life and work of the congregation, there was a more-than-measurable dip in the congregation’s attendance. From the vantage point of the pulpit, it was extremely obvious… it was almost on part with the Sundays that follow Christmas or Easter… what us clergy types have come to call “cannon” Sundays. You know, the type of Sunday where the attendance is so low, that one could fire a cannon off in the sanctuary and not hit anybody.
Oddly enough one of the principle reasons that people stayed away in droves is that the ministers had a habit of getting mad that people didn’t show up, but take it out on those who did. A lesson learned for me… praise people for coming out and participating in this reflection of the congregation’s life. Encourage members in their own ministry and work, and to affirm God’s continuing guidance and presence… and allowing ourselves to look ahead at what God is calling us to next.
Because different congregations have their annual meetings at different times, there’s no one particular church calendar date that an annual meeting falls on. The covers of our annual report suggested Revelation 21:1-6 as a reading for reflection on annual meeting day… There’s a reflection from the Rev. Dr. Dale Woods of Presbyterian College that you can read on the back page of your annual report. I’m not planning on reiterating what he’s already said, but there may be some overlap.
Consider this:
The early Christians that John was writing to were a tiny minority, scattered across an empire and very much in isolation from each other. The threat of persecution from the authorities was very much present. It’s not a great place to be when the powers-that-be decide that you are a political threat.
To set this into perspective, by 100 AD there were about forty Christian communities numbering probably no more than 6,000 people total across the entire Roman Empire. When you get a moment, do a search of the numbers of churches in Mississauga, and see how that compares. I’ll give you a hint… there’s more than 40. So while we may not relate well to that same sense of persecution that the early church did, we have more than enough going on in our lives that the feeling of being overwhelmed is perhaps something we can relate to… and then maybe we can begin to hear those poetic words of encouragement.
For the early Christians, this vision of hope is that when all is said and done, no conflict, no power, nothing can stop God’s ultimate plan of living in perfect harmony with all of creation. In the midst of the uncertainties of the future, John of Patmos pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of what God’s ultimate goal really is. By using this image of the New Jerusalem coming and God living amongst the people, it is a word of encouragement that not only is the suffering they are experiencing or are fearful of in the present does not define who they are. Heaven and earth become one in the same…
When John of Patmos describes this new city in such wonderful language, he paints these pictures that the magnificent doors to the city are always open, and that all people of all nations are welcomed. The darker elements of our human nature are stripped away and left outside. It’s message is that nobody is beyond redemption, and that the message of hope is for all people.
I think the biggest mistake we make with the book of Revelation is presume that it is a proclamation of doom. It’s not. Not by a long shot. The second mistake we make is that Revelation is telling us to sit on our hands and do nothing. Again… it is not…
Written at a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, it acknowledged the reality that people were facing, but then has the audacity to point to something more hopeful. Today we can turn on the news, and see massive environmental disasters in the oil spill, the economic unrest in Greece… Revelation speaks to this by reminding us that this is all temporary, and that nothing is capable of overcoming God’s desire to be united with all people in peace and in hope, celebrating life to its fullest.
This vision of hope and calls us to strive to be a part of something better. Don’t be afraid, don’t be overwhelmed, because Jesus works with us to make the world new. We’re not a alone in this. We are far more than observers, but actually part of the kingdom of God.
This past year there were a great many things that we accomplished as a congregation. Much of it is to put ourselves on a stronger footing to move ahead into the future. In embracing a system of term service for elders we are allowing more people in the congregation to regularly participate in the leadership of the congregation, while at the same time giving opportunities for people truly exercise a sense of “Sabbath” or rest when it is needed. Much of the labour of that happened in 2010, but we will only just begin to see how it plays out following the formal election in late March, and the constitution of the new Session on Easter Sunday.
We continue to use tools such as Natural Church Development to help keep us focused on what’s important, and what we need to be working on to improve our spiritual health as a congregation. We have started to see some of that bearing fruit, but at the same time we always need to be looking ahead with a sense of optimism and trust that God is leading us. I find it curious that in the reading from Matthew today, the last line reminds us that we should not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Oddly enough, Revelation preaches the same thing, but in a different way. Revelation tells us that we should not worry about tomorrow, but trust that God will be there no matter what situation we may find ourselves in.
This past year, for all the great many things that we accomplished as a congregation, we do risk them being overshadowed by some genuine and profound loss. Towards the end of last year, the deaths of Doug McGregor, Dorothy Coyne, and my own daughter Heather Grace, dealt a deep blow to us all. It is a grief that that is deeply personal, and the potential to be greatly demoralizing… and that grief isn’t something that is going to go away with the wave of a magic wand.
We would irresponsible in saying that being followers of Christ somehow spares us from the grief and pain that comes with loss. It doesn’t. John of Patmos, tells us of a hope that God will wipe away our tears… not that the tears won’t happen... Grief and loss is a part of being human. What is more powerful and profound is that death does not consume and define us… as difficult as it may be.
Our faith is about looking ahead… and looking outward. That is what we are about, to look ahead, to define ourselves in terms of the hope that God gives us in Jesus Christ. Doug Wall mentioned to me that as a congregation, the Presbyterian Church in Canada helped us out this past year in providing the loan for some much needed upgrades to our property. This year maybe we can look out and not only pay it back, but to also pay it forward… that other congregations and ministries may benefit in the same way that we have.
We have a whole lot for which we can be looking ahead. Not the lease of which is the confidence that God is leading us, guiding us through the Holy Spirit, to be faithful to the call to be Christ’s faithful disciples in years to come. Let’s look ahead, and see what’s in store!
Amen.
I remember when I was in Cornwall, where the Annual General Meetings were an occasion where the congregation stayed away in droves. Seriously… on the one Sunday where people could come and participate in the life and work of the congregation, there was a more-than-measurable dip in the congregation’s attendance. From the vantage point of the pulpit, it was extremely obvious… it was almost on part with the Sundays that follow Christmas or Easter… what us clergy types have come to call “cannon” Sundays. You know, the type of Sunday where the attendance is so low, that one could fire a cannon off in the sanctuary and not hit anybody.
Oddly enough one of the principle reasons that people stayed away in droves is that the ministers had a habit of getting mad that people didn’t show up, but take it out on those who did. A lesson learned for me… praise people for coming out and participating in this reflection of the congregation’s life. Encourage members in their own ministry and work, and to affirm God’s continuing guidance and presence… and allowing ourselves to look ahead at what God is calling us to next.
Because different congregations have their annual meetings at different times, there’s no one particular church calendar date that an annual meeting falls on. The covers of our annual report suggested Revelation 21:1-6 as a reading for reflection on annual meeting day… There’s a reflection from the Rev. Dr. Dale Woods of Presbyterian College that you can read on the back page of your annual report. I’m not planning on reiterating what he’s already said, but there may be some overlap.
Consider this:
The early Christians that John was writing to were a tiny minority, scattered across an empire and very much in isolation from each other. The threat of persecution from the authorities was very much present. It’s not a great place to be when the powers-that-be decide that you are a political threat.
To set this into perspective, by 100 AD there were about forty Christian communities numbering probably no more than 6,000 people total across the entire Roman Empire. When you get a moment, do a search of the numbers of churches in Mississauga, and see how that compares. I’ll give you a hint… there’s more than 40. So while we may not relate well to that same sense of persecution that the early church did, we have more than enough going on in our lives that the feeling of being overwhelmed is perhaps something we can relate to… and then maybe we can begin to hear those poetic words of encouragement.
For the early Christians, this vision of hope is that when all is said and done, no conflict, no power, nothing can stop God’s ultimate plan of living in perfect harmony with all of creation. In the midst of the uncertainties of the future, John of Patmos pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of what God’s ultimate goal really is. By using this image of the New Jerusalem coming and God living amongst the people, it is a word of encouragement that not only is the suffering they are experiencing or are fearful of in the present does not define who they are. Heaven and earth become one in the same…
When John of Patmos describes this new city in such wonderful language, he paints these pictures that the magnificent doors to the city are always open, and that all people of all nations are welcomed. The darker elements of our human nature are stripped away and left outside. It’s message is that nobody is beyond redemption, and that the message of hope is for all people.
I think the biggest mistake we make with the book of Revelation is presume that it is a proclamation of doom. It’s not. Not by a long shot. The second mistake we make is that Revelation is telling us to sit on our hands and do nothing. Again… it is not…
Written at a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, it acknowledged the reality that people were facing, but then has the audacity to point to something more hopeful. Today we can turn on the news, and see massive environmental disasters in the oil spill, the economic unrest in Greece… Revelation speaks to this by reminding us that this is all temporary, and that nothing is capable of overcoming God’s desire to be united with all people in peace and in hope, celebrating life to its fullest.
This vision of hope and calls us to strive to be a part of something better. Don’t be afraid, don’t be overwhelmed, because Jesus works with us to make the world new. We’re not a alone in this. We are far more than observers, but actually part of the kingdom of God.
This past year there were a great many things that we accomplished as a congregation. Much of it is to put ourselves on a stronger footing to move ahead into the future. In embracing a system of term service for elders we are allowing more people in the congregation to regularly participate in the leadership of the congregation, while at the same time giving opportunities for people truly exercise a sense of “Sabbath” or rest when it is needed. Much of the labour of that happened in 2010, but we will only just begin to see how it plays out following the formal election in late March, and the constitution of the new Session on Easter Sunday.
We continue to use tools such as Natural Church Development to help keep us focused on what’s important, and what we need to be working on to improve our spiritual health as a congregation. We have started to see some of that bearing fruit, but at the same time we always need to be looking ahead with a sense of optimism and trust that God is leading us. I find it curious that in the reading from Matthew today, the last line reminds us that we should not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Oddly enough, Revelation preaches the same thing, but in a different way. Revelation tells us that we should not worry about tomorrow, but trust that God will be there no matter what situation we may find ourselves in.
This past year, for all the great many things that we accomplished as a congregation, we do risk them being overshadowed by some genuine and profound loss. Towards the end of last year, the deaths of Doug McGregor, Dorothy Coyne, and my own daughter Heather Grace, dealt a deep blow to us all. It is a grief that that is deeply personal, and the potential to be greatly demoralizing… and that grief isn’t something that is going to go away with the wave of a magic wand.
We would irresponsible in saying that being followers of Christ somehow spares us from the grief and pain that comes with loss. It doesn’t. John of Patmos, tells us of a hope that God will wipe away our tears… not that the tears won’t happen... Grief and loss is a part of being human. What is more powerful and profound is that death does not consume and define us… as difficult as it may be.
Our faith is about looking ahead… and looking outward. That is what we are about, to look ahead, to define ourselves in terms of the hope that God gives us in Jesus Christ. Doug Wall mentioned to me that as a congregation, the Presbyterian Church in Canada helped us out this past year in providing the loan for some much needed upgrades to our property. This year maybe we can look out and not only pay it back, but to also pay it forward… that other congregations and ministries may benefit in the same way that we have.
We have a whole lot for which we can be looking ahead. Not the lease of which is the confidence that God is leading us, guiding us through the Holy Spirit, to be faithful to the call to be Christ’s faithful disciples in years to come. Let’s look ahead, and see what’s in store!
Amen.
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