OK, to start let’s begin with a little Bible knowledge test.  What was the language that Jesus spoke?  Hebrew?  I’ll accept that answer, but the language that Jesus spoke was actually a dialect of Hebrew known as Aramaic.  Hebrew was a high, formal language useful for reading religious scrolls and participating in worship services in the synagogue or temple, but Aramaic was what people spoke in their homes and out on the street, what some would call “low” Hebrew. If you want to compare that difference, it would be like speaking this way in a “high” form of English, “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name”, and here’s the low version, “God in heaven, your name is holy”. 

     So when the rabbi in the Jewish synagogue pulled out the scroll and read from the Book of Jeremiah’s Lamentations it was read in Hebrew, but people listening had to do some translating to understand what the words meant in everyday life.  So this morning we’re going to do a little translating.

     Does anyone here know any words in Hebrew?  “Shalom” is one that is well-known.  So when Jesus said “Shalom alechem”, you know he was saying something like “Peace be with you”.  Our choir sang a song from the new Hymn Book a few weeks ago that repeats that word over and over “Shalom Chevarim”, because a song about peace will always be popular in a church because peace is one of our constant prayers in a world where there is too much violence and war.  “Shalom My Friends” is a parting song, but it reminds us that we will be back together soon, in peace. 

     This morning I want to teach you another word in Hebrew.  The word is “hesed”.  Has anyone ever heard that word?  What does it mean?  Did you know that if our worship service was conducted in Hebrew you would have already said that word a dozen times or more this morning?  Take a look at the Call to Worship, “Steadfast love” is what “hesed” means.  “Steadfast Love”.  In our Call to Worship we are reminding ourselves that it is God’s love that has brought us together, and God’s love that sends us out in the world at the end of the service.  The additional word “steadfast” is critical, because in saying “steadfast love” we are acknowledging that God’s love is not fickle or changeable or unreliable.  It is constant, unchangeable, and very reliable. 

     Let’s think about some places where you experience steadfast love.  Would you use steadfast love to describe a song you enjoy?  Maybe, if it’s a song you have loved for your whole life, but if it’s a song that you’ll probably forget by next month maybe not.  Would you use steadfast love to describe a high school boyfriend or girlfriend?  Maybe if you end up getting married and staying together for the rest of your lives.  But if you suspect that you will have a new girlfriend or boyfriend next week, maybe steadfast love isn’t the way to describe that relationship. 

     But we use “hesed”, steadfast love, to describe how God feels about us, because we have come to trust that God’s love is constant and reliable.  Even when we get into a real mess in our life, we trust that God’s love is always there to receive us back when we stray.  The whole Book of Lamentations tells that kind of story:  we mess up again and again, we forget God, we start wars, we ignore the hungry, but even then God’s love is steadfast, reliable, constant, never-changing.  And that is the heart of Jeremiah’s Lamentations, not just a long list of everything that has gone wrong, but at the heart a celebration of God’s steadfast love. 

     I was trying to think of a way to bring together in one sermon the two categories of our 2010 Narrative Budget that we have before us this morning, and I think “hesed is the way to do it.  Section three of the budget, on the front of the page, describes all of the things that we have to do to maintain a home base for the mission that we are committed to doing.  We actually don’t need a building to be Christians because we could worship out in the park every Sunday.  All we would need is folding chairs, a table, and maybe an electric cord to operate Liz’ keyboard.  But it sure makes it a lot easier to gather in a shelter that is dedicated to our mission work in the world, especially during the colder months. 

     Our church building is a fantastic place to gather for worship, for learning, for sharing meals, youth programs, and much more.  We want to be in a place that has a constant, reliable, visible gathering place for Christians in Byron.  And so you can see in the Narrative Budget all of the ways that our Trustees, working on your behalf, maintain and clean and repair our buildings and the surrounding property.  It’s expensive, but we offset a lot of that expense by careful conserving energy and supplies and by using lots of voluntary labor from our church members.  The work we do to care for this building is a demonstration, so that the community around us will always see our building as a sign of God’s steadfast love.  People come and go, the generations rise and pass away, but God’s love is constant, and our building proves it.  Faith is not a building, but we love having a beautiful building in which to celebrate God’s steadfast love.

     Section four, on the back of the page, is a more obvious expression of “hesed”, constant care for the people of God.  A regular budget with a long list of numbers would show one single line for “Deacons $200”, but in the Narrative Budget, you can see for $200 we receive a lot of care from one another in this church, hospital and home visits, cards in the mail, phone calls, prayer shawls, meals, food baskets, and most of all just being with people who are feeling a little lost, a little lonely, a little confused.  This constant love and care may be our most remarkable treasure.  Of course, we have an exciting mission to the world, but we’re also real good at showing God’s care to one another inside the church, too.  And that’s “hesed” brought to life every single day.  Today you might be giving some of that steadfast love, and tomorrow you might be receiving it.

     So this morning we express our appreciation to all those whose steadfast love is demonstrated in the care that they show to this very old church building, and all the creativity and energy that we apply to the task.  It is indeed a labor of love. 

     And we also express our appreciation to all those who like our deacons  have made this church a center of steadfast love and care in the lives of those who need it.   “New Love, New Mercy” is the hope that we offer and the joy in which we receive it.

    Next Sunday during worship we will distribute Stewardship letters and Estimate of Giving cards.  Those not able to be here next Sunday will receive them in the mail. Our Stewardship Committee encourages you to return those cards on the following Sunday, November 8^th.

 

Steadfast Love

God is Good!  All the Time!

All the Time!  God is Good!

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

A:         Live from Byron, the greatest town in the whole world, it’s the Late, Late, Late, Late, Late Show, starring Eric George.  The show that starts so late that it’s early.  Featuring Gail Radley and the BPC Orchestra.  Special guests, Jim Renfrew and Wayne Marion.  And now … eeeeRRRRiiiiCCC George!  [Applause]

 

E:         Hello everyone, it’s another beautiful day in Byron   Do you like the traffic in Byron?  You know how it is driving to church on Sunday morning in Byron:  massive traffic jams at the Arrowmart, fighting for the best parking spaces in the church parking lot, lost cows, gridlock, you know what I’m talking about?  Here’s how tough it is driving in Byron:  I got into the car this morning and the navigation lady isn’t speaking to me anymore!  [bada-boom]  Yes, traffic is tough.  And speaking of traffic jams, how about the way those Yankees are running the base paths?  Anyone here a Yankees fan?  Have you seen how many bad calls the umpires have been making?  Woo-doggy!  How about that one with the guy called safe at third when he was a mile off the bag?  It turns out it wasn’t the umpire’s fault, his view of the play was blocked by his seeing-eye dog!  [bada-boom]  No, it wasn’t his fault. 

 

            Now let’s go right to tonight’s Top Ten List, the topic is “The Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Fill Out That Card Next Sunday”.  Certainly a timely topic around here, “The Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Fill Out That Card Next Sunday”. 

 

            Gail, you know what I’m talking about?  That Estimate of Giving card?  It’s that card that we get every year around this time.  I’m never sure how to fill it in;  big number, small number, yesterday’s high temperature, the number of points that Bills are scoring, yen, pounds or pesos, I’m never sure.  Maybe you’ll find a good reference point for yourself as we go through the list.  So here we go:  “The Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Fill out That Card”.  Here to read the Top Ten List are three leading members of YOUR Byron Presbyterian Church Stewardship Committee, Marilyn Britt, Harley George, and Jim Renfrew.  Take it away!   “The Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Fill out That Card”.

 

M:        Number ten:  Do I have a pen or pencil handy?  [bada-boom]  You can’t fill out the card if you don’t have a pen or pencil!  If you don’t have one, just shout for help, “Hey, anyone got a pencil or pen?”  Our Stewardship Committee always ready to help you!

 

H:         Number nine:  Have you prayed about it?  Stewardship is a serious decision and we need all the help we can get as we decide.  Even if you are already almost certain about the number you’re going to write down, pray first! 

 

J:         Number eight:  Have you talked about your commitment with anybody?  Talk it over with your family.  Think about the blessings you have received, and the blessings you are able to share.  Parents, talk to your children about why you give.  They won’t know unless you tell them.  Children, ask parents about why giving is important, if you don’t ask they might forget to tell!

 

M:        Number seven:  Have you thought about a percentage?  Think of a percentage, a percentage of something, a percentage of your income, a percentage of your allowance, a percentage increase over last year. 

 

H:         Number six:  Are you using your imagination?  Picture in your mind all of the smiles that will be produced because of your commitment during the coming year:  Connor Nesbitt ringing the bell to begin our Sunday worship,  Jean Roda making Prayer Chain phone calls, Susie Blair opening packages in Afghanistan, Audrey Blount and Erica Hickey polishing the weathervane on the top of the steeple.   

 

J:         Number five:  Are you thinking of a Bible verse to guide your thinking about stewardship.  How about “New Love, New Mercy” from Lamentations 3:22.  What new things about God’s love and mercy have you experienced lately?  How can you share them with others?  How about Mark 12:28, the woman with the two coins.  Or see if your favorite Bible verse helps you figure out how to fill out the card. 

 

M:        Number 4:  Are you only thinking about money?  We’d like you to enter a number on your card, but don’t stop there, think of all the things described in our Narrative Budget that you can join in on, visiting the sick, helping trustees mow the lawn, volunteering to fill school backpacks.  These are the things that we do, using our heads, hands and hearts.  Stewardship is so much more than money!

 

H:         Number 3:  Yearly, monthly or weekly?  What pattern of giving works best for you?  Some like to give all at once at the beginning of the year, and that gives our Finance Committee a great start as we budget our income and expenses through the whole year.  Some like to give every week, and we like that, too, because we receive a steady stream of support week by week, month by month, spring, summer, winter, fall. 

 

J:         Number 2:  How generous has God been with you during the past year?  When you get right down to it, Stewardship is not something we invent out of our own heads.  Stewardship is our grateful thanks for what God has done, is doing and will do in Jesus Christ.  Stewardship is our generous response to God’s generosity.  So if you want to know what to write on that card, consider how much God has committed to you!

 

M:        Number 1:  Have you prayed about it?  Yes, we come back to one of our earlier questions, because it is so important.  Have you prayed about all of this.  Prayed with thanks for what God has done.  Prayed with gladness for this beautiful church and the wonderful people in it?  Prayed with anticipation for the amazing new things that God is leading us to do and be in the coming year?  Imagine that powerful spiritual explosion as we all pray together this week, seeking New Love and New Mercy for our church, for our families, for our community, for the whole world!  

 

E:         And there you have it, tonight’s “Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Fill out That Card Next Sunday”.  Good night from Byron, New York!

 

 

 

We have divided our Narrative Budget into five parts.  It began last week with part one, “Enthusiastic Mission”, and we looked at all of the ways that our ministry is unleashed in the community and world because of a little budget line that simply says “Local Mission $250”.  This week we continue by taking a look at part two, “Inspiring and Equipping the People of Christ to Serve”.  You may be guessing that we have found essentially the same thing;  that a modest budget allocation for worship and education leads to many signs and wonders.

Our Stewardship and Finance Committees had a lot of fun assembling this Narrative Budget.  It makes more sense to focus on what our congregation is actually doing, than cause you a brain cramp as we study a long list of budget numbers.    

But I have to admit there’s a big mistake in this Narrative Budget.  Who here spotted it?  Did we misspell a key word?  Did we make an math error when we added up certain numbers?  Did we leave out one of our mission projects? 

No, the error is that page two really should be page one.  And page two should be page one.  I’m admitting this as an error, but I’ll also admit that there’s lots of room for you to disagree with me. 

The reason we had mission emphasized in part one is because the best way for the world to measure our faith as Christians is to observe what we do by our actions.  The faith in our hearts doesn’t make much difference if we don’t do the deeds that reflect that faith.  Let’s test this point of view:  which is more important, believing that the hungry should be fed, or actually feeding the hungry?  So the actual deeds make a huge difference.  And if we didn’t feed the hungry than all of our words don’t amount to much.  And people outside of our church would have no idea what we believe here. 

If that’s true, why would it be an error to put mission first in our Narrative Budget?  Our friend Art Weldon who died some years ago was once the treasurer of our church.  If anybody focuses on budget numbers it’s the treasurer.  When I first met Art he wasn’t able to come to church because of his wife’s health.  So the very first time I met him was right in his own kitchen.  And one of the first questions Art asked me on that day was this, “Is Mission still at the top of our budget sheet?”  “Yes it is”, I told him.  And he was very proud that mission was still listed first.  In Art’s opinion, we should always put money for mission ahead of everything else, including the heating bill, the cost of Sunday School  and even the pastor’s salary!  For Art it was as simple as simple can be:  “Mission always come first”. 

I’m going to get around to why I think this is an error, but let me keep building up the argument against my own conclusion.  The Scripture reading from Lamentations 2:10-15 is just one example among hundreds in the Bible, that people who avoid doing the deeds of faith will pay a very steep price.  This reading describes in detail what happens to people who chose to sit on their hands, instead of demonstrating their faith through deeds:  because in terrible frustration God has turned away from their empty faith, the people are ashamed, and you can see how ashamed they are as they pour dust on their heads and wear sackcloth (cheap burlap) as a sign of their shame, bowing their heads to the ground because they cannot bear to see the judgment of God against them.    Their eyes are filled with tears, their stomachs ache, and they know that they have done wrong, they looked out for themselves and ignored the needs of others, and now we see them sitting in piles of dust, and those who pass by laugh at them. Jerusalem was supposed to be the holy city, the place that would serve as a shining example to the world.  But now those who walk by shake their heads and laugh, “is this the city praised in Scripture?  Maybe there is such a city somewhere, but not here in Jerusalem, not where these selfish people are weeping while sitting on piles of dust!”  The point of Lamentations is clear:  to ignore God’s mission to the world, and to only look out for ourselves, is strongly condemned.   It’s an old story, but it has a powerful impact upon on in the present:  we don’t want to live in shame for what we have become, we want to demonstrate “new love and new mercy” in all that we do. 

So why am I saying it is an error to list mission first in our Narrative Budget?  Mission is obviously very important, and we would neglect it at our peril. 

Here’s the error I am admitting. Everything about our faith and actions begins and ends with worship.  And if that is so, Part Two should be Part One in our Narrative Budget.  Mission flows out from our worship, as surely as we go out the door at the end of the service into the world, and the mission that we do then flows back into worship as we celebrate what God is doing in the world with our full participation.            Worship is the starting point and ending point of all that we do.   Yes, mission is how we measure the character of our faith, but let us acknowledge that our faith is forged right here worship places like this.  The Presbyterian Book of Order, the Constitution of our Presbyterian Church,  emphasizes this point very clearly in section W-5.1001:  “The life of the Christian flows from the worship of the church, where identity as a believer is confirmed and where one is commissioned to a life of discipleship and of personal response to God.  And the believer‘s life of response and discipleship flows into the church’s life of worship and service.”  Worship is central.  Worship is where all that we do begins, and worship is to where we return to share the stories of our engagement with the world, to be renewed in strength, and to find new companions for cause of Christ. 

Whether I have convinced you of my error or not, I hope you will share my delight with what we experience as we worship here at the Byron Presbyterian Church.  It’s all shown here in our Narrative Budget.  It’s not just worship, it’s all the ways we inspire and equip the people of Christ to serve:  in prayers, in preaching, in music and singing, in testimony about kindness and compassion and many other things, in learning, in Sunday School, in Bible Study, in Faith Journaling, in training people to serve important positions in the life of our church.  

Now, before I close, let me get back to those poor people sitting in piles of dust, weeping their hearts out, and enduring the ridicule of everyone who walks by.  This is not the final word in the matter.  You have to look ahead in chapter three, verse twenty two, where even to people who have made some big mistakes Jeremiah says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.”  How wonderful to be with you this morning, to welcome new love and new mercy into our lives!  Shake off the dust and let’s get moving!  Amen. 

     This month we will be reading from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, an Old Testament book with which few of us are familiar.  And not surprisingly.  It’s a description of all the things that have gone wrong.  All things Israel did wrong long ago.  Not all of the things YOU and I have done wrong  - PHEW! – but the things Israel did wrong.  (But we’ll get to you in just a minute!).       

     From the great promise of God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah, the escape from slavery in Egypt through the Red Sea, the giving of the law to Moses on the mountain, the gift of a promised land flowing with milk and honey, the establishment of a mighty kingdom under David, and the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem, Israel had reached the pinnacle of success … and then took a steep plunge and hit bottom.  The temple became corrupt, the kings greedy, morality was forgotten, justice neglected and peace rare.  When Jeremiah wrote the words we find in this book we see what he saw:  Israel had failed, the temple destroyed, the land over run by a conquering army, and the people enslaved.  And so Jeremiah, a prophet of God, in the midst of all this, hears the word of God, and it is not a comfort, it is not good news, it is a lament.  Jeremiah describes how Israel failed in every way.  So you can read what Jeremiah wrote about all of the things that Israel did wrong, and feel relieved because it’s what Israel did wrong, not what you have done wrong.   

     But let’s bring this scripture up to date.  This is how we’ll do it.  Here is a piece of paper for you to write down everything you have ever done wrong, anything you have ever done that disappointed all of those who had high hopes for you, everything you have done to let God down, everything that would go into your personal lament.  OK, let’s get started.  Let me know if you need additional pieces of paper, or if your pen runs out of ink.  And of course, for extra bonus points, you can put it in the form of poetry or music, because that’s how Jeremiah wrote his lamentations!  Here’s an example, a little song I wrote, sung to the tune of “Careless Love”: 

“Hurt, and Sorrow, Death and Pain; 

Hurt and Sorrow, Death and Pain. 

Hurt and Sorrow, Death and pain,

See what sin has done to me”

     Ouch!  Who likes coming to church on a beautiful Sunday morning, surrounded by your wonderful friends and neighbors, to engage in such an ugly exercise?  We come here on Sunday morning to be lifted up in promise and hope, not pounded down by guilt and punishment.  Now you know why the Book of Jeremiah’s Lamentations is not popular reading on Sunday morning.  Ouch!

      But don’t worry, we are still holding firm to our theme for this month of Stewardship:  New Love, New Mercy.   I had you go through this exercise of lamentation so that when you read through all of Jeremiah’s Lamentations you will discover the hidden treasure that is there, instead of passing over it.  I’ll show it to you right now.  I’ll save you the suspense.  It’s in chapter three, verse 22:  “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning;  great is thy faithfulness.”  No matter what you wrote on your paper, today is a new morning, because God is ready to offer New Love and New Mercy to you right now.  This is a treasure to brighten your life.  This is the light we search for when the world darkens around us.  Unlike my house where the flashlights and batteries are hard to find during a power failure, this is a light that we have close at hand by our faith in Jesus Christ. 

     Now, back to that list you’ve been working on.  I once visited an elderly woman whose entire home was filled with old newspapers.  You could barely walk from room to room using narrow walkways between tall stacks of newspapers.  There was no longer much room for her to live in her own home.  I thought of her as I began to fill out my own list.  By the time I am done I will have stacks of paper all around me, and soon I will be buried by it all.   But the treasure of “New Love, New Mercy” we learn from Jeremiah is that even with that long list of everything you have ever done wrong, this is not the last word.  For God begins each day with new love and new mercy to share with the world, to share with you, to build you up, to buildup the world. 

     I am glad to be serving a congregation that works hard on another list – a list of all the things that we can do to join with God in remaking our world.   Our Stewardship Minute highlights just one portion of that list.  These are the places, the people, the opportunities, the offerings and the gifts that demonstrate the power of that verse in Lamentations, that as each day begins God is eager to offer New Love and New Mercy to each one of us, and we are enthusiastic in our desire to share them with the world around us.  Our 2010 Narrative Budget is meant to cause you to walk away from each Sunday service with an enthusiasm for contributing, participating and investing your heart in the treasure of new love and new mercy that Jeremiah found.

            So here’s Jesus and his followers are resting in the house after a very long day.  There’s a knock at the door, and a message is delivered: “Jesus, your mother, brothers and sisters are outside asking to see you”.  And Jesus responds in an unexpected way. He gestures at all of the people in the room, and he says, “These are my mother, my brothers and sisters.  Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”.  The first time you read this story, it sounds disrespectful, but as you think about it you realize that from the very start Jesus was trying to inspire a new consciousness about the meaning of family.  It’s not a put-down of his relatives; it’s an invitation to experience your family, our family, in a new, expansive way.  Your family may be the group that lives in your house, but our family is something much larger than we ever imagined. 

One big family of faith gathered in peace at the world table, it’s a beautiful experience,  But the truth is that our usual experience of the world is disunity.  Among Christians, between nations, in our own community, and sometimes even in families.  And the saddest part of this is that instead of joining with Jesus to overcome disunity we accommodate ourselves to it, drawing dividing lines, building walls, living with suspicion and distrust.  

            Let me tell a story about New York City, where I saw the separation of people overcome by what I can only credit as the work of the Holy Spirit.  It was while riding on the subway.  In case you haven't heard, many people consider the subway to be one of the worst places to be in New York, the kind of place where your eyes are always ready to spot danger.  Beyond the danger, the underground trains are frequently very crowded, especially during rush hour.  Do you know the unwritten rule that all subway passengers must follow?   Never look anyone else in the eye.  Read your paper, read the advertisements on the wall of the train over and over again, anything but look at anyone else.  [Instruction:  Look all around the room but without actually looking at anyone]

            One subway ride gave me a brief look at what life could be like.  It was a steamy hot day up on the streets, which meant that it was even hotter down below.  And the heat became intolerable when our bodies were crushed together.  When the train began to move out of Times Square, it began to careen back and forth and we nearly fell over each other, for there were many more people than seats or handholds. 

We had just left the station ... when the train stopped dead in the dark tunnel, broken down during rush hour.  Many words in many languages were said in the dim glow of the emergency lightening, all expressing the same frustration:  hot, crowded, and going nowhere.   But then the voice of the train conductor spoke to us from the loudspeaker above our heads.  He knew exactly how we were feeling.  "Good afternoon, folks,"  he said in a cheerful voice that seemed way out of place, "we've got a little delay, so why don't you take a moment to get acquainted, smile, introduce yourselves."  It was like a magic spell had been broken.  We began to laugh and chat with our neighbors, and suddenly things weren't so bad anymore.  [Instruction:  Now, look all around the room and make eye contact with as many people as you can!]

            It was a gift, an amazing, spiritual gift on the subway that day.  For a brief moment, we recognized not only how much we had in common, but also how easy it was to bring us together.  The insight broke through the heat and the frustration, it broke through the fear and the prejudice.  It was a new experience.  We laughed and made friends with complete strangers.  What fun to be on the subways of New York with our family!  

            In a traditional church communion is a designed to be an intensely private moment between you and God.  We close our eyes, hold our hands together in prayer, and try to shut out the distractions of the world. 

But today on World Communion Sunday our instruction to you is different - as you share the bread and cup – look up, look at the people around you, make eye contact, smile, laugh, and enjoy this knowledge that you belong to a big family in Christ.  That’s what the Lord’s Supper is on World Communion Sunday.    A celebration of the family of faith – pull up a chair!