Invited to Live with a Thankful Heart by Reverend Shelley McVea on 28 January, 2018
This is a sermon for Vestry Sunday in the church, when we come together as a community, and together we need all of your voices.
What do we talk about at Vestry?
It would be great to think that we talk about the mission of the Lord. But some of our business, the mundane things, are also in service to God’s mission in the world.
I like to think of our church in a few ways.
Sometimes this building where we meet here together, one way is to think of us is as a hospital for sinners. You come to church, you are tired and weary, and you can come here lay your burdens down and have the Lord heal your spiritual wounds.
You could also think of our church as an outpost, a resting place where there are supplies, and you can get warm and have water and food, and you can rest on your strenuous journey. Some of us think of the Christian life as a strenuous journey.
Think too of the outposts in the second world war, where there were outposts, some secret groups that are fighting against evil and wrong.
Sometimes it is east to get caught up in thinking that the world is about making money and getting ahead, and that is what is going to make me happy. But we come here to this outpost and realize that that is fake news. The reality is that the world is based on love.
And we can show others too that they can resist those myth.
We are not here just for ourselves, although our fellowship is sweet and we are here for each other. But we have a bigger mission.
It's about reaching out others, to people who don’t know the love and forgiveness of God, those that don't know the good news.
Let's look briefly at the four passages that we read today.
In Deuteronomy, Moses realizes that he is not going to see the promised land and he needs to have a prophet to replace himself. God is going to send Joshua and give him the words. The obvious choice is Joshua, and who is the modern prophet? Jesus. The prophet who speaks only God’s words.
In the book of Mark (1:21-28) Jesus goes to synagogue. What would it be like for us, if Jesus walked into our church? God spoke directly through him. Jesus’s words had authority, and the people were astounded and amazed.
Then someone comes in with an unclean spirit and Jesus is able to free that person just by speaking a word. He is able to bring healing to that person’s life.
Let's listen to the voice of God in each of us in Vestry today. Let’s bring healing to each other.
Now, Corinthians. The church has been established. Jesus has died and been resurrected.
Paul is writing to the church in Corinth and guess what, the church is not perfect. They did great things, they loved the Lord, and yet they argued. There were temples to idols. Nowadays we keep our idols in our pockets and our homes. Watching TV, being on the internet, working really hard all the time.
Here Paul is giving us a principle. The people of Corinth had given food to the idols, and they ask the question, is it okay to eat the food that was given to the idols? If you are further along in the faith, don’t use your faith to harm another person’s conscience. If you are further along in the faith, and others are not so far along as you, don’t put someone down. Isn’t it the youngsters who often have a much sweeter relationship with God than we do? Put others ahead of yourself.
And finally, our psalm, how do we react to that. if we have a God like this who speaks with authority, that heals people and invites us to live with a clear conscience, then we will live with a thankful heart. Let’s go into our Vestry meeting with thankful hearts, thankful that we have a ministry.
We have a story that is for everybody because God loves everybody. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we begin in fear and awe and we end in forgiveness and love. And we put Jesus first.
Let’s go into Vestry in that spiri(continued)
