No Risk. Only Promise.

Sermon delivered on All Saints Sunday, 2003, at the beginning of a major capital campaign for a mission congregation.

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Can you see it? 

 Can you see what Isaiah saw, what he describes in today’s first reading?

 Can you see that feast set out on a grand table for all peoples,

  atop the mountain of the Lord,

 that ancient symbol of God’s dwelling among the people.

 I envision something grand yet somewhat informal, perhaps even chaotic –

  After all, gathered around this table are, as Isaiah put it, all peoples.

 It’s not necessarily going to be an orderly or “proper” affair.

 And the table? Well, to accommodate all peoples,

 I envision a long, wooden table, going on and on and on – never ending.

 Huge, seemingly bottomless bowls of food are set on it,

 bowls full of with rich food, Isaiah tells us

 (probably a euphemism for fattening!).

 And these bowls are accompanied by decanters flowing with well-aged wine.

 And the sea of humanity which is gathered there eats and eats and eats.

  Sounds of bowls clanking, people chattering and mouths devouring fill the air.

 And the peoples that God has gathered – all peoples, that is – are satisfied.

 

This vision of Isaiah’s is a vision of the future,

 a glimpse into what God will do for all people.

It’s eschatological,

 that is, it refers to the eschaton, that day of God’s justice,

 that day that we as Christians look forward to Jesus’ return.

For when Jesus returns,

 there will be a grand banquet feast, as Isaiah described,

 and, as we heard in the second reading from Revelation,

 all things will be made new.

 There will be a new Jerusalem,

 that is, there will be a

new city

, a community, a new way to live and be together.

 God will wipe the tears from our eyes.

 Death will be no more;

 mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

 for God will inaugurate a new kingdom,

 and his justice and peace will reign, forever.

You can almost hear the anticipation in Isaiah’s voice,

 and in John, the author of Revelation, you can sense his enthusiasm.

And why not be antsy with anticipation? Why not be enthusiastic?

 Like a anxious child excited for Christmas morning,

 Isaiah, John, us gathered here and all peoples eagerly await

 this new kingdom, this new Jerusalem, this new life.

 

But, but on this Sunday, there is something else that you, especially, are excited about.

There is something that you eagerly await, and that you anxiously anticipate,

 that you are just itching to get going.

What is that thing? 

A new church property and building, of course.

Yes, you look forward to having a building of your own,

 where you can engage in the teaching and learning ministries of the church,

 where all peoples can gather to fellowship, grow and be fed at the Lord’s table,

 where Bible study and pancake breakfasts and youth fellowships

 and knitting groups and finance committees (woo-hoo!) can gather.

Can you see it? Well, I see a version of it most Sundays.

I have been worshipping at, and will soon join, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church,

 in

Princeton

Junction.

This church was only organized in 1968 – it’s 35 years old.

And in 35 years this church has grown

 from several dozen members meeting in a township building – sound familiar? –

 to a thriving congregation worshipping over 200 on most Sundays,

 and a youth Sunday School program that bustles with life and energy.

Like Prince of Peace,

 your church hallways will one day be covered with children’s drawings of the nativity,

 classrooms will be filled with bags of donated food and clothing to meet local needs,

 choir voices will fill the practice room,

 and you will gather around tables for picnics and luncheons and pancake breakfasts.

Yes, in your new church building, on your new property,

 you will do many things,

 from the meetings where plans for mission and ministry are developed,

 to the pastoral counseling and education

 and worship and fellowship that will be the lifeblood of your congregation.

Yet even more than that,

 in that place great things will happen.

Like on the mountain of the Lord,

 where great feasts will satisfy the needs of all people,

 and where death and pain and anguish will be wiped away,

So to in your new place will these things happen.

In your new church

 great feasts will be served to satisfy the needs of all people,

 death and pain and anguish will be wiped away.

Yes, that’s right, for you will celebrate the Lord’s Supper,

 that great banquet which is laid before us and all people,

 and the power and grace of God will fill that church and all who are in it,

 and that power and grace will extend beyond those not-yet constructed doors

 into the community which you will serve in faith and love and humility.

 That power and grace will transform you and your community,

 and you will grow.

The future of Living Waters Lutheran Church is looking great! . . . .

 because of what God is doing for you and with you right now.

That’s right. As much as you are eagerly looking forward to the future of your congregation,

 as much as you are here today to consider

 the financial gift you will make to help make this dream a reality,

 as much as you are itching to have that new place where God will do such great things,

I’ve got something to tell you – God is doing great things now.

Yes, in Isaiah and in Revelation today we read of the future realization of God’s promises,

 we are assured that God will, one day, return to establish that Divine Kingdom,

 and reign supreme over all peoples who are gathered in that New Jerusalem.

Yet God does more than make bold, futuristic promises.

God acts now, today, in the present,

 as we see in the Gospel lesson with the raising of Lazarus from death to life.

When Jesus heard about Lazarus’ death,

 he went to be with him and his family.

In the verses preceding today’s reading,

 Jesus and Martha are talking Lazarus,

 and Martha laments that Jesus wasn’t with Lazarus to keep him from dying. 

“If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Jesus says to Martha, “Your brother will rise again,”

 to which Martha faithfully responds,

 “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

For Martha, and for the disciples, the power of God was something reserved for the last day,

 for another time, for that eschatological banquet, for the mountain of the Lord.

Yet Jesus defies their logic, defies their religious sensibilities

 by acting in the power of God in the current moment, to raise Lazarus from the dead.

It’s as if he says, “No, dear friends, the power of God is not just a future thing.

 The resurrection is now. Healing is now. The Divine Kingdom is now. And it is here.”

Yes, hear this Good News: not only will God do great things for you,

 but God is doing great things for you, right here and right now.

You are blessed with the opportunity to acquire land for a new ministry.

You are blessed with a growing and enthusiastic and faithful community.

You are blessed with a new pastor and the support of pastors and congregations

 from all over the region –

 At Pastor Matt’s installation Bishop Roy Riley said

 that he had never seen so many clergy from so many congregations at an installation. 

Yet that support was not just for Pastor Matt. That was for you. 

 That was for your congregation. That was for your mission. 

People know that God is doing great things here, and they want to be a part of it.

This is truly a Spirit-filled moment.

 This is not unlike the raising of Lazarus or the promises of a Divine Kingdom,

 for what is happening here is happening because of the power of God.

This moment, this power,

 enables you as a congregation to take a risk

 and raise thousands of dollars – hundreds of thousands, perhaps, when it’s all done –

 to purchase land and build a church.

I mean, talk to any sociologist or demographer and

 they will tell you that church attendance is in decline.

It might be a great time to invest in Starbucks, which seem to appear on every corner,

 but invest in a church?

YES! For the God who raises the dead to life, makes the mute to speak and the deaf to hear,

 this God is making a new life, a new community here at Living Waters.

Yes, God is building community,

 strengthening each of you through the faith and love of each other,

 which is given to you by the Holy Spirit.

And the coming years will be exciting – yet challenging – for you as a faith community,

 but God is and will be with you, strengthening you for the journey.

And so as your congregation takes a risk,

 each of you are invited to take a risk.

Each of you will walk home today from church with a risk-card –

 I mean a pledge card – in your hand.

You will be asked to consider your risk, to consider your pledge,

 to make the future ministry of Living Waters a reality.

When I worked at the Seminary in Philadelphia in their fundraising office,

 I got to know many risk-takers.

They were people like you and me.

Not people of extraordinary wealth. 

In fact, they were often people of modest means.

Yet they made the church and the seminary a priority in their financial planning.

Although they never spoke of it,

 I am sure that more than a few of the seminary’s donors

 drove that 6 year old car for a few more years rather than replace it,

 so that they could make a special gift to the seminary’s capital campaign.

For these donors, and for you,

 the church is important, it’s a priority,

 just as crucial as paying the mortgage or putting food on the plate.

You come to church, you give to the church, you live in the church,

 because you have witnessed what God has done,

 you have feasted at the banquet table,

 and you have experienced Christ’s transforming power.

And so this pledge card, it represents no risk.

There is no risk in power of God.

Only promises. Promises that you have seen in the past,

 experience in the present, and confidently await in the future.

No risk. Only promise.

Amen.