More Than More Than Enough
July 26, 2009
John 6:1-13
Last Monday evening 15 of us Clarendon folk gathered at the Arlington Food Assistance Center and filled 500 bags with groceries for our sisters and brothers who live on the edge of hunger. We have been doing that on the third Monday of every month for years now, and in the current economic climate the need is the greatest that it has been in a long, long time.
Back in April, about 10 of us gathered with our Episcopal sister and brothers to help rebuild the home of a 90-something year old Arlington resident.
Earlier in the year, we collected gifts and supplies for the women and children of Doorways. We have knitted for warmth and for justice.
No. I don’t suppose we’ve fed 5,000, but I am certain that despite our numbers we have more than more than enough to feed God’s people – to house the homeless, to clothe the naked, to care for the sick.
As we were bagging groceries last Monday I thought back to the various ways that we have done this work together in recent months, and it struck me that more than 40 percent of our members have been directly involved in some hands-on local mission work. Moreover, another 10 percent have been directly involved in worship planning. And another 15 percent or more have been directly and actively involved in various aspects of our programming including education, stewardship and care for our facilities.
As I considered this level of activity – more than 65 percent of our membership actively involved in some aspect of our ministry beyond Sunday morning – I realized with numerical certainty that we do have more than more than enough.
There may be only 75 or so active members on our rolls, but you do remarkable ministry. I have worked for congregations with 10 times as many members who would have given their eye teeth to have the same level of ministry involvement among their members as we have at Clarendon. In point of fact, those churches would actually have had no idea what to do with that level of participation.
Why bring this up in July when our attendance is usually quite small?
Well, what better time to remind ourselves of the vibrant life of this community?
Indeed, as I considered this passage from John and the disciples wondering how they were ever going to accomplish the monumental ministry tasks that Jesus challenged the 12 of them to undertake, I realized, again, that we have more than more than enough to do what we are challenged to do.
I have been privileged to serve as your pastor for six years now, and for every one of those six years we have talked about growing the congregation, but as we gather this morning we have almost exactly the same membership that we had six years ago.
But let’s pause for a moment and consider what Clarendon has done, with a small group of faithful followers of Jesus, in that time.
Through our work at AFAC we have fed more than 5,000. On the Gulf Coast we have helped countless families either through the direct, hands-on experience of a few of us or through the relief money and supplies that we have sent. We’ve brightened the lives of young patients at the Arlington children’s clinic by painting and decorating rooms and by donating dozens of books.
Moreover, we have had an impact far beyond our numbers in shaping the conversation about justice and welcome in the PC(U.S.A.) and in the Commonwealth of Virginia through our work with More Light Presbyterians and People of Faith for Equality in Virginia.
Margaret Mead famously said, “never under estimate the power of a small group of people to change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
I don’t often claim to understand what Jesus was feeling, but when I read this story from John I think I do know just what he felt as he looked at a sea of hungry faces and then looked into the faces of his small band of followers, because, as I look around this morning, I know that we have more than more than enough.
The question for me is not whether we can do what we are called to do. We know the answer to that. With God all things are possible, so surely we can do what we are called to do. We have more than more than enough.
The question for me is why do it?
It is easy enough to say, “because we are called”; but what does that mean, and how do we know it?
For me, the answer to those questions cannot be found in mere conversation or in deep study. The answer to those questions is only found when we step out in faith to do the work that is right in front of us to do.
Jesus famously told his disciples that the poor will be with you always. He was not expressing despair at ineffectual antipoverty programs. No, we was naming the nature of the gathered community, the people of the way, the church of Jesus Christ. There will be in our number always those who are poor. We will not build nor become an isolated, gated community of the privileged but rather we will be a people who welcome rich and poor – economically, spiritually, and in every other measure.
Thus there will always be ministry to do right in front of us, and as we step out in faith to engage that work we will discover our true sense of call and uncover the gifts we have been given with which to do the work.
Why? Because in the doing we discover also the answer to our deepest, most urgent questions: who are we and to whom do we belong.
In a passage that we did not read this morning, Paul offers this prayer that answers for me the “why do it?” question. He says, I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Why do it? Why engage in mission work? So that we may be filled with the fullness of God, so that we may know ourselves the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, so that we may be root and grounded in love as we live. So that we may recognize the reality that we have always had more than more than enough.
So my questions for us this morning are simple ones:
When in mission work – however you define that – have you felt rooted and grounded in love?
What gifts have you discovered in yourself in the midst of such work?
What passions have bubbled up for you about mission work?
John 6:1-13
Last Monday evening 15 of us Clarendon folk gathered at the Arlington Food Assistance Center and filled 500 bags with groceries for our sisters and brothers who live on the edge of hunger. We have been doing that on the third Monday of every month for years now, and in the current economic climate the need is the greatest that it has been in a long, long time.
Back in April, about 10 of us gathered with our Episcopal sister and brothers to help rebuild the home of a 90-something year old Arlington resident.
Earlier in the year, we collected gifts and supplies for the women and children of Doorways. We have knitted for warmth and for justice.
No. I don’t suppose we’ve fed 5,000, but I am certain that despite our numbers we have more than more than enough to feed God’s people – to house the homeless, to clothe the naked, to care for the sick.
As we were bagging groceries last Monday I thought back to the various ways that we have done this work together in recent months, and it struck me that more than 40 percent of our members have been directly involved in some hands-on local mission work. Moreover, another 10 percent have been directly involved in worship planning. And another 15 percent or more have been directly and actively involved in various aspects of our programming including education, stewardship and care for our facilities.
As I considered this level of activity – more than 65 percent of our membership actively involved in some aspect of our ministry beyond Sunday morning – I realized with numerical certainty that we do have more than more than enough.
There may be only 75 or so active members on our rolls, but you do remarkable ministry. I have worked for congregations with 10 times as many members who would have given their eye teeth to have the same level of ministry involvement among their members as we have at Clarendon. In point of fact, those churches would actually have had no idea what to do with that level of participation.
Why bring this up in July when our attendance is usually quite small?
Well, what better time to remind ourselves of the vibrant life of this community?
Indeed, as I considered this passage from John and the disciples wondering how they were ever going to accomplish the monumental ministry tasks that Jesus challenged the 12 of them to undertake, I realized, again, that we have more than more than enough to do what we are challenged to do.
I have been privileged to serve as your pastor for six years now, and for every one of those six years we have talked about growing the congregation, but as we gather this morning we have almost exactly the same membership that we had six years ago.
But let’s pause for a moment and consider what Clarendon has done, with a small group of faithful followers of Jesus, in that time.
Through our work at AFAC we have fed more than 5,000. On the Gulf Coast we have helped countless families either through the direct, hands-on experience of a few of us or through the relief money and supplies that we have sent. We’ve brightened the lives of young patients at the Arlington children’s clinic by painting and decorating rooms and by donating dozens of books.
Moreover, we have had an impact far beyond our numbers in shaping the conversation about justice and welcome in the PC(U.S.A.) and in the Commonwealth of Virginia through our work with More Light Presbyterians and People of Faith for Equality in Virginia.
Margaret Mead famously said, “never under estimate the power of a small group of people to change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
I don’t often claim to understand what Jesus was feeling, but when I read this story from John I think I do know just what he felt as he looked at a sea of hungry faces and then looked into the faces of his small band of followers, because, as I look around this morning, I know that we have more than more than enough.
The question for me is not whether we can do what we are called to do. We know the answer to that. With God all things are possible, so surely we can do what we are called to do. We have more than more than enough.
The question for me is why do it?
It is easy enough to say, “because we are called”; but what does that mean, and how do we know it?
For me, the answer to those questions cannot be found in mere conversation or in deep study. The answer to those questions is only found when we step out in faith to do the work that is right in front of us to do.
Jesus famously told his disciples that the poor will be with you always. He was not expressing despair at ineffectual antipoverty programs. No, we was naming the nature of the gathered community, the people of the way, the church of Jesus Christ. There will be in our number always those who are poor. We will not build nor become an isolated, gated community of the privileged but rather we will be a people who welcome rich and poor – economically, spiritually, and in every other measure.
Thus there will always be ministry to do right in front of us, and as we step out in faith to engage that work we will discover our true sense of call and uncover the gifts we have been given with which to do the work.
Why? Because in the doing we discover also the answer to our deepest, most urgent questions: who are we and to whom do we belong.
In a passage that we did not read this morning, Paul offers this prayer that answers for me the “why do it?” question. He says, I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Why do it? Why engage in mission work? So that we may be filled with the fullness of God, so that we may know ourselves the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, so that we may be root and grounded in love as we live. So that we may recognize the reality that we have always had more than more than enough.
So my questions for us this morning are simple ones:
When in mission work – however you define that – have you felt rooted and grounded in love?
What gifts have you discovered in yourself in the midst of such work?
What passions have bubbled up for you about mission work?
Labels: mission work
posted by David Ensign at
5:07 PM
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