Pentecost 22: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

November 13, 2011

    What a blessing each week to see so many friendly, smiling faces here to worship on Sunday mornings. On some weeks there can be almost 200 of you counting both services together. On average there have been about 175 here week to week this year. Most of you are familiar with one another, but often there are visitors mixed in too, friends we haven't met yet. What a blessing it is that you come back, week after week, to listen to God's Word proclaimed, to be inspired by the music and fellowship with one another, to share your concerns and needs for prayer, and to pray for others. And as the plates are passed to put in your donations for God's work to be done here on earth and to make a difference in shaping the hearts and minds of all ages with the gospel of Christ.

    This is what the church is here to do - to introduce worshipers to Jesus Christ and his love, to be nurtured in his love and then become his disciple and servant in the daily walk of life. As a church forms disciples the goodness and mercy of God overflows out into the neighborhoods and offices and hallways where we live and work and go to school. Communities become better places to live. People become better persons and are filled with hope and generosity and love. The church of Jesus makes a lot of good things happen beyond itself. What a blessing then to see all of you here today because worship is truly where it all starts. As Jesus said: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."(Mt 6:21, Lk 12:34)

    I want to connect the dots this morning and share with you how the blessings of your presence and giving each week are being multiplied through this church and out into the community to the glory of God. In other words, what is happening because of what you are doing? There's a lot.

    Did you know that during the school year there are over 150 children that occupy this building at some point during the day to be cared for and formed by the love of Jesus through the Preschool and the Kids Place after school programs. During the summer there were 70-75 children here each week day being formed in Christ through Camp Sonshine. On weekday evenings dozens of boy and girl scouts have a home here for their meetings. Adult and youth basketball teams practice in the FLC. Families schedule reunions, bridal showers, weddings and receptions here. The United Methodist Women provide meals for families following funeral services. And what about the 1000 plus or minus a few who come to enjoy our great Chicken Suppers. More about this later.

    A few years ago this church stepped up to the plate and decided to fund a full time staff person to develop a youth program. Danny shared with me that this year there are 46 youth participating in the youth meetings and over 50 if you count visitors. Each week they have worship and bible lessons as well as fun and fellowship. They are learning about serving Christ too as 39 youth were on the mission trip this summer to Lyons, New York. Wow and to think that just a few years ago this church was reaching only a handful of youth. This is how your support is being multiplied. The love of Jesus is growing and spreading.

    Each week about 70 of you attend a Sunday School Class. Classes for every age group are available including 5 adult classes. Your gifts are multiplying through the Sunday School.

    Support for missions is growing. The Chicken Supper funds support Kumler Neighborhood Ministries, Asbury Children's Supper Hour, Habitat for Humanity, Central Illinois Food Bank, Midwest Distribution Center, Helping Hands, Contact Ministries and others in the Springfield area alone. They provide support for our missionary covenant relationship with Helen Sheperd and her Hospice ministry in Mongolia. Other special offerings support the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) providing emergency aid all over the world to help victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. The Imagine No Malaria campaign has a goal to eradicate this disease in Africa by 2015 through our prayers and the support of our treasure. And there is much more that is happening as well because of you and much more that can happen in the future.

    We are hoping to sponsor a Work Group Camp, similar to those that the youth have attended in recent years, to hold one of these here in the Sherman-Williamsville area in 2013.

    The love of Jesus is growing and spreading. Like the two faithful disciples in the parable who invested the talents their master had given them to manage and doubled them, so your giving of service and treasure are being multiplied in the work of the Lord through this church here on earth. "Well done," the master says to us today. "You have been trustworthy in a few things, now I will put in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Master."(Mt 25:21,23)

    All of this illustrates the DNA of a Christian disciple. Followers of Jesus care for others. They care for the young, the old, the stranger, the hurting, the sick, the discouraged heart, the broken spirit, the seeking mind, the lonely, the needy, and the lost. And so they share from their abundance. They give. The serve. They pray. They reach out. They listen. They teach. They witness. They worship. It all starts right here on Sunday mornings. Then it multiplies throughout the week and extends all around the world. And then it comes back full circle to this same place on Sunday mornings and starts over again.

    Imagine then if there was no preschool, no Kids Place, no Camp Sonshine, no youth program, no Sunday School, no place for scouts to meet, for teams to practice, no place for a family wedding, no place to share grief, no place to pray, no place to sing, no funding for missions, no place to hear God's Word, no place to hear the great story of God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ, no place to worship. And so thank you for your faithful support because everything that goes on through the church happens only because of God and you. Your gifts help make these ministries possible by underwriting the cost of utilities, building repairs and maintenance and cleaning services, administration and staffing.

    No church is perfect. Giving often is uncertain. But the worst scenario of all would be if we began to think that our gift didn't make any difference at all. That we should simply bury what we have and save it. Imagine what you would miss and everyone else would miss too. As it is though the scripture reminds us that followers of Jesus are 'children of the light, children of the day and not of the night or of the darkness. Since we belong to the day then, we put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath, but for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other as indeed you are already doing.'(1 Th 5)

    Only because of God's generosity to us and our giving back does this goodness of God flow through the church and overflow out into the world. And so thank you for all you do. Your giving is being multiplied many times over. The love of Christ is growing and spreading. It is creating a future that will be better than today. Because of you the faith of Jesus is multiplying. The Kingdom of God is drawing nearer.

    And so again, "Well done." "You have been trustworthy in a few things, now I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Master." Yes, "enter into the joy of your Master!"

Thanks be to God!