Mission Possible

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Take a moment to think about this: What is it that God has called us to do? What is our mission? As a whole church, what are we supposed to be doing, …as a congregation …as individuals? Each of us as the people of God, what are we supposed to be doing?

I’m going to ask you all to break up into groups of 2-4 people. Take about 22 seconds to exchange names and tell each other where you are from, and stay there because I’m going to give you another assignment in a moment…

Okay, now I want you to take the next 53 seconds to ask and tell each other what you think our church’s mission is, and afterwards I’ll ask some of you to share what you heard… [Wait and ask for several responses.]

Are these things possible? The promise of scripture is that all things are possible with God. However, sometimes you need to start with the right God-given tools.

This weekend, Pauline and I have a bunch of family members over, and we are building our deck and arbor. We needed four large postholes for a pretty massive arbor. We had this: a hand auger, a kind of posthole digger. It’s about 6-7 inches in diameter, and we needed 8-inch holes. Well, we took turns laboring over these holes that we wanted at least 2 ½ feet deep. Our house sits on top of a glacial moraine. Do you know what that means? Right! Rocks, lots of round rocks. We dug and twisted and groaned for hours, until finally—God bless him—my father-in-law got inspired.

By then we were stuck—couldn’t seem to get any further than 2 foot and 3-4 inches. What could we do to break this barrier? My father-in-law stopped us and said, “Boys, let’s get one of those gas powered augers.” We screeched to the rental shop and back, and after hours of hand labor, our holes were dug in 15 minutes.

It was still heavy, hard and awkward labor. But with the right tool, and together, it was faster and fun. Sometimes you just need to find the right God-given tool.

Elisha, with 20 loaves of bread and fresh grain, managed to feed 100 hungry men, with bread left over. Jesus was faced with a crowd of thousands, but starting with five loaves and two fish he fed them all.

You need to start with the right God-given tools. It will still be challenging work, but this I promise you: The results of our small efforts—with God’s help—will always increase! The results of our efforts—with God’s help—are always much bigger than any of us imagine… when God’s will is done on earth as in heaven.

You need to start with the right tools. We have them. First, we have the power of God, and that starts with prayer. Remember in our lesson, Jesus took the bread, and what was the very first thing he did? He gave thanks, he prayed. In this congregation, I want every meeting, every event, and every work party, whatever it is, to start with prayer. When we call on God, he has promised to be there. And with his help, all our efforts will increase. I completely trust this.

We have God through prayer, and we have the message of salvation. Our Vacation Bible Scholars were singing, dancing, crafting, and learning this message all of last week. The message of God is the power and promise of his forgiveness and his salvation offered to all. The kids sang,

G – R – A – C – E – ee;

We will worship him faithfully-ee;

We will live e – ter – ra – na – ly;

What a life for you and me:

Saved by Grace!

The VBS theme was “Mission Possible,” and they studied about the Christian Mission and what makes it possible, our mission to “Love God and Neighbor.” I think it was Wednesday that they learned the great passage from the prophet, “What does God require of you but to do justice, cherish mercy, and to walk humbly with God.”

To do justice isn’t about just deserts. It’s about making sure the orphans find homes, that the hungry get food, and that the widows and sick are visited and cared for. We are to cherish mercy, always erring towards mercy. We are to walk humbly, knowing that we are each human before God, and that we are in this together.

Is this mission possible? Is it possible to live like this? Yes… with God! We have the assurance that whatever we do—even though it’s human and we will make mistakes—we can have peace and assurance, we can take our time with each other, and with each project—because it doesn’t change the fact of our salvation. Our work is important; it needs doing; and we need to be involved. And through our uneven cuts and mis-measured boards, God is building an amazing Kingdom.

With God, through even one person, God has done great things. However, we also have the gift and incredible tool called, “We.” In that great passage of Ecclesiastes, we hear how two are better than one. If one person falls, the other is there to pick that person up. If cold, they can keep each other warm. Against enemies, one might fall, but two can back each other up. Two are better than one, and a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. You and me, braided together by the Spirit of God: we have a powerful gift and tool in the word “we.”

As adults, too many of us have tempered our enthusiasm. We have these great gifts called experience and learning, but way too often we use them to stop us. We look at our own meager supply, or what little we have. We forget Sesame Street’s important lessons about cooperation, thinking and working together. Instead, we have got to start pooling our experience and learning to help us clear hurdles as we come up against them.

And we forget to enjoy it! We look at the work ahead of us, and stop before we start, or we decide to go in grumbling, completely forgetting the people for the tasks in front of us. We have the gift and tool of “we,” and we need to use it…to make time to use it…to change our schedules in order to be a part of “we.”

I’ve mentioned this before about this miraculous feeding of the 5,000. There are modern examples; perhaps not so miraculous, but at least as powerful and God-inspired. Some years ago, when I was a youth pastor, I remember going to Lutheran youth gatherings and watching something that seemed like a little after-thought become much bigger. The youth are often asked to bring along an extra toothbrush, soap and/or washcloths—things that would make kits for others around the world. In our individual suitcases, these things took up very little room, and just a little time and thought. What happens when 45,000 youth are asked to pile what they’ve brought into one room? It becomes tons of extra care. It took up very little space and effort on each of our parts, but it did take some and it took a brief and focused effort from many brought together to make it happen on such a large scale.

Connected to this, I noticed something subtle in the Bible lesson. John was very careful to mention that this feeding happened near the time of the Passover observance. That gives some explanation to the numbers of people and pilgrims in the area. The more subtle thing is to remember the Passover: During the last plague in Egypt, people put unblemished lamb’s blood on their doorposts and lintels in order to do what? To save their children! Again and again in the Bible we are called to gather around our children, to teach and pass on, to save them, but also to learn from them, and to pick up where they leave off, in order to help them claim this faith as their own.

So this young boy trots up to the Disciple Andrew and says, “Hey, Mister, I can share these fish and loaves!” With this offering from a small boy Jesus started the feast. As the bread was broken—and others shared the task of breaking and sharing—it kept increasing until, finally, enough was given to feed the whole crowd and then some!

It can all start from one small child, one small person, to start off. Add the power and blessing of God through prayer, then break it up and divide the workload among many, and then stand back amazed! It does still happen today!

This is a “Mission Possible!” The trick is that we need to BE the Church, each of us, working together toward specific Christian goals. You want a welcoming, friendly church? You need to do that, you personally. You don’t need to be out of character, don’t need to overdo it, but you do need to be the one to do it if it’s important.

You want this church to exist after we’re gone? For your grandchildren? Then, you and I need to start doing things here and now to provide for it. I think of a couple, expecting their first child. Months before the arrival, they have the nursery painted, the cradle, the toys, clothes and diapers all stacked and ready.

What does that mean for us as a church? How can we prepare for and nurture the children we want our faith to have? How can we get ourselves pregnant? And even more important: how can we present the message of grace and salvation in receivable terms, so that they will hear it and trust it and embrace it as their own? How can we give it away?

This is a “Mission Possible.” At the beginning of this year, you called Pastor Steve and I as your co-pastors. It was an exciting time with all sorts of visions and dreams on paper about staffing and visitation ministries and interns and on and on.

Well now, those dreams are becoming realities, and those paper charts are real people. We’ve a group of over 14 people making lay visits in addition to our ongoing and newest Stephen Ministers. Therese Moore and Doreen Shaver are in California receiving a weeklong, 50-hour training course to become Stephen Leaders. We have an intern coming in the fall. She is a real person named Kendra Mohn. We have a lot left to do to enhance our youth program and to rebuild Christian education. By the beginning of the new year, we will need to look at future program needs as they relate to our church building…all so that we can get pregnant!

I’ll let you in on a future dream I have. Right now, we have services meeting in two different parts of our building during worship times. I look forward to the day when we might have a worship space big enough and structured in a way that our congregation can worship in one space—whether the style is contemporary or traditional.

It is possible…this and other things more important. Together we just need to figure out what is needed to best minister to others. That is our job. We cannot stop at comforting ourselves here at church. Our higher priority is to pass on the forgiveness and love of God to others. We have it! Others need it!

Be the church…here, at home, at your office or school. Together our individual efforts will add up to feed more than 1000’s, but millions.

“So,” says the God of grace,

“My gospel shall descend,

Almighty to effect

The purpose I intend.

Millions of souls shall feel its power,

And bear it on to millions more.”

(Philip Doddridge, “Mark the Soft-falling Snow”)

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