PROPER 22C - Habakkuk 1:1-13; 2:1-4; Psalm 37:3-10; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10 -

7 October 2007 - A sermon preached by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

 

The Faith to Pursue A Vision

 

INTRODUCTION - A Vision

 

We have met together. Over seven weeks this summer, we met in a series of vision forums and talked about our core values, the gifts that we have as a body, and the needs of those in nearby communities. Your Vestry has weighed in on what they see as the four most important goals for us as a congregation over the next year. Your Vision Committee and I have listened. Three weeks ago we presented a new Vision Statement to you. Here it is:

 

As a welcoming community centered in Christ, we of St. Ambrose are committed to prayer, to growth, and to deepening our connections with God and with each other, so that we are empowered to love and serve others in this community and beyond.

 

The words and the values we heard you articulate are in or are implied in this Vision Statement. Words like:

- Welcoming

- Christ-centered

- Prayerful

- Growth

- Connections

- Transformed by a spiritual relationship with God

- Empowered

- Loving

- Serving

 

I have listened. I have listened to you, and I have listened to God, and after this time of listening, I have done my best to write out the vision plainly today. I have still not written it in such large print that a runner may read it while passing by (Habakkuk 2:2), but the Vision Statement, and a draft of our goals related to this Vision, are up here for everyone to see.

 

(Emphasize top four goals, and other goals.)

 

One key question remains: Can this vision happen?

 

CAN THIS VISION HAPPEN?

 

Before you rush to answer whether this vision can or cannot become reality, let’s take a moment and reflect on a few words that come to us in today’s Collect (the prayer for the day) and in today’s lesson.

 

From the Collect: “Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and to give more that we either desire or deserve...” God is ready to bless us abundantly, because our God is a God of abundance and generosity. Are we ready to receive God’s blessing?

 

From Psalm 37:4: “Take delight in the Lord, and he shall give you your heart’s desire.” If you have come to one or more of these forums, I am guessing that part of your heart’s desire for St. Ambrose is in this vision somewhere. Two priests? More opportunities for spiritual formation so that you can deepen your walk with Christ? Paying off our loan, so that more money is released for ministry? Everyone reaches out in love to others here at St. Ambrose, and to those who live outside this particular community? Increase the presence of St. Ambrose in the communities where we live and work? Become more generous in the giving of our selves and our money? It is all there - the sum total of our hearts’ desires. And it is God’s good delight, as Jesus said once, not only to give us these things, but to give us even more - the kingdom.

 

From 2 Timothy 1:7, stealing from Paul’s encouraging words to a young Timothy: “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” In other words, what are we afraid of? God has given us the Holy Spirit, and our power and our love comes from our connection to the Spirit of God. We are not alone in this endeavor, as we set out to fulfill this vision. God is with us. God’s Spirit is in us.

 

And finally, from Jesus’ words in Luke 17:6, after the disciples asked for more faith. (They, like us, were always asking for more. If I had more faith, the thinking goes, I could do more for you, Lord.) And Jesus replied, “If you had the faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” You all know how big a mustard seed is. You have this much faith. If you walked in the doors today, you have this much faith.

 

So... can this vision happen?

 

You’re darn right it can happen.

 

And if we act out of our mustard-seed-sized faith... if we tap into the power of God, and don’t allow our fears or our collective anxiety or our small minded “there’s no way this could happen” thinking run away with us... if we believe in the abundance and generosity and faithfulness and loving kindness of God, and believe that God is calling us to follow in His ways, and to be generous and faithful, and to demonstrate loving kindness... if we believe on a heart level and on a gut level that God is ready to give way more than we either desire or deserve... THEN THIS VISION WILL HAPPEN. IT WILL BECOME REALITY.

 

We have the faith.

We have the money.

We have the desire.

We have the gifts and abilities.

We have each other.

And most of all, we have a God who believes in us, and calls us His beloved, who has blessed us, and who wants to keep blessing us.

 

We lack for nothing. NOTHING!

 

CONCLUSION

 

So.. As you contemplate this vision, and the power and generosity and faithfulness of God, I ask you to think about this question. WHERE AM I IN THIS VISION? If you are at St. Ambrose, whether you have been here two weeks, two months, two years, or two decades, you are here for a reason. You are here to be a crucial part of this community, and to help usher in the kingdom of God in this place - in this community, and beyond.

 

Where are you in this vision? What is your particular part to play, so that this vision can become reality? How will you give of your time, your talent, your money - yourself - in faithfulness to God, and committed to the other people who are in this community?

 

No more excuses. A new day is dawning at St. Ambrose. We are going to be marching forward, to make this vision - God’s vision - happen. I need you to help us make it happen. Let’s acknowledge that our faith is at least as big as a mustard seed, and let’s start uprooting some mulberry trees.