A sermon for an annual meeting…

EXODUS 19.2–8a             PSALM 100             ROMANS 5.1–11              MATT 9: 35ff

This morning’s bible readings seem to have specifically been chosen for an AGM – did you notice? I can assure you they weren’t, but let’s look at them, in turn, and see how they might be speaking to us, on this day, where we stop, consider, look back over what has been, and look forward to whatever future God might be calling and leading us into.

Our first reading was part of the Exodus story. Those early wanderers are camping at Mount Sinai where God reminds them how God has carried them on eagle’s wings and brought them to God’s self. I read that and thought of that beautiful song we often sing – and I will raise you up on eagle’s wings – a song that I think of as something of our anthem. There were years of wandering and God has been constantly faithful and near. And we have been carried on the wings of God’s love and always brought near to God.

The exodus story is also our story. And so, the commands of the exodus God are also our commands; …obey me fully…keep my covenant… God says. And the promises to the Exodus people are our promises too; …you will be my treasured possession…you will be a holy people. And so, the response of the Exodus people might inspire our response too; ‘We will do everything the Lord has said,’ the people responded together.

Then we had psalm 100 – Give thanks to God and bless God’s holy name. For the Lord is good, his loving mercy is for ever: his faithfulness throughout all generations. And that’s the point of today; a time of thanksgiving – thank you God for your loving kindness, for each other, for this place, for this parish. Thank you, God – we bless your holy name. It is a time to recall God’s goodness to us. We have been through much and God was faithful. We are growing and changing and God is faithful. We are committing afresh to our future and God will be faithful. Great is God’s faithfulness.

Next …….. read the New Testament reading – we glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. This reminds me of this past Pentecost, just a few weeks ago, when we should have had a baptism and the family got sick and cancelled a couple of hours before the service. And God was amazing – as ever – and led us into that incredible time of anointing, for those who longed for more of God’s Holy Spirit and one by one nearly every person was anointed and God’s love was poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. And it felt like a really significant way-marker on our journey together. The past is behind us, the present is good, and the future is filled with hope…and hope does not disappoint us.

And only then did we get to the gospel – to those wonderful words of Christ, calling his disciples, sending out workers into the harvest and giving them specific instructions.

‘The harvest is plentiful’, Jesus says, ‘but the workers are few’.

You know that age-old conversation – there is so much to do, and it’s always the same people who do everything!  I’ve heard that said in every church I have ever been a part of. And I’ve heard it said here. And it might feel like the same people do everything, especially when we are tired, but that same number of people is way bigger here than in many places. And that number is growing! Before the restructure of our parish council, we had maybe a dozen people who were ‘running’ the church.

With our new support groups, we have more than 30 people involved in some aspect of decision making – maybe more like 40, especially when you include people who are on rosters too. We are blessed. The harvest is plentiful – I absolutely believe it – and the workers are growing in number and confidence and courage. And, at the advice of Jesus, we will continue to ‘ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field’…whilst also recognising and acknowledging that the worker God might be calling could be any one of us…and probably is you.

When we hear the list of the names those Jesus called, I wonder if we can hear our own name in that list too? Simon (called Peter), his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, John, Philip and Bartholomew; Maureen, Thea, Michael and Howard. Craig, Janice, Gordon and Russell. Gabby, Linda, Lucia and Glenda and Iris. And everyone else because Jesus calls us all – never doubt that.

And just as he called those first disciples, with specific instructions, so he calls us with specific instructions. And we might – in error – call it Parish Councillor or support group member or external verifier or whatever grand name we give it, but really our call is always to go to those who are lost and tell them they are loved and there is a way home. We are called to go to the sick and heal them – especially to heal others of the disease of loneliness and isolation – we are called to bring light and life to places of darkness and death – to bring peace where there is chaos and hope where in despair. And to recognise we have so much to give, and it was all given for free – out of the goodness of God’s eternal grace – and so we should be giving for free too.

Friends, later today we will have an agenda to follow and boxes to tick. We will have positions to fill and reports to give but let us not forget these lessons from scripture, above and beyond it all…

• We are carried by a God who loves us, and is safe to obey
• We can be thankful for God’s love and mercy and unending faithfulness
• We must have hope in the future because we walk into it with the Holy Spirit
• And we are called and sent by God to make a difference in this world

And may that be our true agenda. Amen.