Miracles

Several years ago, I had a parishioner who was diagnosed with ALS or what’s better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Deb I think was in her late fifties early sixties and had been failing for many years before a neurologist was finally able to piece the puzzle together and give Deb and her family the awful diagnosis. 

One Sunday not that long after Deb’s diagnosis, Jerry, Deb’s husband was at church.  That particular Sunday Jerry was the last person at the altar rail to receive communion— Don one of our organist and one of Jerry’s friends  had started to join  Jerry at the rail whenever Jerry received communion.  

After giving Jerry and Don communion – a thought flashed through my head that we should pray for Jerry and Deb and their family and do it right there. 

This was totally a Holy Spirt moment

So I knelt down and whispered in Jerry’s ear—would it be alright if I pray for you and for Deb.  With tears in his eyes he said,  “of course.” 

At that point-this voice in my head said invite the congregation. 

So I did—I invited them to come forward and pray with for Jerry.  I thought maybe one or two folks might come forward and pray with us. But slowly one by one the entire congregation got up out of their pews and streamed down the aisle and we had about 100 people come forward and engulf this man and  lay hands on him—it was such a profound moment that I could hardly get the words of my prayer out as I  watched this congregation—enfold Jerry and Deb and their family into their arms and said we are going to walk with you through this no matter what—And they did. 

As this family walked through the valley of the shadow of death—they did not walk alone for God and that congregation went with them. 

Why do I tell you this story—because that story encapsulates why congregations need to exist-- and it is just one of the so many miracles that happen in our congregations  day in and day out- and if we look carefully we get to see the hand of God at work—we get to witness miracle but you know what but not only see them we get to participate in God breaking into this world.  We get to participate in these miracles—

A few weeks ago-I sent you a pledge card and invited to you prayerfully discern how you might give some of your hard earned dollars to this church.  Often we look at that pledge card and think about the money that we throw into the plate and think it’s about keeping the lights on or paying the organist and that doesn’t seem all that exciting. 

But it also isn’t just about the budget or the rector’s salary or keeping the lights on.  It’s about what happens inside the four walls of this church because the lights are on and  because the building is in good repair and it’s about what happen because we gather as a community of people who believe  that  loving God and loving our neighbor  are good things and that we should walk with one another through the valley  of the shadow of death—our pledge—the money we put in the plate it’s about enabling miracles to break into our lives

The money we put in the plate it enables that  the person who has no hope to have a place to come  and invite God into that forsaken space.  Our pledges It’s about those moments when the choir lifts us out of this world to the  doorsteps  of heaven and our spirits well up within us and we soar—

It’s about how people in this church thought it might be a good idea to build a school in Haiti—and how two weeks ago people sheltered in that school and were fed from that school when Hurricane Matthew ravaged that island. 

Miracles happen downstairs in our Sunday school rooms- the happen right there in the pews and at that altar rail.  Miracles happen here and miracles happen because of this community and the ways in which we support its mission.

This year our pledge-stewardship campaign is about an invitation to live generously. 

I believe our generosity is a vehicle that God uses to bring miracles about ---Our generosity is a vehicle to transform the world --   

Our presiding Bishop Michael Curry sometime talks about our mission as disciples being about transforming the world   from the nightmare it sometimes is into the dream that God has for it.   A pledges help that occur.

I don’t know what giving generously will look like for you.  It will look different for everyone.

I had a former parishioner tell me that he realized he wasn’t as generous as he thought when he sat down one day to write his bills and he realized that he paid the cable company more each month than he gave the church.  I have heard other talk about generosity through giving away a percentage or a proportion of their income—each year trying to give a little higher percentage away.  Others speak about generosity being a tithe giving 10 percent of their income.

Pledging is about keeping about the lights but if that’s all we think it’s about— then we miss out on participating in the miracles—we miss out on being wrapped up in God’s kingdom right here right now?

AMEN