A Great God; A Great Work: 1. Soaring with the Eagles Again
By Pastor Steve Purdy
[Preached October 23, 2011; Based on James Varner’s Sermon Seed and Isaiah 40:28-31]
Friday morning a week ago, Shook came in needing money for the opening of the Pumpkin Patch and so we drove down to my bank. We went through the drive through to get cash and I made sure to push for the receipt because I know how Bonnie, our Financial Administrator, is – very professional… and I did want to be reimbursed. I got the receipt, put it in the car, but I kid you not, between the bank and the church the receipt vanished; it was raptured! We both searched and couldn’t find it anywhere. I’m just so grateful that my “pouty lip” still works!
Way too often, I lose track of what was I going to say and what I came into a room for. I do forget things, but on the other hand, I remember thinking back to times in my life when I thought that my dad was getting old and… you guessed it, I am now older than he was at that point. I remember my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary party – they were old! We’ve been married 30. I remember looking at my hands and seeing my dad’s hands; now, when I look in the mirror each morning, I see my dad’s face!
Friends, the truth is that everything ages; everything gets old – including church buildings! And that is what our Restore. Renew. Revive. Capital Maintenance Campaign is all about. This morning you will receive information about our renovation project and be invited to join in prayer for the next 40 days as together we meet the financial challenge of our aging building’s repair/restoration needs. Take it home and read it. Pray with us daily.
Our scripture text doesn’t talk about the effects of physical aging, but rather of spiritual fatigue which often goes with spiritual longevity. Yes, often the longer one is a believer – the greater the probability of growing weary. The ancient Israelites were tired! They didn’t love God any less and they didn’t believe their scriptures any less. If you read Isaiah, many of them still showed up for worship every Sabbath, but spiritually they were tired, exhausted…out of energy.
In Lamentations 5:2-5—the sad songs of the Hebrew people, we read: Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace! 2Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to aliens. 3We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows. 4We must pay for the water we drink; the wood we get must be bought. 5With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; we are weary, we are given no rest.
Spiritual fatigue is not fatal, but it is devastating. It saps the life out of you. I have experienced it and often talk with people dealing with it.
No wonder when Jesus came…he promised another weary generation of Jews, Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11: 28-29)
Have you ever been spiritually weary, feeling the lack of spiritual energy to do God’s work? Well, you are not alone. It happens to everyone. There is hope… no, there is more than hope and it doesn’t come in a bottle or a pill. It is God’s Spirit at work in our lives empowering us for faithful living.
As our laity did so well last week, (Didn’t they?) let’s look one more time at Isaiah’s text. Those who wait upon God get fresh strength. God restores, renews, and revives. That’s God’s good news for all of us… for today. I believe:
- God restores us through the foundations of our faith.
- God renews—energizes—us through our loving service.
- God revives our hope when the world says, “Give up.”
- God restores us through the foundations of our faith.
Do you remember the story of Job in the Old Testament… faithful in worship, righteous in living, enjoying God’s blessings in his life? First, he lost his life savings… then, drought and forest fires struck… then, he lost his family – in essence, he lost everything!
Job’s friends were not a lot of help. They said, “Job you have sinned; God is punishing you. There is some secret sin in your life; God is angry with you. You think you are so faithful and righteous serving God but bad things don’t happen to good people.”
Finally, God breaks into Job’s weary faith and suffering and reminds Job that only God can create a world… can raise the sun and set the sun… can restore life.
This is something we know in the depths of our hearts. For this Restore. Renew. Revive. Capital Campaign to be successful, God must be in it! I can guarantee you that your Trustees prayed and talked many hours before deciding to launch the restoration of our facilities. We are convinced it is God’s will for us. This decision was confirmed in a Church Conference. But for us to complete the campaign successfully, God must be in it. I believe God is in it.
What is driving us to do this is not just the restoration/repair of our aging buildings.
- It is a recommitment to the foundations of our faith and to our mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
- It is a renewed commitment to Reach, Teach, and Serve. The second promise of this wonderful Isaiah 40 text…
- God renews—energizes—our loving service.
When a football player is cramping on the football field, the trainers will try stretching exercises. Sometimes the athlete leaves the field to return some minutes later. We are told they received an IV. They needed more than water or Gatorade. Now they are energized for the game.
People sometimes lose their energy for doing God’s work. They once attended church faithfully, but now only occasionally. They once taught a class or sang in the choir every week; they ushered or attended Sunday School. When asked why no longer, they say something like, “I just grew tired. It doesn’t mean the same thing anymore.”
Spiritual fatigue is like physical fatigue…essentials are missing. We need an infusion of God’s energy. That is why Isaiah says of God, this time reading from The Message:
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.
Did you hear the promise in Isaiah’s words? “God doesn’t get tired…pause to catch his breath. God…energizes the tired, gives strength to the dropouts.”
The interesting thing about the Jews in our text is their life was fairly comfortable. It is true they were in Babylon not Israel, but they had built home and synagogues – lived almost as they did in Israel. What robbed them of energy was their loss of God in their lives. They thought that because the Jerusalem temple was destroyed and they lived in a foreign land, God no longer cared for them. They lost a sense of God’s Presence/Power.
They needed a spiritual transfusion of God’s grace and goodness and power in their lives. That is why prayer is a major component of our capital campaign. In the materials you take home today, there is a daily prayer guide. Your pastors and campaign leaders are inviting and even urging you to join in daily prayer for God’s guidance and energizing grace in all of our lives. (Invite Vickie forward)
Vickie and I have been part of the Seguin Church for just over three years and we’ve found a spiritual home here.
· We became grandparents while here – twice! I remember passing my Blackberry around worship to share the initial pictures of each of our grandchildren!
· One of our favorite events has been the “Talent” Show and Auction - Jennifer’s comedy routine, Vickie singing – this last year with Sean singing “Walls,” and the not yet ready for primetime “Mama, Don’t Let your Babies Grow Up to be Preachers!” – thank God for Pastor Ron!
This church is incredible! To be 170 years old and considering parenting a new congregation! It is so natural before having a baby to want to have everything ready at home! The renovation of the sanctuary, restoration of the roofs and windows, replacement of the HVAC system, and general sprucing up of the remainder of the facility are all important. We will be in a much better position to then consider “enlarging our family” with a church in Clear Springs.
Vickie: Steve’s parents taught him the importance of being fully committed to God in every area of your life, including one’s finances. Not having been raised in a Christ-centered home, this concept was difficult for me to understand early in our marriage. For Steve, it was not up for debate, and, although it took me a while to accept that at least a tenth of our income would be going back to God no matter how tight things got, eventually I learned that God would meet our needs. When it comes to giving, tithing to the local church has always been a top priority and practice. Then, we try to discern where and how much God would have us give as other needs and opportunities arise. These additional gifts are over and above our tithe to the general budget of the church. It is very important to us for this same principle to apply as we stretch ourselves even further to support the Restore. Renew. Revive. Capital Maintenance Campaign.
Let’s be honest, the stock market is volatile and the future is uncertain.
· Recently, our daughter Alicia had serious complications after our grandson Dylan’s birth and Steve’s sister Jewel has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. We see how fragile life can be.
· Meanwhile, we have needed to support my mom and our other daughter Jennifer is planning to attend seminary starting next fall. That may impact our finances as well.
· In addition, we can’t forget that we are inching closer to retirement. In light of all this, it’s natural to be cautious about money matters. Still, we don’t want to miss the opportunity to invest in what God is doing right here, right now.
Steve: We are concerned with how generous we can be, but our plan is to do three things:
1. Continue tithing to the general budget (we’re not going to take money from there and hurt our ministries)
2. Continue giving wherever else we’re led (we’re not going to stop giving when our hearts are convinced God wants us to give)
3. We have decided to give an extra tithe divided over three years to the Capital Campaign. We plan to give one half of it up front because every dollar given up front is a dollar that our church won’t have to borrow and pay interest on.
We have wrestled with this decision for the last two months because we sought God’s peace on the one hand even as we also sought to step out in faith beyond our comfort zones in order to make the largest single investment we’ve ever made in Christ’s Kingdom. We pray that you’ll consider doing the same thing – pray about making the largest single investment you’ve ever made in Christ’s Kingdom - right here, right now!
Asking anyone to increase giving with all the economic challenges involves more than just trying to figure out what we can afford to do. We know many are already giving as much as you can. Only God’s Grace will guide us in determining what we can do by faith. This gives us hope when the world says give up. The third promise is…
- God revives our hope when the world says give up.
There is a story of a POW camp. The guards were brutal, allowing no contact between the captives. Conversation was not allowed. One prisoner was beaten repeatedly because the guards knew he was an officer with information they wanted. Isolated from the other prisoners they hoped to break him down.
One day, a prisoner bribed a guard to allow him to give this officer a shave. With the guard standing nearby, any conversation would be heard. But during the shave, he whispered as he lathered and stroked the razor, “Keep your chin up; keep your chin up.”
Living the Christian life does not spare us from the experiences that say give up: a job loss or fear of one, personal illness or illness of someone near and dear; death of a loved one, or the estrangement of family member or friend.
Congregations sometimes face challenges that say, “Give up trying to minister where you are.” Is this really the time to be doing renovation repairs… really, with the world economy?”
God revives our spirits and restores hope when we think of the rich heritage we have. Don’t you think that the Seguin Methodists in the late 40’s wondered whether that was really the time to build a new church? After all, Korea is unstable!
Hope is not merely turning to God when all else fails. Too many times we think of God as an emergency room physician. We turn to God when all else fails. God is a God of the Hopeless, that is true, but with Isaiah, I submit that God is The God of the Hopeful. God is not an only emergency room doctor but also a spiritual fitness trainer. God guides and encourages, and God empowers us for doing God’s Work in the world: Those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles.
With God’s Grace we walk by faith and do not grow weary… and the promise is that we will soar like eagles. I’m believing that the eagles will soar again! As we commit ourselves to what God calls us to do… God will give us the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit…. And the eagles will soar… again!