Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17, Year A

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like …

Readings: Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 128; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Jesus was a great storyteller. He told parables about the kingdom of God that opened up what God’s kingdom is like. It is like a tiny mustard seed that grows into a plant large enough and secure enough to harbour nesting birds. It is like a fish hiding in the deep water that should be fished out. It is like a pearl, like a treasure, hidden in the earth. It needs to be found. It is like yeast that one puts into the dough to make it rise.

And the people listening to the stories nod their heads in agreement. They can picture it. They have planted tiny mustard seeds and seen them grow to be twelve feet high. The smallest of seeds becomes a plant that expands out and is so large, secure and encompassing that the birds of heaven come and nest in its branches, hidden and safe where their young can be nurtured.

They can see themselves finding the pearl of great price. “It really is possible,” they are thinking to themselves. Palestine was infested with brigands and soldiers. The best way to ensure the safety of treasure was to bury it. You could happen upon a great treasure. “Why, there could be treasure buried in my own back yard,” they think, “and wouldn’t that be wonderful!” And that is what God’s kingdom is like. It could be mine. The kingdom of God is within my reach.

They heard as well the ominous tone in Jesus’ voice as he told them about their responsibility. The kingdom of God is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind. The net is a drag net that sweeps along the bottom of the sea and catches every imaginable kind of fish. At the end of the day they are sorted and some are thrown back. “Could I be found wanting at the end of time?” they consider. “What do I have to do to make certain that I live as God wants me too?”

The parables that Jesus tells are attempts to grasp hold of our hearts and shake us into a new position. They are meant to be unsettling, to overturn our certainty and startle us into insight and vision into God’s kingdom. Jesus’ purpose is to reveal what God’s kingdom is about. It is a new kind of kingdom, a spiritual one that will include people of every nation and race. An inclusive kingdom that does not judge us by the colour of our skin, our sexual orientation, our intelligence, but rather by our faith in God and by how we have lived our lives. In other words, it is about our commitment to God. When we offer ourselves to God we fid a deep sense of meaning and satisfaction in our ongoing life, but we become accountable to God.

That means that the Church is like the net. Its community contains a whole spectrum of human motivations and intentions from the most self-centred to the most self-sacrificing. All are brought into the net. We are all called to a process of change, transformation and growth in Christ. As with the first disciples, we are a varied catch, ranging from the totally committed to the lukewarm.

So the question is, how much is our Christian life worth to us? How much is a sense of the presence of God, of the love of Christ, of the peace and meaning that such realities can bring into one’s life? How much are these things worth? The ultimate truth is that these realities are worth everything.

The parable is intended as a message to Jesus' disciples. "The cost of discipleship," he tells them over and over again, "is very great. It costs everything." They have found a great treasure in Jesus. At the moment it is hidden from the world. It is their secret. They must leave everything to follow him. They must look to God, not humanity, for their reward. The claims of the kingdom are total. They leave no room for self-interest. Discipleship demands total response, total commitment.

As Christians we are searching for a great treasure. We are children of the kingdom, living in a kind of exile from it, discovering glimpses of it from time to time. It is worth the search, for it is a great treasure. But the search is costly. It will cost everything we have. But the transformation in our lives will make it a treasure worth having.

Most of us would like our faith to make a difference – but perhaps not too much. We may have had a wonderful mountain top experience in our lives, a Conference, a retreat weekend, or a moment in our lives when everything came together for us. We perceived God in a different light. But over time the experience fades. We think about it once in a while. But there are problems in our lives. We have to earn a living and raise our family. There are the stresses and conflicts of life to deal with. There is sickness. We go to church on Sunday. But to make a commitment to the faith, to work at it, to read our Bibles, to pray, to reach out to others in Christian love, to give of ourselves – those things we put aside. We want to be committed Christians, but on our own terms.

There is a Japanese folk saying that goes this way, “The scent of the flowers remains on the hands of the person who gives the gift away.” That is the way of the kingdom of God. That is the way the kingdom comes, yielding the treasure to others, giving away the pearl of great price, making bread and opening our arms so that others can come and find a home secure in us.

We have access to a treasure so great and awesome that it is enough to share with a hungry world. What a treasure we have in our Christian faith! What a treasure it is to know what it means to be loved by God, to be totally accepted by God. The tragedies and conflicts of life can discourage us but they do not change God's love for us. Failures and defeats may bother us, but they do not affect our relationship with God. God's love and reconciling grace are forever. God's will is carried out through us. We are children of God.

Of what value is a sense of the presence of God, of the love of Christ, of the peace and meaning that such realities can bring into one's life? How much are these things worth? The ultimate truth is that these realities are worth everything. The Christian story is one of miracles. It is the story of lives turned around, of hope reborn, and of amazement at how, when we seek to live in concert with God's will, great things can happen. May we find that great treasure!

National Aboriginal Day, June 21st

Truth and Reconciliation

Readings: Isaiah 40:20-31; Psalm 19; Philippians 4:4-9; John 1:1-18

Today is the summer solstice, an appropriate day on which to celebrate National Aboriginal Day in Canada. It has been celebrated on this day for many years, but this year with the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission there is hopefully a poignancy, an urgency, a sense of renewed commitment to join our First Nations People in the celebration. We in Port Hope live, as many Canadians do, on Treaty land. Port Hope is part of Treaty 20 known as Surrender M. It consists of almost two million acres of land for which the British paid $10 dollars in goods to each person. And so I begin this sermon by acknowledging the First Nations in whose territory we live and express my thanks for this opportunity to meet here today. And I put before you two questions. How will we in this parish share in the ministry of truth and reconciliation? And more importantly what does it even mean?

I have encouraged people to listen to the stories posted daily. That is the ‘truth’ part of the equation. I have received feedback, most of it encouraging, but – and I must say, not from this parish – some of the old clichéd, stereotypical responses that people love to trot out about the First Nations People. You know what I mean. Lazy! Welfare bums! Drunks! Dirty! What I hear most of all is that it was a long time ago. “It has nothing to do with me!” they will tell me. “Besides, the Church has already paid out compensation. That should be the end of it.” But here is the difficulty for me. It took generations to make the mess; it will take generations of truly listening to the stories and making amends to undo the problems that were created by our racist attitudes.

In the Old Testament reading Isaiah is speaking to a people in exile. They have spent two generations away from their homeland. Their faith has been eroded. They are tired. Tired of the distance. Tired of the yearning for what was. Tired of feeling powerless, of not knowing if they will ever return to their homeland, to their roots.

As I have listened to the stories of truth I hear that same fatigue. Our First Nations People are tired. They are tired of yearning for what was. They are tired of feeling inadequate. They are above all tired of feeling powerless to bring about change.

I want to share a little of my story, my truth, and of some of the steps that I have taken to reconciliation. My first year of teaching was at St. Philip’s Residential School in Fort George, Quebec, on the Quebec coast of James Bay about two hundred air miles north of Moosonee. It is now called Chisasibi; it is where the James Bay Power Project went in. It was, when I taught there, a rather isolated village. Except for the six weeks or so of freeze up and whatever time it took for the break up, there were three planes a week if the weather cooperated. I was asked by a “veteran” teacher – I was seventeen years old – if I was a “reject” or a “misfit”. Although I do not believe either of those words describes my reason for going north, I certainly had an idealized view of what it meant to be an “Indian”. My concept of our First Nations People came from the pictures of cute little pig-tailed Aboriginal children on the mission boxes that we got at church. I decided it was my mission to go north to teach.

There were seven classes in our school. Not all of the children lived in the residence. Perhaps a third of the children lived in the village. It was made clear to all of us that we were there to teach the children English, in fact to turn them into white children. They were not to speak their language. If we heard them speak we were to correct them. I had one little girl, Dora Ekumiak, an Inuit, who, while she did her work just fine, would not say a word. She finally spoke to me out in the schoolyard towards the end of the year. After that she never stopped. I suspect she was simply waiting until she got it right. The children were quiet and very respectful. There was never any need for discipline.

There was not enough room for all of the teachers to have their own apartment in the Teacherage, so two of us, the youngest, had rooms in the residence. We were directly under the primary girls’ dorm. It is heart breaking to me to remember the sobs that I often heard at night as the children settled down to sleep. I know that I felt lonely and isolated away from family for the first time. And I had chosen to be there. How much more those little ones must have felt in that strange environment without the comfort of parents and siblings! I have learned that brothers and sisters were often split up and sent to different schools. Many would not see a single family member for years.

What I remember most about teaching the children was their creative ability. They were wonderful artists. Supplies were often unavailable, and so I would beg my family to send me paper. They sent rolls of wallpaper, which became wonderful murals on the classroom walls. I also got them to send me bars of ivory soap so that the children could carve them like soapstone. The results were amazing.

I had to laugh hearing one man’s story this past week about how much time was spent in prayer. I put together a little choir that sang on Sundays and sometimes in the chapel in the morning. I never could get them to sing up to speed, but they enjoyed it, especially if I accompanied them on the wheezy old pump organ.

Although it was discouraged, I did get to know a family and spent a week during our Easter break on their trap line. It was a life-changing experience, one that I cherish. But on our return, the Principal called me into his office, and threatened me with being fired if I ever did anything like that again.

That is the ‘truth’ part of the story. I would not trade that teaching experience for anything. Yet I lost it! When information began to emerge about abuse in the schools I was horrified, especially when teachers were blamed for the children’s loss of language and culture. I avoided telling anyone about my experience. Then I went to a conference. I found myself signing up for a workshop on the Healing Circle. It was led by an elder, and was attended by about a dozen or so First Nations women and me. We sat in a circle. The elder explained the process. She would pass a feather around the circle. When it came to us we could hold it as long as we wished. We could speak whatever we wished to say. When we were finished we could pass it on to the next person. As it was passed around the circle, most of the women told stories about the residential schools, and about the abuse they had endured. I planned to just sit there without speaking, but when the feather got to me, I heard myself telling them my story. I told them about the children in my class and how much I had cared for them. I told them how ashamed I felt now, but also how I had lost that precious time that was so pivotal in my teaching career. I expressed my sadness at their pain. I passed the feather on to the next woman. Suddenly there was a loud ‘Whoop!’ They all joined in. The elder thanked me and said that I was their sister. That is reconciliation.

Back to Isaiah! In faith it is the capacity to look at the vast expanse of the world with a sense of awe and wonder that lifts us to new heights. Seeing things with eyes of amazement, seeing ourselves in the context of being part of a majestic creation gives our faith the “wind beneath our wings” to soar, to “mount up with wings like eagles, to run and not be weary”.

That sounds very much to me like the spirituality of our First Nations People. God speaks to them through all of creation. The rocks are grandfathers, rock solid, dependable, ancient. The moon is the grandmother, source of life, controlling the waters of the earth, bringing about life. The feather speaks of gentleness, of the ability to go with the flow. It symbolizes reverence for the Creator and all of life. It is time for us to start listening to our First nations people. It is time to walk with them. It is time to hear their stories and learn from them who God is and how to worship.

My hope is that we will listen to the truth, hear with our hearts, and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters. Let us put our minds together in Thanksgiving. In Ojibway, “Chi-miigwech”! “Thank you very much!”

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 29, Year A

Walking the Walk

Readings: Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22

We all struggle with the implications of what God intends for our lives. How do we live the Christian life? What does it mean for us to live out our faith? We know that it is never enough to simply talk the talk. We must walk the walk.

Moses knew that even when things did not go as planned, he needed to follow God's guidance. It is difficult to be in a position of leadership when people balk at your leadership style and go their own way. Life in the wilderness was not easy for the people of Israel. There were many distractions from the way of God. Their relationship to God was often on shaky ground. When things went wrong it was Moses whom they blamed.

That is the situation in today's Old Testament reading. The people have been so distracted by the difficult situation in which they find themselves that they have turned to other gods. They have made and worshipped a golden calf. Moses deals with the situation as God commands, but he finds himself in need of spiritual sustenance. He has become dispirited by the heavy responsibilities that God has laid on him. He needs affirmation and support to overcome his despondency.

"Show me your glory, I pray," he asks God. "I need more than your presence. I need a sign." God communicates to him in a real and tangible way, reassuring him of his presence, restoring his confidence.

There are times in our lives when we want to walk the walk. But life overtakes us. It becomes too much for us. At such times it seems as if God is far from us. We long for a sign of God's presence. And it happens, often in some intangible way. We get a glimpse of the glory God. It may be in a dream or in a remark made by a friend. It may be that sense of reassurance that all will be well. It may come to us in our prayer time or as we take a walk immersing ourselves in the beauty of God's creation.

The Thessalonians are people who are walking the walk. This fledgling congregation has been open to God's call through many trials and tribulations. They trust that God is among them in a new way. They are able to experience Christian joy even in the midst of suffering and persecution. They live a life of faithfulness to the Gospel. Paul commends them for "their work of faith, their labour of love and their steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ".

Could Paul speak that way about this community? Are we walking the walk? Are we faithful to our calling? What labours of love are done among us? What quality of hope do we possess? Does faith give us a basis for hope amidst the turmoil of our lives?

Jesus in the Gospel for today must walk not only the walk, but also the fine line between the sacred and the secular. Once again the Pharisees are out to trap him. "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?" What they are really saying is, "Where do your loyalties lie?" Is it permissible for the people of God to express allegiance to a pagan emperor? If Jesus approves of Roman taxation, then he is against militant nationalism that enjoys the popular support of his people. If he disapproves, he is guilty of treason against Rome.

We have all heard that it is a mistake to discuss religion or politics. Here he is asked to make a choice between the two. His non-answer cuts through to the heart of the matter. "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's," he tells them. The secular must find its place within the sacred. We usually get that the wrong way around. We allow the secular world to encroach on the sacred. Jesus is saying that while we must pay our dues to the secular authorities, we can retain our integrity by also giving what is due to God. That is our loyalty, our worship, and our love.

Jesus walks the walk. He does not deny or ignore the existence of the secular world or the dues that must be paid to it. He points out to his followers that clearly we still live in this world. We have dues in the world. Willingly or unwillingly we must pay our taxes. We must live as responsible citizens in our country. We must be a part of the reason that it is a great country that deserves our loyalty and allegiance. But like Jesus, we must not lose sight of the one to whom we owe our ultimate allegiance. To find genuine meaning and purpose in our lives we must keep our minds on the eternal world. To toil and risk and sacrifice only to keep on good terms with the world around us is to misunderstand what our purpose is. It is to live in a wrong relationship, not only with God but also with God's creation.

The coin the Pharisees showed to Jesus had on it a portrait of Caesar marking it as belonging to Caesar. We, by virtue of our baptism, bear on our souls the imprint of God. We owe our lives and all that may include, to God. We must pay our dues to the world, but with integrity. We do not need to give in to the world's choices.

Yet with the secularism of our society Christians are constantly in the position of making choices that may bring us into conflict with society. In order to be on good terms with the secular world we give in to its demands. But when secularism conflicts with our Christian faith, we must be prepared like Moses to take action, like the Thessalonians to proclaim the Gospel and like Jesus to resist injustice.

How do we walk the walk in our personal lives? God calls us to live out our faith in every aspect of our lives. "Seven whole days, not one in seven …” That is a call to spend time in prayer and study of God's word. Our decisions about how we spend our money and how we plan our lives begin with prayer.

How do live out our lives in the workplace in faithfulness to God? We live in a secular age. Our faith often conflicts with the dictates of society. Every day we face issues that come into conflict with our faith. God calls us to make life-giving choices that may be unpopular. We may need to make decisions to live authentically to our faith. Our lives need to bear witness to the God we serve.

All of us like the individuals and communities in today’s readings struggle with the implications of God’s way for our lives. How do we open our minds and hearts to where God is leading us? How do we achieve that level of commitment to the gospel? What impact would our church have on the community if we committed every part of our lives to God? What is God calling us to give?

A much-loved king was in need of a heart transplant. There was a great concern throughout the kingdom. A crowd gathered outside the castle screaming their support. “Take my heart, King, take my heart!”

The king didn’t know what to do. Finally he called for quiet. “I’ll throw down a feather,” he said, “and whomever the feather lands on, I will take their heart for the transplant.”

He dropped the feather. The people watched it drift back and forth. They kept calling out, “Take my heart, King, take my heart!” But with one difference! As the feather came close to the crowd, they would lean their heads back and blow the feather back into the air. “Take my heart, king! (blow), take my heart! (blow).

How do we walk the walk in the church and in the community in which we live? "Can we make any difference?" we ask ourselves. It means giving voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. We need to be advocates for change. We live in a world where there are starving children and refugees, people who are poor and uneducated, people suffering from plagues like Ebola, environmental issues, war and famine. As long as those injustices exist in our world, our worship is not complete. We have not given to God what is God’s.

God is calling us to make a difference through our lives. Let us open our hearts and minds to God. Let us give to God what belongs to God. Let us give ourselves.

Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year A

Called to Discipleship

Readings: Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

It is no mistake that during the season of Epiphany the consistent theme has been our call to discipleship. Epiphany is about the many ways in which God is revealed to us. From the revelation of God to the Magi to the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan to our own call as Christians, it is about our relationship with God. It is about how God's coming to us changes us.

God calls us as society. Isaiah speaks to Judah, a nation in exile. They have lost their relationship with God. Here finally he gives them a message of hope. In spite of their lack of faithfulness, they will know joy in the midst of darkness. God will not abandon them. Isaiah links the coming of new light with regaining their freedom, with bringing an end to the oppression that has caused them to abandon their faith in the first place.

Many Christians in South America and Africa have experienced first hand what Isaiah is speaking about. Consider the end of apartheid in South Africa. It took the faith of a nation led by political leaders like Nelson Mandela and faithful leaders of the Christian church like Desmond Tutu to bring that kind of joy in the midst of darkness. Archbishop Tutu is widely regarded as South Africa’s moral conscience. His work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made him the voice of the voiceless. He called the people, not just to freedom, but to condemn corruption and deal with the social issues of the nation. When I visited South Africa in 1998 as part of the Women’s Festival celebrating the decade of the churches in solidarity with women it was electrifying to experience the joy of the people in the community of Seshego where I stayed. They had a sense, not only of freedom, but of everything that God was calling their nation to be. They considered that they had a calling to bring light into the darkness of the world. Nothing, not the suffering of the past, not the continuing violence of their society, not even the scourge of AIDS, could keep them from expressing their joy and hope in serving God.

God calls us as Church. Paul writes to the churches in Corinth tackling the problem of their many divisions. He reminds the people that their loyalty must be to Christ and not to the particular leaders in their community. It is God that calls them. It is God who gives them their unique gifts. Their relationship needs to be with God and it needs to be a strong one that moves them past the quarrels and divisions so that they are able to be the people of God and bring transformation to their community.

It is a call to us at this time and in this place. As we end the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity we are faced with the challenge of where God is calling us to end the divisions in our own faith communities. The conflict experienced in the early church is not far different from what we face today. The challenge is certainly how to celebrate the diversity of styles, gifts and leadership without descending into destructive rivalries. It is especially poignant for us in the Church Centre as the Lutherans go through the painful process of closing. They are, I am certain, reflecting on where God is calling them as Church. Those are reflections that need to be before us constantly as a congregation. Where is God calling this community of faith? Are we being faithful to our call?

And God calls each one of us as individuals. Matthew recounts the story of Jesus calling the disciples. What has gone on before is of real significance. John baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. Jesus went into the desert by himself for forty days. He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He refused to use his divine powers for his own ends. Now he is ready to begin his ministry in earnest. He settles in Capernaum, rather a strange choice of place. It is a harbour town, home to cutthroats and pagans, not the easiest setting in which to begin his ministry. The words of Isaiah about bringing light into darkness flood into his consciousness. Empowered by those words, he realizes that God is with him illuminating the path. He sets out to find disciples to assist with the work.

The story of the call of the disciples is really pretty simple. But it raises two big questions, at least in my mind. The first is about Peter and Andrew. Jesus sees them casting their nets into the sea. He invites them to follow him. "I will make you fish for people," he says. They respond immediately. Why would two fishermen respond to an invitation from a total stranger?

Then the second question! James and John are helping their father mend the nets. He calls them. They leave their father and the boat and follow Jesus. Why would Jesus even ask James and John to desert their father in the middle of their work? Didn't Jesus care about their father, Zebedee, who depended on their help in the family business?

The crux of the matter is that being a disciple involves making decisions. If they were to do God's will they first had to respond to Jesus' invitation! As Christians, we too need to respond to the invitation. We need to make a conscious decision about what we will and will not do. Only then can God reach out to a society in need of transformation. So what is our response to the invitation? What will we do to bring light and healing into the lives of others?

We live in a society that is dehumanizing in so many ways. Many people in this day and age relate far more to a machine than they ever do with other people. Many of our friendships are in cyberspace. The sheer number of people who live and work in our cities also does not allow for relationship. I experienced that over this past week. For two days I went on the Go train into Toronto to attend a conference at Trinity College. Union Station is a maze of corridors meant to lead as many people as possible in the right direction. People become very goal oriented as the work their way as fast as possible to their destination. Despite the number of people I found it strangely quiet. I was unsure of exactly where to go, but the crowd carried me in its direction. I did end up in the right place, but I felt a total lack of connection to those very people who were compelling me to follow. I felt like a rat in a maze just going through the motions of making my own decision about where to go and how to get there.

As I reflect on our call as Church I believe our most important call is to be a warm and welcoming community that stands in contrast to all in society that dehumanizes. I suspect that most of you come to St. Francis because you find it to be exactly that, a warm and welcoming place that you call home. If it is that for you, then what action are you taking to make certain that it continues to be a place of nurture? How do we bring this church alive? How do we become a community of faith that engages society with a vision of God's kingdom? How do we convince people that we really do serve a loving God? Would they know it by the way we live our lives?

Our community needs the commitment of every one of us. We need to make a faith commitment that says that we are not simply a rat in a maze being carried along by the crowd not really knowing where we are headed. We must be disciples, each one of us, leaving the nets and following Jesus to learn at his feet. It takes a commitment to being in regular attendance at church. It takes a commitment to read Scripture, not just on Sunday, but every day; to take in and understand the Word of God; to become literate in the Christian faith; to prepare ourselves spiritually to be Christ in the world.

Our community needs each one of us to make a commitment of time and talent. This church depends on volunteers. As we approach Vestry it is a good opportunity to take seriously you call to give your time and your talents. It is easy to leave it to the faithful few until they simply burn out. Consider how you might serve. What are the skills that God is calling you to share in this community?

Our community needs each one of us to make a commitment of treasure. God has richly blessed us. We are privileged to live in one of the richest countries of the world. We may not be the wealthiest people in our country in the whole scale of things, but we have enough and more than enough. Yet we often live as if we are impoverished. Can we learn to give to God from our abundance?

Our community needs each of us to be so committed to the faith that people will be drawn in. For me that really is the only reasonable option. I must be so committed myself that people will be drawn in. I cannot be lukewarm about my faith and expect to encourage other people. It only takes a spark, but the spark has to be there. Bishop Victoria said that people are drawn to the faith because they smell God on you. There is a wonderful truth in that. The best way I know to bring people to faith is to live it out in my life. That means constantly inquiring further into the spiritual, learning all I can about God. It means setting aside time for reading the Scriptures and for prayer. It means examining my life and realizing that I fall short of God’s glory. It means asking God for forgiveness. It means seeing things the way God sees them. It means watching for the opportunities that God gives me to share the good news. It means following where God leads me. It means seeking out people in the way that Jesus sought out the disciples. It means engaging others in the vision and agenda of the kingdom with light and compassion.

I invite you to do exactly that! Amen.

Proper 32, Year A

I am not preaching this Sunday. I may be able to post the sermon our Deacon is preaching later today. For the time being I am posting a sermon I preached a few years ago as part of our stewardship campaign.

Making Choices

Readings: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13

Today I am going to talk about commitment, yours and mine; our commitment first of all to God, but also to this community of faith. Faith is a very personal thing. While faith can be caught from someone else, while it can be fanned into flame through the encouragement of others, the resources to keep the flame of faith alive come from a personal sense of commitment. They come from making a choice.

The Israelites after years of wandering in the desert were settling into life in the Promised Land. Life was good. It was easy for them to forget the struggle that had brought them there. So Joshua did a very astute thing; he assembled all the people. He reminded them of the gracious acts of God toward them throughout their history. He reminded them of Abraham's relationship to God and the covenant made between them. They remembered the time of slavery in Egypt and of God's faithfulness to them in the wilderness. "Now is the time," he told them "to make a choice. Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and turn back to God." His warning is that they cannot go along with the crowd and still be God's people.

The parable of the ten bridesmaids has a similar theme. The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps with them to the wedding, but didn't bring any oil. The five wise bridesmaids came prepared. It does seem rather mean-spirited that they didn't simply share what oil they had, but the point of the story is that we are to be ready to serve God wherever and whenever God appears. It is a choice we have to make between the way the world lives and the way our Christian faith calls us to live.

Life is always confronting us with alternatives and choices. For the most part, we live comfortable and settled lives. It is easy for us follow the way of the world. Many times the choices are between two different kinds of good. Children want to participate in sports that often happen on Sundays. Parents are caught between the importance of helping their children keep commitments to a team and serving the Lord through Sunday worship. When the team is consistently chosen, we are saying that other commitments are more important than our commitment to God.

What does it mean to live a life of commitment to the Gospel? Like the Israelites there are choices to be made. How do we choose to spend our time, our talents, and our wealth? How do we share our experience of Christ with others? How do we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ?

My personal commitment is first of all to God. I remind myself of how God has been present with me in my life. I try to live a life of commitment, praying, reading and studying scripture, and sharing my faith with others. I also have a commitment to the church and in particular to this congregation. It starts with a vision for this church that I hope you share. It is a vision that keeps my faith alive and my level of commitment high. It comes most of all when I think about the people in this community of faith. I think about your generosity of spirit. I think about your caring ways. I think about the kindnesses that I see you do. I think about the way you reach out to one another. I think about the prayer list that grows and changes each week. I think about your commitment to the work of the church.

Those are the things that I hope you will see reflected in Geoff's presentation. It is the first time that we have presented a narrative budget, a budget that reflects our mutual ministry. But as with any budget, it is going to take total commitment on our part if it is to be met.

As Anglicans it is through baptism that we gain membership in the Church. If we are baptised we are full members in the body of Christ. Our commitment is through the promises made at Baptism. We promise to continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers. It is a promise to attend church regularly, to study Scripture and to pray for one another. We promise to persevere in resisting evil, and whenever we fall into sin, to repent and return to the Lord. That is a promise to ask God for forgiveness and to be forgiving people. We promise to proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ. Our call is to share the stories of how God is at work in our lives. We promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourselves. Like the five wise bridesmaids we are called to be ready to serve. Finally we promise to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. We are called to see Christ in those we meet. We are called to be Christ for them. We are called to reach out to the poor and to those in need. That ministry takes the commitment of each one of us. I hope that you will consider what commitment you are able to make to God and to this congregation.