Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-9; Psalm 36; Acts 16:6-12; Luke 4:16-21
This Sunday we are focusing on our purpose as a congregation. I would like to spend a few minutes with you looking at how our proposed mission statement relates to the Scriptures and is grounded in the Scriptures. But first, I want to talk about purpose statements in general. You may ask the question, "Why do we need a purpose statement?" or "Why do we need a new purpose statement?"
Mission or Purpose statements have long played an important part in our churches and our church organizations. One of the most effective statements is the Canadian Girls in Training purpose. CGIT was formed in 1915 by the YWCA, Sunday School Associations, and the major Protestant denominations in Canada to promote the Christian education and leadership development of girls aged 12 to 17. When I asked my wife, Mary, and others who were part of CGIT, they still remember the purpose. They tell me that is goes as follows: "As a Canadian Girl in Training, under the leadership of Jesus, it is my purpose to: cherish health, seek truth, know God, and serve others, and thus with His help become the girl God would have me be." The fact that they remember it even to this day means that the purpose was clear, it touched their hearts and it guided their actions.
Adopting and living out a mission statement is not a perfunctory process; it is not something that is peripheral to our life, but is essential to our well-being. It should encapsulate the essence of what we are about as a congregation - our particular reason for being. It should describe our sense of mission - what we want to be and do. It should provide direction and vitality, and be the driving force for all that we do as a congregation. So let us look at each part of this proposed mission statement to see how it relates to our reality and to the Bible.
Anchored in God's love
At the very heart of our faith there is the sense that we are surrounded by God's steadfast love. In Psalm 36, the one we used today, the Psalmist exclaims, "Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds." and "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings." The phrase "steadfast love" occurs 120 times in the Psalms alone. The Hebrew people discovered that amidst their changing fortunes down through the centuries, they could rely on the steadfast love of God. It became a basic tenet of their faith.
Many of the hymns we use today refer to this same conviction. "Will Your Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life?" is a well known hymn that we are singing this morning. The refrain makes the bold statement, "We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll, fastened to the rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love."
So the mission statement of our congregation echoes this same enduring conviction that we are anchored in God's love.
Challenged to sail on the winds of the Spirit
The Christian journey through life is like a voyage on which we have set sail. The questions is - What will be the driving force, what will be the power that enables us to sail with confidence and assurance? Those of you who have a knowledge of sailing, will know that you don't get very far without a wind. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "Spirit" is ruah, and this can be translated as breath or wind. When the breath or wind of God blows in us and through us, great things can happen. We have the power to live out our high calling. This morning we sang that wonderful hymn of Edwin Hatch, "Breathe on me breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do." When Jesus was completing his earthly journey, he told his followers that he was going to send the Spirit to accompany them, to guide and empower them on their journey. Each year, we celebrate the gift of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. That is why we are using the colour of red today to celebrate the gift of the Spirit to this congregation.
In the book of Acts, we encounter the apostle Paul on one of his missionary journeys, as Patti told the children this morning. It is evident that he and his companions are being guided and empowered by the Spirit as they go from place to place sharing the Good News of Christ. The Spirit does not allow them to go into the Roman province of Asia or into Bithynia - we don't know what the circumstances were,but the end results were that they could not go there - and so, they go down to the seaport of Troas. During the night Paul has a vision in which a man of Macedonia pleads with him saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now Macedonia was a Roman province in Europe, and up to this point, the gospel has not reached into Europe. This is a significant new challenge, and Paul feels led by the Spirit to go there. So he sets sail from Troas and makes his way to Philippi, the leading city of Macedonia. Paul and his companions are sailing on the winds of the Spirit.
Everyone sitting here in church today has benefited, either directly or indirectly, from Paul's decision. The gospel of Jesus Christ came through our ancestors in Europe down to us. The Spirit led our forefathers and mothers to build a church here in Collins Bay. Then we were challenged by the winds of the Spirit to build this present church of Edith Rankin Memorial. As the congregation grew, we were challenged yet again to enlarge our facilities. Today, the Spirit is evident among us challenging us to sail on the winds of the Spirit to new possibilities. We have had a great past, but the best is yet ahead of us, if we set sail on the winds of the Spirit.
Sharing the Good News of Christ with each other and the world
When a ship is on a journey it has a purpose and a destination. The clear message of the New Testament is that our purpose as Christians is to share the good news of Christ with each other and the world.
In fact, sharing the "good news" was a basic purpose for our ancestors in the faith. In the 61st chapter of the book of Isaiah, we hear the prophet speaking a word of encouragement and hope to a despondent and oppressed people. The Hebrew people had been uprooted from their land and forced to live in exile in Babylon (Iraq) for almost 50 years. Then Cyrus, the King of Persia (Iran), conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Hebrew people to return to their homeland, if they wished. A number of people wanted to do that, but it was an extremely difficult undertaking - the journey itself would be difficult, and the task of rebuilding broken walls and homes would be even greater; in effect, they would be creating a new community from scratch This was the reality that the Hebrew people faced when the prophet spoke his word of good news to them, which they so desperately needed: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Isaiah was a man of vision saying that while there were many obstacles in the road, there was a new day of opportunity ahead, and that God was already acting on their behalf.
About 500 years later we find Jesus at the beginning of his ministry in Palestine and beginning to teach in the synagogues of his home province of Galilee. When he comes to Nazareth, where he has been brought up, he is asked to read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He finds the passage from this same chapter 61, reads it, and then giving the scroll back to the attendant, sits down to teach. He says to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." He is giving, in essence, the substance of his ministry. He is making his own purpose statement. He has come to bring good news to the oppressed, the discouraged, the broken-hearted; he has come to bring liberty and release from whatever enslaves people. He has come to proclaim a day of justice and righteousness.
We, who strive to follow Jesus, are called by him to be bearers of that same good news to each other and the world in our own day and generation. Our present world is weighed down with tragedies and evils, misunderstandings and prejudices that alienate and divide families, communities and nations; which cause people to be fearful, anxious and discouraged. Our essential role as a congregation is to learn about and find ways to share "Good News". It is in this church that we ought to find affirmation, encouragement, support, strength, love, hope, fairness and mutual respect for our human journey. It is this place that should be known for its compassion, acceptance, patience, forgiveness and grace. Our calling is to build each other up, to light a candle in the darkness, to plant seeds of hope in each other's garden.
A Welcoming Community
Part of our desire to live out the Good News is expressed in the phrase, "A Welcoming Community." We are saying that we want to be an open, friendly and hospitable church. We are also saying that we will do those things that enable new people to feel accepted, to feel that there is a place for them in our church fellowship and life, where they too will be able to share their gifts and talents and insights, so that together, we can grow in our faith and service.
Another part of our sharing the Good News relates to the larger community that is beyond our doors. We are called to reach out in love to our city, our province, and our nation and to the whole of this global village that is so deeply cherished by God. This statement "sharing the Good News of Christ" can keep bringing us back to find appropriate ways to bring hope and encouragement to those who need it. We are already sharing with the local food bank; we have been giving to the Beads of Hope campaign to help the millions caught in the web of HIV/AIDS; we need to continue praying and asking the Spirit to guide us to other actions that we may want to support or initiate on behalf of the poor, the dispossessed or the hurting people of whom we become aware. As part of The United Church of Canada, we seek to live out the Good News of Christ in many and varied ministries across this land and overseas. Also, we have many international partnerships, where together we can share our resources and gifts in bringing the Good News of Christ to the world.
Summary
This proposed mission statement for Edith Rankin Memorial United Church is the product of many hours of work and thought and prayer by many people. We started with a congregational workshop on this whole theme. With the suggestions that came out of it, the Transition Team created the statement that you have here in your bulletin. They have also asked for other comments and suggestions. I have attempted to give some biblical and theological background for this statement. This proposal with whatever modifications seem necessary will be brought to the Church Board for its consideration at its meeting later this month. Then they will bring it to the annual Congregational meeting in February for its consideration.
As we build on the many strengths of our congregation in the past, and as we are poised to move into the future with confidence and hope, are we able to describe the mission of our congregation in this way?
We seek to be A welcoming community, anchored in God's love, challenged to sail on the winds of the Spirit, sharing the Good News of Christ with each other and the world.