Pentecost 16 Year A 9/4/2005

Sermon based upon Romans 13:8-10 and the Theme: Mission

In the name of Jesus; amen.

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:8-10.

September has been designated “Salem Mission Month” by the Stewardship Committee. They have asked that we take time over the next four Sundays to talk about our mission as a congregation. Our hope is to have some conversations about what we believe our mission is and then formulate a new simple and concise mission statement.

Typically this time of year the thoughts of most stewardship committees in most churches turns to the issue of pledging and how to get their members to commit to giving money to the church. I’d say most people dread this time of the church year. I’ve even heard of a congregation that called the day members were asked to make pledges: “Black Sunday.”

Stewardship for many people means being asked to give money so that bills can be paid and the church will survive. But that’s not the point of stewardship at all. Stewardship is caring for the gifts that God has given to us. It means seeing that God has entrusted the world to our care and then caring for it.

Stewardship isn’t about money; it’s about faith.

So, last week I asked you to think about what you were passionate about. What was important to you? What would you fight for? What gave your life meaning?

And last Sunday hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. It wasn’t bad at first, but then the levies broke and the city of New Orleans was destroyed leaving its inhabitants homeless and worse.

If you are like me, watching the footage on TV and reading the stories of what’s taking place there… it puts things into perspective doesn’t it?

So, I’m going to ask for you all to find a partner and spend just a few minutes sharing the things that you are thankful for…

… so what were some of the things you all came up with?

I would bet that the things that you are grateful for are also the things that you are passionate about, that are important to you, that you would fight for.

As we talk about our mission as a congregation it’s important that we consider the things that are important to us, that mean something to us, that we are passionate about as a congregation.

Paul writes: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Understanding our mission is part one of knowing how to love our neighbor and fulfill our purpose as God’s people.

Yes, the stewardship committee is still going to ask people to make a pledge, but more so than making a pledge, we want to find ways to support ministry that means something to us.

So here’s your homework for this week:

Begin to think about the strengths of this congregation. What are we good at? What makes us who we are as people of faith? This will be the first step in our process of creating a new mission statement and a new direction in how we can serve God and our neighbor.