“The Blessing”

Pentecost and Mother's Day, May 11 2008

Written and preached by Rev. James Murray, Montreal West United Church

Have you ever noticed how politicians are never afraid to tell you exactly what they stand for and why you should trust them? Those little thirty second messages are what are called stump speeches. They work hard at always having the answer to the burning questions of the day. Love them or hate them, at least we know what they are thinking.

Now if someone was to put you on the spot and ask you for a thirty second statement as to why you are a Christian, or why you belong to a Church, would you be able to give an answer?

Today we heard Saint Peter give his stump speech. On the spur of the moment, Peter tells the crowds why he is a Christian, and why this group is organizing itself into a movement. As Christians we would call this 'giving our testimony' as opposed to a political stump speech, but the effect is the same.

Peter is a Christian because he has seen Jesus heal people. He has seen people's lives be changed by the power of Jesus' forgiveness. He saw people be transformed when Jesus feed them. He has heard Jesus teach words of powerful wisdom. Peter felt God was present in all these special moments. Peter believes organizing people into this movement we call Christianity is important, because many people are experience the risen Christ as being present in their lives. They feel Jesus is still working through them, to do all the same great things Jesus was doing. Except now it is them who are healing, forgiving and feeding. And people are realizing how God is present in all these moments when we serve others.

When the risen Christ first appears, it is for the purpose of sharing his Spirit with us. He wants to share who and what he is, so we can continue to do what he does. Today is the birthday of the Christian Church. So it is helpful to remember why we exist. The Church was created to help share the spirit of Jesus Christ with everyone. The church was created to be the people of God in the world. We are gathered together for the purpose of joining the risen Christ in his redemptive mission in the world. The church was never intended to exist for itself. We are supposed to be the messenger who announce God's kingdom. We announce this by how we live our lives. Our purpose is to be a blessing, a blessing which shows what God's love is like. God's love is a blessing which heals, forgives, feeds and inspires. God's love is a blessing which can change our lives, and change our world.

Dr Rachel Remen teaches Family Medicine in California. Her area of specialty is how spirituality affects the healing process. One of her patients was a man named George. Shortly after he was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer, he came to her office. At age 45, George was famous for having patented an important medical device. He was CEO of his own company and a shrewd investor. George said "I've wasted my life. I've had two wives and five children. I had no time for family, only my business. I've nothing to leave them except my money. No one will miss me." George sighed to himself, "What an old fool!" It turned out that Dr. Remen knew a woman, Stephanie, who had used George's medical device. Dr. Remen asked her if she'd write a letter of appreciation to George. Stephanie said she'd rather meet George personally. When the doctor told George about it, he said, "I'll take Stephanie and her husband to the most expensive restaurant in San Franciso and treat them to dinner." But Stephanie said no, she wanted to invite George to dinner in her home. When George arrived, Stephanie had invited all her family and friends. For three hours, they each in turn thanked George for his invention which had saved Stephanie's life. This is not a story about Stephanie. It is a story about George. He had tears in his eyes and told them, "I made 10,000 of these medical devices. I only know the numbers, but didn't know who used them. Today, I met someone who did. Thanks for sharing with me your story. Now I feel my life is not wasted."

The blessings we share, can change the world.

Resources:

www.rachelremen.com

Reggie McNeil- The Present Future. Jossey-Bass 2003

“Moving on, but not quitting”

Text: Acts 1:6-14 & John 17:1-11 Ascension Sunday, May 4, 2008

Written and Preached by Rev. James Murray, Montreal West United Church

I must confess I am suffering from mixed emotions right now. On the one hand, I am sad that our nine year relationship will soon be drawing to a close. On the other hand, I am excited that my wife and I will soon be living in the same house.

While it is sad to see this relationship come to a conclusion, I think there is much to be thankful for. So I'd like to be clear. I am moving on, but I'm not quitting. We've had nine very productive years together. We've accomplished a lot of good here. This congregation is in healthy shape. Other ministers have already started sniffing around, wondering when they can submit their resumes.

The reason I am leaving is so I can be with my wife. Christine is also a minister, and last fall she took a call to Glebe- St. James United in downtown Ottawa. We've been doing the long-distance love affair ever since. And since it was my turn to follow, I've had to keep my eyes open for something in the Ottawa region. I had hoped to be with you for another year or two, but when this opportunity arose, I did feel called to take it. It was my turn to follow, because Christine followed me here to Montreal. When I was offered this position, she gave up her church and moved here, hoping she would soon get a church of her own. She was fortunate to have seven very good years with Roxboro. After she finished her doctorate, she was ready for a new challenge. And she has found it in Ottawa. This will mean some changes for our family. Our eldest son Nathan will stay on here in Montreal. He is in his second year at Concordia University and already has his own apartment. Our twin sons Peter & Scott will be making the move with us, and they hope to attend university in Ottawa. I will be taking up responsibilities at Dominion-Chalmers , which is a large church a few blocks from Parliament Hill.

For a minister to leave a congregation like this can best be compared to breaking up with a girlfriend you are still in love with. Together we have made this building more physically accessible. We have reached out into the community with our outreach. We have opened up our worship service making it more family friendly. We've laughed and cried together. We have shared our lives and our faith together. We've been living out our motto, which is Open Hearts – Open Minds – Open Doors. There are still more challenges which you can pursue, and I wish you well with them. For I am only moving on. I'm not quitting, and neither should you.

Speaking of not quitting, what do you think of the Montreal Canadiens? The Habs have become the most unlikely of heroes this year. No one thought they would do very well. Yet they finished the regular season in first place. They have been struggling in the second round of the playoffs, but they have not quit. Kovalev and Koivu are both trying to inspire their team, so they can rally back. It has been interesting to watch how Habs fever has been spreading across the city. My sons gave me this sweater for my birthday. The spirit of the bleu-blanc-rouge is growing.

So why is it we feel completely comfortable talking with complete strangers about how the Habs are doing, but we feel terribly uncomfortable talking about Jesus with people we know and love? Which is the religion we passionately live by, and which is the pleasant diversion we are entertained by?

The first disciples learned everything they knew from Jesus. Once they did not have Jesus around any more, they had to learn how to do things for themselves. And Jesus had told them that they would be able to do everything he had done. So they realized they had to learn how to do it for themselves. They looked back, and realized God had been sending them teachers and guides for a very long time. God had sent Abraham to find a new home, so he could be a blessing to all the peoples of the world. God had sent Moses to set the people free from slavery. God had sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for the messiah. God had sent Jesus to show the way to salvation. And now God was sending the disciples into the world, to show others what Jesus Christ had revealed by his life, his death, and his resurrection. God sent each of them, so they could be a blessing. By all they said and did, they were to be a blessing which reveals God's love for this world. They all received the power of God , to be his witnesses. They were all to live out the mission of the church.

Mission is something we talk a lot about in the church these days, mostly because we are not all exactly sure what our mission is supposed to be. We have come to realize that being a nice friendly welcoming community is not our primary mission- we are a community which exists for a purpose. But what purpose? We have come to realize we don't exist simply so community groups can have an inexpensive place to meet. That is not our primary mission.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that Mission is not something the church does. Mission is an attribute of God. Our God is a missionary God. The German theologian Jurgen Moltmann once said "It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and

the Spirit through the Father to save the world, and that mission includes the church." The church exists because there is this mission. The church didn't create this mission- we've just been invited to be a part of it. Our calling is to share in the mission of God. Since the dawn of time, God has been working to create, to redeem, to liberate, to heal, to inspire, to forgive, to transform this life. God has been blessing this world since the day it was created. This world was created to be a blessing. God has been sending us prophets and teachers and leaders and saints to make us aware of this blessing. And now God wants to send you. God wants to use your life to share this blessing.

Michael Frost is a Baptist teacher from Australia. Frost is the Founding Director of the Centre for Evangelism & Global Mission, a mission study centre located at Morling College in Sydney, Australia. Michael Frost developed a simple system to help people reflect on how well they are responding to God's call to their lives. It involves five simple questions we are to ask of ourselves and our fellow Christians every week.

BLESSING: Who have you blessed this week through your words or your actions? Who blessed you? What learning, encouragement or concerns were raised by this blessing?
EATING: With whom have you eaten this week? To get to know someone requires us to spend time together. To eat together is a way to let someone into your life.
LISTENING: Have you heard or sensed any promptings from God this week?
LEARNING: What passages of Scripture have encouraged you? What other books, media or resources have enriched your growth as a Christian this week?
SENDING: In what ways have you sensed yourself carrying on the work of God in your daily life this week? Where is God sending you?

Blessing. Eating. Listening. Learning. Sending. B.E.L.L.S. Bells. What are the Bells calling out to you?

Come the end of August, I know where God is sending me. I'm moving on. I don't know what all is in store for me in my next assignment, but I know that whatever I end up doing, it will be part of

God's mission. While I am going to be moving to a new location, you will be moving on to a new stage of your lives as individuals and as a congregation. It will require a lot of blessing, eating together, listening to one another, learning about each other, in order to discern where God is sending you. For you too are moving on. You are moving on into God's future as part of God's mission for this community. May God bless you on this journey. Amen.