Fri, Dec 8 Devotional

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 With the Sunday morning ‘Write-A-hymn’ peroject, Sharon H. got inspired to write a song:

Early in the morning when the sun comes up

I will dance and sing and

Praise the Lord.

Joy and laughter shall

Be my new song.

As I dance and sing and

Praise the Lord.

Love, Love, Love

Joy, Joy, Joy

All day long we will

Dance along.

Laughing and singing

To the music of

The love story. 

-Sharon Howard

Thrs, Dec 7 Devotional

1 Corinthians 1:4-7 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6 just as the testimony of[ Christ has been strengthened among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I signed up to do a devotional, it was this passage that stood out to me amongst the others –for two reasons, both from the very first line in verse 4; “I thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you…” (NLT).

Pastor Jeff and I moved to Amherst 18 months ago. You have accepted us into your lives and hearts most graciously! We have made many new friendships and rekindled old ones.

You see, I’ve moved a lot, 32 times across three continents, to be precise, and that’s left a longing in my heart for a place to call home, for a place with roots! Even though I lived in Amherst from 2001-2004, moving back to Amherst was difficult for me as we moved further away from my family. Yet, your acceptance of us into your hearts and homes has made this transition easier! Your love, support, and friendship for each other, this church, and your support of the community warms my heart and soul. I am humbly grateful for each of you and your friendship; as Paul writes in verse 4 - I thank God for each of you!

The second part of that first line… “the gracious gifts he has given you,” stirs my heart in excitement of what God can do…is doing…and will do through our gifts! Gifts of time, talent, and treasure. I thank God for how you use your gifts to spread His Good News of love, grace, forgiveness, and acceptance in our hurting community and world!

I sense more good things happening in our future! I look forward to the Advent season with you as we celebrate together the birth of a tiny babe, our Lord! I look forward to the day when our Lord returns, and I have faith that “He will keep you strong to the end….” (verse 8)          -Sharon White

Wed, Dec 6 Devotional

Psalm 80:7   Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

The psalmist (Asaph) used it three times in writing Psalm 80 to awaken Israel - God’s chosen people - from their sinful state.

The psalmist lamented three times in Psalm 80.  How long will God pour out His anger on His chosen people - the Israelites?  Due to Asaph’s preaching and many prayers, God forgave their sins and promised to provide their needs bountifully.

Are we, Canadians, doing what the Israelites did long ago?  Few come to church to worship God; we break God’s laws - Ten Commandments; fail to help the poor in their need; give our tithes to our place of worship.  God loves cheerful givers and blesses them freely.

What can we do to bring young people and their families back to church?  Perhaps we should do what the psalmist - Asaph did.               PRAY   PRAY   PRAY

December 25 is the birthday of Jesus.  This year invite Jesus into your homes and be sure to read the Christmas story as recorded in: Matthew chapter 1:18 to 2:12; Luke chapter 1:57 to 2:20.

Merry Christmas!

        -Eben Lennox

Tues, Dec 5 Devotional

Psalm 80:1-2

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!

 None was written for today… spend time writing and praying your own! :)

Mon, Dec 4 Devotional

Isaiah 64:8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;  we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

           As my thoughts go to a time in the early 70's when my dad had both legs amputated above the knee, I witnessed such great strength and courage from him.  His deep faith and belief in a higher power shaped him into his new self.

He became a gardener extraordinaire and a weaver of baskets and trays. I can still hear his beautiful whistle as he worked.

Some going through such a horrific ordeal may have had the ‘poor me’ attitude, but this was not the case with my dad, from the very beginning he stayed positive and helped all around him stay cheery.

In this chapter of Isaiah God truly re made this piece of pottery into a man of inspiration to us all!

Prayer: Loving God give strength and courage to all who are facing or have faced difficult changes in their life.  Amen

      -Jean Harrison

SERMONS: Greening of the Church messages

WREATHS & EVERGREENS       

People who know their Bible stories may turn to Jeremiah chapter eighteen to find the potter and the clay, but he was not the only prophet to be inspired by this practical artistry. Isaiah sixty-four speaks also of people as clay and God as potter. There is a remoulding that can be done in everyone’s life. 

To show regret, to confess sin, and to seek forgiveness happens a lot in the scriptures. As we set the big wreaths and evergreens alight now, we hear that ‘we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.’ Evergreen leaves and branches - especially those in the circle of a wreath - are a sign of things that endure. And in God’s Kindom, peace and goodness, beauty and bounty are promised as the things that last. The failings of our own lives get swept away, even forgotten, in the grace of God. We get remoulded.

TREES                                  

We light up the Christmas trees - we have four of them now - with the reading of a part of the family tree of Jesus of Nazareth. This is how Matthew the gospel-writer starts the whole story. With ‘who’s your father,’ and mother, going back centuries. 

Perhaps you will have decorations on a Christmas tree that make it like a family tree: ornaments that were from mother and father and grandmother and grandfather and aunt and uncle and cousin, and so on. Maybe some ornaments even have pictures of people - or pets! My tree at home will have some of these. 

These church trees have simple ornaments and lights. Though, this littlest tree is different. It seemed to want to be colourful. There must be a story here. Can you imagine a story, about this little tree? It belongs here, and yet it is unique. Just like you. Like me.

GIFTS

When you read the whole First Letter to the Corinthians, all ten pages, you will find it wonderful that they get praised here at the start of Paul’s letter. That early Church has plenty of troubles to be sorted out, but they are still enriched by Christ Jesus, and not lacking any spiritual gifts. Paul gives thanks for these people, who are patiently waiting for more of Jesus, and will eventually be perfected. 

Far from perfect, we here today also have many gifts to offer. Our financial sharing is one part. Our tangible gifts all through December, in lots of places, are other gifts. The time we give to get good things done, to serve at a tea or luncheon, to pack food boxes, to sing in a singing group - all are generous acts. The gifts, wrapped in colourful paper or slipped into a card, are bits of joy given to others. And the quality time we spend with people - our own presence - becomes a present. 

Now, the ushers prepare to receive the offering gifts.

POINSETTIAS

The poinsettia is a great plant, and deeply planted now in our Christmas culture. It has been associated with Christmas since the 16th century, in Mexico. It is not too hard to keep alive, even for years, as a houseplant. Its blood-red colour has a natural affinity for the blood of Jesus in our Faith story. And like the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus, the poinsettias have a certain beauty. 

 Star-like, the poinsettia shouts Christmas to us. Perhaps all the decor of the season will point us towards some real hope. Like the Genesis words ‘let the light of Your countenance shine upon us,’ the phrase of Psalm 80 gives a hopeful blessing. ‘Smile Your blessing smile: That will be our salvation.’ 

Perhaps that is all anyone needs, any one of us. To know the smile of God, shining upon us. To sense that God has come back.

As you walk by any poinsettia, you know it was not grown in some greenhouse somewhere just for you. But there it is, smiling up at you, with vibrant red, or white, or pink bracts. You receive the gift of that beautiful sight, almost smiling at you. So, also receive the smile of God upon you, in the many ways you might glimpse that. Let this be our prayer: Smile your blessing Smile: That will be our salvation.

Sun, Dec 3 Devotional

Isaiah 64:1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,  so that the mountains would quake at your presence

      Today is the first day of Advent.  Each individual starts on their journey toward Bethlehem, where we meet the Christ-child.  Over the past summer in Canada, we experienced forest fires in nearly every province.  I think of the forest fires in NS., and how in a few seconds entire subdivisions were wiped out and humanity lost everything, except for the clothes on their backs.  I am sure there were those who asked where is God in this muddle.

This draws my mind back to the Old Testament scriptures whereby the remnant of Israel were recalling the faithfulness of God and the way He led them into and through the wilderness.  They remembered His compassion and kindness, when their forefathers were enslaved in the land of Egypt and the Lord redeemed them.  The grief they were currently experiencing due to being in captivity for several years was translated into a prayerful petition.  Isaiah 64:1 O that You would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at Your presence.

The Israelites could not see themselves ever being released from their captivity; they were unable to see God working in their lives to help them.  So they decide to ask God to show himself to them by opening the heavens and making the mountains quake.  Mountains shaking meant God was present on earth.

As we prepare throughout this Advent Season for the arrival of Christmas and the celebration of the Christ child let us remember we do not always see God working but we can trust that he is there.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

  -Rev. Marlene Quinn

Advent Devotional 2023

This is our second annual series of devotions, written by one another, for one another. And who knows how far afield this will be read, as it is shared - especially here, on our Church website.

 Perhaps you can add each day’s scripture, thoughts, stories, and prayer to your habit. Perhaps it will be a morning routine, or noon, or evening. Thanks to one and all who wrote a devotional or two for this publication. It is such a wonderful way to share our spirituality.

 Grace and peace to you all,

Jeff G. White, Senior Minister

SERMON: Our Final Armour

10:30 am, Sunday, Nov 19, 2023 ~  FBCA

(1 Thess 5:1-11; Mtt 25:14-30) J G White

There was a beautiful scene here, in this very room, on Friday evening. After the lighting up of our downtown, hundreds, and I mean hundreds, of people flocked into these pews. People of all ages. A school band played Christmas songs, a school choir sang, and many of us sang along, whether we really knew the words or not to Jingle Bells and O Come, All Ye Faithful. 

My mind and heart truly wondered about these hundreds of people in here, most of whom were unknown to me. How many would say they are some of ye faithful? Surely most were not practicing Christians, even though they sang Christ the Saviour is born.

As I looked out upon these acquaintances and strangers, I wondered, on this happy occasion, what the rest of life is like for everyone. Like we, ye faithful, who have come today, there are feelings of fear and anger at the world. Moments of confusion and deep concern about life. Times of personal trouble. 

Ours is a time when people want protection. As I was reading 1 Thess. 5 this past week, I picked up on this phrase: put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. Yesterday, I re-noticed that Sharon and I have these three words in wrought iron in our living room: Faith, Love, Hope. Like the longer list of spiritual armour in the book of Ephesians, here we have these two images of protection: a breastplate of faith and love, and a helmet of hope. Our loving God makes available these basic elements of protection to us. We have them, to offer our neighbours, in this age of anxiety.

Faith is a sense of being sure, a confidence in the promises we have been given. How do we ‘put on the breastplate of faith?’ And how do we offer this armour to others who need it?

It is cool that this little chapter begins, saying to the original readers of this letter: you don’t need to be taught about these things; you already know this stuff about the finale of history. You know The End will be surprising, at an unexpected moment. To have confidence in Jesus is to be confident in the mysterious timing of everything being made good, at last. And to be confident that there is a will and a power to make good things happen along the way. 

More than one thousand years ago, a Church teacher said, we must always be on the lookout for Christ’s twofold coming, the one when he comes day after day to stir our consciences, and the other when we shall have to give an account for everything we have done. He comes to us now in order that his future coming may find us prepared. (Paschasius Radbertus, 9th century)

We believers need not be surprised at how terrible things get on earth, and how hidden the wonderful blessings are along the way. We have been told this all our lives, by the Spirit and the word of God. This is part of the protection given to us: confidence in the good purposes of God. We put this on by looking for how Jesus views the world; by noticing how the Spirit is present amid suffering in trouble.

Love is also what our armour is made of, so as we are protected by knowing we are beloved ones of God, we are stronger and more courageous in helping others. In our Faith we have been trained to rely upon the Divine Source of love, not rely upon ourselves alone. We are each a beautiful vehicle for compassion and care, and in that we can have the Love of God flow through us to others, a Love so grand and great we could never produce it, or hold it inside, if we wanted to! 

So it is a gift found among us. What did the Baptist Choir sing today? 

They who love the Lord have found a gift so rare.

They who love the Lord know joy beyond compare.

And their hearts are lighter, spirits brighter

knowing God is always there.

Help us to be like them, Lord, help us to be like them.

We learn love in our connections. We learn to be like those who pay such beautiful attention to us when we are with them. We get inspired by those who no longer need to seek their own attention. As it says here in this chapter again, encourage one another. We put on the breastplate of faith and love by being together in Christ.

The other bit of armour available to us in these troubling times is the helmet of hope, hope of salvation. Oh how deep is the world’s need for hope in these hopeless days. In response, we can dwell upon our sense of destiny. Destined not for destruction, but for life and goodness, thanks to Jesus. We teach this as the destiny of all things: a new heavens and earth - this is the Biblical image. 

When the bad news is too bad, and far too plentiful, be sure to feed on some good news. Take in a balanced diet for your heart and mind and soul. As Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers, was famous for saying, when disaster strikes, look for the helpers. You can always find people who are helping.

And from them we learn to make a difference. Like the servants who put their Master’s riches to work, in Jesus’ parable. We could hide away and watch for God to rescue the world. But far better it is to learn our little bit to do in the cause of peace and joy and healing and freedom. Even joining a recent prayer vigil for peace in Ukraine, or ceasefire in Gaza, is joining a gigantic work of God today.

In these days, these Last Days, as believers have called them for two thousand years, let us put on the final armour we need to wear. Faith and Love and Hope. 

SERMON: Fortune Favours the Prepared Mind

10:30 am, Sunday, Nov 12, 2023 ~  FBCA

(1 Thess 4:13-18; Mtt 25:1-13) J G White

Greg Turner is a wise and gentle man. A friend of mine, back in Digby, he is a fellow hiker with me, and a citizen-scientist. He helps plan many of the monthly hikes in the Digby area, and gets out there studying the plants and lichens and birds and trees. If there was to be a hike on a day like yesterday, with three degrees, and the possibility of showers or snow pellets, Greg would say, “There is no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothing.” Or, he’d say, “Fortune favours the prepared mind.”

Louis Pasteur famously said, in French, something like that. Fortune favours the prepared mind. ‘Be prepared’ is the simple Scout motto. Jesus said things like, “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial,”  and, today, “keep awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” 

We have come into that annual season of preparation. Preparing for what? Well, a few different things, really. Preparing for Christmas! Preparing for winter driving (I have not yet put on my snow tires). Preparing for the deer or the cow to get cut up and vacuum-sealed for the freezer. 

Prepared for the End of the World; Jesus’ return. That’s what the Advent Season in our worship is about, and we shift in November into scriptures that look to the second advent, the second coming of Christ into our universe. 

What does it mean for us to prepare for this long-awaited, unexpected event that is so mysterious? Back in the day when a letter was written to Thessalonian Christians, it was the early years of the Church. Many were expecting Jesus to return rather soon - within their lifetimes. When some of the older people started dying off, they got worried. What did this mean? What happens to them? Jesus has not come back yet, to finish bringing the Kingdom to earth? 

‘Don’t worry,’ the author wrote them. ‘They will get included in the great resurrection & the finale of all things.’ 

Here we are, about two thousand years later, still awaiting The Return. Does it matter much for us to be ‘at the ready?’ What does ‘being prepared’ mean for us Christians here and now? 

We wonder this, when we use our scriptures. When we hear Jesus’ parables again, like that of the five wise and the five foolish bridesmaids. 

The most recent wedding we had here was quite a big occasion. About two hundred people in attendance; about eight people at the front with the Bride and Groom. Eight top-notch, professional musicians offering amazing sounds for the service, with their own sound-tech. A reception of delicious food here, on site, before the actual banquet later, at a different venue. 

Our imaginations go to what we know when we hear Jesus’ wedding story from a different time and culture. Despite the differences and the details that may not quite make sense to us, Christ’s story makes a point: when you have a part in the wedding and the party, be prepared, keep on top of your lovely job, or you will just get left out. 

Professor Matt Skinner caught my ear in a podcast when he asked, about the parable of the bridesmaids: Who suffers when these helpers fail? Then, about us: ‘Who suffers when the Church is foolish, and wastes its time, and wastes its resources on things which are not about mercy?’

Maybe being ready, watching, waiting, keeping alert in spirit, is not just about us and our own salvation. Perhaps it is about being ready to do our job, our work for the Kindom of Christ Jesus. When we have this sense that Jesus is with us, but also far away not yet back with us, it is quite important for us to do our part. When the Spirit of Jesus moves & some good thing is ready to happen in our neighbourhood, shall we be prepared? 

First Baptist hopes to call a Minister of Families and Outreach in the near future. Will we be prepared? Prepared to help this person do good work? Good ministry with younger people, and with disadvantaged people? Shall a group of us be equipped to get on board and do some good with this leader, and not leave it all up to him or her?

The Springhill Prison chaplains are ready to take volunteers to lead Sunday afternoon services there. Shall we prepare to go with the Spirit of God into the Chapel there, and spend quality time with the guys on the inside?

The leadership team at First Baptist is getting ready for us all to explore what it means to be inclusive, welcoming and affirming to LGBTQS+ people of our community. Shall most of us take part in getting more prepared for diversity in our families and our community and our Church? To discover more about how Christ seeks to bless all people, and make them a blessing?

And so on. Fortune favours the prepared mind. 

Keep alert, for you know neither the day nor the hour. 

Remember the story of Esther? (Queen Esther in the Bible, not Esther Cox of the Great Amherst Mystery!) She had the opportunity to take a big risk and maybe save some lives. And what did her uncle say to her? “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” 

Our wakefulness and our preparation for Christ is in our activity. We learn to do by doing with God, and one another. Perhaps we have this building in this location for such a time as this. Perhaps we have the people in our lives - all our contacts - for such a time as this. Perhaps we have the promises of Jesus deep in our hearts for such a time as this.

SERMON: What Do These Stones Mean to You?

10:30 am, Sunday, Nov 5, 2023 ~  FBCA (Joshua 3:14 - 4:7) J G White

What do these stones mean to you? 

Let’s take a short walk upon several stepping stones today.

Seven weeks ago, a new, granite stone was unveiled near here. The Afghanistan War Memorial. Below the Armoury mural on the Town Hall, you can just see this memorial stone in the photo on our bulletin cover today. 

Stones like this, and the monument just over here in Victoria Square, mean a great deal to so many people. People who will gather in six days to remember, and keep a moment of silence. We see such stones in most towns and villages. Lest we forget.

For thousands of years of human history, people have set up stones as places of remembering. Even when I walked my pilgrimage to Amherst, last summer, one of my travelling companions set a stone by a stream, near Truro, as a marker and memory for the two of us, who walked with God along that stretch of road.

The prescribed Hebrew Bible text for this Sunday did not include any of Joshua chapter four, but I wanted us to read of this moment when twelve stones from the Jordan River were gathered and set apart as a memorial to this moment when God brought the Israelites, finally, into the Promised Land. As they had crossed great waters to escape Egypt, forty years before, now, they crossed the Jordan at full flood stage - and gave the credit to Yahweh God. 

And what will happen, in years ahead, was explained. When your children ask, in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the LORD. (J 4:6-7)

There are many stones - or other markers - that the next generations may ask us about: what do these mean? This past week I was at three funerals, and in the midst of these I spent a full hour in the big cemetery in Advocate. I walked among those stones. I found the markers of two couples I once knew so well, years ago, and had a part in helping bury one there. We know what gravestones mean, but we may need someone to tell us about the individuals buried there. ‘What did these people mean to you?’ Well, Clarence and Vera were delightful Christian people. So hospitable; both were good cooks. And when Clad passed around a plate of their cookies, he’d always say, “Take two. One will make you sick.”

I am quite interested to get a copy of a new book by Steve Sakfte, The Dead Die Twice: Abandoned Cemeteries of Nova Scotia. After a while, no one is left alive to remember a buried person. The stone may remain a lot longer than living memory or ‘perpetual care.’

Our merciful Creator has made us in such a way that sticks and stones and all work for us, they help us remember, keep us in touch with real events and real people of the past. The text of scripture, stones in the landscape, and songs that keep being sung all unite people, across the ages. 

A stone set up in the landscape is a long-term version of the string tied around your finger to remind you to do something. Is there not a freedom for the mind and heart when a monument is in place? You don’t need to work at remembering, or dwell on something all the time, when there are helpful reminders, stones or songs or whatever. 

History is actually important. It is not just a human thing to be interested in the past. Our timeless God is interested in the past, and helps us stay connected with it, and with our future. In Faith, we tell the story of the Hebrews brought to a Promised Land, laying twelve stones for the twelve tribes. And we tell the Revelation story of the New Jerusalem with twelve foundations under the wall of the City, on which are the names of the twelve apostles.

In between, we mark our own stories. 

This summer, I happened to be exploring the NB shore not far from here, and came upon a stone cairn at a little cove, Slacks Cove. So, I wandered right over to see what was memorialized there. Baptist history, believe it or not!  1763

Thirteen Baptists from Swansea Mass. landed by Slack’s Cove, April 21, 1763. Middle Sackville and Main Street Baptist Church Sackville N.B. were the first Baptist witness in Canada. Founded on the Rock Christ Jesus.  Dedicated June 1973.  And the names of those Baptist settlers are listed. 

Forty-six years later, the Baptist congregation in this town was organized. We have this brick from the house of the Freeman family, where the first Baptist gatherings took place, in West Amherst. Another stone, of sorts, to make people ask, ‘What does this mean… to you? 

Well, what does it mean? To you? This particular congregation has had most of its people come and go over our 214 year history. Our fellowship does go back to those long-gone folks who met in a long-gone home, west of here. Do we consider that a wonderful act of the Living God: to inspire a handful of Christians of the Baptist flavour to band together in this town? Was there some freedom, some hope, some good purpose for this, in the name of Christ? 

Today, we are surrounded by the local-quarried stone of this 1895 building, our third here on this downtown lot. What do these stones mean to you? What do we say to younger people about this meeting house? And to newcomers to our area? Our sense of purpose and togetherness must still come from the Spirit of God. 

We have an identity and a role within the community, from God, and expressive of we who are this body. Our favourite introit says it. Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live… all are welcome in this place. It is the welcome of the Gospel we learn to share. In the open arms of Christ upon the Cross we see our inspiration. The house built here is actually we the people. 

Thus, we claim the words of Ephesians 2. So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone; in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built together in Spirit into a dwelling place for God.

What do these stones mean to you? To me, they mean Christ Jesus is the Cornerstone, and we are built into a people of blessing. So, from us there is goodness and grace shining out to our neighbourhoods.

SERMON: The Living Dead

10:30 am, Sunday, Oct 29, 2023 ~  FBCA

(Deut 34:1-12; Heb 11:29 – 12:2) J G White

From my years living in Windsor, NS, I remember Garwin. He was an acquaintance in town; the only person named Garwin I’ve ever met. Perhaps his parents has been Baptists; I ended up conducting his funeral when he died. One of my most distinct memories of him was one day I didn’t actually meet him. I was walking in the very small local shopping mall, and saw Garwin down the hall, at a distance. I didn’t greet him. Didn’t talk with him. Didn’t think much of it.

Until a bit later that day. It dawned on me... “Wait! I had Garwin’s funeral last year! Oops. I guess that wasn’t him.”

Have you ever met up with... a dead person? Now, I have never had a paranormal experience, and I’m not the sort of person likely to have that kind of thing happen. But I have talked with many others who have glimpsed the supernatural.

This is the time of year for ‘the dead.’ Tonight is the eve of the eve of All Saints Day – remembering the faithful who have died. So it seems fitting to have the scripture story come up of Moses dying, at the edge of that Promised Land he had led the people to, through many long years.

How do we connect with the dead? And do we communicate with them?

What happens right away is partly what happened to Moses. He gets buried. The people mourn him in various ways. He is eulogized; right here we have a bit of an obituary. Was 120 years old, and his strength and eyesight had not weakened! No other prophet like him. He knew God face-to-face. Unequalled in his miraculous signs and mighty deeds.

His influence lived on and on. Of course; Moses was a giant in Hebrew history. In similar ways, we remember our loved ones and friends who are dead, who loved and influenced us. We tell their stories. We quote them. And, sometimes, we think we feel their influence... is it them?

We want the living dead. To know not just that the dead live on in eternity, but that eternity touches this life.

In some ways, I feel that Protestant Christianity trained me not to believe in talking with dead people, the saints who are already with Jesus. Witchcraft, the occult, mediums and psychics were all decried as evil, wrong, dangerous, ungodly. Look back to the Hebrew story in 1 Samuel 28 of the witch of Endor, called upon by King Saul to bring up from the dead Samuel to get some helpful advice. Dead Samuel was not pleased! Such magic and necromancy was forbidden in Judaism, even by Saul, who then broke his own rule.

Catholicism, and some other Christian traditions, have had much more communication with dead people built into their devotion. The naming of saints seems to be for this purpose, in part: pray to St. Christopher, or St. Jude, or the Blessed Virgin Mary. I was taught to pray to the Triune God only, and in the Christian Service Brigade memorized 1 Timothy 2:5, There is one mediator between God and man, the Man, Jesus Christ.

I don’t think I learned what that ancient statement of Christian beliefs says, the Apostle’s Creed:  I believe in the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body. It’s right here in our 50-yar-old Baptist Hymnary. The communion of saints, which equals the fellowship of Xians. This includes the believers dead and gone before us, with us!

I think there are many people who hope for a lot of things from dead people. I don’t mean they want to ‘see dead people,’ though some claim that happens. But you might say that your memory of loved ones inspires and influences you. Perhaps they look over us and look out for us. I hear a lot of that language at the time of deaths and funerals. Some people hope that the deceased will communicate with us – there will be signals or even detailed messages given. I think of folks who believe in ‘diming’ for instance. They keep finding coins, dimes, and every time they believe it is from their deceased loved one; a comforting signal from beyond the grave.

It is basic to Christianity that we believe in communication with someone who died: Jesus the Christ, Son of humanity and Son of God. He’s closely in touch with us, from beyond the grave. But others? Well, perhaps!

This is why I chose that we read from Hebrews 11 and 12 today. Chapter eleven is a litany of Bible heroes, long dead, with highlights of their lives. Next we are told: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. As runners in the race of life, we are cheered on by these dead heroes of the past. We look to Jesus all the way, but we are not alone, we are surrounded by the cloud of witnesses. So, we keep going, beyond those who went before, and this is also all about Jesus.

Do you have some great heroes of Faith? People you knew who now cheer you on, one way or another? Perhaps someone who prayed for you, and their prayers are still getting answered in your life, today! Or the lessons of their life still teach you.

Maybe you know a touch from farther in the past, from someone you never knew, but whose books or stories you have read. Whose music moves you. Whose footsteps you follow.

All of this can be from the Spirit of Jesus, and from that great cloud of witnesses who each have shown, in their lives, the life of God. And you: who shall you touch in the future, even once you are dead and gone? This may be for God to know and them to find out. 

This is the Family of God. It is eternal, not bound in time. It is holy and it is down-to-earth. This is the Church Christ builds, and the gates of evil cannot stand against it.

We will sing some of the hymn, For All the Saints, which is basically saying: ‘Hallelujah to God for all the dead.’ Christ blesses us with their influence, today. There is another ‘saint’ hymn in our Baptist book; I don’t know if you know it yet. It says:             For the saints of God began just like me,

     And I mean to be one too. (Lesbia Scott, b. 1898)

SERMON: Joy & Anxiety

10:30 am, Sunday, Oct 15, 2023 ~ FBCA (Ex 32:1-14; Philippians 4:1-9) J G White

Once upon a time there was a crisis… overseas. A war broke out in Syria. Millions of refugees fled, and thousands started to flee to Canada. A little country Church stepped out and sponsored a family of eight to come to their nearby town. A couple years later, the town Church had the opportunity to bring more of the same family to their town, six more people. Many in the congregation were ready for their Church to be the sponsor, raise the money, do the work. But at the last minute, what we here would call the Board of Management, balked at the idea. The Board of six people declared they would all resign if the Church dared take the financial risk – they needed to raise $40 or $50,000.

Anxiety won the day, and that church did not act as the sponsoring body. The nearby, little country church did. Under the leadership of one person from the town Church, ~$77,000 was raised. Praise God.

Joy & Anxiety… or, Joy and Freedom from Anxiety. Perhaps this is one of the greatest needs of our age, and a great longing. Is it just my own age and stage? This seems to me to be an age of anxiety. Churches are in anxious survival mode. Parents are anxious about so many threats to their children. Everyone gets anxious about pandemics and politics.

In our OT story today we can see the element of community anxiety, and a poor response. ‘Where is our leader and His invisible God? You, his brother, make us a god we can see.’ The rest is history.

On the personal level, broken relationships are common to us all, and a common source of stress. On a trip the other day, I was near Fredericton, and had a passing thought for my cousin who lives there. Sadly, he has just about become an enemy to his own parents, and others in the family. We almost dare not try to make contact with him, not knowing what to expect.

And I have experienced other awkwardness. The relative who served time in prison for crimes at her work, and that turn of events fragmented her relationships with brother and sisters. The person who will have nothing to do with her sister, my wife, yet in a time of illness needs all the support she can get. The Christian couple who joined my church in Digby with great enthusiasm, but after a couple years was infuriated with my theology and teaching, and left the congregation when it all came to a head, and they found themselves alone in their particular attitudes.

Our fourth and final week with the Bible book called Philippians has their friend and leader, Paul, write this to the congregation: I urge Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. You also… help these women… The anxiety of relationships is real, be it in community, in family, or in a church. The answer to this stress can be a matter of encouragement by others, of receiving the help of others who care for them, and of Christians remembering the common Friend and Leader they have: Jesus.

In our Faith, we turn our anxieties to prayers, as best we can. This might be a life-long learning process for us. See what Paul said? Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Thankful prayers for help. What’s ‘supplication?’ Really asking for something. What’s ‘thanksgiving?’ The attitude of gratitude. It is one thing to have a sense that God knows our every need before we even say it or pray it. But to help us in anxious moments, it is good for us actually to make a request, name it, and put it alongside some things for which we are grateful. (Many of the Psalms do this.)

And the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds, said Paul. Something above and beyond our natural hearts and minds is available. We are not alone in our anxieties, and our coping skills. There is God, a God of peace.

Some of our greatest emotional stresses come from deep and damaging things that we’ve experienced. The healing journey can be a huge journey, in the midst of traumas. It takes many blessings, and much work, to pick away at the things that trouble us. These things I point out today from Philippians chapter four are but pieces of a beautiful puzzle of healing and help and hope. So, as I tell this next story, remember that there is surely a lot more to this than one helpful moment of counselling and prayer by a pastor. This is surely but a highlight in one person’s longer journey.

Years ago, Richard Foster was working at a family counselling centre. He experienced some power with healing prayer when he met with a man who had lived in constant fear and bitterness for twenty-eight years. He would wake up at night screaming and in a cold sweat. He lived in constant depression… he had not laughed in many years.

He told Richard Foster what had happened those many years before that had caused such a deep sadness to hang over him. He was in Italy during the Second World War and was in charge of a mission of thirty-eight men. They became trapped by enemy gunfire. …He had prayed desperately that God would get them out of that mess. It was not to be. He had to send his men out two by two and watch them get killed. Finally, in the early hours of the morning he was able to escape with six men—four seriously wounded. He had only a flesh wound. He said that the experience turned him into an atheist.

Foster said, ‘Don’t you know that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God who lives in the eternal now, can enter that old painful memory and heal it so that it will no longer control you?’ After talking, the man agreed to have Foster pray for him – having faith for him.

He invited the Lord Jesus to go back those twenty-eight years and walk through that day with this good man… (Prayer, 1992, pp.218-219)

To make a longer story short, the next week the fellow came to counsellor Foster with a new brightness, and said he had been sleeping, sleeping through the night, for the first time in years. It was a breakthrough. Sometimes, in the long journey out of anxieties and trauma, there are breakthroughs, thank God.

The next bit of holy counsel today is about building good habits of the mind. For years I have been appreciating this verse: Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. We know it can be easy, so tempting, to dwell upon whatever is alarming, whatever is shocking, whatever displeases us, whatever we didn’t want, anything that’s a failure and anything we disapprove of. Our social media, our news and our entertainment fill our view with terrible, horrible stuff. We know what happens when we piece together a quilt of all this negative stuff.

All the troubles of the world – and of ourselves – have got to be balanced by training ourselves to dwell upon the beautiful and the good. Take note of such things! Hold on to those good pieces and see them stitched together by the Spirit of God into a beautiful comforter. This is part of our training in the School of Jesus.

Unlike the disciples of two thousand years ago, we spend time with our Master differently. So much of Jesus’ influence upon us is from our Text, and from the servants of Christ we have known. We learn, and remember, and put into practice, the practical lessons we learned from others. Paul had written, Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. We could say the same about Moses. Did you notice today how Moses prayed for his people to be shown mercy, when they had forsaken the path of their newfound faith? Moses asked for mercy, and got it for them. Sometimes we need someone to bless us; sometimes it is our work to find mercy for others who are in trouble.

The God of peace will be with you. The word ‘peace’ is like the word ‘love,’ it has a few big meanings. The latest world conflict – in Israel and Palestine – has us all alarmed and probably anxious. The ‘peace’ we wish for there is on a different scale than the peace of individual souls with God, or between family members or neighbours or co-workers. To pray for the peace of Israel, and Palestine, and their neighbours, is, at least, to point in the right direction. Even when we see not much over there pointing in that direction.

The world needs a God big enough to hold these warring peoples in strong hands. A Spirit good enough to battle the evil of the powers that seem to be in control. A Deity human enough to reach in and touch and bless the fleeing people, the struggling millions who are suffering and terrified.

The God of peace will be with you?

The peace of God will guard your hearts and minds?

This is the One we proclaim. Our hearts and minds are stirred up, for good reasons. Even as we lament and cry out to God, we can find ourselves given strength and serenity. We find in Christ the power and the wisdom to make a difference, brining our own bit of peace to this anxious world. As Paul said, I pray for you: may God fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

SERMON: Jesus & CHRISTianity

Joy & CHRISTianity

10:30 am, Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 ~  FBCA

(Ex 20:1-20; Philippians 3:4b-14) J G White

Joy and Christianity. Really, I call this ‘Joy & Christ,’ yet I wanted it to go with ‘Joy & Mortality, Joy & Humility, Joy & .’ In the face of his opponents, and from a prison cell somewhere, the Apostle Paul had great joy in Jesus, and in sharing Christ with others. 

The surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord becomes important to us in the ways we experience and meet Jesus. There are so many ways that people know Christ. In this holy letter, Paul wrote of Christ’s resurrected life and His death. Paul wanted to know all this in his own life he was living. We also, in our deep pains and the big questions of life, the beautiful blessings and gracious gifts, meet up with God in Christ.

One might think right away that knowing Jesus is about our spiritual practices, and this certainly is one category. Worship together, praying alone, reading the Bible, meditation, and so forth are activities where we can truly sense we are meeting with the Spirit of Jesus. 

One strong experience I remember was some years ago, at a worship service. There was no large crowd in the Chapel; I was in the pews with a few others. We got singing a simple worship song, by John Bell, with repetitive words, and quite a few verses. We sang it every week at that service. We were singing words of Jesus, to ourselves:  Lo, I am with you to the end of the word…

Lo, I am with you when you leave self behind…

Lo, I am with you in the struggle for peace…

…and so on. A beautiful little song. I had sung it many times before. But this one evening, while singing, I felt a different praying flowing through me. In a state of great peace, I found myself ‘praying’ for many people and places I knew, all over the place. It was a moment of gentle euphoria. It was like a steady stream of blessing flowing through me to others who were near or far away.

Perhaps you could testify to your own prayer and worship experiences like this. The joy of knowing Christ has its moments like this. These special, quality times together, in our relationship. The beautiful, amazing experiences… and, the Holy Presence in the face of pain and danger. 

Yet, spiritual practices are not the only way we ‘experience God,’ of course. So we need to be clear with those around us, that we know there is so much, so many ways we walk with Christ daily. And ‘walk’ is a good word for this. There is an American Christian training centre called the Centre for Action and Contemplation. This reminds us that our daily doings are where we know Christ. 

Remember Jesus’ message recorded in Matthew 25, the story of the King separating the good sheep and the bad goats? Why were the sheep welcomed into such blessing? When had they seen and helped and spent time with the King?  37‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these [siblings] of mine, you did it to me.’

Have you spent time with Christ the King when you were with someone in need? There is a sacred space, a very special time, when we are with people in trouble, in pain, in sadness or anger, in grief. It is in these day-to-day activities at home or at work or wherever that God shows up. 

I remember friends who got to know a woman down the hall in their large apartment building. The woman was not real happy, and she was not taking very good care of herself. So they started making a bit more supper each day, and always took a plate of food down to her. Something very practical for the good of someone’s body - and spirit. I know I saw the living Christ in that neighbour relationship. 

I think I need to read Henri Nouwen’s book, Adam: Beloved of God. This book was written by Nouwen after the death of his handicapped friend Adam Arnett. A Catholic Priest, Nouwen was world renowned as a university professor and an author of Christian books. But he finished his career by leaving the academy and moving to a L’Arche community near Toronto, to be part of that fellowship of caring, with abled and disabled people living together. 

Adam was twenty-five when Henri Nouwen became his caregiver. Adam had epilepsy, he could not move much on his own, he never spoke. Caring for him revealed so much about needs, about communication beyond words, and about God. When he was about 35, Adam died. Nouwen wrote: “From the moment I saw Adam’s body lying in his casket, I was struck by the mystery of this man’s life and death…Adam’s death touched me deeply because for me he was the one who more than any book or professor led me to the person of Jesus.”

We get to meet, what we can call the Spirit of Jesus, in living life with others, amid our needs, our hurts, and our hallelujahs!

Others of us get into the student mode of being a believer. We are book people, and keep reading and studying, going to seminars and listening to podcasts. Some folks get close to Jesus this way. 

Some of you know the name of scholar Dominic Crossan - I know you’ve even used his books in study groups here, years ago. He is a Bible scholar, known from the group called the Jesus Seminar that got some publicity a couple decades ago. I got to hear Professor Crossan give lectures for a week in Truro, one year, in person. And I remember his saying how, at the core of his experience of Jesus Christ was his study, his scholarship, his continual journey of learning.

So it is for some Christians. I suppose all this is like the so-called love languages. We could say: some people are in love with Jesus, and what means the most to them are the blessings showered upon them by Christ. Someone else connects with the Son of God most by study of the Word of God. For the next Christian, being with Jesus is all about the mystical prayer experiences of meditation or worship or singing. And for another believer, Jesus is most real in the doing of good things, cooperating with the Spirit, obediently. And so on. 

Think about it: where does your greatest Joy in Jesus arise? Another organization, Renovare, teaches about six spiritual traditions in Christianity. I think they illustrate the variety of ways people are different in how they connect with Christ most of all. We have the Evangelical Tradition that is all about sharing truth and the Holy Bible. The Charismatic Tradition that is about being filled with the Holy Spirit and aware of the Presence and touch of God. There is the Compassionate Tradition, all about doing loving actions and helping out in this world. Also, the Contemplative Tradition, which focuses upon prayer and meditation and such activities. And the Holiness Tradition, about finding God’s will and the ways to obey.

Our Old Testament text today, the Ten Commandments, is a great core statement that guides holiness, our obedience to God, for instance. It is good to find a balance for ourselves among all these traditions, while we each have our special strengths. You may be a doer. Or a thinker. Or a pray-er. Or a communicator. Each of us a part of the Body of Christ, with our own special purposes and talents. We find our greatest joys in Christ and Xianity in different parts of life. And we respect the amazing and different ways others around us are finding their way to Joy in Jesus. We’re not all going to be alike. 

The Hayward lecturer at Acadia University this past week was Dr. Willie Jennings, of Yale Divinity School. Talking about people in their 20s and 30s today, he claimed they come to Jesus differently than previous generations. Then, about training leaders for churches, Dr. Jennings said: At the heart of it for all of us is we have to rethink, and think very slowly and carefully, about what Christian formation is. What are we forming people towards? We have got to rework that.

What is a Christian to look like, that doesn't look like Billy Graham? There are many [divinity] schools that, when they think of the idea of Christian, they think of Billy Graham. That is a horrible mistake… We have to rethink exactly what the Christian life looks like. This is the hard work… 

Today, I feel I have few answers about anything, but I am so thankful to God that Christians are born again to take so many paths. We show the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ the Lord in many beautiful ways. 

Let us keep on. Run the race with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus. With our own unique strides, our own pace, our own good posture, our own close teammates, we follow the example of the Apostle: 13…but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. This week, may you find some real Joy in Christ.

SERMON: Joy & Humility

10:30 am, World Communion Sunday, Oct 1, 2023 ~  FBCA

(Philippians 2:1-13; Mtt 21:23-32) J G White

O Lord, it's hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.

So sang Mac Davis in 1980, and the truth of the irony shines out. When you believe yourself to be perfect, even in just a few ways, it is hard to be humble with other people. 

Perhaps we don’t think of humility and deep joyfulness as two things that go together, but I think they should. Paul’s letter we read from, Philippians, is his letter of joy, and on the second page we have this ancient hymn to Christ Jesus, describing His humble journey. 

6 …though he existed in the form of God,

    did not regard equality with God

    as something to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself,

    taking the form of a slave,

    assuming human likeness.

Jesus humbly went on to the painful events we remember at the Communion Table today, and that Christians around the world participate in, on this World Communion Sunday. His life’s blood shed, His body broken.

Real humbleness is to be satisfied with your place and your purpose. So we have to know it, and not strive for something else. It often includes letting others be who they are. We think someone is better than we are? We learn not to be envious or jealous. We learn not to be angry and think ill of them. We learn not to feel like we are just nothing. 

And if we think someone is less than we are, we learn from Christ not to value them less, not to think of ourselves too highly, and how to receive help from that person. 

True humility is not beating ourselves up or putting ourselves down. We are created beautiful by God, and made new in Christ for good things. To be joyfully humble: respect yourself and others.

I’ve just come home from the activities of the Canadian Association for Baptist Freedoms. This is a group of Bapitsts who Christ has used to teach me some respect and humility. This little group of people and congregations is spreading across Canada now, after the first forty years was mostly fellowship in NS and NB and PEI. First Baptist has been part of the CABF since its beginning; one of the first Presidents was Jack Matthews. I appreciate this group of Baptists because of the freedom and, dare I say, humility that’s here. 

Why would I say this? For one thing, there can and should be a humility about being free thinkers. I know, here in Philippians 2:2 it says, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. You might think this means we must all be copycats. Yet it is possible to agree to be free thinkers, to share the purpose of being diverse, to have in mind being respectful of many opinions. This is what I have found in the CABF group. And what I find here at First Baptist. 

I’ve got it. OK, I’ve got it. You really like Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live… You don’t even want to skip it for a month. All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place. When this is true and real, it takes a lot of humility. Humbleness to respect and include someone different. 

One person loves to hear, ‘My soul doth magnify, doth magnify the Lord,’ and someone else wants to sing, ‘I saw the light, I saw the light, no more darkness, no more night.’ 

One person trusts Jesus deeply for an eternal dwelling place, thanks to His sacrifice that personally cleanses them from wrong and evil. Another person has let go of concerns about the afterlife, and seeks Jesus’ Way for how to make a difference in this life. 

And so on. All these can be welcome if there is a humbleness that is willing to let others be themselves, and let go of thinking ‘I know it all, me & Jesus have it all figured out, they must be wrong.’ 

I learned from these Baptist Christians to know and love other types of Christians. To respect them. To be humble in their midst. As a child and a teenager I was quite churched: I went to everything at the Middleton Baptist Church: Sunday service, Sunday School, Youth Group, Youth Choir, Men’s Fellowship, Youth Handbell Choir, and the boys’ Christian Service Brigade. But never once did I get to set foot in the local Nazarene Church, or United Church, or Catholic, or Anglican, or United Pentecostal. Only after I grew up and left home did I start to visit these and learn how they worshipped, and thought, & taught, & did God’s work together. You know, you appreciate your own tradition once you see what else is out there. 

We humble ourselves, and look for the Christ who meets us in the Roman Catholics, and in the Lutherans, and in the Wesleyans.

So I rejoice, today, to be in a Baptist congregation that cooperates with the others. A Baptist Church that respects the others so much that we will welcome you as a new member from them, without requiring you be re-baptized in water as an adult. A Baptist Church that shares with others how they do things with God. For instance, we are rather ‘liturgical’ or ‘mainstream Church’ in our Sunday morning style. Responsive readings, unison prayers, two or more scripture passages, liturgical robes. I think this goes back a century. A brief history of First Baptist tells us about the leadership of our Pastor, Dr. C. W. Rose, just over one hundred years ago. 

One noticeable factor during Dr. Rose’s pastorate was the appearance of more and more ritual and ceremony in the Church, such as the growing of the choir members, and other innovations. Some have said that much of this was due to the solemnity and ceremony which surrounded all Canadians during the war years.

(J. M. MacSwain, A History of the Amherst Baptist Church, 1959, p.51)

No matter our style, the heart of our gatherings is the Spirit of Jesus. The great sacrifice of Christ Jesus is in the worship of thousands upon thousands of Churches today, Oct 1, this World Communion Sunday. The bread and the wine come in many varieties in the Churches. So what? We all are remembering this: And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. (P 2:7-8) 

From our Master we are learning humbleness, from our heart out to our hands. We hear it in His teachings, over and over. Such as His story of the sons working in the vineyard: when we said we wouldn’t help out, we learn to do the humble thing and join in after all. 

We may love a lot of what it is to be a practicing Christian, to be a Baptist, and to belong with First Baptist. Jesus who died and who lives takes us on a humble path, to esteem others highly and learn life from those who are different. We learn to make sacrifices and submit. We learn to be part of a Body that has so many working parts. 

And now, we look again to Jesus’ broken body. We get in touch again with that life-blood that becomes life-giving. We bow, and discover there are millions who are bowing with us before Christ, and so are lifted up by God.

SERMON: Joy & Mortality

10:30 am, Sun, Sept 24, 2023 ~  FBCA

(Exodus 16:2-15; Philippians 1:20-30) J G White

The joy of the Lord is my strength, said Ezra & Nehemiah (8:10). We’ve dipped into a NT Bible letter of joy today, hitting the first of four chapters in Philippians, Paul’s joyful letter. Read through, and notice how often the worlds ‘joy’ and ‘rejoice’ appear. Yet do you know the author’s situation when he wrote this? Paul was facing opposition against this new Christian movement, and opposition to him from within it! He wrote this letter from prison, somewhere in the Roman empire. It also sounds like he could face execution there - it was uncertain what was about to happen.

And his letter is joy-filled. Joy, in the face of life and death. Joy, in the face of serious persecution. 

For us, persecution and pressure is about how we do life, our lives. It is not just about how we do our religious stuff. It is about having victory in terms of having a good attitude, doing our work well, being good citizens of earth when we shop and travel, being a good friend to others in our community, doing well as members of our immediate and extended family, and so on. 

I keep thinking of being a well-rounded square. Remember, Jesus was a well-rounded square? When still a pre-teen, it was said he grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and people. That’s (1) his thoughts and emotions, (2) his physical self, (3) his spirituality, and (4) his social life. A well-rounded square. 

So, are there barriers, or even enemies, of your emotional health? You may have daily challenges to handle, or traumas from your past. Are there any enemies of your physical well-being? There could be bad habits, hard circumstances, or diseases and injuries you face.  How about dangers to your faith and God-relationship? I am not one to talk in terms of ‘spiritual warfare,’ but many people find this best describes the battles they have to be faithful and hopeful. Or are there challenges in your human relationships? This world is so ‘peopley’ and it is not easy to get along.

And there is a certain mortality to all of these: they will end here, one day. We have a sure hope in a new beginning, but there will be an end for this life of your brain, your body, your religion and your relationships. And how things turn out will not be as we first wanted. Will not be without tears. Will not be without scars. 

Our Sunday Old Testament journey took us today to the needs of the Israelites in the early months of their time in the wilderness, headed for a Promised Land. They are very unhappy. This new-found freedom from slavery is no paradise, it has a bit of hardship. Not much food, for instance. They end up receiving this mysterious bread from heaven, ‘manna,’ each morning. And they get a flock of fresh poultry fly in to feed them evening by evening. As the months go on, this menu becomes tiresome - but at least they survive on this food!

Then, as the years - and decades - go by, these people all die off; their children and grandchildren get to the Promised Land. Faithful leader Moses does not even enter the Land; he died within view of it.

Many centuries later, a Christian declared that so many Old Testament people died in the faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. (Heb 11:13)

I wonder what promises we believers of today are seeing and greeting from afar, hoping but not yet experiencing. We die before some good and great things get here. It happened to those who went before us. If we grow into some Christian maturity, like the apostle Paul, we get to be joyfully at peace, on the edge of life and death, while things are incomplete in this life. 

I hope you have all known people like this. Inspiring, giving, overflowing into your life. 

I remember Roberta, a senior lady who was a very positive member of her Baptist Church in the countryside of Kings County. I remember Roberta as a person, at the end of her life, in hospital, being visited by young divinity students. She did more for them than they for her, as she told them what wonderful ministers they would be. She encouraged. It did not matter if she was going to make it or not. Her visitors mattered more to her. 

I think of famed author and artist Joni Earickson Tada, who became a quadriplegic at age seventeen, not a chosen path, yet she has gone on to inspire millions by her life, her art, her writing and speaking. Another great author, Thomas R. Kelly comes to mind. A scholar, a missionary, a Quaker mystic, Kelley suffered a period of personal grief when his research for a PhD at Harvard University would not be accepted. Yet, out of that great disappointment, Kelly had a spiritual awakening. In a book, A Testament of Devotion, he wrote: if you slip and stumble and forget God for an hour, and assert your old proud self, and rely upon your own clever wisdom, don’t spend too much time in anguished regrets and self-accusations but begin again, just where you are.

Some of the biggest problems can be released by Christ, or transformed, or healed, or made good use of. Read the whole first chapter of Philippians and notice what really does not impact the heart of great preacher and pastor, Paul:

What does it matter if Paul is in prison?

What does it matter if some of the other Christian preachers are motivated by rivalry or envy or ambition?

What does it matter if Paul lives or dies? 

These didn’t matter, to Paul. He was happy to see Jesus pointed to in all these circumstances. So may it be, in our lives now. So be inspired by people like Apostle Paul, ready and faithful despite every problem. Thanks be to God that we can be at peace, be joyful, be satisfied, even when everything is falling down around us.

I won’t quote it all here, but you likely have heard Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If.’

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

On it goes. Kipling concluded, If you can do such things, Yours is the Earth, and everything that’s in it. I’d say this all comes with believing and suffering with Christ, as Paul said. If you can do this, yours is eternity, and everything that’s in it. 

In the midst of our mortal lives, there is joy, a divine joy. May you too find that sensible, positive perspective in which it does not matter if you live or die, nor if your own dreams live or die. All that matters is for the Light of the World to shine. And shine It will.

SERMON: Not Since Moses?

(Ex 14:19-31; Rom 14:1-12) J G White

Today is to be the annual Terry Fox Run, in thousands of communities across Canada. Here in Amherst it was cancelled. I have become a bit of a runner, this year, but I have yet to participate in the Terry Fox Run. 

I do have two T-shirts from an annual, local run called ‘Not Since Moses.’ Once a year, on a low, low tide, hundreds run along the beaches of Five Islands, five or ten kilometres, before the unstoppable Fundy tide comes flooding in. 

I love the Minas Basin landscape. For decades I have been exploring the Parrsborough shore, Five Islands, Economy Point, and the red, muddy beaches of Hants and Kings Counties. This summer, again, I walked over to Moose Island at Five Islands and camped overnight. I have been known to take friends with me out there, and on an extreme low tide walk (and wade water) ever so quickly to go around Diamond Island, Long Island, Egg Island, Pinnacle Island and the Pinnacle itself! Again this summer, I walked three kms out on the sandbars of Economy Point to get as close as I could to that little red island called the Brick Kiln. 

And I can watch the tide come in for hours. It is very dramatic in many of these places. At Thomas’ Cove there is a veritable tidal bore that flows over the beach, and there is real danger if one found oneself on a rocky outcrop or sandbar. 

So, the story of the Children of Israel crossing the Red/Reed Sea captures my imagination: I can easily picture it all. It is a story of rescue and freedom, as well as of death and destruction. 

After years of enjoying our immense tides ebb and flow, I know, and you know, how dangerous water can be. This year in Nova Scotia and beyond, waters have flooded and destroyed and killed. Far too much, we’d say. After our dry, burning spring, the waters started flooding down, and in some ways have never stopped. Not to mention the recent, deadly flooding in Libya. 

In the book of Exodus, we just peek in, today, at the dramatic moment when the ancient Israelites escape across the empty bottom of the sea, and then the pursuing Egyptian army gets flooded and drowned. We read, “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”

Not since Moses has such a thing happened upon earth? Not since Moses and the days of the Bible has the Creator intervened with such miracles? Stopping and starting rivers and oceans. Pausing the sun and moon crossing the sky. Instigating earthquakes to swallow up evildoers. Turning the sky to darkness when there is a crucifixion. ?

But how do we expect help, in the face of flooding rains? In the face of furious fires? In the face of the latest earthquakes and droughts? How do we pray? How do we expect God to respond?

People differ in their opinions on this. Christian opinions vary! This is quite important to us. When the largest forest fires strike Nova Scotia, and many more scar the Canadian landscape. Pray. When chains of thunderstorms cross the province, and then hurricane season begins. Pray. When nearly three thousand people die in the recent Morocco earthquake, and at least eleven thousand in the Libyan flooding. Where are You, O God?!

It is not as simple as say the right prayer, get the blessing. My own, real short answer to this, is: I don’t know how prayer works, what God will and won’t do, but it is well worth having conversation with the Spirit of truth and power. And I am grateful when good things come our way. I say ‘thanks.’ 

So, our text today from Romans 14 is helpful. What Paul was writing about was not our situation, but the principles apply. Don’t despise those who differ from you. The diet of the ancient Jews and early Christians was clearly important to them; eating meat, or not, has religious and spiritual implications for them. This is not likely one of our issues. 

For believers now, the role of women in church and society is an important issue. Yes, it is still an issue in Church. In August, we Baptists just elected our first woman as our Executive Minister: Rev. Renee MacVicar. Our President for this year also happens to be a woman, Dr. Lois Mitchell. Other Baptist denominations with churches around us would do no such thing. We are still siblings in Christ with the Baptist believers who differ with us in their teaching.

Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? We may pass judgement on someone’s ideas and teaching and practices, using some wisdom, but not upon the people themselves. 

Another example: last weekend there was a wedding, in Annapolis County. Sharon and I were invited - the groom was a member of Digby Baptist Church with us - but we did not get to the ceremony. I would have liked to be there, even though I am disappointed and concerned. Concerned, because the wedding was held at a local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Have our friends who got married quit the Baptists and become Mormons? Apparently. My own judgement is that’s a dumb move. Yet, in Christ, I think I need to keep loving and respecting these folks we knew.

One more example. I noticed my mother is reading a recent book by Philip Yancey, his memoirs, I think, called Where The Light Fell. I remember reading in one of his many other books, about his father. When Philip was young, his father was ill with polio, living in an iron lung, in fact. The family was very Christian, very devoted, very conservative. The Church and the family believed that with faith and prayer, Mr. Yancey would be healed by the Lord! So they turned off the iron lung. He died, two weeks later. 

You might say that ‘not since Moses’ have such healing miracles truly happened, if ever. Or, you may not be a sceptic like me, and you can testify about unexplainable healings and great prayers answered. (Sharon White counts hundreds of miracles that kept our granddaughter alive, after Amelia was born three months early, in 2017.) Miracle of miracles, Jesus has us all together in the family of God, despite our wondrous differences. 

There is a role to guide and help others, yes. But the ‘spirit of correction’ can be harmful! A flood of opinions may spill from our mouths and from our eyes. In our discipleship to Christ, we get trained to be gracious and patient with others, not judgy. 

Perhaps that last line in our reading from Romans means a great deal: we are accountable, to God, far more than to one another. When it’s all said and done, every day, we are not the judges of those around us. If we are in a school of spirituality, here we learn not to pass judgement. Our training with Jesus has been from the little things, up to greater things. We let go of judging others for how they want to rearrange the chairs on the Titanic // I mean, the ‘Ladies’ Parlour.’ Then we move on to being free from judging how others want to pray or to sing or to serve God. Then we graduate up to stop judging people for making different conclusions about how their life is to be lived, what is moral and ethical. 

The great balance between not judging others, and helping others find a better path, is a balance we can only walk by the grace of God, shown to us in Jesus the Christ. 

Welcome those who are weak in faith, says Romans chapter 14. And may I be ready to face the fact that my great faith is also weak. The God who died and lived again is the true Giver of strength.

SERMON: What Depends Upon You?

(Ex 3:1-15; Rom 12:14-21; Mtt 16:21-28) J G White

Allow me to begin with a story, an old-fashioned story, 100 years old, by William E. Barton. Written in an even older-fashioned style, it comes from the tales of a fictional character, a preacher known as Safed the Sage. The Frog & the Hornet.

There came to me a man who said, 

I have many unpleasant experiences.

And I said unto him, Thou art not the Only Pebble on the Beach.

And he said, But mine are such as I cannot speak of, and they Humiliate me. For my occupation is such that I am beholden to those who Exasperate me, yet must I say nothing, and it is not easy to Grin and Bear it. 

And I said unto him, I walked one day through the Forest, and I came upon a Little Pool. And in the margin of the Pool was there a Frog. And he sat as Immovable as the Sphinx sitteth amid the sands; so sat he in the mud.

And as I regarded him, there came an Hornet, and lighted a little space away from him, as it were an half or two parts of a Cubit. And the Frog gave no sign that he saw the Hornet or me, but sat in the mud immovable. But when the Hornet let down his wings and began to sip of the water that was in the mud, then did the Frog leap. And it was a marvelous leap, for he seemed to make No Preparation for it, neither to pull himself together or to take thought of the distance, but rose as if he had been shot from a Gun, and landed so that his mouth came exactly where the Hornet was. And the Frog Gobbled the Hornet before the Hornet realized that Anything Had Occurred.

Now when I saw that, I said, That was a Mighty Good Jump, and accurately measured, but that Frog hath procured for himself a Prize Package the nature whereof he knoweth not. And I looked that the Hornet should have bored him full of Gimlet Holes from the inside out. And I said, Surely that Frog will immediately display all the Characteristic Symptoms of Appendicitis.

But if it gave him Stomach Ache he showed it not, but set-tled himself in the same old place, and waited as if he were the more content for having had a pinch of Mustard with his Meat.

And I said unto the man. Be like unto that Frog. And if thou must swallow a Sting with thy Daily Bread, do it so Contentedly that no man shall know that thou hast colic. But if the time cometh to leap, then do thou leap so that thou shalt swallow not only the Sting but the Stinger.

And he said, Shall I wait till I may avenge myself?

And I said, There are more kinds of revenge than one. And most of them hurt the Avenger more than the Avenged; so that I commend them not. Consider the Divers Kinds, and be ready for that which is best, and if thou forget all thought of revenge, so much the better. Meantime, let not the sting interfere with thy Digestion nor thy Prayer. (Wm. E. Barton, Safed and Ketura, 1921, pp. 60-62)

What depends upon you? 

Well, one thing is to live peacefully with others in this world. Romans 12:18 reads: If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. What a remarkable admonition amid all the other encouragement in this chapter. In these eight verses a speaker could easily come up with one dozen separate talks to be preached. I chose, live peaceably with all.

Some of us may feel we are in a day and age when this is a greater task than ever before in our lives: to be at peace with everyone. Opinions seem stronger, in all sorts of extreme directions. Politics is getting more polarized in many parts of the world. Religion is still a fighting point for millions. Crises of the world are driving people apart, not bringing together.

Do everything possible on your part to live at peace with everybody. You can see that these Bible verses are still dealing with evil, the real threat of evil in the world. All our stories are, today. 

We visited those memorable scenes of Moses, minding his business out in the desert, suddenly meeting Creator God at a shrub that is aflame but not burning up. He is being given a mission: go lead a whole ethnic group, a people, out of slavery. It will not be easy to get out of Egypt peacefully, and become a free nation.

Centuries later, it is the time of Jesus. He tells those closest to Him that He is about to be destroyed, in the cause of good, in bringing true freedom for all humans. Disciple Peter says ‘No way!’ And this turns out to be evil. “Get behind me, Satan,” Jesus famously says. We watch Christ closely, to see how He lives at peace with those closest to him, and those farthest from Him. He does bring peace, but not everyone receives it.

If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. There is something about peace in your corner of the world that does depend upon you. As much as possible, we become people of peace, as we live with Christ. We are together to learn to do our part. What you have to do for peace, in a world of enemies, is not always the same as what I need to do. 

In a recent podcast, spiritual writer, artist and activist Jan Phillips told of a struggle she had in her own family. Jan is an American, a lesbian woman, and a rather post-Christian spiritual person. She speaks of a morning thought she had, one day: I wish I could have a relationship with my brother like I used to have. Well, why can’t I? Well, things changed. When I come out, he’s not that happy about that. And then he voted for Trump, and then we could never talk about anything real in the world, because we had to avoid that. And then he moves to Phoenix because he doesn’t want to be around black and brown people. So there’s the duality. I, of course, am right; he, of course, is wrong. So, I have to correct that, because dualities just contribute to conflict. 

So, I wrote a poem, just wanting to have myself say whatever it was that is the original bond between a brother and a sister that is stronger than politics, stronger than religions, stronger than queer… What is it that solidifies a sibling relationship? And let me stay there, in the conversation. 

So, that’s the work that I had to do. He’s a Trumper and I can’t stand it. I don’t want to think of my brother as a racist, ya know. I don’t want him to be embarrassed by my life choices. But I have no control over those things; the only control I have is over how I frame our relationship. So, it's what I’m working on; it’s kind of psychological, spiritual work, but it’s a big job. 

“Surrender and fulfilment happen simultaneously.” 

I am surrendering my knee-jerk reaction, surrendering my disappointment in the kind of man he turned out to be; and when I let that go, and think about who we were as teenagers to each other, who we still are… then I met with a brother who… is like the greatest brother I could have asked for, if I don’t come to it laden with how I wish he was, right? It’s a fulfilling relationship. But that’s my choice. 

(podcast: The Musecast: The Sound of Light, Season 2, Episode 5)

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. These words of Apostle Paul are in the middle of his talk about blessing those who persecute you, weeping with those who weep, not having a proud attitude, not repaying evil, and blessing your enemies with good stuff. Those are all hints about living peacefully with all - how to do as much as possible. Our daily, yearly training with the Spirit of Jesus leads us not to be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good. 

There is much good to be done: you in your small corner, and I in mine. So remember these words of the Saviour: Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these... (John 14:12)

SERMON: Love & Good & Evil

(Ex 1:8-2:10; Rom 12:9-13; Mtt 16:13-20) J G White

Seven days ago I gave this sermon a title: The Look of Love. Then I left town for the week. Yesterday, I put the sermon together, with a new title: Love & Good & Evil. Love is action that deals with good and evil. Our reading from Romans 12 today says: 9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; Marva Dawn translated it this way:  The love – not hypocritical! Abhorring the wicked thing!  Glued to the good thing!

Many a sermon has been preached on love, from many texts in the Bible. Many books written too, such as the C. S. Lewis classic, The Four Loves. The love mentioned here in Romans 12:9 is what gets called ‘brotherly love,’ and is side-by-side with these short commands about good and evil. Sticking to what’s good and getting rid of evil - this is what love is all about.

Let me start this sermon by quoting from the late, great, and very literary preacher and writer, Frederick Buechner. In one book he has a short article about LOVE. 

The first stage is to believe that there is only one kind of love. The middle stage is to believe that there are many kinds of love and that the Greeks had a different word for each of them. The last stage is to believe that there is only one kind of love. 

Of all powers, love is the most powerful and the most powerless. It is the most powerful because it alone can conquer that final and most impregnable stronghold which is the human heart. It is the most powerless because it can do nothing without consent.

To say that love is God is romantic idealism. To say that God is love is either the last straw or the ultimate truth.   (Wishful Thinking: a Theological ABC,  Harper San Francisco, 1973, pp. 53-54)

The great love for us, shown in Jesus Christ, is the great, tremendous thing that binds us together. When we connect our experience of Christ with the rest of our lives and the people we meet, we will tackle more problems and rejoice in more beauty. 

Allow me to quote Frederick Buechner again: A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, 'I can't prove a thing, but there's something about his eyes and his voice. There's something about the way he carries his head, his hands, the way he carries his cross – the way he carries me.' (Ibid, p.  )

The phrases of Romans 12 continue on. 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Actually showing affection breaks down walls and barriers. It disperses some evil. A hug, a smile, a look in the eye and clear words can truly bless. 

Author Marva Dawn told this story. Once, when I was still single, during an intense time of work and loneliness, I misunderstood a friend's comment. After stewing about it an entire evening, I drove back to his house the next day to clear up the missed communication. His explanation was gift enough, but then he added, “Marva, you are so afraid of rejection. I’m not going to run away or drop your friendship without talking things through. I am committed to our friendship.” That word of commitment made a huge difference in my feelings about myself and about life, and I am… grateful to God… (MD, Truly the Community, 1992, pp. 165-166)

11 Do not lag in zeal; says Romans 12,  be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. To be energetic and accomplish things is what love does in this world. We each, in our congregations, can find ourselves to be inspired and equipped and empowered to do the good we want to do. 

A church called Grace Memorial Baptist Church did some things last year in April; they called it 30 Days of Grace. “What a generous demonstration of community love” read a caption from Fredericton High School when 900 muffins were donated by the Church for the school food program. 

A special outreach during Holy Week was the preparation of Easter boxes. An enthusiastic group of volunteers showed up at the church to assemble boxes of ingredients for Easter dinners. Altogether, the group packed twenty boxes and delivered them to households in need. 

And on the last day of April, a crew made up of 13 men and women from Grace gave up half of their Saturday to help a senior, single woman move to a new apartment. All morning they lugged boxes and furniture down a set of stairs and into the back of a truck, then turned around and climbed up the stairs again for another load. It was demanding work but appreciated by the woman who had to move to a more affordable apartment due to a rent hike and did not have the means to hire professional movers (Kate Thompson, Tidings, September 2022, p. 11)

We do similar things here in our own community, don’t we? To be zealous and ardent in serving our God in such ways is rooted in our confidence in Jesus and in the goodness that matters in this life. 

We heard that Bible conversation today of Jesus and His closest disciples talking about who people thought Jesus was. Disciple Peter got Him right: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Upon this kind of confidence the Church of Jesus would be built, and the gates of hell can’t stand against it - against us! The illnesses, the poverty, the injustices, the hurts and trauma of life have an answer in Jesus and the people of Jesus. We are deployed by God to do good work. The love of Christ reaches with our serving hands and our listening ears, our voices for justice and our giving wallets. 

So we obey these commands of the heart: 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. Here are the quiet attitudes behind the actions, and the troubles we see. We find joy and hope. We find patience in problems. We keep having God conversations. 

Hope and patience and prayer are fuel for our living, our living in these days of trouble. We look back, way back, for inspiration from the most familiar of faith stories. Moses, a baby born in slavery in Egypt, thousands of years ago, is saved to become the leader of his people out of slavery. Who in this story was brave because of their love? The Jewish midwives who refused to kill the male children who were born. Their love took risks. The parents of Moses took a big risk, to send their son floating down the river, hoping against hope for some miracle. The child’s older sister watched over him as he helplessly found his way to the waters near Pharaoh’s palace. And Pharaoh’s daughter found a love for this mysterious child, and claimed him as her own, protecting him. So much love that was risky. The story of struggle for justice and freedom for thousands of people begins with brave resistance, against the evil forces that threatened.

The final phrases from our Romans 12 reading today said: 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality to strangers. Here is love for those we love, and for those who don’t even know. The saints - those in the congregation of Jesus, and the stranger in our midst. 

Our actions to care for the family of God and our actions towards those we do not know - how different those actions can be. On the surface, at the start, we may treat visitors better than those close to us: we’re more polite, more positive, trying to make a good impression, perhaps. Later, if a stranger stays, they may find it hard to break in, socially, and be treated like they belong. It could be said of Nova Scotians, we are amazingly friendly to tourists, but not so much to those who actually move here ‘from away.’ 

The gift of hospitality often is a spiritual gift, a gift from God, a miracle! Hospitality includes the love of strangers. Loving strangers is a worthwhile matter of risk, and sacrifice, and justice.

One last time, let me read from Frederick Beuchner. 

In the Christian sense, love is not primarily an emotion but an act of the will. When Jesus tells us to love our neighbours, he is not telling us to love them in the sense of responding to them with a cozy emotional feeling. You can as well produce a cozy emotional feeling on demand as you can a yawn or a sneeze. On the contrary, he is telling us to love our neighbours in the sense of being willing to work for their well-being even if it means sacrificing our own well-being to that end, even if it means sometimes just leaving them alone. (Wishful Thinking: a theological ABC,  Harper San Francisco, 1973, p. 54)

Love is for those near and dear to us, and for those who are new to us. We would do well to be inspired and influenced by the many Bible texts about Love, and people today who pursue hospitality. It is a matter of good over evil!

I’ll end now, wondering how many of you know this scripture song: 

Beloved, (beloved,)  let us love one another: (love one another)

for love is of God; and every one that loveth 

is born of God, and knoweth God. 

He that loveth not  X X X  

knoweth not God; for God is love. (God is love)

Beloved, (beloved,) let us love one another: 

First John four, seven and eight.

SERMON: One (Humble) Body

(Gen 45:1-15; Rom 12:3-8; Mtt 15:10-20) FBCA, J G White

 Anybody: This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

Everybody: There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Nobody: Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody: Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody: Everybody thought that Anybody could do it,

Nobody: but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

Everybody: It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Welcome to the Body of Christ. We call it The Church. Here, “you’re a somebody.”  Anybody can join us, when they join Christ. We want nobody to be left out. Everybody has a role to play.

Today’s segment of Romans chapter twelve reminds the believers to live humble lives together. The author says: I bid every one among you not to think of [themself] more highly than [one] ought to think, but to think with sober judgment… (12:3) Humility: a virtue that is, well, so well hidden these days.

Where does it come from, in us? How is it cultivated? Humility grows from realizing our talents and skills are ‘gifts’ to each of us. We may have worked at developing them, but life and all its qualities are gifts to us from Creator. This is a lesson we have for our neighbours, part of what we proclaim to our world.

This text is one place among several, in the NT of the Bible, where Paul and others write about spiritual gifts: capabilities that God puts into the lives of individuals: talents. The four great places where there are some spiritual gifts, some graces, listed, are Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. The list is different in each place, which tells us they are not comprehensive. Plenty of blessed abilities are above and beyond what’s in these Bible lists. Here’s a spiritual gift example from author Marva Dawn.

For example, many years ago I went every Monday to visit and sing at a convalescent [long-term care] centre with a five-year-old named Michael. That lad had an uncanny sense about when certain residents needed to hold somebody’s hand; he would simply walk to the person’s wheelchair and extend his own hand. A grinning lady would take his little one in her arthritis-gnarled hand and crush [squeeze] it with affection. Now what could we call that gift? We might have a difficult time trying to categorize it, and yet there could be no doubt that Michael’s grace-gift of holding hands brought Hilarity [Cheerfulness] to the community in that convalescent [long-term care] centre. His gentle gesture of care brought more grace to many of those residents than any of my songs or theological words. (Marva Dawn, Truly the Community, 1992, p. 95)

Our fellowship with Jesus shows us that all of life is gift. We count our blessings - we count everything! And Faith itself is a gift, somehow. I’m not sure what to do with this phrase, but it does remind me that confidence in God has its levels and its growth: think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. God has something to do with the faith you or I have.

And look at the apostle Paul’s injunction in verse 3; he saw his own authority was under the grace of God: For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think… With humbleness he writes to tell Christians what to do. His role as a teacher and guide is God-given. Paul’s authority is simply passed on to him from Christ.

Along with the goodness flowing from our lives all being gifts, I’d also say our Humility comes from our roles as parts of One Body, as Members. 4 For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ…

Within our ‘church families’ we have group and individual tasks and projects. Like the roles of the organs of the human body. I can’t do my wonderful things without you each doing your wonderful things.

Right now, I am looking for the prayer people of First Baptist, those who have a gift for prayer, a habit of prayer, a private practice of praying plenty. I feel the need for a little team of people who can join me in praying on our own for various requests for prayer each week. Some people in the Body of Christ are gifted in this.

Others are skilled in other things. I am always so grateful in churches for the financial whiz kids - at least, compared with me, you are accounting geniuses! Some of you express the gift of hospitality. Others are visionary and active when it comes to getting out there and helping the needy in our neighbourhoods. And so on.

All these roles are like the various roles of the organs of a human body. Each different, some obvious and some hidden, all needed. The New Testament picks up on this metaphor more than once. As it says elsewhere, how could an eyeball live and be wonderful if it was just an eye, and had no hand or brain or lungs?

The Spirit trains us to be humble while we do our own things, as part of the greater team of the Body of Christ. We who speak or make music in front of everyone have a greater need to be humble, because we are on the front line and ‘performing’ all the time.

One other thing about humility in our differing roles… on the next level up, each congregation is different, with different ways we specailize. So, First Baptist has certain tasks, particular skills and resources now, some of which differ from Trinity-St. Stephen, and from Christ Church, or Amherst Wesleyan, and so forth. To work as a team and love one another, we learn to be humble. To rejoice when another church succeeds and is different from us. To support the others with what we do and what we say and what we pray. One body with many different parts.

This takes us to my third of four points: Humility develops from our roles in partnerships with all the others. Puzzle pieces. 4 For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

At Oasis, ten days ago, Pastor Jason Ballard taught that a key to our spiritual recruiting, and to discipleship, is one-on-one (or small group) interaction. To bring someone into Faith in Jesus usually will depend upon one or two or three people connecting. It won’t be based on big group activities, like worship services, for instance. A recent study of evangelical Christian parents in Canada revealed that younger people rely much more on their friends to learn to be Christian parents than on Church programs and teaching resources.

Our Faith teaches us to rely upon one another, to mentor one another, to team up with and support one another. It takes humility to seek and receive help from one of your peers. And it takes humbleness for the Christian Educators in a congregation to respect that people are learning to follow Jesus from many sources, not just us. Individually we are members one of another.

Finally, let me say: Humility comes from always needing to grow and develop. There are at least two reasons for this. One, none of us ‘has arrived.’ We ain’t perfected yet.  How God blesses me so I can do good things is different now than it was twenty years ago. What you can do to serve God in your seventies or eighties is new and fresh compared with life in your fifties, I’d surmise.

Two: our spiritual gifts are multiple, and they change thru life, as needed. As Marva Dawn wrote: The pushiness of some churches to “find your gift” is not biblical. Rather, the biblical texts indicate that we each have unique combinations of gifts, very much in the plural. (p. 93) So then, we do as Romans 12 suggests. We take what we are capable of and learn to do them well, very well. Here’s how Eugene Peterson put some of these verses into English. Good advice.

 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

So shall we be members of One Humble Body. Amen.