Lay Sermon

Maine Conference, UCC   2007 Annual Meeting

September 30, 2007

1 Timothy 6: 6-19

18th Sunday after Pentecost

Today delegates and visitors from our local churches, conference and beyond are gathering together to worship on the third day of the Maine Conference 2007 Annual Meeting. Brightly colored red, gold, and black banners celebrating the United Church of Christ’s 50th Anniversary and made by Maine Conference churches and others hang from the walls of the worship space. At this special worship service our new Associate Conference Minister, the Rev. Susie Craig will preach; she and Maine Conference officers and commission and committee members will be installed. God’s word will be heard. Communion will be celebrated as we gather at the feast of God’s people. Prayers will be said and praises to God in word and music will fill the room. This worship will bring closure to a weekend of workshops, plenaries, parties, meals, reports, fellowship, and resolutions. The theme, “Let Your Life Shine,” which was woven through the colorful agenda of the weekend, will focus both annual meeting worship and our thoughts this morning.

How does God’s light shine in our lives and in our collective lives as members of the local church and Maine Conference? Our epistle lesson for today from I Timothy gives us some practical answers to that question. First some background. Timothy wrote his letter at a time when most of his society did not embrace Christ. That sounds like today. Our society is not Christian today. Timothy’s community was diverse–rich and poor, slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles, men and women. They had questions about how to live together as the church. Again we can relate to that can’t we?

How does our life shine in a non-Christian, diverse world? Timothy gives us some help by giving advice about building up the church and then being God’s people in the world. People of God, Timothy says, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love and endurance so you can build up the church and take hold of the life that is really life. Timothy charges us as God’s people to keep the commandments, to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.

The light of God shines through us when we follow Timothy’s charge. Our theme today calls us to “Let our life shine.” How is our life shining in our churches and in the Maine Conference? Let’s look at this through the lens of Timothy’s wise words.

Shine God’s people in your church community. You are a community called to pursue righteous and godliness. Matthew wrote, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under a bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and gives light to all in the house.” (Matthew 5:14, 15) How does our light shine in our congregations?

One of the workshops at annual meeting, “Providing an extravagant welcome for families, children and youth,” (led by Annette Mott) focused on ways we can make families, children and youth feel at home and included in our church community. We extend extravagant welcome through good childcare, safe space, and family friendly worship. Hospitality to visitors and each other shares the message of God’s love and that “whoever you are or wherever you are on life’s journey you are welcome.” Think about times when you visited another church and how a warm welcome, a hand shake, a name tag, directions to the church nursery, introductions to other worshippers made you feel at home and cared for. People of God, let your life shine and take hold of life that is really life.

Shine God’s people. We are a community called to be faithful and loving. Matthew wrote, “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”(Matthew 5:14,16) People from all over Maine and beyond, from small and large churches, from cities and countryside, lay and clergy, visitors and delegates gathered together as one big family at Sunday River this weekend. They worshipped in different ways, met in small and large groups, welcomed each other and supported each other as God’s wider family. They, as we today, are called to be faithful and loving and to let their lives shine. Stories were shared. The youth group of Machais told their story through power point. (Youth Witness to their Faith in Action Workshop led by Gini King and youth.) Their story is a story of answering God’s call to be faithful and loving through participating in a peace walk for Iraq, rebuilding homes and lives at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, and working at the Heifer Farm in Rutland, MA.

The story and witness of these young people brings a challenge to all of us to

let God’s light shine through our good works. Let your life shine and take hold of life that is really life.

Shine God’s People! We are called to endurance and gentleness. The ministry of Pilgrim Lodge is a ministry of endurance and gentleness. Energy, wisdom, creativity, faith, love of God and of kids and yes, endurance, go into the incredible ministry at Pilgrim Lodge. In August there was an article in the Bangor Daily News entitled “Pilgrim Lodge, a Summer Place for Spirit.” As I read the article I thought of these words from the hymn Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness, “Spirit, spirit of gentleness, blow through the wilderness, calling and free.” (New Century Hymnal # 286) The gentle spirit of God blows through Pilgrim Lodge bringing rest, new life, and fresh faith to campers and staff. Camper Kelesa Trefethen, quoted in the Bangor Daily News, said, “Summer at PL is my new year. This is where I start over.” Bryan Breault, Maine Conference Director of Outdoor Ministries, commented in the same article, “It’s hard for kids to talk about faith in a secular world. At this place it’s the norm.” Pilgrim Lodge is a special place where the winds of God’s spirit blow through sacred places and holy spaces, through the beauty of nature and the wonder of new friends, through gentle words and enduring faith bringing hope and new life. We are called to endurance and gentleness. Let your life shine and take hold of life that is really life.

Shine God’s people. Be rich in good works. In Isaiah we read, “ I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:5) We are called to be God’s light in our communities and world by bringing healing and wholeness to those lives are broken, and peace and justice for all people. The resolution asking the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ to Call for an End to the American War in Iraq calls us to be a witness for peace. The resolution calls us to prayer: “That although the Maine Conference UCC disagrees with the war in Iraq, we lift up the men and women of the armed forces who are stationed there for their courage and sacrifice and hold them and their families in our prayers.” We are also asked to consider signing the Pastoral Letter written by the UCC’s Collegium that states, “The recourse to war, according to our Christian tradition, is an admission of human failure. Instead of war, we advocate . . . for a more humane and moral course of action that emphasizes economic justice, God’s mercy, and a new vision of what it means for humanity to live together on this planet we share.” (Conference Ministers and national executives of the United Church of Christ Pastoral Letter – June 22, 2007) As we consider this resolution we remember the way of a loving God who gives "light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death (and guides) our feet into the way of peace." Let your life shine. Be rich in the good works and take hold of life that is really life.

Shine God’s people. Be generous towards others sharing what God has given us. Let God’s extravagant generosity shine through you. The Inspiring Generosity Workshop held yesterday (workshop leader – Meg Wheeler) started with this statement of faith, “We love because God first loved us. And we give because of all that we have been given. Generosity is our way of saying thank you!” However, sometimes churches are fearful and behave from a sense of scarcity rather than a sense of abundance seeing themselves as struggling to survive instead of celebrating their gifts in God’s mission. (Meg Wheeler) The conference can help you with tools and techniques for inspiring generosity and sharing what God has given us. Let your life shine. Be generous and take hold of life that is really life.

Let’s listen again to Timothy’s charge to us as individual churches and as the Maine Conference. People of God let your life shine - pursue righteousness and godliness, faith and love, gentleness and endurance so you can build up the church and take hold of the life that is really life. Churches of Maine Conference let your life shine - keep God’s commandments to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. Let your life shine and take hold of life that is really life. Shine God’s People! Amen

Rev. Dr. Alice Z. Anderman

Minister, First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Waterville, Maine

Resources:

Bangor Daily News – August 18, 2997

Maine Conference United Church of Christ Website – August 2007

New Century Hymnal

United Church of Christ Website – August 2007