November 17, 2002

Pentecost 26

 

Matthew 25:14-29

            Jesus said,“Again, the kingdom of heaven will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.  To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.  The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

            “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

            “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

            “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

            “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

            “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

            “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

            ”‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

 

Mission and Vision:  "What is your BHAG?"

 

            I'm sure you've all noticed he roped off section in the back of the church.  There are a few basic reasons for that section being roped off.

            First, the area you are sitting in is the amount of space that we are actually using.  I looked over the attendance figures for the past 6 months, and only once did we have as many as 80 people at the 10:00 service.  Normally it's between 60 and 70.  The ropes are simply a visible way of measuring our size, keeping us aware of where we are in terms of attendance.  When we need more room, we'll move the ropes back.

            Second, because worship is essentially a group experience, it is important that we move closer together.  We cannot worship well when we are scattered around a space that is too large for the number of people in it.  We need to be close enough to hear each other and touch each other.  If that makes you a little uncomfortable, get over it!  We're not here to be comfortable.  We are here to become "one body in Christ."  Becoming the Body of Christ is not a comfortable thing, but it is a glorious thing. 

            There's at least one more reason for the ropes.  It's a way of jogging our minds to take another look at ourselves, a humbling look at ourselves.  It's unsettling.  It's supposed to be.  Getting unsettled is the first step toward getting a new idea.

 

            On Oct. 19 our Diocese had a day of workshops at the Cathedral.  It was one of the best things I have seen happen in our Diocese in the 10 years I've been here.  In one of the workshops that I attended the theme was "Moving from Maintenance to Mission." 

            During the workshop we were asked the question, "Do you have a BHAG?"  That is the question that you see overhead on the cross beam today.  And what is a "BHAG?"   It is a BIG, HOLY, AUDACIOUS GOAL.  That's just another of describing a VISION, and it's a very good description of what a vision is.  Let's look at those four words.

            B is for BIG.  A vision is a goal that captures the imagination of a large number of people.  I know that some of you have visions already for your own ministries, and that's great.  For example, the pastoral care ministry is fulfilling a vision of being able to quickly provide meals for families in times of crisis.  The Youth Group has set their sights on a vision of going to the national "Youthquake" conference in N.C., and they have laid out a plan to work toward that goal.  But for the parish to have a vision, a Big Holy Audacious Goal, it has to be something that brings together the gifts and energy of the whole parish, young and old. 

            H if for HOLY.  A true vision comes from God.  It isn't as simple as having a meeting to sit down and decide what we would like to do.  A vision is something you do because you know it's something God wants you to do.  It begins in prayer.  It is holy because it marks us as a people called by God. 

            A is for AUDACIOUS.  A vision, if it truly is a vision from God, will stretch you.  It will make you question, challenge and re-evaluate almost everything you do.  It will call for resources greater than you believe you have, and it will teach you to trust God to provide what you don't have, and equip you to do things you can't. 

            G is for GOAL.  A goal is a target.  It is something you aim at intently until you hit it. 

 

            I want to talk about Moses, and the period when the people of Israel were travelling through the desert on their way to the promised land.  Moses was called by God to lead a large group of people out of slavery, through a long journey in the desert, and finally into a land that God had given to them to be their own.  You know the story. 

            Now, along the way there was a lot to be done.  The people needed food, water, shelter from enemies.  They needed to be taught the law of God so they could become the kind of people who could live in this new land.  They needed to work together, to learn to settle their differences, and handle disputes.  All of this could be described as Moses' mission.  It is summed up beautifully in a passage from Exodus 19:6-  The Lord said to Moses,"Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

            That was the mission.  To take a bunch of slaves, people who had spent their whole lives being directed, controled, and abused by the Egyptians, and teach them how to become leaders, a people who could become founders of a new nation.  That was the mission.

            But, if you ask what Moses' vision was, it could be stated in one word: ISRAEL!  The vision was the land itself. 

           

            The same was true of Christopher Columbus, but did you know that with Columbus too, the vision was from God.  Columbus was not just a wild-eyed explorer.  No, he went on his journey to the New World because God had given him a vision.  In his diary he wrote this:

            "It was the Lord who put into my mind - I could feel His hand upon me- the fact that I could sail from here to the Indies.  All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me.  There's no question that the impression was from the Holy Spirit because He comforted me with rays of marvelouos inspiration from the Holy Scriptures."

            That's right.  Columbus was following a diving vision.  In fact, this had been prophesied about him long before.  His grandfather had been the first to receive the vision, and it stayed in force until Columbus was born and raised and ready to take up his vision.

 

            Contrasts:

            A mission is a direction.  A vision is a destination.      

            To describe a mission usually requires a very long sentence, or even a paragraph.  A vision can usually be described in less than five words.

            A mission can be described by a committee and put into a statement that is discussed, modified, and finally voted on by the group.  A vision can only be received, and usually begins with one person, often a person in leadership but not necessarily so.        Examples abound.  Gideon was the least likely person in all Israel to get a vision from God.  Least of least, hiding in a ditch from his enemies, God called.  The vision that God gave through Gideon revitalized the nation. 

            Where there is a vision there is less internal strife, and when tension does arise it is related to the vision, not merely quarreling over matters of personal taste. 

 

            We have a mission statement, and it's a very good one.  It's printed on the bulletin every week.  Some of you could probably recite it from memory.  Most of you could probably recall parts of it. 

            But if someone asked you what vision St. George's is pursuing, what would you say?

            When the workshop leader asked us if we had a "big, holy, audacious goal" I could not name one.  That has bothered me ever since. 

 

            For a few years now Bishop Joslin has been trying to get our whole Diocese to think in a new way.  He has challenged us to get out of the maintenance mode, that is, seeing the church as a grand old institution that we work to maintain, and begin to see each parish as a missionary outpost.  Instead of thinking about how to preserve the church the way we like it, we begin thinking about how to open the church to people who don't know why they would ever want to go to a church.  Instead of focusing on how we like church to be, we begin asking God what He wants the church to be about. 

 

            Over the past year our attendance has been down.  Not dramatically, but definitely lower than it was this time last year.  So has our income.  These are indicators that something needs to change. 

            But let me be very clear about something.  I don't want you to go home today worrying about the budget, or worrying about attendance.  PLEASE don't go think up some fundraising ideas, or ways we could do more advertising to get people in.  This is not about fundraising or advertising.  It's about faith in action.  It's about getting out of a "maintenance" mindset and into a "missionary" mindset.

            If we became focused on attendance figures and budgets, we would only be reinforcing the maintenance mindset, and that will never result in a vision.  We won't fill those empty pews by worrying about them.  No, we need to take a different approach. 

            That's why I put those signs, "Under Construction" in the roped off section.  I want to focus on what we can build together when God shows us His vision. 

 

            In the coming weeks we are going to be looking at what the Bible teaches about vision, and how God gives a vision to a group of people. 

            What I want you to do is go home and pray.  Really pray for God's vision for this parish to be revealed.  The pews will fill and the budget will increase when we come together behind the vision that God will give us.  That's the missing element I am asking you to pray about.  And I'm asking you to begin praying for that regularly, like every day!  Even if it's only 5 minutes, would you commit to spend those 5 minutes each day asking God to give us St. George's a "big holy audacious goal?"

            In the Gospel Jesus said, "Ask and you will receive." And again, He said, "Whatever you ask in my name I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."  

            What do you think would happen if, instead of merely asking God for our usual list of wants and needs, we all started asking God to give us a vision.  What do you think God would say if we all began to ask Him to give us a task, a goal so big, so holy, and so audacious that it would require miracles to accomplish it, and in the process it would completely transform us, and draw the attention of everyone around us?  What do you think God would say to that? 

            Let's ask Him.