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“Celebration
Sunday" |
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“Celebration
Sunday" |
Sermon
eight in the 40 Days of Purpose programme Rev.
Dr Robert Iles
at Golden Grove Uniting Church, S Australia.
28.11.04
You will have noticed that there is cricket taking place at the
Adelaide oval. My sources tell me that many women would be either unaware of this
Or totally disinterested.
This was seen in our home as Janis tried to explain to Pia,
our German university student teacher, that cricket revolves around three
Sticks being stuck in some grass and someone throws a ball at them.
Someone else with a piece of wood tries to hit the ball thrown at the sticks.
For once, words failed me. What most astonished Pia was that the game can go for five or six days, and on top of that, can end in a draw.
And this explanation doesn’t even begin to introduce concepts like maidens,
Dead balls and third man.
Before any match commences, the players warm up in the nets,
That is pieces of fishing net hung either side of some grass.
The batsman faces some bowlers or throwers and get their eye in.
Fielders toss the ball to each other for the same reason. Now I hope that what we have done over 40 Days is not so much the match but the warm up;
Preparation for more and better things to come.
We have had a taste of the possibilities before us, through study and sharing
And now we can walk through the gates to begin a deeper and better game.
That is my hope and prayer, that this be a beginning and not an ending.
That we will be beginning new matches this programme has launched. On the way to that, today we do what Psalm 145 talks about we celebrate.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
We are doing both. We have seen that we exist to love God and
Serve him and his people. Our purpose is found in him. We live because of God,
For God and then for others.
So we celebrate and sing.
As we come to the end of this phase of our church life,
I want to say that I am proud of you as a congregation.
You had something new, radically new put before you.
You had to trust your leaders that this would be worth the effort.
You had to change your routines, drop some things, and begin others
And this affected every age group, children and youth.
Those of you who were able to be part of the programme supported it well,
With around 100 people a week in groups from Sunday to Sunday.
It took a lot of work to organise and lead, almost entirely through our lay leadership teams and individuals and you supported it well
Joining thousands of congregation around the world.
So thank you for commitment to read, worship, discuss and memorise.
I wonder if the local health shop had a surge in sales in Gingko Biloba
An herb rumoured to assist in memory skills. What a good discipline to keep up.
Scripture verses are like spiritual vitamins taken into the soul, which God uses in great ways.
In this time we have discovered things about the Lord, ourselves and each other.
1 We have seen something about leadership.
The idea for this programme did not come from me.
It came from a lay-leader, Gordon Cooksey.
He came to me before I had read the book and offered to organise the programme.
This is how Christian leadership works. God brings insights, ideas, visions to his people and together they consider, discuss, pray and if its seems right, implement.
I am sure the Lord has other visions as well
For our congregation at Golden Grove? Leadership is about listening to God
And then living out the visions he gives us.
2 We have learnt this – to take small groups seriously.
Sunday worship is only the beginning. We need to be together in fellowship beyond Sundays. One of the greatest living theologians Alister McGrath has written: (So) appreciate the pastoral importance of support groups. Make sure you don’t get isolated, and have to cope with the pressures placed on you by society on your own. You need to be encouraged by other Christians. You need to spend time with other people whose “world-view” is the same as yours.
McGrath p131 I Believe
So continue on with your current group; join an existing one, or be part of the next series and new groups starting next year. At the very least I would like to see all our leaders in a small group.
For their own sake and so others can be led through them.
We will see existing and new groups get underway.
Some will be spiritual and study focused.
Other will come into existence, like movie and discussion groups, A Scrabble group where I would be the arbiter of word validity and my wife would begin with an automatic 10% score handicap. Others have spoken of a walking group that could traverse some of the trails and hills of the area.
Study, fun, sharing, exercise, doing more things together and so building up the fellowship life we enjoy while drawing new people in.
3 We have studied a great book
Go back over your book. I would enjoy going through it more slowly
And maybe you would too.
A series on James is available too that takes up some of the social action dimensions
That The Purpose Driven Life prepares us for.
4. We have seen that once our life is grounded in the Lord
that we have five central purposes for our lives.
From the book and tapes we have seen that we are made for God’s pleasure –so we worship which is more than what we do on Sundays.
As Psalm. 145 says again: Worship
2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
Then we are made for being together fellowship
Thirdly we are made for becoming more Christ like – discipleship
Psalm. 145: 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Fourthly we are made for service - mission to others
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
Fifthly we are made for sharing what God has given us –evangelism, sharing naturally in your way through your personality what Christ means to you.
Psalm. 145
4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.
This is your purpose in life –to love God and serve and witness to others.
And to learn more about the Lord and how he works in our everyday lives.
As Mark will tell us now.
Finally I commend these candles to you as rich symbols.
They model for us how this time can be a new beginning and not an ending.
On a day like this it is a wonder they are not self-combusting, no matches needed. But think what they stand for. If you know the purpose of your life
Others need to find the same thing through you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
A candle only supplies light as it gives itself up, as it burns up itself
In service, if you will, for those needing its light.
A candle provides light for its bearer and those around
So Matthew 5: 14 can say: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
So live out what you have learned and received.