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October 4-5, 2008

“Where Are You?”

Pr. Tom Schoenherr

 

      This is the beginning of a series of 4 weeks on Stewardship. The overall theme of this Stewardship emphasis is “We Say Yes”, and the theme for this first week is “Where are you?”

 

      Stewardship is a wonderful word that is often misunderstood. It is really taking seriously that God is the owner of the vineyard; this world and life where we live, where we work, where we volunteer for serving in a variety of ways. So all that we are and have belongs to God and we live in response to God’s grace in our lives.

 

      Our problem as workers in God’s vineyard is the same as the people in the Gospel for today. We are unwilling to accept God’s authority. We want to work for ourselves. God claims us as his own and loves us dearly, but when he comes into our work, home and activities and wants us to be fruitful, we see God as a threat to our own authority over our lives. We kill him. Our sin, which is that we have no need for God and want to go in our own direction; curved in on ourselves; keeps us from wanting to live in relationship with God.  We nail him to the cross.

 

   We deserve to have the kingdom taken away from us; the kingdom being God’s rule or lordship in our lives. If God’s kingdom is taken away from us, then we are on our own, and instead of life, we bring darkness and death.

 

      So in one sense God is asking us, “Where are you?” Are you trying to live apart from me? Are you wanting to be on your own? He asked that question of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Where are you? God comes into our gardens of home and work and all the areas of our lives, asking where we are because he loves us so much and in Baptism has welcomed us into his family, and he wants us to be fruitful.

 

      In another sense we also ask God that question; “Where are you?” Where do we experience God’s presence in home, work, and world?

 

(Larry 9:30; Astrida 11:00; Where do you experience God’s presence or absence at home, family, work, volunteering; etc.)

 

      Alan was in ICU and is being prepared to go into emergency surgery. He thought he had been in excellent health and life was going well. Now he wonders where he is and where God is.

 

      Brian and Cheryl just got married. They moved hundreds of miles away from their families to take jobs with a major bank, but now the bank is taken over by a larger bank, and they don’t know what will happen with their jobs. Where are you, God?

 

      Ken and Brenda just retired. They are looking forward to a more relaxed life, but now their savings and retirement accounts are decreasing in value. They may have to go back to work. What is happening? Where are you, God?

 

      Each of us at times may find ourselves in scary and uncertain places. Where is our faith focused and grounded? As we face these questions we may also question why we are in this predicament, and where is God in the midst of it all.

 

      Our lives are a gift from God. He gives us everything we are and have. Now we get to use these gifts and be his fruitful people. The fruit we produce is to reach out to people who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to share the hope that we have through Christ; to share the forgiveness of sins that Christ has won for us, and to seek healing in relationships that may be broken.

 

      God knows who and where we are and he comes to us today listening to our prayers, speaking to us in his Word, and feeding us in the Holy Communion. By God;s grace we are living and working in God’s vineyard every day. We get to be fruitful stewards of all that God has given to us. Through the places where we volunteer to help people and through Good Shepherd’s ministries we get to:

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->v  <!--[endif]-->Build Habitat Homes for people without adequate housing

<!--[if !supportLists]-->v  <!--[endif]-->Be and support Stephen ministers to listen and pray for people going through difficult circumstances

<!--[if !supportLists]-->v  <!--[endif]-->Be involved in Small Groups for study, caring, prayers and mission as God’s people in the world

<!--[if !supportLists]-->v  <!--[endif]-->Give and deliver thanksgiving meals to hungry people

<!--[if !supportLists]-->v  <!--[endif]-->Go on mission trips to Kenya, Minnesota, Tennessee and St. Louis to use our gifts to help and serve others

<!--[if !supportLists]-->v  <!--[endif]-->Sing in choirs, play instruments in worship, study and learn in classes and small groups

 

      Where are you? God is there leading us and walking along side of us wherever we go. As God has been so generous with his love for us, we say “Yes” to giving generously of  all he has first given us.