More Than Enough

I have been away at a conference, so my husband Dean took his place at the 'sacred desk' on Sunday. Here are his reflections on faith, scarcity and abundance..



20090517 A Message of “More than Enough” Dean Sorg
In the reading of John 15:9-17, Jesus reminds his disciples who they have become. He calls them HIS friends. He tells them that they did not choose Him. But He does say that HE chose them. And that He appointed them to go and bear much fruit. Is He not also speaking to each of us as His disciples?
When we hear that Scripture, sometimes an unusual thing happens. Our minds tend to grab onto the words we want to hear. We hear the ideas we naturally gravitate to. To those words we are more comfortable with. What is it you’ve heard in this scripture?
Are you hearing the word ‘command’ or the word ‘love?’
Perhaps what you hear depends on where you are focused. Are you focused on the ‘rules?’ Or are you focused on Godly ‘love?’
Which of those two things do you want in more abundance? Do you want more than enough of the rules or more than enough of Godly love? For Him, from Him, and by Him.
Jesus asks us as His disciples to “go and bear much fruit.”
So…How are we focused?
On the ‘abundance’ or the ‘scarcity?
Our scriptural emphasis this morning is about God providing “more than enough.”
We know that what we are about in our Christian lives starts with God’s desire to spread the good news and transform lives. It's really not about each of us individually.
In the Acts 10:44-48 reading, it's about the Spirit pouring out when the Spirit is ready. In the gospel of John 15:9-17, Jesus tells us He’s choosing us and it’s NOT just us choosing Him. And in the I John 5:1-5 reading, God gives commandments that we are to keep. Psalm 98 tells us to tell the story of God at work in the world and in our lives with great joy and gratitude. A glorious new story.
These lectionary readings say that we aren’t here in this world to DO God's mission. We’re here because we’re here to JOIN God’s mission. Because God’s mission is, and always has been, already-in-progress. It was that way before we could have ever known what His mission would be for us.
Because He chooses us. And because he provides for us abundantly.

In John's gospel we have Jesus stating plainly these words that often get overlooked: He said, "You did not choose me. I chose you" (John 15:16). Just before that in the scripture, we want to focus on the words: "I have called you friends." Because he had taught them everything they needed to know to fulfill his mission for them, Jesus calls His followers friends.
When Jesus says this, "You did not choose me; I chose you" many of us may be uncomfortable with what that really means.
Even if we think we do, we don’t really choose our own paths in this life. The paths of our lives really choose us. Actually, they are divine appointments, if we choose to accept them.
A lot of things happen to help us choose where we go in our careers and in our service to the Lord. Some of those choices may seem to simply be accidents. Accidents of timing and place that might just seem to happen. They represent conditions in life where we have invested significant time, resources, hopes and aspirations. Many times our best efforts at the direction we think we choose are left unfulfilled. At least, unfulfilled in our own minds and hearts.
Are these just our own decisions? Or are these divine "paths" and divine decisions chosen for each one of us. It can be easy to disagree with what I am saying, but I believe that most things and situations are happening even before we're aware.
We think we choose them.
But God chooses our situations, first.
Two thousand years ago, and even today, Jesus chooses for his disciples a different path. A path designed to continue creating God's way in the world and bearing the fruit. Fruit that is ever enduring. He trains his disciples, even today, in the will and ways of "the Father" (verse 15). His lessons share with us what is God's mission… in, and with, our Lord. Our Lord is always leading the way. But we need to recognize that Jesus does choose us first.
Certainly we each choose to follow Christ. But, still, it was our Lord who chose us first. He chose us to go into the world and “bear much fruit” as we work to accomplish what our Lord knows we will be doing to serve His purposes.

You’ve heard Pastor Kelli talk about God as a God of abundance, not a God of scarcity. Jesus revealed to us God’s abundance when in John 6:5-15, when there seemed to not be enough bread to feed the crowds. To the faithful, He provides so much bread there are twelve large baskets of abundance leftover. In Luke 5:1-7, when His disciples could catch no fish, Jesus shows them where to catch an abundance of fish, so many that the boat nearly sinks.

And when we ask Him, in complete faith, God gives us more than enough: more bread and fish than we can eat. And more of God’s love than we could ever have dared to ask for.
What would it be like if each of us decides there is really enough of everything for everyone, food, knowledge, Godly love… everything… more than enough… What if we believe that God will provide for everyone what they need? What if in our daily practices, we truly believed that our Lord is a God of abundance?

Would there not always be more than enough?

There’s a Greek word for “spirit” that also means “breath.” When we speak about the Holy Spirit, we speak about the breath of God breathing in us.

We don’t often think about our own breathing, unless there’s something going wrong with it. Then we can become afraid of the scarcity of our own breath.

That has been brought home to us plainly in the life of our fellow church member this week. Even though Jim is now doing as expected after surgery, the problem with his lung brought us an awareness of the literal scarcity of his breath… and perhaps ours.

The Spirit of God is as close to us as our own breath. God’s spirit is even more intimate to us than we are to ourselves. We sometimes don’t fully appreciate it, but without us aggressively accepting that closeness, we cannot live into that “spiritual life.”

It is the Holy Spirit of God who does pray INTO us. That Holy Spirit offers us many gifts. Love, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, peace, and joy, etc. An abundance of gifts. Wouldn’t you expect, that just as He prays those gifts into us, that He wants us to pray those gifts INTO those we encounter?

It is, indeed, the Holy Spirit who offers us the life that death cannot destroy. Because of that truth, us always pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.”

Yes, we’ve each been given a spiritual gift. If you will, a spiritual cup to carry. At times, it’s full and at times it’s nearly empty. Your cup, can at any time, be ready to “run empty.” That emptiness can be because we choose to not appreciate the gift of that cup. But, we should know the Lord will refill our spiritual cup with the Living water of the Holy Spirit, the Living water that gives each of us everlasting life.

We can also develop the mistaken belief that we can’t share that Living water… that Spirit, with others because we might fear it’s very scarce and essential to ONLY us. We might feel we have to hoard it. Then we risk not understanding that we have a God of abundance. Each of us needs to try to empty that cup. We do need to share that cup the Spirit has given us to carry. For without giving to others of what we have received from that spiritual cup, there is no opportunity for us to receive those ever-available “refills” from God’s abundant, fullness of life.

I John 5:6 - This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

The Easter celebration does continue. Today and until the last Sunday of the month, which begins Pentecost. Easter continues to be the celebration of the ultimate relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And the celebration of that relationship between our triune God and each of one us.

We are welcomed into that celebration relationship. We can know THAT joy because of the Grace of God, the Mercy of God, and the Graciousness of God.

There are times, perhaps, when we might find ourselves complaining about “stuff” …other cultures, other ways of life and things going on around us. Yes, we might hear dissatisfaction about things that go on around us.

But think about this… What if we do hear something that’s not as quite positive as we really would like to hear? It may be important to listen carefully. But rather than allowing less than positive comments to continue, rather than sharing negative concerns with others, rather than just letting others complain, Psalm 98 has a simple answer.

That answer is…, “Find a new answer!”

Let’s strive to find a better song to sing. Let’s tell a better story. Everything you hear and discuss can be done in the light of the love of Christ. It can be done to improve what is going on in all phases of our lives, but especially in our Christian life.

You know the Lord loves you. So what you do and what you say should be done in the name of God’s love, in return for the love that originates with God.

Let’s look at excerpts from Psalm 98 - 1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things…. 2 The Lord has made known his victory;… 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness… 4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises….

Nothing about these scriptures say, “complain.” They do say, “Sing a new song.” Yes, the scripture does say “sing a new song; make a joyful noise to the Lord.” And I would say that applies in our conversations with each of your brothers and sisters in this church. Let’s all find new ways that will advance and enhance the rein of Christ in this world and in this church. Some of the possible negative discussion could be compared to old notes and sour notes. Those can be destructive to our hearts, to our church, and eventually to this world.

I’m not saying there shouldn’t be open examination of diverging opinions or having righteous discussion of learning issues. I’m simply saying that there can be a new song to bring glory to God and to live up to the Grace He has given us. Let us continue to find a new song to sing about the abundance He provides.

Let us hear again, the reading from John 15. Listen to see if you are hearing the word “command.” Or are you hearing the word “love?” Hear the Holy Spirit as he speaks to you in this gospel. Hear the love, not the rules; hear heaven’s possibility, not the scarcity; hear about the abundance… Do you hear that what we have in Christ is more than enough…

John 15:9-17 – 9 (NRSV) As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.