sermon excerpts: Branching Out

… Jeremiah was making what would have been a rather outlandish statement that Jerusalem can be a place of safety, thereby losing a lot of credibility. How long has it been the most dangerous city in the world? Yet, according to the prophet, the days are surely coming. These words offer hope in the dark times of upheaval, destruction and doom; because the situation was that dire and desperate.

… It is from this setting, he offers these verses of vision. From the barren land, from the dead stump, a shoot will spring, a symbol of new growth and new hope. It’s a brief message of good news, but that is our human nature. We tend not to see the positive or gloss over it. Because the negative garners more attention, we just have to flip through the newspaper to see this is the case.

… The days are coming, that is a promise. We know that things will change; but will it be for the better? Is it all doom and gloom? If we bring these scriptures into our situations and think realistically about our congregations, how many people there are supporting the ministry and building upkeep, is there a change on the way that we are not prepared for?

… We in Ravenswood and Arkona may not be involved in a holy war, but we feel the strain of battling to keep the churches open. There is a comfort or cushion of funds this year, but each month expenses continue to rise and income does not. I don’t want this sermon to guilt you into giving more, because you’re here and giving of your time, your talents, your energy and your dollars; it’s more than your fair share.

But where is the money going? Maintaining this building, the taxes and insurance, and I would be remiss to neglect the fact that my salary and expenses related the many miles I travel on your behalf are a major budget item. I’m getting into the bad habit of preaching myself out of a job. For me, Mission and Service Fund is how our church works to global justice and righteousness. On a local level, it is a struggle to survive.

Let us imagine the branch that Jeremiah mentions. He’s making the link to a family tree and to King David’s lineage. But let us bring to mind an actual tree branch, sprouting and growing, springing up and moving outward to gather in light and nutrients. While it’s providing for the tree itself in what it does, there are other side effects. As branches do so, they also provide shade and shelter for animals and birds.

Yet as branches get too big and far-reaching, they are more vulnerable to snapping in strong winds, from lightning or other natural hazards. That is part of the natural order of things: the bigger they are, the harder they fall. The new branches are the ones that are more adaptable and flexible to react to changes as they come.

Which is why many rural experts say that smaller congregations are the right size for getting things done. In larger churches, and organizations, if a need arises, a committee to examine the feasibility of a course of action is created to report to another group of people … and you know how the process gets bogged down.

We may not be the biggest branch of the tree. We may not bring in the most sunlight or rain or nutrients, but we are connected the wider energy and life force of creation. We may not cast the largest shadow or cradle the most nests, but we are connected to the needs of the world within which we live.

… Righteousness and peace stem forth from barren stumps and branches. Like a shoot from a family tree branch, we go forth and spread out, responding to change and carrying the promise of new life. Advent is a time of waiting, like pregnancy, a time of preparation, nurture and growth. It can be anxious and stressful and confusing, waiting for the day we know is coming, but cannot say exactly when. Until then, we live in the turmoil of this world, holding fast to the anchor of our faith; the hope of new life and the image of a budding branch reaching out and up into God’s creation.