Renewal in the Wilderness - Notice!
Mark 8:27-29 & 34-37 (The Message)
March 12, 2006 - 2nd Sunday in Lent
FRB Kick-off
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
A number of years ago, I took a class where we were asked to keep a synchronicity journal. Synchronicities, according to Carl Jung are "meaningful coincidences that cannot be explained by cause and effect." We've all had them; things like thinking of someone for the first time in years, and then running into them a few hours later or having a book fall off the shelf at the bookstore and it's exactly what you need. Such synchronicities, someone said, "are God's way of letting us know we're not alone in the universe." But what surprised me about keeping a journal over the course of a twelve week semester was the amazing number of synchronicities that I noticed, just because I was paying attention.
As we pick up Mark's story, Jesus and the disciples are headed toward Caesarea Philippi when he asks them, "Who do the people say I am?" Then, after they told him what they had heard he asked the all important question, "And you--what are you saying about me? Who am I to you?" Jesus wanted to see what they had noticed. Had they begun to see life with new eyes? Were they paying attention to the still small voice that speaks in the depths of each heart? Had they truly discovered the One who would always be with them?
In our journey through the wilderness of Lent we are exploring the concept of Renewal. Last week we considered the words retreat and expect and I encouraged each of you to adopt the practice of taking daily mini-retreats to open your heart to the still-speaking God. If you weren't here you will find a copy of the process I am suggesting that we use on the back table. Today I want to focus on the word notice and see if we can see how noticing -paying attention, waking up- might bring renewal to our oftentimes weary lives.
When Pat and Darrell Herman attended the FRB Harvest Celebration at their home church in Mazon, Illinois, they noticed the voice of Spirit tugging at their hearts. "You and the congregation in Plainfield could do this. You could provide Food Security for hungry people a half a world away."
Now, I don't know how long they pondered this call before they approached what was then our Benevolence Board, but when they came that night they were full of excitement and enthusiasm. They told us what FRB was and how it worked. They showed a video and introduced us to some of the people from Mazon. During that meeting, the members of the Benevolence Board noticed the voice of the Spirit tugging at their hearts as well. "This would be wonderful," they said, "but our plates are already full. There is just no way the four of us can take on a project of this magnitude."
Sitting in the meeting I, too, noticed the Spirit tugging at my heart, "This is something this congregation needs to do," I felt more than heard the Spirit say. At that point in time I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to introduce the concept of Ministry Teams. So I said to the Board, "You like the idea, right?"
"Yes!"
"If you had the energy you'd do it, right?"
"Right!"
"Pat and Darrell, this is something you have a passion about, right?
"Of course."
O:\Sermons\sermons 2006\03-12-06mk27-29-34-37.doc Last printed 3/16/2006 10:06:00 AM - 1 -
"Would you be willing to find a partner rural congregation and recruit people within our congregation to help with the various tasks? In other words, would you be willing to head an FRB Ministry Team?"
"Yes, we would."
"So, Benevolence Board, why not give Pat and Darrell the OK and we will have our first ministry team."
They did and the rest, as they say, is history --but not quite.
The Hermans began to search for a rural partner, but none of their leads panned out and they were getting very, very discouraged. In fact, they were just about ready to give up when Pat had what, for her, is a very rare experience; she woke up at 4am one night -unable to get back to sleep. "I never wake up in the middle of the night," she said as she related this story. But there she was wide awake at four in the morning when she noticed something tugging at her heart. "You can do it," was the overwhelming feeling that flooded her entire being. "It will happen! YOU CAN DO IT!" At that point she felt almost compelled to get up, grab a pad of paper and begin writing. As she did, page after page of notes and ideas and procedures came flooding into her mind and as long as the ideas came, she wrote.
When it was finally morning she shared her experience and her notes with Darrell. They were both rejuvenated and they began act on the notes Pat had taken and before long they found a partner congregation and we were on the way to our first FRB growing project.
But Pat and Darrell could not have done it all by themselves. Throughout the three years we have been engaged in FRB many, many people have noticed the Spirit tugging at their hearts, "sponsor this acre, work on this team, write this article for the newspaper, bake these treats for the bake sale, save your allowance, donate these acres, call this feed company to get a donation of their product; in all these ways and so many more, people in our community and in River Forest and Forrest have noticed the voice the Spirit tugging at their hearts. And because we have each noticed, listened, paid attention and responded we have raised $230,969.28 to provide food security to people in Tanzania and Zambia. But something none of us expected when we began this ministry team was how much we as individuals and as a congregation would be changed. Through that first FRB Growing Project we, as a congregation, were touched, empowered, and transformed as we experienced God's renewing presence.
When we notice, wake up, pay attention to the movement of the Spirit, we jump into the flow of God's grace and when we are moving in that flow, although we might get tired, we will never be worn out. When we notice, wake up, pay attention to the movement of the Spirit, we learn to dance with the rhythms of God's grace and in that dance we see with new eyes, love with renewed compassion, and live lives that are continually refreshed and renewed. When we notice, wake up, pay attention to the movement of the Spirit we begin to recognize the fingerprints of God in our lives and in the world and we are blessed, even as we become blessings for others. May you notice and find renewal today and every day. Amen.
O:\Sermons\sermons 2006\03-12-06mk27-29-34-37.doc Last printed 3/16/2006 10:06:00 AM - 2 -
Mark 8:27-29 & 34-37 (The Message)
March 12, 2006 - 2nd Sunday in Lent
FRB Kick-off
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
A number of years ago, I took a class where we were asked to keep a synchronicity journal. Synchronicities, according to Carl Jung are "meaningful coincidences that cannot be explained by cause and effect." We've all had them; things like thinking of someone for the first time in years, and then running into them a few hours later or having a book fall off the shelf at the bookstore and it's exactly what you need. Such synchronicities, someone said, "are God's way of letting us know we're not alone in the universe." But what surprised me about keeping a journal over the course of a twelve week semester was the amazing number of synchronicities that I noticed, just because I was paying attention.
As we pick up Mark's story, Jesus and the disciples are headed toward Caesarea Philippi when he asks them, "Who do the people say I am?" Then, after they told him what they had heard he asked the all important question, "And you--what are you saying about me? Who am I to you?" Jesus wanted to see what they had noticed. Had they begun to see life with new eyes? Were they paying attention to the still small voice that speaks in the depths of each heart? Had they truly discovered the One who would always be with them?
In our journey through the wilderness of Lent we are exploring the concept of Renewal. Last week we considered the words retreat and expect and I encouraged each of you to adopt the practice of taking daily mini-retreats to open your heart to the still-speaking God. If you weren't here you will find a copy of the process I am suggesting that we use on the back table. Today I want to focus on the word notice and see if we can see how noticing -paying attention, waking up- might bring renewal to our oftentimes weary lives.
When Pat and Darrell Herman attended the FRB Harvest Celebration at their home church in Mazon, Illinois, they noticed the voice of Spirit tugging at their hearts. "You and the congregation in Plainfield could do this. You could provide Food Security for hungry people a half a world away."
Now, I don't know how long they pondered this call before they approached what was then our Benevolence Board, but when they came that night they were full of excitement and enthusiasm. They told us what FRB was and how it worked. They showed a video and introduced us to some of the people from Mazon. During that meeting, the members of the Benevolence Board noticed the voice of the Spirit tugging at their hearts as well. "This would be wonderful," they said, "but our plates are already full. There is just no way the four of us can take on a project of this magnitude."
Sitting in the meeting I, too, noticed the Spirit tugging at my heart, "This is something this congregation needs to do," I felt more than heard the Spirit say. At that point in time I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to introduce the concept of Ministry Teams. So I said to the Board, "You like the idea, right?"
"Yes!"
"If you had the energy you'd do it, right?"
"Right!"
"Pat and Darrell, this is something you have a passion about, right?
"Of course."
O:\Sermons\sermons 2006\03-12-06mk27-29-34-37.doc Last printed 3/16/2006 10:06:00 AM - 1 -
"Would you be willing to find a partner rural congregation and recruit people within our congregation to help with the various tasks? In other words, would you be willing to head an FRB Ministry Team?"
"Yes, we would."
"So, Benevolence Board, why not give Pat and Darrell the OK and we will have our first ministry team."
They did and the rest, as they say, is history --but not quite.
The Hermans began to search for a rural partner, but none of their leads panned out and they were getting very, very discouraged. In fact, they were just about ready to give up when Pat had what, for her, is a very rare experience; she woke up at 4am one night -unable to get back to sleep. "I never wake up in the middle of the night," she said as she related this story. But there she was wide awake at four in the morning when she noticed something tugging at her heart. "You can do it," was the overwhelming feeling that flooded her entire being. "It will happen! YOU CAN DO IT!" At that point she felt almost compelled to get up, grab a pad of paper and begin writing. As she did, page after page of notes and ideas and procedures came flooding into her mind and as long as the ideas came, she wrote.
When it was finally morning she shared her experience and her notes with Darrell. They were both rejuvenated and they began act on the notes Pat had taken and before long they found a partner congregation and we were on the way to our first FRB growing project.
But Pat and Darrell could not have done it all by themselves. Throughout the three years we have been engaged in FRB many, many people have noticed the Spirit tugging at their hearts, "sponsor this acre, work on this team, write this article for the newspaper, bake these treats for the bake sale, save your allowance, donate these acres, call this feed company to get a donation of their product; in all these ways and so many more, people in our community and in River Forest and Forrest have noticed the voice the Spirit tugging at their hearts. And because we have each noticed, listened, paid attention and responded we have raised $230,969.28 to provide food security to people in Tanzania and Zambia. But something none of us expected when we began this ministry team was how much we as individuals and as a congregation would be changed. Through that first FRB Growing Project we, as a congregation, were touched, empowered, and transformed as we experienced God's renewing presence.
When we notice, wake up, pay attention to the movement of the Spirit, we jump into the flow of God's grace and when we are moving in that flow, although we might get tired, we will never be worn out. When we notice, wake up, pay attention to the movement of the Spirit, we learn to dance with the rhythms of God's grace and in that dance we see with new eyes, love with renewed compassion, and live lives that are continually refreshed and renewed. When we notice, wake up, pay attention to the movement of the Spirit we begin to recognize the fingerprints of God in our lives and in the world and we are blessed, even as we become blessings for others. May you notice and find renewal today and every day. Amen.
O:\Sermons\sermons 2006\03-12-06mk27-29-34-37.doc Last printed 3/16/2006 10:06:00 AM - 2 -
