22 Nov 2009 - "Stir-up Sunday"

Diane Whittaker– St Michaels
Isaiah 5 v1-4
2 Corinthians 1 v3-11
John 2 v1-11

Did you know that it is ‘stir up Sunday’ this Sunday? I hope that announcement doesn’t strike fear and terror into the hearts of those who aim to have their Christmas baking underway by now!

I have chosen alternative readings for today because I wanted to remind us of God’s great love for the world and the people he has created.

Firstly, in the OT reading we have an account of God’s pain at the inability of the people he has chosen to be loyal to him – the Isaiah passage talks in terms of a vineyard that has been lovingly planted and tended, only to fail to produce good wine and God’s distress that despite all his nurture his chosen people did not bear fruit.

In contrast, Paul talks of the tribulations that he and his companions have been going through – but always in the context of God’s support and providence. Nothing he has experienced will separate him from the love of God.

Finally in the gospel passage, we have the account of the Wedding at Cana. This must be one of the most stupendous displays of God’s generosity that you can imagine. When the wine runs out at the party, Jesus does not just provide enough to keep the party going – he provides 120 gallons of wine! That’s outrageous generosity! Some party!

At the turn of the church year, it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the gospel message of God’s great love for his creation – including each one of us.

This Sunday is a good day to do that, as it is the last in the old church year and next week we will be turning again to Advent and a remembering once again of God’s love and desire for his creation. During Advent and at Christmas we remember once again that God loved the world so much that he sent his Son Jesus, the Christ to show us the way to a true relationship with Godself. Through his actions, his teaching and finally his death on the cross and his resurrection, Jesus shows us how we can find ourselves truly related to God; we can become adopted children of God, heirs to the Kingdom, through accepting Christ into our lives.

Truly God loves each one of us, and the core of Jesus teaching is the call is to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are loveable – and capable of loving others. Through knowing that we can begin to see how we can fulfil Jesus’ expectation of us. As people we respond naturally to being loved – we love in return and want to give to the person who loves us. So if we know that God loves us, how natural is it that we should love God and his world in return and want to give.

When I was at college, we had a session with one of the lecturers about stewardship and giving. He said something that has stayed with me – we own nothing ourselves – all we have – our health, our belongings, our friends and families, our very lives have been given to us by God. It is God who breathes life into this very world and God who continues to ensure that it exists. How then can we fail to give to God what is already his. My lecturer was in the habit, every day of his life - of dedicating his life and all he had to God for God to use that day. It is something that I have tried to do each day as well.

But – that may seem a little impossible as well! OK for you dedicated types, I can hear you saying - what about me, with many commitments and few resources?

We all have been given gifts which God would dearly love us to use and develop – this also applies to the church as a community, which also has gifts that need to be developed and shared with those around us. This week we are being encouraged to be unselfconscious in our care of all those around us and in the use of the gifts we have been given. As we continue our walk as Christians, as we become more aware of God’s great love for us and his gifts to us, then it will become more and more natural for us to give to others, whether it be in terms of time, talents or money. We can start small – we don’t have to solve all the world’s problems! However, we are called to careful stewardship of all that God has given us.

So, at the end of this church year, and the beginning of the next, it is a good time for us individually to reflect on how we are responding to God’s great love for us, and also a good time for the church family to reflect together on how we are revealing God’s great love to those around us in this community and to consider whether we are using all the gifts God has given us wisely in his service.

In concrete terms, it’s a good time for us to reflect on the extent to which we support the church – God’s mission in this place, both financially and practically. I know people are generous with their time and talents if it weren’t for you, we would find life very difficult – thank you. Cleaners, servers, readers, flower arrangers, etc.

However, we also have concrete financial outlays to keep the church running – and the costs are not going down. In parallel with all households, we are finding utility bills rising and interest rates dropping. We are just about paying our way at the moment, but it may be difficult to do so next year.

I also know that some are generous with financial giving – approximately 20% of the congregation here give just over 41% of our planned giving. Planned giving stands at just under £9000 pa at present. What would be really good would be if those who give regularly could review that giving to see if they can increase it slightly – especially if they haven’t thought about it for a few years. What would also be good is if those who give casually, but are tax payers can sign up to more formal giving arrangements so that we can claim gift aid back from the Government. Currently 1/3 of our regular giving is unplanned – about £3000 – if some of that could be gift aided, we would get 20% more.

So – some food for thought as we go into the next church year – how can we become more aware of God’s generous love in our lives and how can we reflect God’s generous goodness in our own lives.

So here is that wonderful collect asking God to help us to bring forth good fruit, and reminding us that the reward is plenteous also:

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord,
The wills of thy faithful people;
That they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
May be plenteously rewarded;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Teach me, my God and King,
in all things thee to see,
and what I do in anything
to do it as for thee.

A man that looks on glass,
on it may stay his eye;
or if he pleaseth, through it pass,
and then the heaven espy.

All may of thee partake;
nothing can be so mean,
which with this tincture, "for thy sake,"
will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause
makes drudgery divine:
who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,
makes that and the action fine.

This is the famous stone
that turneth all to gold;
for that which God doth touch and own
cannot for less be told.