Psalm 92:4; 1 Corinthians 15: 57-58
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
November 3, 2019
Stewardship Sunday
For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. - Psalm 92:4 (NIV)
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. -1 Corinthians 15: 57-58 (NIV)
There is a time old refrain that Christians have said: “God is good all the time.” And the people respond saying, “All the time God is good.”
The gift of faith re-trains our eyes to look for God’s goodness all around us. God’s faithfulness is as sure as the sun rises every morning and sets every night. God’s steadfast love calls us by name and gives our lives new meaning and life-giving purpose. God’s grace gives us hope that does not disappoint because our hope is centered upon an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ and the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gave his whole life to the work of God’s faithfulness, love, and grace. Jesus taught, preached, and healed in order to show us the goodness of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus took the sins of the world as he died on the cross and was raised to new life by God’s love to give us victory in all things and ultimately victory over death. And the Lord calls us to stand in the victory of God’s grace to participate in continuing Christ’s ministry of faith, hope, and love. We are to give ourselves fully to making the goodness of God known because that is what Jesus Christ did.
Henri Nouwen was a well-respected priest, professor, and author of the Christian life. He entered the Church Triumphant in 1996 at the young age of 64. Nouwen once said, “The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God. People who are so deeply in love with Jesus that they are ready to follow him wherever he guides them, always trusting that, with him, they will find life and find it abundantly.”
Today I give thanks to God for the ways Van Wyck Presbyterian Church has engaged the mystery of ministry this past year. A beloved disciple among us told me this week, “When I think about Van Wyck Presbyterian, there is a true feeling of family here. We have shared many joys and sorrows this past year. In all cases, our congregation comes through with love and sharing to comfort and welcome folks whatever the circumstances may be.”
Van Wyck is a church with a maturing faith. The most beautiful core value within this body of Christ is forming genuine relationships with God and one another. I thank God for each and every one of you and the unique gifts God has given you to share the gospel together with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love! While each of us is in various places along this shared spiritual journey, there is a unified desire here to follow Jesus wherever he guides us.
I have witnessed you following Jesus to grow in your relationship with God in prayer and study. You are teaching me to pray not just about the big things, but to openly pray with one another about the little things in daily life and trust that God will work all things out as we intercede for others.
This past year I have seen us grow in number and in spirit in worship, all of our study groups and small groups so that God’s Word may guide our steps.
This church has continued to follow Jesus’s love and care for our children within our church family to let each one know they belong to God, and you share God’s abundance with school-aged children who are struggling in the wider community and world.
This church takes Jesus’ ministry of compassion to heart to come alongside all our neighbors in their times of need. And you continue to live into God’s Word of giving yourself fully to the work of the Lord, as each year the church’s faithfulness to pledge increases.
I am so proud of all the good things happening among us to glorify God. The Lord has provided us with every blessing in abundance (2 Corinthians 9:8).
What is it about Van Wyck Presbyterian Church that you are grateful for?
In what ways has the goodness of God changed your life?
How might God be nudging you to respond and give yourself more fully to the work of the Lord?
The leadership within this congregation has long upheld stewardship in such a faithful and holistic way. Our stewardship of God’s abundant blessings is about how we live our daily lives. Stewardship is all about gratitude. It’s all about giving back. It’s all about God.
We are living into an exciting time of ministry. God has blessed this church with generous hearts, deep roots of faith, additional acreage, and a growing community. My heart smiles as we continue to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. The session and I have been prayerfully considering where God is leading us in this new year of 2020. We want to continue flourishing in God’s grace. Therefore, our vision for the upcoming year is to “Give Ourselves Fully.”
In this new year God is leading us to give ourselves fully to prayer, to God’s mission, and to godly goals. We will be praying for God to open our eyes and notice what God is doing in our community. We will be praying for God to reveal what God’s mission is in Van Wyck and Lancaster County and what our church’s unique role is within it. We will also be prayerfully planning godly goals to reach towards – that includes discerning together how God is calling us to use our beautiful acreage for God’s purposes.
As we focus upon the beautiful mystery of ministry, I pray that together we will give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. God is asking us to share our energy, imagination, talents, and resources to make the Lord’s goodness known. As we give of ourselves, it’s all about gratitude. It’s all about giving back. It’s all about God.
May God’s name be praised. Amen.
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