at the First Congregational Church of Stoughton

United Church of Christ

As I said at the beginning of worship, welcome, welcome back, and welcome home! We are delighted that you have all joined us this morning, and we hope you make Sunday morning worship with us your regular weekly routine.

A special welcome to all of you who are here for the first time, or back after a period of time away. We call this first Sunday after Labor Day “Homecoming Sunday,” and no matter how long you have been coming here, or how long you have been away, or how new you are, the word “homecoming” suggests that this is the place where you will find a spiritual home. And when we talk about “home,” we’re not talking just about the building, or the people inside of it; faith is a journey of finding our way home to God.

We hope that you do find a spiritual home here, and if you are new with us, I would love to talk with you more about our wonderful church (I’m just a little biased!) and to answer your questions. I invite you to our Newcomer Class next Sunday after worship in my office, right off the lobby. It will be an informal time for you to learn more about our church and our ministries, and also for you to ask questions.

As I mentioned during announcements, we have changed the order of worship around just a bit. This is a decision that the Worship Planning Ministry Team made in our ongoing effort to make worship one of the ways in which you will experience Christ and nurture your relationship with God.

Because the journey of faith is all about developing a relationship with God, and one of the ways to do that is by participating in the worship of God within a community of faith. And there are many additional ways we can develop a relationship with God: we can do it through prayer, through reading the bible, serving others, developing spiritual relationships, and giving generously. Christians call these various activities “practices” because we need to do them over and over again – to practice them – so they become habits.

From the earliest days of the Christian faith, Jesus’ followers were drawn together into a community of faith through these practices. In our scripture lesson from Acts, we read that they were worshiping together on a regular basis, sharing meals, and learning the prayers and psalms and the stories passed down in their oral tradition. They were giving to the needy, and welcoming new members into their spiritual family. Worship, scripture, prayer, serving, giving, relationships – then and now, that’s how disciples are formed and lives are transformed. And that is our purpose here at the First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ; it’s right there on our bulletin cover – to form disciples of Christ so that lives may be transformed through Christ. And it all begins with a relationship with God.

And so this morning, I extend to you both an invitation and a challenge.

First the invitation: I hope you will consider how you can grow in your relationship with God this coming year. And to help you nurture that relationship, we invite you to participate in some of the various ministries and activities we offer.

I invite you engage in prayer on a daily basis. Prayer enables us to grow closer to God and to discern God’s purpose for our lives. Every first Sunday of the month, Communion Sundays, I am available here in the sanctuary at 11:30 am to share private prayers with you, to wrap you in a prayer shawl, to anoint you with oil and lay hands on you. I would be happy to pray with you or for you or a loved one at any time; just let me know. If you would like me to find you a prayer partner, or if you would like to be part of a prayer group, let me know that, too. The important thing is you spend some part of each day in an awareness that there is a divine power greater than yourself who loves you unconditionally, infinitely, and completely. If you think you don’t know how to prayer or where to start, try this: every morning, say to God, “Guide me, God, guide me.” And every night, say, “Thank you, God, thank you.”

I invite you to start reading the bible, even if it’s just a few verses every day. You don’t need to start with “In the beginning…” and slog through all the Levitical laws or the “begats.” There are many ways to read the bible, to benefit from its wisdom and relate it to our 21st century lives. Starting next week, we will again be offering a lay-led Bible study at 11:30 on Sunday mornings. There is no pressure, no tests, no homework, and no prior biblical knowledge required. And if that doesn’t work for your schedule, or you prefer to read the bible on your own at home, or if have questions on how to begin or what kind of bible to use, I’d be happy to help you. Again, just let me know. The main thing is that you start.

I invite you to find ways to serve others through this church this coming year. We have many opportunities – our Wednesday morning prayer shawl group, the monthly Friendly Service ministry, the annual Church Fair. There are also service opportunities in the community – collecting and delivering food to the Stoughton Food Pantry, participating in the upcoming CROP Walk or a Saturday work day like next Saturday on the Habitat for Humanity House being constructed here in Stoughton. There are also many ways you can serve this church through boards, committees, ministries, and short-term tasks – check our “Job Board” out in the lobby. And if you’re interested in something that we don’t yet do at this church, just let me know!

I invite you to develop some deep and meaningful relationships within this faith community this coming year. The Christian faith is rooted in relationships – with God through Christ, and with one another, but if we are to become more than just members of this church and begin to get serious about our faith, then we need to move beyond the social friendships we have here and begin to develop spiritual relationships. And there are many opportunities within this church for building circles of trust and cultivating those kinds of relationships, including not only some of the ministries I’ve already mentioned, but also in our Sunday night small group. This fall’s discussion group begins next Sunday evening from 6:45 to 8:15, and we will be reading Michael Foss’s book From Members to Disciples: Leadership Lessons from the Book of Acts. One participant has called these Sunday evening get–togethers “a little bit of heaven,” and we invite you to get a taste of God’s kingdom here on earth and join us. There is a sign up sheet in the lobby. And if Sunday evenings don’t work for you, but you’re still interested in this kind of group, please put your name on the list anyway, and I will make every effort to hold an additional group at a time that is convenient for you.

I invite you to consider all the ways in which God has blessed your life and to reflect the magnanimous heart of God through your financial generosity. We grow in discipleship by offering to Christ’s Church our best – not the non-intentional “whenever” giving of leftovers, but the regular, intentional, substantial and committed giving of a disciple’s heart.

And I invite you for a date every Sunday morning at 10 o’clock right here for worship. I pray you feel that being in this place, with all of us, is important enough to you that you will make a commitment to worship regularly; and that when you can’t be here, something is missing out of your week. I pray that you want to develop a relationship with God, and that you need Christ in your life enough that you will come here to encounter him each Sunday.

OK, so those are my invitations; here is my challenge. I challenge you to get serious about your relationship with God and take responsibility for your own spiritual growth this coming year. Participate in one of our small groups. Get involved in one of our service projects. Join a bible study. And if you’re too busy to do any of that, then make it a habit to take time out of your schedule every day to read scripture and to pray. And of course, every week, recharge your batteries by joining us here for worship.

The image of homecoming -- indeed, the inspiration behind “Homecoming Sunday” -- is finding or returning to a community of people with whom we can share both our joys and our struggles as we find our way home to God. And one of the reasons we search for this kind of community within the church is because it’s so hard to find in other aspects of our lives.

I know there are many other activities that fill your time, and there are many competing ways to order your priorities. But the Church offers something that cannot be found anywhere else. The world can offer education to make you smarter, it can offer you great career opportunities to make you wealthier, it can offer you a nice home to make you comfortable -- but the Church can offer you a way to have your heart and your life opened up by God. If you are hungry for authentic meaning and purpose in your life, you will find it in a relationship with God, and you can nurture that relationship here.

And so, may this be the year that we make our relationship with God a priority. Because that will truly be a homecoming. Amen.

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