On January 22nd, 2022 Pastor Paul delivered this Sermon about his Outreach Vision of 2022. This month we will share a series of Outreach initiatives that we will implement this year. Here is the written version. You can always visit our Vimeo channel to watch Sunday Services.
This week, Director of Outreach Luisana Santana question:
What shall be our Outreach vision for 2022?
What priorities should we set for this next year
As Trinity engages with the greater society?
This past Wednesday, the
Church council spent time putting together 2022 budgets.
As these two events came together:
A question about missional outreach
And developing the budget for Trinity in 2022 –
I reflected on today’s gospel lesson
Which folk often refer to as
Jesus’ Mission Statement
And I realized that
Mission of Jesus is the Mission of the church!
If one asks what will the ministry of Trinity Lutheran
Look like in 2022
One can do no better than reflecting on today’s gospel lesson.
Jesus says:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me· to proclaim good news to the poor.
· He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
· and recovery of sight to the blind,
· to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.It seems to me that THIS is our calling. In 2022. And all of the time.
So let’s get into it right away.
First and foremost:
WE WILL PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR
I see this as not a message solely to the economically challenged
But to those spiritually challenged
Who so DESPERATELY NEED
To hear Good News
That they are loved
That they are accepted
That God is FOR them
And with them – even when they don’t
Feel God’s presence.
As I said at a memorial service I conducted this past Friday
(I won’t mention the name of the person)
As far as I know Joe (not his real name)
Was not a church going person.
The audience laughed, because they KNEW it was true
As do I!
But I continued:
And the truth is that God’s love is NO LESS for Joe
Than it is for me, the son of a pastor
Who has gone to church all my life.
It’s not about how often you show up in church.
It’s not about what YOU AND I DO.
It is ABOUT WHAT GOD IN JESUS CHRIST
HAS DONE FOR US.
And he has died on the cross for us
So no matter how lonely, or lost, or forsaken
We may feel -WE ARE NEVER ALONE!
THE CRUCIFIED ONE IS THERE WITH US
IN THE DARK VALLEY OF THE SHADOW
AND
HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD
TO REVEAL TO US
THAT THERE IS NEW LIFE
BEYOND OUR DARK VALLEYS.
We will proclaim this
Not only from the pulpit
As the deacons and I do every Sunday
But in our teaching
And in our compassion for hurting souls.
We will also bring good news to the poor
Through the feeding program of our Food Pantry
And God willing – with the pandemic ultimately behind us
In our Community Supper and fellowship again.
And we will find ways:
With our financial commitment to
Lutheran Ministries in Higher Education
Who is providing food to university students
Struggling to make ends meet
As well as giving them Good News of God’s love
And a new relationship with RESTORE NYC
As we find ways to empower women
Who have been the victims of human trafficking
Helping to give them a new life.
We will educate ourselves
On health ministries
And ask: how can we make an impactful difference.
All of this we do
Because Jesus calls for it
And we follow his example:
Bringing Good news to the Poor.
WE WILL PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES
Our ministry of healing takes many forms:
Providing space for AA and other groups to heal
Continuing to provide Making Peace with Your Past –
Help for those who grew up in dysfunctional families
Providing pastoral care and counseling
To individuals who feel captive to their present circumstance
And to couples who have lost their way and love
We will continue to be advocates for social justice
And equality
Giving space for people to speak their truth
And finding TANGIBLE ways to work toward justice
While at the same time being supportive of safety for our city & world.
We are VERY intentional, in our weekly prayers to:
Prayer for those seeking justice in this world
Immediately followed by
Prayers for our local NYPD police precinct.
We don’t just pray for the police when an officer is shot or killed.
As the spiritual leader of Trinity –
EVERY time I see a police officer
I let them know we pray for you every week.
And now and then, I send food or flowers
To the 114th as a show of support.
TRUST ME It means a great deal to them.
You know that, except in a very few cases
I don’t use the pulpit to make political statements
I don’t believe it is the place of the pastor to do so
Though many of my colleagues completely disagree with me.
I have my own personal feelings about whether
Rikers Island should be closed
And bail reform laws in our state
And commentary about not prosecuting people.
I try to keep those feelings to myself.
That being said, we will continue to educate ourselves
About the injustices and racial inequality of
Of our Criminal justice system.
It is a sad commentary
That so many people in our prisons
Are persons of color
Often with little financial means
Deacon Gwen and Lily will continue to challenge us
To think in new ways
And try to find a way to make a difference
As people of faith
We are called by the God of justice
To see that ALL persons are treated fairly and with dignity
AND THAT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SUBWAYS
ARE SAFE FROM HARM
From police, if that should be the case – and from criminals that carry weapons of destruction.
WE WILL BRING RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND
Today I’m wearing new glasses with a new prescription
And the eyes have not completely adjusted yet.
I have a new appreciation of some of our members
They know who they are but I won’t name them
What have seeing challenges.
Jesus LITERALLY healed blind people
Some born that way
And others who had become blind.
But additionally
Jesus’ ministry was about bringing light to dark places
Opening the eyes of those he encountered
To see with new vision
The amazing things our God has done
And continues to do.
You hear me say quite often
How dark our world is
Especially in the fear of the pandemic
Violence
Disharmony
Economic challenges
AND HOW THE WORLD NEEDS THE LIGHT OF CHRIST
AND THAT YOU AND I ARE TO BE THAT LIGHT.
In this next year, through Evangelism efforts
Especially with Deacon Roberta,
Deacon Lois of Trinity in Middle Village
And Deacon Jill of Covenant in Ridgewood
Through the working of our Western Queens Conference
We will create opportunities for training
In sharing our faith
In proclaiming in words
And deeds
The Great and Marvelous deeds that God has done for us
As a church
And as individuals.
(I know, this might sound scary: I’ve gotta share my faith??)
But we will provide non-threatening ways to learn
So that we can have new vision
And invite others into a new vision
A new reality
So that the blind shall see
God’s amazing love for them.
WE WILL PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR
Aren’t you tired of this Coronavirus?
Aren’t you tired of the rules and regulations
Put in place for our safety?
Aren’t you tired of us not knowing
What is best for us
And our leaders having to guess and try
As they learn new things about this virus?
Don’t you want some NORMAL back in your life?
I know I do!
In this next year
We will spend our time
As a congregation
As your leaders
As your pastor
Dispelling fear and uncertainty
With joy!!
God is in charge of the universe, not us.
God knows what the future holds
Not our political leaders
Not even all the technicians & scientists
God, as we will soon hear with that soaring
Voice of our amazing sister, Laura Ethington:
HAS THE WHOLE WORD IN HIS HANDS!
AND WHO IS OUR GOD?
C’MON, YOU CAN SAY IT WITH ME
THE ONE WHO RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD!
This next year will be filled with God’s favor.
With new possibilities
With new and exciting challenges
With new opportunities to rejoice
With new freedom from fear
And injustice
And hatred
And inequality
Those who trust in the Lord shall renew their strength
They shall mount up as on eagles’ wings!
Now you’re sayingPastor Paul is nuts!
It’s too much.
We can’t accomplish that.
Certainly not in one year
Perhaps not in a 1000 years.
Let me share the wise words of Jaime Dunlop
Whose article on church budgeting
I used for our church council devotions this past week
And it appeared in the Stewardship section
Of the First Day of the Week.
(If you skipped over it, go open up the email and read it!)
He says:
A faithfulness mentality
trusts that God will meet every need that needs meeting,
and we are just fortunate to have the opportunity
to come along for the ride.
My friends
This is GOD’S VISION FOR US
This is Christ’s mission statement for us!
As St. Paul says:
Now YOU are the Body of Christ
And individually members of it.
What does that mean?
It means that each of us individually
Will find a calling to some PART of this vision
And help to bring it about.
So, reflect on today’s sermon.
If you want a copy of it, look on Facebook,
Or ask me to email it to you.
And see where YOU are being called
For you ARE BEING CALLED
To be a part of the vision, the mission
Of God in Jesus Christ
Working through Trinity Lutheran
In this next year.
In 2022 and beyond:
Let us with boldness join Jesus in saying AND BELIVING
THESE WORDS:
TODAY, THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED
IN YOUR HEARING
AMEN