Just Imagine: Rooted In Abundance

from Ephesians:14-21

There must be some mistake.  Surely the scribe copied it down wrong over the centuries.  Maybe the editor missed it.  Maybe it's hyperbole.  It sure sounds like a mistake, when Eph. 3:20 says, "Now to him who by the power at work within you is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all you can think or imagine."

Mistakes happen, even today, like in newspaper headlines.  You are going to laugh at these:

Include Your children When baking Cookies

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Panda Mating FAils:  Veterinarian Takes Over

Stolen Painting Found by Tree

War Dims Hope for Peace

It Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While

Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

Local High-School Dropouts Cut in Half

Then there are those from church bulletins and newsletters:

Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions.  She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.

The Pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth Into Joy."

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married in October 24 in the church.  So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some others.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment, and gracious hostility.

Those were mistakes.  But it is not a mistake, what we read in Eph. 3:20, "Now to him who by the power at work within you is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine."

We make a mistake when we come from a stance of scarcity.  I wanted to get you laughing.  Seriousness cuts off options.  I wanted to get you laughing, because anxiety cuts off options.  When we get afraid that we don't have enough money, or people, or facilities, or spiritual gifts, we are choking off God's abundance.

Much scholarship has gone into who wrote Ephesians.  If Paul is the author, Paul who started many churches in the first generation of Christianity, then Paul writes as a prisoner in chains. Just imagine him, saying, far more than all we can ask or imagine, from that viewpoint.  If the school of Paul, that is, his followers who continued his thoughts, wrote the letter, then many of them were being persecuted and martyred.  Just imagine them talking about God far exceeding all that they could think or imagine.

Our biggest mistake is when we forget to pray.  This whole passage we read today is a prayer.  It puts us in a place of humility, a place where God might work, a place where God's abundance might be made plain.

I have a story from a sermon by a seminary classmate of mine, John Thornburg, who serves in the North Texas Conference. It is from a sermon he delivered this past year, called, I'm thanking God in Advance.

He says that  29 years ago his life was changed by a crazy, wondrous powerhouse of a woman, named Elizabeth Blessing.  What a great name!  She was one who rejected common sense in favor of God's possibilities.  She was part of a cooperative parish council, 6 churches in East Dallas, all slated for closure.  The Bishop and District Superintendents saw more hope in the suburbs than in the central city.  Some members thought it best to give the churches a decent burial.

The churches were struggling financially.  There was never enough money to do what was planned and prayed for.  In Dec. 1984, they were 10 days away from having the payroll checks of the 2 employees bounce.  It was life or death.

Being Methodists, they decided to have a meeting.   The parish council had 2 groups:  one to make plans to continue the ministries if the money could be found and one to make plans for how to gracefully shut down the churches and lay off the employees.  John was chosen to head the "shut it down" group.

The 2 groups met.  They were quiet and sober.  It was not easy.

They reconvened.  The chair called on John to report from the "shut it down" group.  But before he could speak, Elizabeth Blessing stood to her full height, about 5' 0'', and announced, "I refuse to hear the report of your group.  As a matter of fact, I'm thanking God in advance for helping us to find a way for this cooperative parish to thrive."

So if you don't mind, we'll just move on to our report."  She then announced the 4 or 5 strategies that her group had fashioned to see them through the end of the year and to launch them into the new year.

Mary Lou Swann, a real estate agent and loyal member said, "Good plan, Elizabeth, but it won't get those salaries paid.  I'm passing the hat around.  We need $1800 to meet payroll.  There are 18 of us here.  You do the math."  The hat went around.  They got the $1800 needed to get through Christmas.  Within the next few weeks, they raised $40,000, and never looked back.

It was because Elizabeth didn't believe in common sense.  She believed in God, the miracle worker.  Those 6 churches would be closed by now if Elizabeth has settled.

Our church is in a process called the Healthy Church Initiative.  We are not in trouble, but we could do better.  We have been given 5 prescriptions for greater health.  They are challenging.  I believe with God's help, out of God's abundance, we can meet them.  We make a mistake if we try to do it out of our own strength.  We need to go to God in prayer.  I allow for some time now for us to pray.  You may do this in silence.  You may journal.  You may be led to a song, or a scripture, or a vision.  But let's pray.  Let's put ourselves before God's abundance.  "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish far more than all we can ask or imagine."