Sermon

Four Words: Take, Bless, Break, Give

Scripture Text:

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Sermon:

I want to talk to you about four words today. I’ve been thinking a lot about these words. We hear these four words every Sunday in our Eucharist. I think these words offer us a simple explanation of how we should live our lives. We’re going to take these four words from our liturgy and apply them to our own lives. They are the words: take – bless – break – give.

We see these words acted out in Jesus’ life. We remember when Jesus fed the five thousand, he took the five loaves and the two fish from the boy who offered them. Jesus blessed those gifts, broke the bread and gave it to the disciples to share. At his last supper, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Again, on the road to Emmaus, the Risen Jesus walked and talked with two disciples who did not recognize him until Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them.

Let’s look at “take”. Applying “take” to our lives, we don’t mean grab, or steal. Instead, we’re using “take” in this way: We accept, we receive good gifts that are offered to us.

We’re good takers. We’re born that way. Conceived and nourished in our mother’s womb, many of us continue to receive the protection and love of our parents and guardians throughout childhood. We take an education. We take a job or career and many of us take a life partner, a spouse. All these are good gifts that we willingly receive.

In our Old Testament reading today, Ezekiel tells the people of God that they will take a new heart and a new spirit. Paul, in the epistle today, received the message of the gospel. He took the gospel and gave it to the Thessalonians. Today, Ezekiel Masters, in baptism, is a taker. Ezekiel takes from his parents, godparents, and this church, the living witness of faith in the Lord Jesus.

St. Benedict, we too are takers. We received this community of faith and love, from church planting families, 39 years ago. We took this good physical location within the Village of Bolingbrook. St. Benedict has taken from the generosity of our diocese many times. We are a mission congregation, not yet a parish, receiving financial support from the diocese throughout the years. In 2010 and 2011, we at St. Benedict have taken extra help from the diocese. In these two years we have taken a total of 18 mortgage payments, given to us as special grants. We are so thankful here at St. Benedict for what we have taken.

To excel in giving, we’ve got to take.

In this sermon, I’m going to offer up short prayers as we move forward. Let’s pray then: Lord God, thank you that we can take. Help us take your good gifts. Amen.

Next, we bless. In the New Testament, where Jesus blesses bread, he gives thanks to God for the bread. Our stewardship theme this year at St. Benedict is called “So Thankful.” Having a thankful spirit, an attitude of gratitude, is one key to becoming a better giver. How are blessings given? Blessings in the Bible are spoken. They’re verbalized.

In our readings today, Paul blessed the Thessalonians when he “declared” the gospel. Our text says he “made appeal”, and he says: “even so we speak.” Young Ezekiel’s parents and godparents will speak to us today as they promise to raise Ezekiel in the faith. Blessings are spoken to encourage and strengthen. Let us hear the baptismal promises of Ezekiel’s parents and godparents, and let us be encouraged to live out our own baptismal commitments.

We bless here at St. Benedict. One of the many ways we bless people is when the healing prayer team speaks words of comfort, words of faith, and words of thanks, over those who come forward for prayer.

To excel in giving, we’ve got to bless.

Let’s pray again: O God thank you, you bless us. Help us bless others. Amen.

Next, we break. When we think of Jesus breaking bread, we visualize what was whole being torn apart. How then does being broken apply to us?

Breaking is our willingness to move beyond self-interest. To break is to offer ourselves, to sacrifice ourselves for others. Today’s epistle was from Paul, a broken man if ever there was one. The Scriptures say that among many other hardships, Paul was flogged five times, beaten three times, shipwrecked three times and stoned once. That is a broken man. Paul was willing to be broken for the sake of others, for the sake of preaching the good news about Jesus.

Breaking is not all dire, hard sacrifice however. With breaking comes restoration. When we share this broken bread in the Eucharistic meal today, we proclaim Jesus’ death and resurrection, until he comes in glory. Spiritually joined in Christ, we are broken for others, to be raised to a new life that we may share in Christ’s glory.

Here at St. Benedict we break time out of lives to share communion, to fellowship and to pray with each other. We use our gifts and talents to help others. And we break off part of our incomes as we give our money back to the Lord God in the St. Benedict offering plates.

To excel in giving, we’ve got to break.

Let’s pray: Thank you, Jesus. You were broken. Break us and restore us for the sake of others. Amen.

And, we give. When we give, we become imitators of God, for God is the great giver. In eternity past, God was complete, in a triune community of love: Father, Son and Spirit. God needed no one and nothing, yet the Lord freely gave by creating this world. The Lord gave promises to Abraham and the Law to Moses. Jesus gave us his death so that we might have life. The Spirit gave us the inspired Bible and gives spiritual gifts to the church.

Giving then completes this four-word pattern of life. The take-bless-break-give pattern starts with taking. But in order for me to take, someone else first has to give.

In the So Thankful packets that you will receive in the mail this week, we’ve attempted to show many of the ways that our church gives. One way we give is by monthly donating food to the Bolingbrook Food Pantry. Another way that St. Benedict gives is by visiting the Bolingbrook Health Clinic to pray for patients, family and staff.

Let’s pray: Lord, thank you for your good gifts. Help us imitate you by giving well. Amen.

In the next few weeks, please pray about your giving here at St. Benedict for the next year, for 2012. We fill out cards, pledge cards we call them, to express this giving commitment. We will gather in these pledge cards on November 13.

In our So Thankful season of stewardship, we ask you to reflect on the good gifts that you have taken. St. Benedict family, we encourage you to develop your grateful heart. Being so thankful prepares us to excel in giving. The Scriptures direct us on how to give: We are to give willingly, cheerfully and generously.

Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Uploaded on October 23, 2011 in by RevHeidi

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