\u201cEnough\u201d by John van de Laar<\/p>\n
Worry and stress are not hard for us, God,
\nWe do them without thinking:<\/p>\n
There is always the potential of threat
\nTo our security,
\nOur comfort,
\nOur health,
\nOur relationships,
\nOur lives.
\nAnd we foolishly think that we could silence the fear
\nIf we just had enough money,
\nEnough insurance,
\nEnough toys,
\nEnough stored away for a rainy day.
\nIt\u2019s never enough, though;
\nThe voice of our fear will not be dismissed so easily.<\/p>\n
But in the small, silent places within us is another voice;
\nOne that beckons us into the foolishness of faith,
\nThat points our gaze to the birds and the flowers,
\nThat in unguarded moments, lets our muscles relax.
\nAnd our hearts lean into loved ones.;
\nIn unexpected whispers we hear it,
\nCalling us to remember your promises,
\nYour grace,
\nYour faithfulness;
\nAnd, suddenly, we discover,
\nThat it is enough.
\nAmen.<\/p>\n
A week or two ago as some of us came into church on Sunday morning, you might have noticed a police car here at Immanuel.
\nOvernight, the garage in our yard was broken into and a snow blower and set of tools had been stolen. They weren\u2019t fancy or terribly expensive, but they were ours. The garage door was damaged in the process and our amazing and excellent Trustees have been working since then to secure the garage, increase a bit of our security, and help keep us all safe.<\/p>\n
The neighborhoods around our church are changing.
\nWe have had quite a few shootings recently and we are not the only ones who have experienced break-ins. Whether it is cars, or garages, or houses, there has been an increase in crime.
\nOur neighborhood is also becoming more diverse. Economic inequality is growing. We see more people of color and more languages are spoken in our midst.
\nI hesitate to correlate these things, but they are all part of the fabric of what is changing around us.<\/p>\n
I think about this reality as we start our new worship and stewardship series: Moving Out of Scare City.
\nDes Moines is a fantastic place to live and work and grow. It was named the #1 city for young professionals a few years ago.
\nYet, we were also in the top 10 list of worst cities for African-Americans in the nation.
\nWe have had a higher murder rate this year than we have in a long time.
\nMore of the students in our schools are on free and reduced lunches.
\nOne in five children in Polk County are hungry.
\nThere are some things about our neighborhood and city that feel less safe and more scary.<\/p>\n
I think about the poem by John van de Laar that I shared with you and our temptation to silence that fear through money, insurance, security, gadgets\u2026 by clinging ever more tightly to what we have.
\nWhen it feels like death, hunger, and the overwhelming struggles of the world loom all around us some of us think about moving out. We want to separate and wall ourselves off from the problems and focus on taking care of our own.
\nSome churches around us have done that.
\nThey moved out to the suburbs.
\nOr their church no longer looks like the neighborhood it is situated in.
\nTheir beautiful sanctuaries and people in fancy clothes who walk into them on Sunday mornings stand in stark contrast to the needs of the people that surround them.<\/p>\n
In many ways, I think that was the impulse of the people we follow in Genesis this morning.
\nIn chapter 10, we find a listing of all of the descendants of Noah as they developed into the nations of the earth. One of his great-grandsons, Nimrod, began his kingdom with Babel.
\nWhile we don\u2019t know of the threats or dangers that surrounded them, the scripture tells us in verse 4 that they wanted to make a name for themselves.
\nThe promise of God that came to Noah was that he and his sons would \u201cbe fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.\u201d They were meant to spread the knowledge and blessings of God across the planet.
\nBut this group of descendants feared being scattered over the face of the earth. They feared falling apart.
\nThe potential threat of losing their identity, their status, their place in the world caused them to foolishly throw themselves into building a tower.
\nThey believed that if only the tower were strong enough\u2026
\nRich and famous enough\u2026
\nHigh enough\u2026
\nNothing would threaten them.<\/p>\n
But this is not God\u2019s desire or intention for our lives.
\nGod doesn\u2019t want us to worry about getting more and more or protecting only ourselves.
\nIn fact, God knows that if we live our lives that way it will never BE enough.
\nWe will always be unsatisfied and fearful.<\/p>\n
Instead, God calls them\u2026 and us\u2026 to turn our attention away from ourselves.
\nGod tells them they don\u2019t need a tower \u2013 they are already enough.<\/p>\n
And then God confuses them, scatters them, diversifies them.
\nLike the bloom of a dandelion becomes a thousand seeds that drift away to far flung places on the wind, God caused the people of Babel to be scattered to the winds \u2013 speaking different languages, practicing different customs, becoming different people.
\nIn whatever place they found themselves, they began to look like the ones they were surrounded with.
\nThey allowed the blessings of that new place to transform them.<\/p>\n
When we look out on our neighborhood, it is tempting to see the diversity as a threat that might cause us to lock the doors of our building even tighter.
\nWe might turn inward and stop reaching out, stop making connections, stop inviting others to join us.
\nOR
\nWe could listen to that still small voice that beckons us out into the neighborhood.
\nWe could open our doors to those who are yearning to find a relationship with God.
\nWe could reach out in love and grace to even those who would rob us.
\nWe could find ways to allow ourselves to be transformed and blessed by people who don\u2019t look like us.<\/p>\n
When I think about the legacy that Immanuel is building, I don\u2019t see us building up a monument to ourselves, but I think about the ways we have opened our doors to welcome others in.
\nNot only do we gather and collect food for our neighbors through DMARC, but our front lawn is an invitation for our neighbors to come and take a book or what they might need for an evening meal.
\nOur building is available for other groups like Bikers Against Child Abuse to gather and plan so they can do the important work of ministry they feel called to.
\nWe realized we had more than enough space to allow a small group of African refugees to come in and worship with one another. Under Pastor Joshua\u2019s leadership, they became a congregation that now has a building of their own!
\nOur space was empty for just over a year, when this summer, a new friend called the church, looking for a place to worship.
\nHer name is Mu and she is one of many folks from southeast Asia, Myanmar in particular, who have built a community here. They were looking for a place where they could worship in their own native tongues\u2026 but also where they could build relationships with others.
\nOver the last few months, we have gradually been exploring what this new relationship might look like. Our Fireside Room was sitting fairly empty and on Sunday mornings their group has been gathering in that space to worship and pray.
\nThey don\u2019t have a pastor, but a volunteer from another church has been teaching in Burmese. Mu then translates into another language, Karenni. Their children are joining our children in Wednesday night activities and children\u2019s church and we are navigating multiple languages at once!
\nOn this day when we celebrate World Communion Sunday, I remember that while the people of Babel sought to make a name for themselves, God calls us to share the divine love with all people and to celebrate and delight in the diversity and abundance of all we share this neighborhood with.
\nYoung and old. Rich or poor. Black, Hispanic, Asian, White.
\nThis is what church looks like.
\nThis is what blessing looks like.
\nAnd as we join and share and break bread, we remember that we don\u2019t have to fear that we will not have enough.
\nWith God\u2019s help, there is always enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cEnough\u201d by John van de Laar Worry and stress are not hard for us, God, We do them without thinking: There is always the potential of threat To our security, Our comfort, Our health, Our relationships, Our lives. And we foolishly think that we could silence the fear If we just had enough money, Enough…<\/span><\/p>\n