Offering Our Very Selves

The Rev. Dr. Whitworth Ferguson III

Manassas Presbyterian Church

Manassas, Virginia

November 21, 2010: Consecration Sunday

Offering Our Very Selves

Selected Texts

Reading 1:

From Exodus chapter 23, verse 19: “The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.”

Reading 2:

From Leviticus chapter 27, verse 30:  “All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord’s; they are holy to the Lord.”

Reading 3:

From Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 10: “Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.”

Reading 4:

From Matthew chapter 6, verse 19: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Reading 5:

From Luke chapter 6, verse 38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Reading 6:

From Second Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 3: “For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means.”

Reading 7:

From Second Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 12: “For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have.”

Reading 8:

From Second Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 6: “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”

Reading 9:

From First Chronicles, chapter 29, verse 5: “Who then will offer willingly, consecrating themselves today to the Lord?’ Then the leaders of ancestral houses made their freewill-offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. They gave for the service of the house of God … Then the people rejoiced because [they had all] given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the Lord”

God speaks to us in so many different ways,

different texts written by different people

at different times over the centuries,

each written to help us all hear the message:

that God delights when we give,

when we share,

when we live our lives recognizing

that all that we have comes from God,

when the song that we sing is

“Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.”

God calls us to share in countless ways and we do:

providing food for SERVE,

clothing to the Goodwill,

a bag of Purina to the SPCA,

a check here, a check there to

the Red Cross, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders,

Beacon, Literacy Volunteers,

and countless other worthy charities.

We all give, we all share,

but what God really wants from us is… all of us.

God wants us to give our very selves

give ourselvers utterly and completely to him

through his Son Jesus Christ.

C. S. Lewis once wrote,

“Christ says, ‘Give me All.

I don’t want so much of your time

and so much of your money

and so much of your work.

I want you.

No half measures are any good.

I want all of you.

[in return] I will give you myself.”

(Mere Christianity, 196)

But, oh how difficult that is,

to give ourselves completely to Christ.

We look for compromises,

giving ourselves fully here and there,

now and then,

but keeping most of ourselves for ourselves.

But that’s not what God wants.

He wants us to consecrate ourselves,

to give our lives over completely to him.

In a few moments you’ll have that opportunity.

When you put your yellow card in the basket

you’ll be doing more than just offering

your pledge of financial support

for the work we hope to do next year

in the name of Jesus Christ.

When you put your card in the basket

you’ll be offering yourself anew to God;

consecrating yourself anew, all of you,

giving yourself completely,

following the head of our church, Jesus Christ.

As we all put our cards in the baskets,

we will be pledging ourselves anew to God,

consecrating ourselves anew to God,

reminding ourselves how easy it is

for us to get our priorities wrong,

how easy it is to put other things first,

to push God down the list,

to offer God time, energy, and finances

that are left over after we take care of other things

we consider more important.

This is such a wonderful time for us

to consecrate ourselves anew to God,

to our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is Thanksgiving time and

we have so much to be thankful for in this church:

where so many churches are struggling,

our church is strong and solid.

Where so many churches are shrinking

we welcomed 14 new brothers and sisters last week.

Our ministries are thriving:

Every week we offer joyful, inspirational worship services;

We engage in vital outreach work through Mission;

Our Membership Ministry team provides us with

many wonderful fellowship opportunities throughout the year.

Our Early Learning Center provides a very special ministry

to almost 200 children Monday through Friday.

A few months back we hired Melissa Kirkpatrick

to help us strengthen learning opportunities

for everyone in this church, the youngest to the oldest.

How we take care of our Youth is still a concern for us.

Matt Walnock needs to step down after two years as leader,

and we have not yet found someone to take his place.

Three weeks ago you saw the wonderful energy and faithfulness

of our high school students as they led worship.                 

You also may remember Taylor Tuckerman’s

eloquent and heartfelt words

as she spoke of how important youth activities were for her

as she went through Middle School and High School.

But did you also remember that she also wished

that there had been more consistency,

more continuity in leadership,

as we once provided to our youth.

The economic downtown has pushed back our timing

on our goal to call an Associate Pastor,

but it hasn’t changed the need,

and we are still determined to make that happen.

“Do not lag in zeal,

be ardent in spirit,

serve the Lord,”

Paul tells us.

(Romans 12:11)

You and I are called to be consecrated disciples,

consecrated followers,

consecrated workers in the name of Jesus Christ

in every part of our lives.

The texts we heard were probably familiar to most of you;

but even if some of them were new to you

here’s one you surely know:

“For God so loved the world the he gave his only Son…”

(John 3:17)

                          

What will you give in return? Your heart? 

Your self?

Your all?

                                   

Come,

“Who then will offer willingly,

consecrating themselves today to the Lord?”

AMEN