I'm All In

Scripture Lessons: Exodus 3: 1-15 and Romans 12: 9-21 Sermon Title: I’m All In Preached on October 23, 2022 A seminary classmate of mine, the Rev. Sara Hayden, once told the story of how her family came to join their church. A new Presbyterian church was under construction right outside their neighborhood. When the construction was finished and the opening worship service was scheduled, her father suggested that they go and check it out. They had been like a lot of families: Her parents, raised in the church, fell out of the routine in college or early adulthood. They’d been meaning to get back to it when the kids were born, but raising babies, work, and soccer practice got in the way. This church under construction right outside their neighborhood made them feel like God was trying to tell them something, so the family walked in on the first Sunday the church was open. A man they didn’t recognize approached them by the door into the sanctuary holding a stack of bulletins, which seemed normal enough, until, instead of handing each member of the family a bulletin, this man handed Sara’s father the whole stack, saying, “You must be the one who’s supposed to hand out the bulletins.” “Actually, no, I’m not,” her father said. “We’ve never been here before, and we just wanted to check it out.” “Well,” the man said, “you hand out the bulletins.” That’s how it started. They joined the church not long after. Sara’s now a Presbyterian minister. She’s married to a Presbyterian minister. I think her family is still members of that very church, and that’s what can happen in a place like this one. You wander in here, curious about what this church is all about, and next thing you know, your life goes in a direction you never could have expected. Maybe wandering in here is the first step to take in finding your way home. Maybe you wander in here, curious, and the next thing you know, you’re standing in the presence of God. That’s how it was for Moses. Way out there beyond the wilderness, he got curious, and at the sight of the burning bush, Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” He was just a curious shepherd. Next thing he knows, he’s answering a call from God. That’s how it happens sometimes. That’s how it was with me. Maybe that’s how it was with you. When I was a kid, we just went to this church. Do you know what I mean by that? We liked it. It was nice. My parents taught Sunday school. On the way here on Sunday mornings, I’d read the funny papers in the back seat of our minivan. When we got here, I’d sing in Sunday school and listen a little bit to my teachers. During the worship service, we’d stand up and turn to the right hymns in the hymnals. I’d bow my head and close my eyes when I was supposed to, and I knew the service was almost over and I’d soon get to go and eat lunch when Dr. Jim Speed stood in front of us with his arms up saying words that remind me of our second Scripture lesson as his benediction: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good, render to no one evil for evil.” He’d say those words, and one day I realized that he was saying them as though we were actually supposed to do them. Have you ever felt that feeling? Have you ever been going through the motions when suddenly, you feel called to something more, as though what you believe must turn into action? Do you know what it feels like to hear God’s call and realize that He’s talking to you? It might start with such a small thing. Maybe a man turned to your father and insisted that he hand out the bulletins. A preacher stood up and called you to live your faith out in the world. A burning bush got your attention, and the next thing you knew, you were headed back to Egypt to lead your people out of slavery. Do you know what that feels like? It’s a scary feeling. It’s a wonderful feeling. If you’ve felt it, maybe at first, you just wanted to dip your toe in the water, but next thing you knew, you were in. You were all in. I feel like it happened with Ginny Brogan. You might know that she’s our youth director now. She didn’t apply for the job. She didn’t go to seminary. I was just sitting in a room with a group of people thinking through how to respond to the needs of our church’s youth group, and we all said that same thing at exactly the same time: “We need to call Ginny Brogan. She’d be perfect.” Of course, she didn’t know that. At least, she didn’t know that right away. When I called, she had to think about it. When two elders on the session, John Knox and Chris Harrison, called, she had to think about it. Then, she had to talk to her husband, Justis, about it. She had to talk with her kids about it, but something kept tugging at her. Something about it was compelling. Since she started, the youth group has grown by 65%. That’s what happens when we say “Yes,” when we accept God’s call, when we dare to walk into His presence saying, “Here I am. I’ll go if You lead me. I’m scared, but I’m in. I’m all in.” The same thing happened with our church’s food outreach ministry. It was the most random phone call. I’ll never forget it. I offhandedly said to a couple staff members, “Marietta City Schools called me. They’ve been distributing food from the Atlanta Food Bank using their school buses. They’re about to break for summer, and they want to know if we would accept the donation and give out the food in our parking lot.” This is a strange request. Will we become a food bank - without any knowledge of how to do it or where to even store the food? The staff and some incredible church members agreed to give it a try. Next thing you know, we’ve distributed 1.5 million meals. How did that happen? I’ll tell you: When we accept God’s call, when we dare to walk into His presence saying, “Here I am. I’ll go if You lead me. I’m scared, but I’m in. I’m all in,” anything can happen. Anything. It’s just like the story of Club 3:30. It’s just like the story of how a Georgia Tech engineer came to be our Associate Pastor. It’s just like the story of you and me and 12 Presbyterians who dared to believe that Marietta, Georgia needed a Presbyterian Church back in 1835. Now, here we are today, and I’m looking at you. Are you in? That’s what this pledge card is to me. That’s what it means. It’s the chance for us to respond to God, to say “Yes” and answer His call. To say, “Yes, I’m scared because I’m busy, and I’m stretched already, and I’ve never done this before, but if You need me, if You can use me, I’m in. I’m all in.” I’m going to fill this form out, tithing ten percent of my salary. Ten percent. That’s where we are in answering this call, but I want you to know that there was once a man in a small church in rural Tennessee who didn’t give ten percent of his salary. Instead, he tithed to the church one pig. Have I told you this story? Some of you know it. The Presbyterian Church in Lynnville, Tennessee was like a lot of Presbyterian Churches. They were small - too small to hire a full-time pastor. A Nashville banker had just retired, though, and felt the call to preach. He took some classes and got certified as what we call a “commissioned ruling elder.” The two of us became friends. He’d sometimes ask me for advice, but when it came to finances, as a banker, he felt like he really knew what he was doing, so he was overly excited to kick-off his first stewardship campaign at about this time of year. For the first time, they had pledge cards at that church in Lynnville. Some people knew what to do with them, but a new member who had been riding his bike up to that small church from his farm wasn’t exactly sure, so he pledged to the church one pig. He wrote that right on his pledge card. The next day, this Nashville banker-turned-pastor called me asking for advice. I told him that had never happened to me before; however, there was a man in my church who raised pigs. Maybe he’d like to buy it. Well, the Nashville banker had already sold the pig for $2,000 to a friend of his, only this friend didn’t want it. “Could you come get this pig?” the Nashville banker asked me. I called the pig farmer I knew. I put on my overalls and my boots. We drove down to Lynnville with the animal trailer on his truck. We eventually got that pig into the trailer, which was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life because that pig knew where he was going and didn’t want to go. Despite his objection, once he was big enough, we had a church BBQ and invited the young man from Lynnville and his pastor. In that moment, I realized that he had given his church $2,000 and had given my church a church-wide BBQ, all because he answered God’s call. He didn’t know exactly what he was doing. He just knew he had to do something. He said, “Yes.” He said, “I’m in.” “I’m scared, but I’m in.” “I’m nervous, but I want to know what You might do through me if I’m all in.” My friends, this is the time for you to be all in. For the first time in my experience as a pastor, thanks in large part to the leadership of Rev. Cassie Waits and the committees she works with, adult Sunday school attendance has increased. Moreover, it’s increased by 40%. That’s just one number. I’ve seen all of them. In every area of our church, attendance is increasing by large margins. The impact we are making on this community is increasing every day. While many churches are still struggling after the pandemic (Some studies say that 1 in 4 churches have closed or will close.), our church is growing, having gained more than 200 new members in the last five years, and having increased worship attendance every year since 2017. Today, our average in-person attendance has increased over last year, but our virtual attendance each Sunday basically doubles our congregation. Everything is growing. Our church is growing. God is at work among us, so I’m asking: Are you in? Are you all in? Now, I don’t want to pressure you. I don’t want to guilt you into doing something you’re not comfortable doing. When the NPR annual campaign comes on the radio, I just turn the dial. I don’t want to have that effect on you this morning. Instead, I want to invite you to answer God’s call that leads to abundant life. Moses could have lived out his days tending the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro. Instead, he answered the call of God and changed the world. Will you answer the call? Will you say, “Here I am; send me”? Are you in? Are you all in? Then take this form. Fill it out. Be ready to make your commitment to the God who is always committed to you. Amen.