November 1 2026
READINGS and MESSAGE
REVELATION 7:9-17
So our first scripture passage this morning brings us to the last book of the biblical text – Revelation – and this book can be read and interpreted throughout all of history…for the word “revelation” when it becomes translated means “to be revealed” and it comes from the Greek word apokalypsis…for God is to be revealed to us in all times and in all places and to everyone…John, the presumed writer of Revelation, that is “John from the Island of Patmos”, shares with us in this book that we are to be a counter-veiling force to keep the kingdom of God forefront and centre in our lives and to continually question those who wield their authority…and on a side note, we’ll be sharing the Beatitudes a bit later, or the blessings and Revelation has 7 blessings such as “Blessed are those who stay awake”… “Blessed are those who wear clothes”… “Blessed is the one who doesn’t forget to wash their clothes” and so on…so Murray, let’s hear this passage shall we?...
PSALM 34:1-10, 22
So now we go briefly into one of the Psalms in the biblical text…and perhaps most clear in the words of the psalmist is the foundational belief in God…when we believe in the Supreme Being and offer our worship, and sing praises and bring all that is life to God and have a true relationship, then God is most real and makes the most difference in who we are and how we are in the world…and yes, “God is good!” or “Ni mwe-ma” or “Mu-lun-gi” or “Dieu est bon!” which we’ll sing after Murray shares this passage with us…
MATTHEW 5:1-12
The beatitudes or ‘blessings’…with these nine blessings the world’s greatest sermon begins and in these Beatitudes we have heard the gospel in a different way than we’ve expected…Jesus has brought us alongside his own journey and given us an invitation to walk with him…and best of all, Jesus is the one who walks beside us…the truest gospel in this Sermon on the Mount is the One who gives the sermon: he is the sermon made flesh…so this morning, I share it with all of you from “The First Nations Version”…
FAITH IS A GIFT…..HOW DO WE SPEND IT?
You’re probably having a look at the title of this morning’s message and wondering what Jope is going to talk about today…well, with this being November, we had thought that the focus might be on something which can either be dear to some of us or float around in that place of the misconceptions that many folk talk about when they argue politics or argue religion -- “hey, that’s what churches talk about all the time – money!”…I’m sure you’ve heard this line many times before…
Well, I’m not going to shy away from the title of this message, ‘Faith is a gift…how do we spend it?’ and yes, the word spending does have certain connotations with stewardship…because, stewardship and faith are more than just words…they are everything we have when we finally say “I believe”…faith is intrinsically linked with our givings – the givings of tangible things and intangible things….the giving and sharing of our weekly or monthly offerings or the gifts which we have and unselfishly share with others (our time, talents, energies, compassion, our hope, and on and on)…faith is one of the countless gifts we receive from the Holy One and faith is something which we can’t keep to ourselves – it needs to be shared, to be spread around, it needs to be brought into action…it needs legs, arms, a voice, it needs eyes to see, ears to hear…it needs all of us – every part of us…
So, if faith is this most wonderful gift, how do we spend it or how do we use it?...if faith is something which has been given to us then how do we share it with the world and how do we begin to heal the world?...
I need to go back into my ministry developmental days and share with you something which one of my mentors shared with me…
“Jope, as a minister, you are going to learn all of the shortcomings and all of the bad and the weird stuff of your people…it will be easy to be overwhelmed by all that and be defeated by a too pessimistic assessment of them…just remember, your people, for any of their shortcomings and problems, are still God’s people, the ones that God has sent to be the church in your time and place…they are the best that God has got..”
Wow -- that’s you – each of you…with all of your shortcomings and all of your possible failures…you are all that God needs to do what God wants to do in the world…so if faith is one of the gifts (and a most wonderful one I have to admit) then how do you go into your world or THE world and use it so that it pays dividends?…
Well, the answer’s pretty simple…it’s what the disciples begged Jesus for – “Increase my faith!”…and we call out in the same way – Increase our faith!...Give us more volunteers!...Send us some rich people to help us raise this year’s budget!...Fix the heating system or buy us new tables for the basement!”….
And Jesus looks at us, for all our weaknesses and faults, and says simply, “You have all you need….You have been given enough faith to do what I expect you to do.”…Wow…
It came to me in our travels throughout Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and other areas in Canada and of course, very prevalent in this province also – the closing of churches – the amalgamation of communities of faith – church buildings becoming studios or homes or other designations…
The loss of faith or to put it into more common terms, the loss of commitment or covenant to further the Good News in this world… When’s the last time you phoned your neighbour and asked them to come to worship with you on a Sunday morning?....When’s the last time that you’ve put your name forward to serve on the Council?...when’s the last time that you reassessed your givings to your church, where the costs keep going up but your same amount hasn’t changed for five years?....it’s a question of faith and how we use it – how we spend it… it’s commitment and covenant and responsibility all put together…
We have already been given enough faith to be faithful disciples and what is considered to be ‘impossible’ or ‘ridiculous’ will be possible for us because of the amount of faith that we’ve been graciously given…if you truly believe that we are making a difference in Lakeview or North Glenmore Park or Signal Hill or beyond, or in people’s lives, then celebrate it!...make it even MORE celebratory!..
Make it so that the song which the Creator asks us to sing is truly sung...
And not just in our hearts but also so that it touches in the hearts of those who may find life challenging or down-right daunting…
Faith is a gift and how do we spend it?...well, really – we give it away... we give it away because it comes back to us ten-fold…
So, this November, reassess your world…reassess what it means to be followers of Christ…reassess the importance of this place of worship… reassess your faith and spend it recklessly… Amen.