Looking Forward to October 25, 2026

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
• Matthew 9:35-38

For Children's Time I am adapting "Canoe Vespers", an idea I learned at camp this summer.

The Sermon title is Teamwork Makes...

Early Thoughts: What Team(s) are you a part of?  Why be part of a team at all?

Paul understands it. Paul knows that it is not all about him (in this instance at least--there are other times when I wonder about that). Paul knows that it takes a team to grow the Beloved Community. 

Writing to a church that, it appears, has deep divisions within it Paul wants them to get past their divisions and soak into the unity of Christ. There had been another teacher, Apollos, in Corinth besides Paul, apparently after Paul had been there. Now some members of the community are claiming allegiance to Paul while others to Apollos. In and of itself this is a relatively normal thing in human communities -- people are more bound to one leader or another for a variety of reasons. But it gets to be a problem when it becomes a source of competition or division. Especially when in the end, they are all on the same team.

Then we have the Matthew passage. Jesus sees the need and responds. Immediately after these verses, at the beginning of chapter 10, Jesus commissions the inner circle of 12 to go out and proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven has come near. The task is too much for one person (Jesus) alone, it takes a team to get it done.

To be in community means to, well, be in community. The life of faith is not something we do alone. No one person is responsible for keeping the community going. It is a team endeavor. Only when we work together, sometimes with disagreement to be sure, but together we make the community function. Together we make things possible.

I wonder.... how many of you automatically finished the saying begun in the sermon title? What is the dream we are trying to make work in the faith community we call St. Paul's? In the wider communities of Grande Prairie, or Alberta, or Canada? In the wider church of the United Church of Canada? In the wider community called Christianity? What is the dream? Who makes up the team?

One of my favoured readings for weddings comes from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 4:

9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up the other, but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Over and over Scripture reminds us of the importance of not trying to go it out alone. As a team we support each other, we pick each other up, we share laughter and tears. We are stronger when we recognize that, as Paul says, "[one] plants and [another] waters but God gives the growth".

I believe this is a stewardship question. I believe that it is the best use of our resources, our energy, our gifts to pull together as a team, with God as team leader/coach.

SO who is on your team?
--Gord