Combining Resources – Part 5: Combining Resources (continued…)
Combining resources can mean, “I have money. You don’t have a job right now, but you have skills. Help me with some yard jobs I’ve had trouble getting to, and I’ll be more than happy to pay you.”
In Isaiah 58:6-7 God asks, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen? … To share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” That last phrase, your own flesh and blood, could mean those in your extended family or the greater family of God.
Maybe combining resources means that a church in a more affluent neighborhood becomes partners with a low-income, inner-city outreach, and together they decide what each has to offer the other.
Or, it could be a congregation in America becoming a sister church to one in Russia or India or Bolivia, for example. They find out what each can give and receive, and then join forces to the glory of God.
One last reason to combine resources is that it is a marvelous testimony to the world. The film Witness, starring Harrison Ford, portrays a glorious barn-raising sequence in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country. The year is 1984 and early in the day we see the horse-drawn carriages converging on the building site. The men arrive with their carpentry tools strapped around their waists, and straw hats on their heads to protect them from the sun. The women immediately begin preparing food. To raise a barn in a day is a big job, but many hands doing many jobs will make it possible.
It’s thrilling to watch as the first huge side frame is ready to be raised into place. Possibly as many as thirty men are involved with the ropes and pulleys. Before long it’s up—careful, yes!—and standing.
Little children stop pounding on their play projects to take iced tea or lemonade to sweaty workers. The barn is slowly taking form. Soon the four side frames are standing and we see a structure that is large and impressive. This is no small project.
The team works with precision. Additional bracing and support pieces are fitted into place. The builders appear to be everywhere—working on the roof, hammering together frame work and siding, fitting floors on the inside.
Now it’s time to stop for lunch. And what a marvelous spread has been laid out by the women—chicken, potato salad, breads, garnishes. The men are hungry and they appreciate this feast.
Afternoon work includes teaching the older boys some basic building skills. The women quilt. The job is going to get done—that’s obvious. Now there’s time for more socializing.
As the sun lowers, the carriages start leaving for home. And there against the sunset stands a magnificent barn that wasn’t there when the day began. That’s combining resources. In spite of the unusual clothes and old-fashioned ways of the Amish, these people made an impression on me as a viewer. I said to myself, “There’s something extremely good here. If a barn burns down, or a young couple gets married, these folks don’t have to face the unexpected all alone. In turn, they will be loyal to the group and help when someone else has a need. This is the way it should be. And it is all done with such ease and grace and joy. How wonderful!”
As we learn from this illustration, combining resources can be attractive and attainable. We won’t start by building a barn in one day, but it’s good to know that a project that big is a possibility once we get adept at working together.
Maybe you’ll begin by sharing a garden plot with someone. Try anything that challenges the mind-set that says, “Whatever I do, I have to own it or control it all by myself.”
If I could guarantee that life will never blindside you, that a mate will never die, that disease will never attack your family, that a business will not fail, nor barns ever burn, we could probably forget about learning to combine resources. But life isn’t that predictable. We need to develop skills to help us survive changing times. And if we can learn to combine resources, we’ll be assured that we won’t have to face the unexpected all alone.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
