Stewardship 2 - Taking a Drink

This is the second post in a series of four on stewardship that reflect 4 sermons leading up to our annual stewardship campaign.
On Sunday September 28 we focused on Exodus 17:1-7. Again it is a follow-up reading that continues the journey of the Israelites on their way to the promised land. Once again we see that folks are complaining about the state of things as they are running short of good fresh drinking water and complain to Moses that they would have been better off remaining in Egypt gathered around the flesh pots. Of course we know that this isn't true and yet we can hear the frustration and concern from the community. The story goes that once again God hears the complaints of the people and direct Moses to strike a rock at a place that gets names massah and meribah. God says to Moses that when he does this water will come forth like a spring. Moses obeys and the people receive life giving water.
The second sermon in our series is focused on worship and our need to commit ourselves to regular attendance in worship as part of our stewardship. It builds from last week that first you have to commit yourself to a vision and then you have to live it out. As a faith community the most basic and fundamental way in which we live out our vision is through worshiping together.
While this might not seem like an obvious link to the Exodus reading, I'll ask you to think about water as a metaphor - as something that gives life; as something that is basic; and as something that every person needs in order to live life abundantly. When you see the image of water in this light it is possible to see worship in the same way.
Worship is a basic element of who we are as Christian people. It defines us, shapes us, nurtures us, challenges us, comforts us and afflicts us. Worship calls us to empty ourselves in order that we might be filled-up by the Spirit. Worship takes us on a journey into a deeper relationship with God through Jesus our Christ. Worship provides us with a space to reflect on our everyday lives and how we are living out our discipleship. Worship renews us and while it calls us in it also sends us out with a vision and a mission into the world. Worship is our water! Without it, as a Christian, we would surely perish.
The second part of our annual stewardship campaign is to ask people to pledge regular worship attendance. It builds on committing to the vision of our congregation for it is in and through worship that we discover how that vision is to be lived out in a manner that is rooted in our tradition and the bible. The vision sets the boarders and worship starts to fill in the empty space. Can you commit to regular worship attendance?