In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul encourages the Christians in Corinth to show gratitude and to give generously to support people in need in Jerusalem during a time of famine and starvation. The need is real, but Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians to give out of a sense obligation or guilt. Instead, he says, “everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They should not give with hesitation or because of pressure, but out of what Paul calls a cheerful heart,” or a heart that is not bitter (9:7).
From Paul’s perspective, God has the power to provide us with “more than enough of every kind of grace.” That is to say, we always have everything we need and more than enough for every kind of good work (vv.7-8).
          In other words, shame and guilt don’t work as ways to motivate people! It doesn’t work to shame or guilt people to give, and it doesn’t work to give out of shame or guilt either. When we give out of such emotions, we are not giving out of a cheerful, or a blessed, heart.
          Yet, we also don’t want to give out of obligation either. Giving is not simply a matter of duty. It is not about paying our dues, and it is not about supporting a church budget. Yes, we have increased the budget in 2023 by 3%, but giving encompasses more than that: Giving comes out of gratitude for God’s abundant blessings.
          That’s the focus: on God; when we focus on God, the gifts follow! Indeed, all that we need, as a congregation, is right here. It really is! All the gifts, all the treasures, all the talents, are here! God has given them!
          As we share in gratitude, how may we express our faith generously? What might that look like for our ministry and in our community? Where is God seeking to break through and touch our hearts so that blessings will flow?
          As we celebrate a season of thanksgiving, may we also show our gratitude as well! 

Rev. Dr. Andy Kinsey

In households, garages, kid’s rooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens around the world there is someone looking for that lost grocery list,  the misplaced checkbook, a missing shoe, the out of sight tool,  the one pen that works, car keys, or yes the phone they are talking on.  And in those households, garages, kid’s rooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens around the world someone is saying, “it's right here, right in front of you.”  Or if you are in my mom’s house you would hear, “if it was a snake, it would a bit ya!”  Whether it is the tangible items in life or intangible things of the heart and soul, that which we seek is often found in plain sight.  Including God. 
I wonder, how many times do we walk right past the glory of God and don’t see it?  How often do we pass by God’s promises and don’t notice?  How often do we ask, “where is God” and fail to see God breaking through before our very eyes?  Instead, we fill our days with busyness and business.  We scurry and hurry to try to prove ourselves worthy and valuable.  We try to convince ourselves and others that this craziness is all worth it.  Instead, we worry about what the neighbors think, how much money we have in the bank or if we are ready for whatever waits around the corner.  We doubt.  We question.  We can be petty, picky, and presumptuous.  We put our security in things and strive for whatever is bigger and better, the newest and fastest.  We become consumed by what we consume emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.  We pretend we aren’t afraid but if we’re brave enough, to be honest, we are. Afraid of loss, failure, and judgment.  Afraid of what we don’t know, of not having control, and of what may or may not happen. 
Luke 12:22032 is often used to tell people, “do not worry,” “do not be anxious,” and “do not put your faith in anything else but God and God alone.”  I suggest we listen again to the words of Jesus and perhaps hear how God’s presence, provision, peace, protection, mercy and love are closer than we sometimes know.  In this section of scripture, Jesus speaks to us through his words to his early followers.  They brought their frustrations and disagreements about money and wealth to him; wanting to know who was right and who was wrong?  What was the right way to handle money, save it, spend it, invest it, and how much was enough, too much, or too little?  
They expressed their worry, fear, and anxiety about the current state of affairs, who was the ultimate authority, what were they to do, how were they to respond, when would everything be back to normal, what was normal in this Kingdom of God’s?  What did God want them to do?  How would they know if they got it right?  What did it mean to let go of everything and follow him?  They clung to their material possessions, not knowing what else to hold on to.   They were not asking how or where they might see God, but that was the question Jesus answered because that was the truth that would release them from their worry, doubt, or fear.  They had to learn to see God in plain sight to understand God’s presence and purpose. 
In Jesus’ day, people lived in a shame and honor system.  The more stuff you had; land, livestock, possessions, status, education, and wealth, the more honor you were given.  And for those with less or nothing, the more shame you had to deal with.   It is easy to see then how the accumulation and significance of stuff; material things became entrenched in the minds of people.  If you had stuff, you must have money or other stuff to trade, and therefore you must have wealth, status, and security.  It was the only way you could guarantee your livelihood and take control of your future.   If you live long enough with that kind of understanding and value system, you come to believe that is where your worth, security, and identity is found and before long you are living and seeking the kingdom of self rather than the kingdom of God.  It’s no wonder we don’t see God unless something major happens, or we don’t feel God at work unless something big takes place.  
We set ourselves up for failure and frustration when we live with that kind of mindset or understanding.  It is more difficult to see God's breakthroughs if we have filled all the internal spaces of our lives with worry, doubt, fear, anxiousness, skepticism, regret, and blame, and all the external spaces with material things.
Jesus never ordered anyone to live in such a way.  He did not pull his followers aside and say, “umm, so here’s the deal: God sent me to fulfill the law, redeem the world, and restore the kingdom, buuut just between you and me, you might want to take all you can while you can, make sure to get more than you need, don’t let go of control, and put your faith in only what you can see.”  What Jesus did say, however, was “Do what is good, beautiful, and true.  Be the best you can with what you have and what you know.  Do the best you can with what you have and what you know, and leave the rest to God.  If you have more, great.  Seek God, live to make God’s kingdom a reality on earth, love others, and let God do the rest.  If you have less, great.  Seek God, live to make God’s kingdom a reality on earth, love others, and let God do the rest.  God is with you all the way.”  
When I was on the coast of CA and then in Australia, I saw some amazing flowers.  I guess because they were different they stood out more but they were only doing what they do best and God did the rest.  The colors and shapes were stunning.  The texture and detail were incredible.  The patterns and lines were captivating.  When I think of those flowers I realize the truth of Jesus’ words, “Consider the wildflowers…how much more does God love us.”  In plain sight, God reminded me that God is a God of past, present, and future and all is well and all will be well.  The same was true about some of the birds I saw. The colors.  Shapes.  Detail.  Pattern and lines.  Even the Cassowary; a prehistoric looking and aggressive creature, but beautiful nonetheless.  Again scripture tells us, “look at the birds of the air…yet how much more God cares about us.”  In plain sight, God reminded me that it is God who holds the future and all will be well. 
When I came back I saw God breakthrough in other places too.  Places not so far away but in the actions, words, and faces of those around me, around us.  I was reminded that God breaks through when we, like the flowers and birds, do what we were meant to do and let God do the rest.  When we engage in things like:
Spiritual Formation 
Listening
Sharing
Community
Worship
Mentoring
Celebrating
Connecting
Serving
Remembering
Loving unconditionally 
God in plain sight. 
There are many examples of God breaking through in plain sight if we look.  God’s breakthroughs are not always big and bold.  Loud and in your face.  But they are miraculous.  They are life-changing.  They are transformative.  They do reveal the very presence of God with us. May we have the courage and desire to pay attention. 
Amen
Pastor Jenothy Irvine

The great Baptist preacher Carlyle Marney once remarked that a person can be understood as being like a house: we have our living rooms where we entertain, and we have our garages where we hide the trash. The way to observe All Saints, he suggested, was to walk out of your house and into your front yard and salute the people on your balcony. The “balcony people” are those who have gone before us and given us encouragement along the way, who have left us a legacy of mercy.
That’s what we do on All Saints: we salute all the saints who have gone before us, and whose devotion to Christ provides us with the faith we have today. In fact, we would probably not be here without those who have shared with us their faith in Christ.
That is what we hear in our passage from the Letter to the Hebrews: we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (12:1). Here are the people on the balcony cheering us on, telling us stay focused on the pioneer and perfecter of our faith: Jesus Christ (12:2)!
They are the ones, as Joe Trueblood said last week, who have broken through the line of scrimmage, like a fullback, blocking ahead of us, and helping us to get through. They know how to play the game, so to speak. They are the ones who have shown us what a living faith looks like, trusting in the One who has broken through death and come out the other side to life eternal.
Therefore, when we think of saints, we typically think of people who are committed to Christ, or who have loved God and their neighbor with their whole heart and mind (Mt. 22:32-40).  Yet too often, we also think of saints in some exalted sense, or in a way that seems to be superhuman. This is not a good way to think about saints. When we remember the saints, we want to remember those who are ordinary people, or those nobody remembers but whom God loves and knows.
It is, of course, in keeping with Jesus’ ministry, for Jesus did not reserve his teachings to just an inner circle. His ministry, as I understand it, was wonderfully open and public, reaching out beyond the bounds of his disciples, to include the great and the small. He welcomed everyone, even folks we would not expect.
In fact, I think sainthood is one of the miracles of the church: look around you, and you will see the miracles of God, or the ‘communion of the saints,’ as we say often in the Apostles’ Creed.
Therefore, the saints include all of us who seek to live in faith and struggle with doubt and who know they stand in need of grace and forgiveness. After all, says Martin Luther, we are both “saint and sinner” at the same time, always prone to leave God for something else on the one hand, but also always open to the Spirit’s power on the other (Luke 15:11-31).
I believe that when we come to this kind of realization, a breakthrough is taking place: God is breaking through in our lives and opening us up, to use us for amazing purposes, taking our hearts and turning them outward.
How do we see God breaking through? What is God saying to us? Where can we celebrate these breakthroughs? 

Rev. Dr. Andy Kinsey