Yesterday I went for a run. It was a special run for me. 

Yesterday I ran 21 kilometers, which is a half marathon. 

I didn’t run that far on my own. There were over 600 of us on this run. 

Half marathons are a very popular race. 

With every kind of social group, races have  own trads & habits & norms When you sign up for a half marathon, you get your bib number, 

but you also get a race shirt. 

Now some people will wear that special race shirt for the run. 

Others say you have to earn the right to wear it. 

That it is a testament to having run the race and  completed distance. Because not everyone who starts the race will finish it.  

So about half of the runners wore their new shirt yesterday 

as they struggled to run the race. 

The others will wear it with pride another day 

knowing they have run the race and have earned the honour. 

 

This got me thinking about how we talk about ourselves as Christians. Some people like to put on the label of Christian 

as soon as they start to trust and believe in God. 

Others are more hesitant to use that label to describe themselves 

until they are more mature in the faith. 

They don’t want to appear too overconfident. 

It is not easy to follow the Way of Christ. 

Sometimes we do stumble and fall. 

Sometimes we make mistakes and we fall into our old patterns of behaviour. Sometimes we don’t live up to the name of Christ in the way we live. 

 

 

 

 

We all have to struggle to be faithful. 

This morning we shared the story of Jacob, who struggled to be faithful. Jacob cheated his brother out of his birthright. 

He did this by tricking his father. 

Both his father and brother wanted him dead as a result. 

Jacob’s mother sends him off to her brother to escape their wrath. 

Jacob falls in love with his cousin, 

and his uncle tricks him by marrying the wrong girl. 

The two trick each other back and forth for several years. 

After crossing his uncle for the last time, 

Jacob figures he should head back home. 

Before he meets his brother, he spends one last night alone. 

And there he wrestles with God. At dawn, God leaves him. 

And God gives him a new name. Israel. 

His twelve sons become the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. 

In that moment, a nation is born. 

the name Israel means literally “He wrestles with God”. 

God was willing to use Jacob to create a nation. 

To fulfill the promise made to Abraham. 

Jacob’s name was not a blessing. His name was mud. 

But as Israel, his name is a blessing to many. 

 

It can be a struggle to be faithful. 

We don’t always have the tools and resources at hand 

in order to do the things we want. 

Our old patterns of behaviour can be quite hurtful to other people 

We can be too embarrassed when we make a mistake 

that we don’t feel we can even apologize for what we have done. Sometimes we can’t finish the race that we started.

 

 

Jesus told his disciples about a widow 

who was persistent in seeking justice. 

She beat the judge black and blue until he did the right thing.

She wrestled him to the ground and wore him down 

until he treated her fairly. 

She was persistent to the point of being a major pest. 

And that is  the way God is with us. 

God is willing to go nine rounds with us in a wrestling ring.

 

In a lot of the Christian hymns, we talk about walking with God. 

“Just a closer walk with thee” 

makes the life of faith sounds like a nice pleasant stroll. 

I think these hymns make Jesus sound like a nice polite friend 

we would enjoy having a chat with. 

Such images make us believe Jesus is just like us. 

We forget that Jesus is willing to wrestle with us 

on the big issues of life and death. 

He is willing to go to the wall over breaking the rules. 

Jesus is willing to be as persistent as that pesky widow 

in trying to get us to change. 

He is willing to get beat up and even killed in order to save us. 

He wants us to treat others with the justice and kindness 

that God thinks they deserve. 

 

When we talk about struggling to be faithful, 

we know it is not going to be a nice Sunday stroll in the park. 

Life is hard and mean sometimes.

we need a God who will face the demons which torment us. 

 

 

 

Stewardship campaigns are a difficult challenge for a church. 

It is a time to thank you for your support of the congregation. 

It is a time to let you know how we are spending your money. 

It is a time to ask for your ongoing support for the year ahead. 

It’s never easy for an organization to raise enough money. 

 

The key issue is trust. Do we trust the vision. 

If we trust what the church is about, 

we will give and there will be enough to do what needs to be done. 

If the vision is really strong, there will always be room for growth 

since we can always learn how to do more. 

 

Such potential for growth is inspiring. 

As Saint Paul says, 

“I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) If there is no trust in the vision, 

there will never be enough money to fulfill our dreams, 

because people will hold back. 

Jesus told us that 

‘Where your heart is, that is where you will invest your treasure. (Mt 6:21). If there is a lack of passion and trust, then every penny will be a struggle. 

 

At the half marathon yesterday I saw a lot of people struggling. 

It takes a lot of stamina to be able to run that distance. 

Towards the end some people were walking. 

But they did not want to stop. They wanted to finish the race. 

At the end of the race, the most common emotion I saw was one of joy. 

Joy at having accomplished a major challenge. 

Joy at knowing that you are stronger than your fears. 

Joy at knowing that even your aches and pains don’t get the final word. 

Joy is something we have to work for. 

Joy doesn’t just drop in our lap out of the blue. 

Sometimes you have to work really hard in order to make it to joy.

 

Not everyone makes it to joy. 

There will be days when we do feel like holding back. 

Our needs change. Our priorities shift. We get hurt along the way. 

In every case we need to ask if we trust in what God is calling us to do. 

We question if all this hard work and sacrifice really will lead us to joy.  

Sometimes it is good to remember the hard work 

which has already been done for us. 

Remember that God has trusted us with a lot. 

We didn’t build this place. We didn’t pay for it. We don’t own it. 

It is a gift which is being shared with us. 

We are invited to be the stewards of it. 

We are the caretakers for this generation, 

just as previous generations were stewards of it in their time.

 

It is a challenge knowing when and how to give, 

especially if there is no trust or joy. 

The widow did not trust the judge because he wasn’t listening. 

She responded by being persistent and in his face 

until he lived up to the vision of justice. 

Now we live in a polite society 

which frowns on little old ladies roughing up a judge. 

 

We need to learn how to be good stewards of the vision, 

of the ministry of Jesus Christ. 

If we are not happy, we should not be a selfish individualist who says  

‘I don’t like it so I’m taking my gift home with me’. 

God calls us  to discern together. To trust together. To risk together. 

To change together. To grow together.

 

It’s not easy working together. 

But it is the hard work we do together which leads us to joy. 

Thankfully it’s not all up to us. 

God is at work in this with us in all this. 

For it is God who has the mission. 

It is God who has the vision of the Kingdom, where there is healing, reconciliation, redemption and hope for us all. 

Stewardship is not about us setting our goals. 

It is about us discerning together what God is inviting us to do. 

God works with us, as we really are, 

with all our imperfections and weaknesses. 

God knows what we can and cannot do. 

 

At the race yesterday, not everyone ran a half marathon. 

Most people ran the 10km run, and quite a few ran the 2km Family Run.  

In the same way, God invites us to do what we can, 

so we can share in God’s ministry 

which is to share the good news of Jesus Christ in this community. 

 

At the end of the race yesterday, 

most people were quietly thankful when they crossed the finish line. 

Very few made a big show of finishing. 

The winner of the race crossed the finish line over an hour ahead of me, 

so I didn’t have reason to brag about my time.  

But I did finish the race. 

It is a profound feeling knowing you are stronger than your pain & doubts. Not everyone who started the race managed to finish it. 

But for those who did finish, they did receive a medal. 

 

Now we don’t give out medals for people who do run the race of faith. When you have struggled and persevered, 

you know you have accomplished something 

which can translate into a feeling of joy. 

As Saint Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, 

I have kept the faith.”  (2Tim 4:7) 

 

That sense of accomplishment is its own reward, 

for what you have done has mattered to God, 

and it has been a blessing to the world. 

When you have a sense of joy in what you do, no obstacle is too great. 

 

We can do all things, for Christ is with us. Amen.