Let us pray: O God, may your grace be upon us as we consider the ways in which you bless our lives. May these words which I speak be ones which remind us of your grace and blessing. Amen.

    Funny, how a little thing like a national ad campaign can throw the best laid plans for a thoughtful reflection into somewhat of a state of turmoil. Funny, how national ad campaigns have never been something I’ve had to worry about before! Originally, this morning’s reflection was going to be the third in a series of reflections which began three weeks ago, and was then ably added to by Elaine Stewart two weeks ago. The theme was “gifts” or “assets” and today’s reflection was going to be one which hopefully guided us to reflect on “why” I believe asset mapping is such a good way to live out our life as a Christian community.

    Then on November 7, something happened that while I knew the date, and the events that were to unfold, the full importance escaped me. I wasn’t watching the national television newscasts last Tuesday night, but apparently they covered it. It was only on Wednesday morning that Suzy handed me a package. Again it wasn’t that I hadn’t been expecting it. You heard earlier this morning a bit about the presbytery meeting that three of us attended a couple of weeks ago. There were several references to the Emerging Spirit campaign at the presbytery meeting and November 7 was the date mentioned for the launch of the new associated website wondercafe.ca but again the full impact of what was about to happen did not register with me. If you were listening carefully last week during my Remembrance Day reflection there was a brief reference to Emerging Spirit.

    So, I wasn’t quite ready for what happened when I opened that package. It contained this snazzy little binder and two letters. One from the new moderator David Giuliano and one from the Emerging Spirit team. It’s a procedures manual for local congregations. It tells how to set up a local site as part of the wondercafe.ca national site. Of course I went right in and added information about Yellowknife United Church, but then I started looking around. The magazine ads are in the manual. And there are directions for taking the ad campaign local - instructions for submitting ads to local newspapers, and conducting a direct mail postcard campaign. There are ideas for setting up wondercafe coffee service and order forms for free trade coffee and permanent and disposable cups with the wondercafe logo on them, along with a raft of other branded items. Been there, done that and yes, I’m getting the t-shirt.

    During three different meetings this week people mentioned the magazine ads. They’d seen it on television on Tuesday night. Norbert Poitras mentioned them in an interview with the Roman Catholic bishop, and Rex Murphy featured one of them even if only briefly on his Thursday night editorial.

    This is pretty big I was starting to think. And then yesterday I got an email from the General Secretary with a response to some of the Frequently Asked Questions and I may say, concerns, that have no doubt been pouring in to the General Council Offices.

    The most important thing to know from all of this is that Emerging Spirit is intended for thirty to forty-five year olds who have no church connection. The ad campaign, based on pretty extensive polling data, is meant to speak to them in a language and with a type of humour that will appeal to them and invite them into deeper reflection on the spiritual, moral and religious issues of the time. It’s not meant for people who are already attached to the church. It’s not meant to turn off people who have already made a commitment to be part of a community of faith, even though it may.

    It is going to affect who we are as a church and this is going to be lived out in local congregations. We’ve still got some work to do before we know how it is going to be here in Yellowknife United Church. I have already asked Dale to put it on the agenda for the next board meeting, and the ideas around welcoming are certainly going to be part of what the Community Life and Membership committee will be dealing with. It’s exciting and scary all at the same time - and this is only the beginning. It definitely feels like we are standing at a fork in the road, and one way is more inviting - the scenery looks breathtaking and the road has lots of curves. But that’s the problem - we can’t see down it very far, and we don’t know where it leads. The other way is straight and we can see for miles, more likely to end by dwindling than at the edge of a cliff. Not the same as the other path. Which one to take? Which one is God calling us on? Well, the Emerging Spirit team and this summer’s General Council Commissioners in some ways have decided for us, but we have our own decisions to make as well and as I say, this is only the beginning.

    So, that’s how my reflection on “gifts” got sidetracked. They say when life deals you lemons make lemonade. Now that’s an asset based proverb if there ever was one, except that this is not a lemon, it’s a sweet fresh juicy apple with just a hint of tartness.

    Most of the reflection on “gifts” is going to have to wait, and that’s okay - it’s a theme that can span a whole life’s journey if need be. So, instead let me give you just a taste of what you might have heard this morning, it’s connection with the scripture passages we heard a few moments ago and the ad campaign which sidetracked me so successfully and wonderfully this week.

    Why “asset mapping” - because it is a reflection of God’s grace and abundance. It focuses on what we have from God rather than on what we need. Because it’s a way of employing the gifts God gave us to do God’s work in a way that is exciting and fulfilling and which honours the particular gifts we have from God. Because it is open sum. It spins out into greater and greater connections rather than focussing in on needs and missing ingredients. Luther Snow, the proponent of asset based mapping for congregations calls it “half full cup” thinking. I thought that was a great tie in with wondercafe.ca and it reminds me of the widow who gave abundantly from her own small accumulation of financial assets.

    Finally, let me tell you a small story that connects all of this together for me. In 1985 I spent a year as the secretary for Calgary Presbytery. I was heading to seminary the following year and since I was on the nominating committee and we couldn’t find anyone else to do it, I thought it would be a good, time-limited experience. It also meant I got a copy of all the national church mailings. I cannot tell you how excited I was one night when I read in one of those mailings about a group called Ecunet and more importantly a national United Church committee formed to do some work on how small computers might influence our lives and the work of the church. Finally, finally, I thought - here is a committee which speaks to two very important parts of my life and which to that time had seemed completely separate. I could hardly wait to get in touch with them and find out more. One thing led to another and I joined Ecunet and I got invited to join the Small Computer Committee, unfortunately not long before it got unfunded out of existence, but enough time for me to connect with a group of people with whom I shared two parts of my life. That was an asset based experience - an opportunity for me to use the gifts God gave me in ways that were upbuilding of people’s understanding of God in the world. That same kind of feeling came this week when I opened up the package that had this binder in it. This time, however  it wasn’t just for myself that I was excited. I was excited by the opportunity that Emerging Spirit and wondercafe.ca  provides for the church and for people out there with questions and passions and needs. To quote the letter from David Giuliano: One thing is clear, something is emerging from the deep roots of our heritage that will not leave us unchanged. Amen.