When you looked in the mirror this morning, what did you see?

Now, if you’re like me, you didn’t see much except a blur, at least until you put in your contacts. But once you got those lenses in, or your glasses on, or rubbed the sleep out of your eyes after staying up late to watch the Red Sox, when you looked in the mirror this morning, what did you see? A mother, a father? A son, a daughter? A wife, a husband? Maybe you saw a teacher, a business person, a homemaker, a student. Many of you looked in the mirror this morning and saw a Christian.

But did any of you look in the mirror and see a minister?

Now, I know about now you’re probably thinking, “Well, you may have seen a minister when you looked in the mirror, Jean, but I certainly didn’t.”

Or you might be saying to yourself, “Oh no, not the ‘we’re all ministers’ sermon again!” Well, it is true; this is not the first time I have preached on the ministry of the laity, nor – I warn you – will it be the last. And the reason is simple: each of you is a minister. And if you don’t believe that, all you have to do is look on the first page of your Notes and Notices insert – at the very top, above my name, it says “Ministers: All Members.” That’s YOU!

And the reason is because the ministry of the laity is a fundamental element of our faith. After all, Christianity began as a lay movement founded by a lay person; Jesus was neither a member of the Saduccees, the priestly class; nor was he a Pharisee, who were keepers of the law; nor was he a scribe, basically an interpreter of the law. He was a member of the laity. And yet, he became the most important and influential religious leader of all time.

Through Jesus, the distinctions between religious classes were abolished forever. We see this not only in Jesus himself, but also to whom he was first revealed. To whom did the angels first announce the birth of Jesus? The lowly shepherds in the field. And who, on Easter morning, found the empty tomb? A group of women -- considered by the society of the time to be second class citizens. Jesus came first not to kings and emperors and religious leaders, but to regular folk, to lay people. In short, Christianity is a revolution of the laity.

Two weeks ago, we celebrated Laity Sunday, when a number of members of this church led worship. Many thanks to all of you, especially preacher Cliff Fowler, for offering your special gifts and talents in this special way.

Indeed most of the ministries of this church are carried out by lay people. The word laity comes from the Greek word laos, which originally meant the whole people of God. Minister is another word for servant, particularly a servant of God. Thus, the ministry of the laity literally means the whole people of God serving. This means everyone – not just the ordained clergy, but all of you as well. Some people think that it is the laity who go to church and the clergy are the church. But the fact of the matter is without you, the church would not exist because you are the church.

Another term for the ministry of the laity is the “priesthood of all believers,” language that comes from both the Old and New Testaments, and it suggests that everyone is a priest. In Exodus [19:6], God tells Moses and all the Israelites: “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.” In this morning’s Old Testament lesson, the prophet Isaiah tells the people of Israel, “You shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God.” [61:6].

In Peter’s first letter, he writes to the people of God, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.” And in the book of Revelation, John writes to persecuted Christians: “Christ has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” [1:6, 5:10].

Today is Reformation Sunday, the day Protestants throughout the world remember and celebrate our particular Christian faith tradition which had its roots in sixteenth century Germany. I think it is important for all of us, particularly those who are new to the Protestant tradition, to understand what the Reformation was all about and why we set aside this day each year to remember its legacy.

In the early sixteenth century, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther – who wrote our opening hymn, “A Mighty Fortress” -- determined that the Church was not faithfully living out the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. In response, he assembled 95 theses, or declarations, about how he thought the Church should be reformed, and he posted them on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517. The ideas he advocated were so radical and revolutionary that they changed the face of Christianity forever, and they included a reinterpretation of the role of priest.

In simplest terms, a “priest” was and is one who speaks to God for the people, a person who serves as an intermediary between people and God. But Luther believed that scripture supported the concept of the “priesthood of all believers.” He maintained that every Christian has a personal, direct relationship with God that does not need to be mediated by anyone. He also advocated the right of every person to read and interpret the scriptures themselves rather than through a priest. And he contended that every Christian is a minister with a calling from God.

The priesthood of all believers is made up of anyone who has been baptized – regardless of at what church, or in what Christian tradition, or at what age. Now, if I were a betting person, I’d wager that probably about 99% of you have been baptized, and if you have, that means you are a minister, too. Baptism is your acceptance into the body of Christ and your commissioning to participate in Christ’s work in the world; in short, baptism is your ordination into Christian ministry.

In our Gospel lesson this morning, we have the call of the disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John. Like the shepherds in the field and the women at the tomb, these people were regular folk, too. They weren’t part of the priestly class, nor did they have religious backgrounds or educations. And yet, Jesus called them to do his work in the world. He didn’t go out and recruit the elite, or the wealthy, or the righteous. He didn’t seek the philosophically wise or the intellectually sophisticated. He didn’t demand their perfection, or their repentance. He simply called them as they were, ordinary people doing ordinary tasks. And through these ordinary people, Jesus was able to do extraordinary things.

And in the same way, Jesus calls us, people who – despite our fears and doubts about our faith, despite our lack of confidence in our knowledge of the Bible and Christian theology, despite the times we separate ourselves from God, people who despite everything are called by Jesus to do his work in the world.

In addition to this being Reformation Sunday, it is also the second Sunday of our Annual Stewardship Campaign, which supports our church’s operating budget. As I wrote in this month’s issue of The Link, it was just three years ago that I interviewed for the position of Pastor with the Search Committee at this church. That evening, we sat in the Fireplace Room, asking each other questions, sharing information, and getting to know each other better.

I remember at one point in the conversation, Elaine Henriksen talked about the need to welcome into this family of faith a new generation of people who could volunteer their time and talent, because the dedicated workers who had carried this church through some of its difficult times and “lean years” were “getting tired.”

In the ensuing three years, our congregation has been blessed with new hope, new faith, and new energy. Every Sunday, we welcome newcomers to worship; our church school has grown; we have expanded our ministries and program offerings; and with your generous support, our last two Annual Stewardship Campaigns resulted in a doubling of pledging to the church.

However, there is still much work to do: not only do we continue to rely on our investment fund to balance our budget, but, for the most part, the same faithful volunteers are still carrying the brunt of the workload. If they were tired three years, they’re exhausted now!

For that reason, we are adding a new dimension to this year’s Stewardship Campaign: we are asking that you pledge not only your gifts of treasure to our beloved church, but also your gifts of time and talent.

You should have by now received in the mail a campaign packet, which includes a pamphlet containing information about stewardship in general as well as our church and our budget. Also included is a blue pledge form with an extended list of opportunities for you to become involved in our church — not just in task-oriented capacities, such as boards and committees, but also in spiritually-fulfilling groups, such as bible studies and our Prayer Shawl Ministry. If you have not received a packet, please pick one up in the lobby, and prayerfully consider how you will offer your gifts of time, talent, and treasure to the First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ. Consider how you will pledge to become engaged in the life of our church this year. Consider how God is calling you to serve.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? When you look again, may you behold a minister! Amen.

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