Sermon: “Grounded – Taking Off”

Traci Hubbard                          June 28^th, 2026

My thoughts on the way to church this morning. The fact that someone saw a purple onion and named it a “red onion” irritates me. And just in case someone forgets to tell you, the compass was invented before the clock because direction was more important than how long it took to get there.

Have you ever watched an airplane prepare for takeoff? Before that massive plane can soar above the clouds, it must first be firmly connected to the ground. It needs fuel. It needs guidance from the control tower. It needs a crew working together. Hundreds of parts must function properly before the plane can leave the runway. The same is true for us, Lake Country Community of Faith.

We want to "take off" into the Spirit’s directions and purposes for us. We want to make a difference. We want to love people well. We want our Lake Country community and beyond to know they matter. But before we can take off, we must be grounded. We must be grounded in our relationships with one another before we can follow the Spirit and fly.

Each one of us must take our connections and grounding in our spiritual practices with the Spirit just as seriously as we do brushing our teeth and attending our doctor appointments. We must be grounded in our vision and mission. And it’s imperative to be grounded in one another, embracing the imperfections of our humanity, if we are going to have a healthy functioning body of diverse people known as the Body of Christ. When our connections are healthy with ourselves and the Sacred, when we are being honest, authentic, and maturing in our soul’s evolution, we find solid ground with one another and then our church becomes a powerful, energetic, fun, and undeniable witness to Lake Country and beyond.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus is getting ready to go on a much needed ascension, a vacation from his physical earthly ministry, and he tells the people he is not leaving without giving them a Helper to stand in for him. Jesus says, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth."

Notice Jesus didn't say the Spirit would merely give directions. He said the Spirit would guide. A guide walks with you. A GPS can tell you where to go, but it doesn't care if you end up in a Lake Kalamalka. The Spirit isn't a GPS.  She is Loving Mystery’s living presence walking with us.

Many of us have experienced moments when we were sure we knew what we were doing—until we didn't. I remember a time I thought I knew the directions to where I was going. After several wrong turns, I finally stopped at a gas station and asked for help. The attendant looked at me and said, "Ma’am, you're not lost. You're just somewhere else than where you intended to be." It will not shock you to learn that I rolled my eyes. Not at the attendant but at myself because this always happens when you and I do not consult the Spirit for guidance and purpose for how we live into our day. Without the Spirit's guidance, without connecting to our source of energy and love, we may be busy, but we will not be fruitful. We may be active but not effective. We may be moving but not advancing or growing. The Spirit keeps us grounded in LOVE’s mystery, paradoxes, and in our vision and mission so we can soar in LOVE’s purposes. When we listen to the Spirit together, we discover not only where we are going but who we are becoming.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, he reminds us that the Spirit gave gifts to people who would later establish physical places to come together in community "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." The desire of the Cosmos was never intended for a handful of leaders. The vision was never designed for spectators. Our community of faith is not a performance attended by an audience. It is a mission carried out by participants intentionally practicing the presence of the Spirit in their lives and then in community.

LOVE gave humanity a Helper who imparts diverse gifts, equipping everyone to be a part that matters immensely inside and outside our walls.  Everyone of us has a role, a purpose. Some elders are in the time of their human journey where what they can give and do best is listen, guide, and encourage. Some of you may think that inserting positivity in the face of spoken negativity is not important, but Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi strongly disagrees. Sometimes churches can become fascinated with programs, buildings, budgets, and schedules. Those things matter, but they are not the mission. Our mission is people. Our vision is people. And both depend on how we love ourselves, others, speak truth to power, hold ourselves accountable, and expose poison even when our voices shake. Why? Because exploring sacred texts and current events to find meaning is solid ground that sets us free to fly and we need a clear lens to explore. Jesus was not murdered for programs. Jesus was assassinated by the church and civil leaders because of his love for people. Every ministry, event, committee, and meeting should be able to answer, “How does what we are doing help people find meaning, experience love, and learn that they matter? How are we like the dandelion being blown by the Spirit and planted in hearts?

When our vision is grounded in the ways of Jesus and we are exploring ancient and new wisdom to discover meaning, we stop asking, "How can people serve Lake Country United Church?" We begin asking, "How can we, Lake Country United Church, serve people?" And that's when takeoff begins.

Paul gives us one of the most beautiful pictures of a healthy community of faith in 1 Corinthians 12. The church is a body with many parts. One body. Different gifts. One purpose. Different personalities. Knit together by one guiding Spirit. Paul even imagines body parts having conversations. He writes, imagine the foot says, "Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong." Imagine the ear says, "Because I'm not an eye, I'm not important." Can you and I imagine how ridiculous that sounds? Yet people say similar things in churches all the time. "I'm not a preacher."

"I'm not a singer."

"I'm not a leader."

"I don't have much to offer."

Do we want something perfect? Well, the Cosmos shows us thinking and saying things like that are perfectly - exactly wrong. Folks, every part...every one of you matters. Last Monday, JR had the task of placing the cutlery for our Thrift Store Volunteer Luncheon. Queen Elizabeth would have fired him.  Do you want to know why this man of travel and achievement didn’t know where forks and knives belong beside a plate? Because he pays attention to the person or the persons he is with, not the placement of the cutlery.

Imagine all the body parts gathered for their yearly annual general meeting. The eyes are first to stand in the pulpit, and say, "We do all the important work around here. Without us, nobody knows where they're going." The hands quickly interrupt saying, "Excuse us? We do all the work. We build things, carry things, fix things. You're welcome."

Then the feet stomp forward saying, "Oh please. You all sit while we carry and chauffer everybody everywhere." Then the ears chime in after tossing boxes of Q-Tips out into the congregation and say, "If it weren't for us, nobody would hear anything." And OHHHHH, the mouth cannot resist, clearing its throat it says, "Honestly, if we're ranking importance, everybody knows who does most of the talking." Then no one saw this coming, the stomach growls and says, "Interesting discussion folks. Just remember who's providing energy for all of you." The AGM gets louder and louder, no one is actively listening, and then it happens. The little toe who everyone believed only went “WEEEE WEEEE WEEEE all the way home” steps up to the microphone and speaks, but nobody noticed. So, the little toe speaks again. Still, nobody notices. Finally, the little toe shouts, "Fine! If I don't matter, I'll just stop serving in my function."

The next Sunday after the service was over someone slammed their foot into the corner of the cookie table. And suddenly the eyes were crying. The mouth was screaming. The hands were grabbing. The feet were hopping. The whole body was in agony. And every person – every part of the body realized what they should have known all along, even the little toe matters.

We may not notice the little toe often, but when it's hurting, our entire body knows it. And this is the message of the Spirit, every person, gift, ministry,  act of service, prayer, and every encouragement matters. Brene Brown from her book Strong Ground, writes and I agree, going forward, “We will not build on dysfunction.” M&P and I have been working intentionally and diligently to ensure that when we return together on August 2^nd, we will be meeting on strong ground so we can take off.― Brené Brown, Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit

Brene also teaches that, “The future can’t be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being. Systems can’t be controlled, but they can be designed and redesigned. We can’t surge forward with certainty into a world of no surprises, but we can expect surprises and learn from them and even profit from them. We can’t impose our will upon a system. We can listen to what the system tells us and discover.”

Friends, no one is insignificant in the kin-dom of LOVE. LOVE says, "If one member suffers, all suffer together, and if one member is honored, all rejoice together." This is more than organizational unity. This is family. When someone is grieving, we grieve. When someone celebrates, we celebrate. When someone falls, we help them up. When someone succeeds, we cheer them on.

The world often asks, "What's in it for me?" The body of LOVE asks, "How can I help you?" The world says, "You matter if you perform." Jesus says, "You matter because LOVE created you, transforms you, and loves in all times." And when the church lives this way, people notice. They see something different. They feel something different. They see grace…belonging…they see LOVE.

The goal of being grounded is not staying on the runway. The goal is taking off for the journey where the Spirit guides our vision, our mission focuses us, the body supports us, so we can go out into the world. Why? To meet lonely people, hurting people struggling families, forgotten neighbors and people who think God has given up on them and show them they matter. Judy has been with us two weeks and has already invited her neighbours to community coffee. Folks, every act of kindness, every conversation, every prayer, every ministry, is a runway. A runway in and through us where people encounter LOVE alive in us.

An airplane takes off because many systems work together. The church takes off when we stay connected to three things: The Spirit who guides us, the vision and mission She has given us, and staying connected to one another as the body of Christ – of LOVE.

When we are connected, we become a community of faith that rises above self-interest and reaches people with radical love. We become people and a place where every person, gift, and story matters. “The early church had no building, no money, and no political influence, and they turned the world upside down.” (J.D. Grear)

May we leave this time together committed to be grounded in the Spirit, grounded in one another and grounded in our radical affirmation of diversity, equality, and inclusivity for all. Why? So that together we can take off and carry the life-giving ways of LOVE to a world dying to know that it matters. May we be dandelions grounded in our compass because August 2^nd, it’s time to take off. May it be so, amen.