When You Least Expect It

“When You Least Expect It”
John 3:11-17
Mission Jamaica Weekend
Todd Buegler
June 10, 11 & 12, 2006
Lord of Life


Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and from Jesus Christ, His Son and our Lord, who brings us to new life. Amen.

I would like to begin our time together this morning with a little quiz. Nothing hard…we won’t record your score…I’m just looking for some information that might be helpful for the rest of the morning.

I would like to ask you to stand if:

• You have ever gone on Mission Jamaica.
• You have ever donated material to go into the shipping container or a suitcase going to Jamaica.
• You have ever packed food for Feed My Starving Children
• You ever bought something at the MJ silent auction
• You ever enjoyed a funnel cake at Maple Grove Days or the Osseo Lion’s Roar
• You have ever made a donation to Habitat for Humanity of time or money.
• You have ever brought a child to Parent’s Night Out, or have ever volunteered at a Parent’s Night Out.
• You have ever been a prayer partner for a Mission Jamaica Missionary, or have ever prayed for Mission Jamaica.
• You have ever made any kind of donation or have given offering to Lord of Life.
• You have ever worshipped here (this one is a trick question…think about it…)

I asked you to stand because many times we see or hear about particular ministries or activities of the church and we say to ourselves, “that’s nice…it’s great that they’re doing that.” But look around the room. Mission Jamaica, like all of the other outreach ministries that we support, is not “them doing that.” This is us. All of us. You are a part of Mission Jamaica.

You may be seated.

Mission Jamaica isn’t just about the people in funny shirts going on a trip. This is a ministry of our whole congregation, reaching out to touch the lives of these children, and many, many others in Jamaica. Today we celebrate this ministry, and what God is doing to touch the lives of the people of Jamaica, and the people of Lord of Life who participate in it.

Mission Jamaica is a “When You Least Expect It” experience. People go on Mission Jamaica with certain expectations about what is going to happen there. Pastor Peter said in last week’s sermon that if you want to make God laugh, make plans. The corollary to that statement is that “when you least expect it, God acts. Usually in ways you don’t expect, God acts in our lives and in the lives of others.

A quick summary: While the Mission Jamaica organization works in many different ministries and projects on the island, Lord of Life was involved in 3 ministries this past year: The first is Westhaven, an orphanage for children in the mountains about 45 minutes outside of Montego Bay. This is a home for children who are developmentally disabled, most of whom have been abandoned. At Westhaven, we provide direct care for the children and work on construction and repair projects to raise their quality of life.

Next door to Westhaven is the Place of Safety, a place for boys who have nowhere to go, or safe place to be, or where boys are sent by the courts. There, our team also works on physical projects to improve conditions, or leads simple Vacation Bible School sessions to make God’s Word alive for them.

Our third set of projects was a medical team that worked in Montego Bay, providing medical care for residents. People who would otherwise receive no care would line up in the early hours of the morning and sometimes wait all day to see a doctor or a dentist.

I’ve asked two friends to come and to share their experience of Mission Jamaica this past year. The first is Larry Stokes. Larry is a long-time member of our congregation, and is a leader in our Alpha program. This was his first-time on Mission Jamaica.

The second is Phil Leith. Phil has been on 6 Mission Jamaica trips and has seen the growth and development of the children. He and his family are also active in our congregation and in our community. If you go to the CROSS Community Players production of “The Wizard of Oz”, you will see Phil in a vital role. So please join me in welcoming Larry Stokes, and Phil, the “Mayor of Munchkinland” Leith.




“When you least expect it”, God acts. This should not surprise us. God has been doing this work for thousands of years.

• When Moses least expected it, God appeared as a burning bush and called him into leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
• When the Israelites least expected it, God chose a shepherd boy who would become king, to defeat a giant.
• When the disciples least expected it, Jesus changed a little bread and wine into a feast of grace that will feed the world.
• When the world least expected it, God changed death into resurrection and new life, for you.
• When Larry least expected it, God took his plans, that his week would be limited to good, hard labor, and turned him into a Word of hope for a young man named Marshall.
• When Phil least expected it, God took Phil’s plans, shaped by years of work at Westhaven in the past, and turned them into new relationships with these children.

There is nothing magical about Jamaica. It’s not as if God is more present there than God is here, in Maple Grove. Sometimes, however, it is stepping outside our comfort zone, and being willing experience what we don’t expect that opens ourselves up to great opportunities to grow in our faith. If you are at all interested in experiencing this next year, I invite you to talk to the people who will be at the tables between worship services today.

But whether it is in Jamaica or in Maple Grove, remember that God acts in your life, and does so with love and with grace. And remember that that love and grace comes not only at times we anticipate. God works in His own time and way. We need to open up our hearts to God’s work in our life. Be open to where God is calling you to stretch. And then wait, because when you least expect it, God acts.

Amen.