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Dear
Saints:
I
wondered what I might write for this
monthly message.
Initially,
I planned to say something about the Relay For Life event,
and even asked Faye Simmons to send me some information I might
include in my message.
But, the more I pondered it the more I felt I should share with you
a sermon I recently preached at St. Matthew:
What
God can do.
Writing,
as much as I enjoy doing it, has always been difficult for me, for
two reasons. First, I'm a perfectionist, and I just can't be
satisfied until I've got my thoughts down exactly as I want
them. Secondly (particularly when it comes to writing sermons),
the proclamation of the Gospel is serious business and, therefore,
shouldn't be taken lightly. Yet, even after the time and effort
I put into writing sermons, I'm not surprised to discover (usually)
that my finished product falls far short of doing justice to the Word
of God.
There
are those rare occasions, though, when God appears to use me in
spite of myself. I believe this sermon was one of those times—not
because I'm convinced this work is any better than my others—but
because I had numerous people tell me how meaningful it was for
them. Many also told me that other people, besides those who
attended worship on that sixth Sunday of Easter, needed to hear its
message. Therefore, I offer this sermon with the prayer that
God will use it to inspire and motivate you as well.
What
God Can Do:
I
know you'll find this hard to believe, but pastors can sometimes get
discouraged. I know. I know. Even now, as I look
out across the congregation, I can see the astonishment on many of
your faces. But it's true. I promise it's true. As
hard as it is to believe, pastors actually do sometimes get discouraged.
And,
you won't believe this one either, but I still have to say it.
Do you know why they sometimes get discouraged? Well, I told
you that you wouldn't believe this one either, but the reason—Are
you ready for this?—the
reason why they sometimes get discouraged is because the hopes they
have for the congregations in which they serve often don't come to
fruition. Try as they might, pastors just don't feel that their
efforts are making a difference or that any meaningful change is
occurring in people's lives.
Eric
Reed is the managing editor for Christianity Today
magazine. He recalls an occasion when he had been invited to
preach at a Good Friday service and (being the optimist that he is)
he wondered why he accepted it.
He
doubted whether anyone would even bother to show up. After
all, it was a Good Friday service, and no one comes to Good Friday
services! And, he thought, if anyone did attend they would more
than likely know the story of Jesus' passion as well as he.
Yet, discouraged as he was, he went ahead with it anyway.
Shortly
after Easter he got a message from the pastor of the
congregation. A man had approached him and explained that he
had attended the Good Friday service and, as a result, committed his
life to Christ.
It
wasn't exactly a Damascus Road experience. "I forgot my
glasses," he told the pastor, "and since I couldn't see
anything, there was nothing for me to do but listen to the sermon."
He
went on to share how a certain part of the message had challenged
him and, during that blurry hour of worship, it became clear to the
man that Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross had been for him.
A short time later he was baptized, and now the man and his wife are
active members of that congregation.
Okay!
Now, will all of you who are wearing glasses please remove them for
the remainder of the service? Better yet, give them to someone
else to wear. That way everyone's vision will be
blurred—then, all
of you will have to listen to the sermon!
The
reality is that a pastor's ministry doesn't always reap the results
he or she would like to see. But, that doesn't mean God isn't
working in a congregation. Sometimes, in fact, when a pastor
least expects it, he may be helping someone to come to faith in
Christ or grow as a disciple.
We
have a sign hanging out in the narthex over the entrance to the
sanctuary. I believe it was hung during the call process as you
prayed about and searched for a new pastor. It says (to put it
positively) that "With God all things are possible."
What a great reminder that is!
So,
when I become discouraged I have to remind myself that I can't
change people's hearts and minds. I can't make them stop
destructive behaviors or to believe in Jesus. Nor can I make
people do what they don't want to do when it comes to the church.
I
can't, for instance, make them increase their giving to the church
(By the way—we're
running quite a bit behind what we were receiving last year at this
time. We need your generous tithes and offerings to carry out
our ministry here at St. Matthew). Nor can I make people give
of their time and their talents to the ministry and mission of this congregation.
Only
God can do these things. But when I say this I'm not resigning
myself to fate. When I say that only God can do such things
it's not an admission of hopelessness.
To
the contrary, to say that only God can do such things is actually a
statement of faith. It is because I know the God of the Bible
and what he can do.
I've
seen him melt recalcitrant hearts and heal broken spirits.
I've witnessed the transforming power of God in the lives of men and
women addicted to alcohol, other drugs, gambling, or sex. I've
watched him restore relationships and rebuild lives that were
devastated by divorce or death or abuse or abortion. I've seen
him change those who felt their lives were of little value or worth
into people brimming over with purpose.
No,
to say that only God can do such things is to acknowledge what God
can do. And, what I've seen him do in the lives of others he
can do in your life, too, and in the life of this congregation.
May
I say that once again? What I've seen God do in other people's
lives he can also do in yours, and what he can do for you he can also
do for our congregation. I believe this. The question
this morning is do you?
A
few weeks ago Tom Hanrahan and I were discussing the book The
Purpose Driven Life. He mentioned that he sometimes likes
to read the last chapter of a book first so he can get an idea of
where the author is going with his work. He had done that, too,
with our book and was looking forward to talking about chapter 40
when we got there.
Well,
if you were to read the 21st and 22nd chapters of Revelation you
would learn where everything else written in the scriptures is
going. Revelation 21 and 22 provide for us the culmination of
God's redemptive plan for humanity and all creation.
After
Satan's defeat and the Day of Judgment, chapter 21 describes the new
heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem. As John draws us
the picture, the old heaven and earth will pass away and be replaced
by new ones.
Then,
the new Jerusalem, the Holy
City, will come down from heaven "prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband" (v.2) and, with it, the proclamation that God's
new home will be with his people. With his presence will come
victory over death, and mourning, and pain.
Revelation
21 continues with a detailed description of God's new home—the
new Jerusalem. Then, echoing the prophet's vision in Ezekiel
47, John turns his attention to the temple—there
won't be one! There will be no need for one since "the
Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" will be its temple (v.22).
There
will be no sun or moon either for the glory of God and the Lamb will
shine so brightly as to eliminate any need for created light
(v.23). And from the throne of God and the Lamb will flow a
life-giving river that nourishes the "tree of life," which
will produce a fruit for the healing of the nations (22:1-2).
"Nothing
accursed will be found there anymore" because sin, death, and
the devil will have been defeated. Everything and everyone will
be found pure and holy in the splendor of God's redeeming presence.
Now,
think about this for a moment. If God can do this, just
imagine what he can do in your life, and for our congregation!
Sin is bondage, says Luther. We don't achieve our potential as
individuals and as the church because—free
though we are in Christ—we
still are in bondage to sin while we continue in our earthly bodies.
If
we've been baptized and believe in the sacrificial work of Jesus on
the cross for us, then we're saved—we're
the redeemed people of God. But being declared righteous in
Christ is only the beginning. Unfortunately, many of us are
stuck right there at the beginning. But God wants so much more
for us!
In
chapter 10 of John's Gospel Jesus announces, "The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life,
and have it abundantly" (v.10). But, many of us don't live
abundant lives in Christ. Many of us merely subsist in
him. How sad this is.
Maybe
we should pay greater attention to the things we say and do in our
times of worship. Maybe, then, we could catch a vision for what
God wants to do in us and—if
we are willing—what
he can do in us (for God coerces no one).
Take,
for instance, the Prayer of the Day for this sixth
Sunday of Easter, which reads, "O God, from whom all things
come: Lead us by the inspiration of your Spirit to think those things
which are right, and by your goodness help us to do them".
Proverbs
29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (KJV).
We
must be inspired by the Holy Spirit if we are to have vision.
May
I ask you—what
is your vision? What do you want to see God accomplish in your
life? What do you want to see God accomplish in our
congregation? I can assure you this: Unless, and until, we rely
upon the Spirit of God to inspire us to vision, we won't have one.
Jesus
says in today's Gospel that "the Holy Spirit . . . will teach
[us] everything" (Jn. 14:26). The beginning of developing
a vision for what God can do in and among us is to look to the
Spirit. If we do this he will inspire and lead us into a vision
that is consistent with the will of God.
Pastor
Mike Foss of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville,
Minnesota, says this about vision: "Vision is a clear picture of
the desired present and the preferred future. Vision is the end
toward which mission drives. .
. . Clear
vision releases imagination, creativity, and innovation in mission. . .
. Vision
aligns the passions of all kinds of people around common goals.
Vision unites the hearts and efforts of many in realizing today as
much as possible of the future we are moving toward" (Power
Surge, pp. 130, 132).
Foss
mentions several things about vision in this quote, but I want to
focus on one aspect of it for now. He says, "Vision is the
end toward which mission drives."
And
what is our mission? Each congregation must work out the
specifics of that mission as it relates to the unique context in
which it carries out its ministry. But, generally, it may be
summed up in a few words.
Pastor
Rick Warren of Saddleback Church does this well when he writes in The
Purpose Driven Life, "The mission Jesus had while on earth
is now our mission because we are the Body of Christ.
What he did in his physical body we are to continue as his spiritual
body, the church. What is that mission? Introducing
people to God! .
. . Once
we are his, God uses us to reach others. He saves us and then
sends us out. .
. . We
are the messengers of God's love and purposes to the world" (p.282).
I
recently had a conversation with a former member of this
congregation. This person explained to me that they left St.
Matthew a few years ago because, although the liturgy was beautiful,
there didn't seem to be any spiritual vitality here. The word
of God, I was told, wasn't alive and active. It seemed to this
person that St. Matthew just rocked along without any clear sense of purpose.
Not
long ago I spoke with a currently active member at St. Matthew.
During our conversation I was told that for the time being St.
Matthew isn't in any danger of folding—we
have a strong base of support. But, this person said, that
base of support is getting older and we aren't attracting enough
young families and individuals to replace those who are passing away.
As
this person sees it, outreach and evangelism ought to be top
priorities for our congregation. Other areas that we discussed
were: 1) the need for greater flexibility in worship—especially
with the use of technology and visual aids, and 2) the need for a
playground that would be located in a conspicuous place so visitors
and folks passing by can see that we are a child-friendly congregation.
In
regards to this last one—thanks
primarily to Connie Sieg and Patty Chappel—we've
made tremendous strides over the last six months with our Nursery
and the introduction of a Children's Church.
According
to Rick Warren every Christian and every church has a mission, which
is to introduce people to God. According to Mike Foss
"Vision is the end toward which mission drives," and
"[c]lear vision releases imagination, creativity, and innovation
in mission."
I've
been with you now for over a year. I've spent much of that
time trying to get to know you and re-build the trust that you once
had in the pastoral office before that trust was violated.
Now,
however, it's time to begin moving forward. We need to clearly
understand our mission and catch a vision for accomplishing it.
I can't tell you, yet, exactly how this will take shape. But I
can assure you of this: God is a God of surprises. And, however
it develops—it
won't look like it has in the past!
If
we are to move beyond life as usual—both
as individuals and as a congregation—we'll
have to take some risks.
On
an individual level we'll have to address those areas of our lives
where sin holds us in bondage and prevents us from living faithfully
as disciples of Christ.
On
a corporate level, we'll have to be willing to give up some of our
sacred cows that hinder us from moving into the 21st century.
We're going to have to change to meet the needs of the culture in
which we now are living.
Now,
I know this doesn't sit well with some folks, but as Rick Warren
writes in the opening sentence of the first chapter of his book,
"It's not about you."
It's
not about us. Frankly, folks, we're not here to get our needs
met or to make ourselves feel important by exercising control over
people, or areas of ministry, within the congregation.
We're
here to be shaped into faithful followers of Jesus. This, by
the way, will always be an uncomfortable situation for us.
Spiritual character is developed in the crucible of suffering.
We're
also here to worship and glorify God, which can be done only if we
are striving to be faithful disciples.
And
finally, we're here to introduce people to God. Outreach
committee chair, Allena Sperry (along with Jimmy and Laurie Johnson,
and Mary Jo Banks), has been working diligently to carry out this mission.
But
three or four people here, and three or four people there, cannot
carry the load. Therefore, I invite you this morning to
consider your calling to discipleship and evangelism (two things all
of us are commissioned by our Lord to be and do). I encourage
you, too, to begin praying regularly that the Holy Spirit will
inspire and lead you to become creatively involved.
What
natural abilities do you have? What spiritual gifts have you
been given? You don't have these things for nothing, you
know. Or, to serve only yourself. God has made you who
you are knowing you would be crucial to the operation of his body—the
church. When you remain uninvolved the whole congregation suffers.
John
the Revelator had caught a vision—one
given by God—of
what the church and the world could become in Christ. What
about us? What can we become?
This
is no time for discouragement. So, I urge all of us to start
envisioning now what we (both as individuals and as a church) can
become in Jesus—and
then—get
involved!
If
we do this there's no telling what God can do—for
all things are possible with God!
Christ
is risen!
Oh,
you may put your glasses back on now.
Grace
and peace,
Pastor
Larry |
