"Sent by Jesus"
July 5, 2009
Mark 6:1-13
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Mark 6:1-13 6:1He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." 5And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Pray: O wondrous God, O God still speaking, still active in this world, still bringing about a transformation and renewal to our lives-we praise you, we worship you, we open ourselves up to you and your guidance. Give us the faith, strength, and courage. Send us out, Lord Jesus, that we may proclaim your love. Bless the speaking, the hearing, and the living, of your Holy Word. Amen.
In a small rural town in Oklahoma, although the Methodist church there had once been a vibrant part of the community, in the last decade the congregation saw a sharp decline in participation. Their women's fellowship stopped meeting; the folks didn't call on one another; neighbors became strangers to one another. It was as if the Spirit had left the people, the town, the church. In fact, attendance got so low, the elders decided to close the church.
But when the Bishop heard what was transpiring, he sent in a new minister to pastor this spiritually dead church and see if God could put a little new life into it.
Now, the pastor spent the first week calling on as many members as possible, inviting them to the first Sunday service. But every effort failed. In spite of many calls, not a single member showed up for worship! So the pastor placed a notice in the local paper stating that since the church was dead, the pastor was going to give it a decent, Christian burial. The funeral for the church would be held at 2 p.m. on the following Sunday.
Morbidly curious, the whole town turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, there was a large casket, smothered in flowers. After the eulogy was given, the pastor invited the congregation to come forward and pay their respects to the dead church. The long line of mourners filed by. Each one peered curiously into the open casket, and then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look. For inside the casket, tilted at just the right angle was a large mirror. Each one saw his own reflection in the mirror as perhaps never before!
I use that illustration to make a point about participation and the investment each of us places in the viability of our church. So often we look to others. Blame has been passed around so much in this church it has been sickening. Blame the UCC, the pastor, the complainers, the music, the state of conflict, the lack of a youth program, the Sunday School, the council, the people that speak up, the people that are quiet, the people that don't come, the new members, the old members. Have I left anyone out? I want to make sure I get everyone. Because here is the truth: Before you start blaming anyone else, before you see that speck in your neighbor's eye, you better examine your own faith. Take the log out of your own eye. I don't say this to be mean or to pick on certain people. I myself need to be reminded of this again and again. Take a look at yourself. How are you building up the Church of Jesus Christ? If you approach God with that kind of openness, that kind of repentance, God will help you to see the things you need to see and to act in the ways you need to act. God will heal you-forgive you, overwhelm you with love and grace and acceptance. Jesus will walk with you, help you in your daily struggles. Because here's the thing-Jesus is sending you out into the world. You are to be a living testament, a living example of Christ's love.
This morning's scripture has Jesus, our Lord and Savior, sending out his disciples. They were sent by Jesus to do the same work that Jesus was doing: proclaim the good news, heal the sick, help out the poor, reach out to the unwanted, those on the fringes of our society, letting them know that all are loved, all are children of the Most High. To let all the lost sheep know the Good Shepherd cares for them and that in fact has sent his followers to bring them into the folds of God's grace once again. And we realize that we too are being sent by Jesus, sent out into our own community with that same message of redemption and salvation, that same good news.
Sent by Jesus. Jesus was pretty darn brave, had such wondrous faith, because he entrusted his legacy to just a handful of followers. What if they didn't tell the message of Jesus and God's love? What if they didn't step out? What if the followers just took care of their own, sat around, shared stories of Christ with themselves, went to some great fellowship activities, ate some awesome food at potluck dinners, but never tried to reach out to folks who didn't know, didn't know the power of what God could do in their life? The church is threatened with extinction with every new generation. We must carry on the message, must reach out, or it will all die.
Sent by Jesus. Here are some more hard words for you, words I tell you because I love you, because God loves you. Whether you stay in the UCC or not, if you do not reach out, you will die. If you have only an inward focus, if you only think of yourselves, you will die. I have invested over 8 years in this church. I have grown to truly love this church like an extension of my own blood. I have such great love for all of you, and I do not want to see this church die out. I see an older congregation, and though there are some younger folks who are active, there are many more who are not. The days of just assuming that our children will simply come to church because we did are over. For the most part, they're not even in the neighborhood anyway. This church must reach out, or it will die.
Jesus sent them all out 2 by 2. I'll start there. Don't try and do it alone.
It's not up to just one person, not up to just the interim or your next settled
pastor.
The next bit of advice is to consider what you carry with you. Jesus didn't
want his disciples to take anything that might weigh them down, distract them,
especially things of this world, like material possessions. He wanted his followers
to know that they depended on God and God alone, and that the Lord would see
to their needs. Believe me, I need to hear that message, especially considering
what Jan and I feel called to do. But there are other things we cling to: guilt,
past hurts, hopes and dreams, opinions, disappointments, grief-these can weigh
us down as well. Make sure what you are taking with you, what you are offering
is Jesus Christ, and sometimes you need to take a look at that mirror again
to make sure you know where your heart is. Hold up the mirror
And if folks refuse to welcome you, refuse to listen to you, don't let it affect you. Shake the dust off your feet and move on. Reality tells us that not everyone will accept the words of life offered through Jesus Christ.
Sent by Jesus. We must reach out. And notice I didn't say we had to reach out only to people who are not members. We simply need to reach out. Although the church must reach out to folks in the community as said by the vision and long term planning committee, start with folks you know. Every person here knows someone who's not here today, for whatever the reason. Invite them to church. You're about to get an interim. Even with some of the anxiety and uncertainty of the future, this is a time of great hope for this church. Even the division among you is forcing you to re-examine your faith, your beliefs, and what you hold dear, to try and determine the kind of church God wants you to be. Though there may be struggle and disagreement and fallout, for crosses are never easy to bear and they always cost something, in the end, I hope and pray that you will emerge with a greater sense of identity, a greater sense of purpose, and a greater faith in the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sent by Jesus. We must reach out. Erwin Soukup has compiled what he terms "The Seven Steps to Stagnation" for a church:
1) We've never done it that way before. (These seven words, above all others,
have been known to kill a church.) 2) We're not ready for that.
3) We are doing all right without trying that.
4) We tried it once before.
5) We don't have money for that.
6) That's not our job.
7) Something like that can't work.
Soukup admits that "there's probably an eighth step, but we've never looked
it up before."
Sent by Jesus. You must reach out, step out in faith, be willing to try, to
be daring, to feel the boldness of the Holy Spirit. Since Susan Drake sent me
two more CDs recently, I've been listening to them often, and I was preparing
for this sermon, I thought of another song she wrote called "Strange Land."
It's a song about how we tend to insulate ourselves from the rest of the world.
We don't want to be bothered with issues of justice; we don't want to take that
mirror out and look at ourselves and what is happening around the world.
She starts off:
I just want to take care of my own,
Make my list, my plans, and have my home. And then she starts singing over and over, "I don't want to think …" From the second verse:
I don't want to think …
'bout how faith pushes us past gratitude.
I don't want to think …
'bout love demanding more than just platitudes. I don't want to think …
'bout the personal price of justice. I don't want to think …
'bout trying to love neighbors who can't trust us.
And then the chorus:
It'd be so easy to turn away,
hide our face, run as fast as we can.
Not to think, not to blink,
bury our heads in the sand.
But we've all been strangers in a strange land, and we've all needed an outstretched hand.
Isn't that what love demands?
Sent by Jesus. Isn't that what love demands? We can't hide ourselves from the world. We must reach out, be willing to talk about the issues of this day, dare to take a look at our own lives, our own world, and see where God is challenging us with the scope of Christ's love. And that means taking out that mirror, to give ourselves over completely to God, to shape us into what God wants us to be, and then to send us out. And we all have a part to play. We are all being sent by Jesus.
God will give you the courage, the strength, even the faith to step out, to reach out. Never doubt in the power of God, my friends, in the ways God can use all of us. And never doubt in the power of God to transform our lives, to renew our faith, to accept us in all our faults and then help us to become more like Christ, to walk with us on the journey as we are sent by Jesus, to know on such a profound level, even to our very souls, that we are God's children, that we are loved, that we are needed. Sent by Jesus. Christ is counting on you. Christ is counting on you. Amen.