May 9, 2004
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Today
begins a sermon series exploring the Mission of the Church. A mission, a purpose
is a reason to be who we are, it says why we exist, and what we will be about in
this place and in the world. The series will last a while as we consider the
mission and purpose of our congregation. Let me
state clearly what the mission of the church is not. The mission of the church
is not to make us feel good or to meet our every need. It is not to provide a
place where we meet our friends. The purpose and mission of the church is not to
give us a beautiful place to gather on Sunday morning. All of that can happen.
All of that does happen here and all of that is good, but it is not the mission
of the church. The
mission of the church is not to be the place where all of our prejudices are
confirmed. This is not the place where our limited views are maintained or where
our way is the only way to know God in Jesus Christ. It is not the place where
we draw a line in the sand and pronounce either set of the last words of the
church: “we have never done it that way before” or “we have always done it
this way”. The
mission of the church is not about mere survival or maintenance.
That is too low of a goal for God’s people. Unless one is critically
ill, life is not about just making it from one day to the next. It is about
living life as fully as possible through all of the ups and downs of life. The
same is true for the church. God has higher expectations for us than just
getting by, and I want us to have high expectations too. Like that little train
that made its way up and over the hill, I believe we can be the little church
that grows bigger because by the grace of God, we believes that we can, and
because we believes, we work and pray hard, and in our prayer and work there
emerges a vision of what can be and from that vision a plan emerges and from
that plan exciting and life changing ministry will emerge. So what
is the mission of the church? The May newsletter has what I understand to be the
mission, vision and purpose of this congregation. It is: “to
be and to share the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving, and serving
from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.” “We will live that claim by declaring that as followers of Jesus
Christ, who loves and cares for all creation, our purpose here at Broad Street
Christian Church is to be a safe and welcoming place for all people seeking a
spiritual home where their relationship with Christ can be nurtured and
strengthened.” The
mission of the church and of we who are in the church, is to bear witness to the
good news of Jesus Christ in our lives and in the lives of people who want to
know him. It is to arrange the introduction between Christ and seekers who are
looking for one who will love us unconditionally, show us powerful grace and
healing and tender mercy. It is to serve people who are already inside and to go
out to meet people and to invite them into this house of prayer and worship. It
is not a matter of doing one or the other, the mission of the church is to do
both at the same time. The
mission of the church is to enjoy our life in God and to thrive in the abundant
life that Jesus came to bring us. In
this Easter season, on this side of the resurrection of our Lord and Christ, on
this Mother’s Day, let’s declare that we will do for the church what many of
our mothers and other nurturing women have done for us, let’s help it to live
and grow and dream and work. Let’s help the church see that nothing is
impossible with God (Luke
1. 37), and that
the church of Jesus Christ is open to everyone. Our
call here is to be open to people wherever they are, in whatever circumstance
they find themselves, even if we have been told otherwise. It is true that here
at Broad Street, we have little experience of this, but it is still too true
that the Sunday morning worship hour, whether that hour is 7.45, or 8.00, or
10.00, 10.30, or 11.00 am, is the most segregated hour in America because people
cannot be sure that they will be welcome to walk through the doors of any house
of worship they choose. That is not only true about race, but about income and
education, and attitudes about theology and worship. Such attitudes are
changing, but it remains so that in some places, this prayer could be our
prayer: “We
admit holy God, that we find it hard to hear your promise of new life. Even when
we are dissatisfied with our lives, it is easier to cling to what we know than
to risk the unknown. You challenge us to accept people who are different from
us, but we are not eager to associate with them. You command us to love one
another, but some people are not so lovable. O God, melt our defenses so we can
accept your love and let it flow through us. Grant us courage to embrace
newness. Amen” (Gathered
in Love by Lavon Bayler. Cleveland: United Church Press, 1994, p. 94). It
could have been Peter’s prayer too. It was certainly his message for the
leaders in Jerusalem. As
Peter tells them, while he was resting on a rooftop he, had a hunger induced
vision. It was really a vision of inclusion, and of honoring all that God has
made. Then he was invited to meet with a Gentile soldier, Cornelius and when he
goes to his house, Peter eats at this table and tells the story of how God sent
Jesus into the world to redeem the world, and things happen that he could not
have predicted. The whole story is told in the tenth chapter of Acts, Eugene
Peterson puts the last verses of the chapter this way: “No
sooner had these words come out of Peter’s mouth than the Holy Spirit came on
the listeners. The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn’t believe it,
couldn’t believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on
‘outsider’ Gentiles, but there it was – they heard them speaking in
tongues, heard them praising God. “Then
Peter said, ‘Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water?
They’ve received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did.’ Hearing no objections,
he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked
Peter to stay on for a few days.” (Eugene
Peterson. The Message. Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1993, p. 261). When Peter gets back to Jerusalem, Peter has to explain to the
leaders of the church, who still think of themselves as an exclusive group, why
he ate with Gentiles, and why he had presided at their baptism. Peter takes his
time and tells them that the Holy Spirit makes no distinction concerning who it
is that will receive the gifts of the Spirit or who will come to know the saving
power of Jesus Christ. And if God and Jesus Christ and the Spirit make no distinction, why
should we? I was at a meeting here at Broad Street last week in which one of the
leaders talked about the ways in which a healthy congregation, no matter its
size is one that understands itself and its mission to be faithful, effective,
and innovative. Peter has stood before leaders in the church there in Jerusalem,
and he stands before us now to call us to set aside all that would get in the
way of this congregation being all that God is calling us to be. Here is how he
helps us. Peter
claimed his faithfulness. He took hold of his trust in God and let himself be
led to a place he had not been before. Everything that was in him, all of his
background as a faithful Jew would have told him not to enter a Gentiles house,
and certainly not to eat at a Gentile’s table. They were too different, their
food wasn’t prepared correctly, they were unclean and whoever ate with them
would be made unclean too. But
Peter was faithful to the voice of God, and when God declared that all that was
made by God’s hands and in God’s image was indeed clean, Peter listened. He
listened to the voice of Jesus saying, “Go, make disciples of the world and
teach the good news wherever you go (Matthew
28. 18-20). He
responded by accepting the invitation to go to Cornelius’ house and to broaden
his point of view by coming to understand that God will touch and shape and mold
and turn around whomever God will. We can do the same thing, especially when we
do the other thing that Peter did. Peter remembered. He remembered that Jesus
had promised a day when the Holy Spirit would come upon believers. He had seen
it descend on Cornelius and his household. What could he do, there was not way
he could get in the way of God, there was no way to hold back the movement of
God. It was a good and beautiful thing. We are
called to listen to what God is calling us to do in this church and I do not
hear God saying, sit still and hope for the best. We respond to God’s call by
finding opportunities to do ministry. Are there children who need our care,
houses we can help build, a safe haven we can provide? Can we lend an
understanding ear, a soft shoulder, a hospitable place that demonstrates our
love for God’s people in ways that make clear our love for God? That is what
the church is about. Can we broaden our view to see the needs around us and do
what we can to meet them? Can we remember that God who loves us, and redeemed
us, and covers us by the Spirit wants to do the same for others so we share the
good news we know? Peter
claimed his faith and then he spoke effectively. He spoke so effectively that
lives were changed. He told his story in a way that led Cornelius on the one
hand and the leaders on the other to find their own kind of repentance. What is
our story? It is indeed that of a congregation that leads the way among
Disciples in Columbus in celebrating God’s people in every age, and race, and
orientation. That is good, and that is where we start. As we tell the story of
our diversity will we also invite others to join us in a way that will be
effective enough in our witness that others will want to be here? Soon the
EZEKIEL Project will begin working on a plan for growth. The stewardship
ministry team will be planning on ways to support the plan. What would you like
to see us do? We have received some suggestions already. We want to hear more.
Let us know, we want to hear from you. That
day in Jerusalem, Peter claimed his faith and he spoke effectively. Then he
acted innovatively. Like John in Revelation, he saw the new thing God was doing
and he felt himself called to be part of it.
He took some risks and did some things he had not done before. It would
have been easy for him to stay where he was and not go to see Cornelius, but he
did. He could have stayed away from the leaders in Jerusalem, but he didn’t.
Peter could have held on to all of his prejudgments about who he would break
bread with and who could be baptized, but he let them go in order to grab hold
to the new thing God was showing him. Like
Peter, we are called to take some risks for our faith, to discover the best ways
to worship and learn and nurture and reach out, and speak out, and act out of
our faith when we are led to do so. When Peter risked, he gained some new
insight about who was in the family of God. Cornelius learned that God could
turn him around from unbelief to strong belief. The leaders in Jerusalem learned
that they too could turn from what they had always done to the new inclusiveness
that the church would practice. Like
all of them, we can trust the spirit at work in us and around us. We can be the
church on a mission of life and health and growth and claim the vision found in
these ten words that show we trust Jesus Christ to be with us now and in the
future and they ought always be on the lips of Christ’s people: “we can do
all things in him who strengthens us” (Philippians
4.13). What
can we do? We can choose faithfulness and trust God for all that we need. We can
choose effectiveness and plan and implement the plan that will get us where we
need to be. We can choose to be innovative and do new things and expect good
results. Our
mission begins here and stretches around the globe. God has called us to reach
out, to witness and serve, and to be a safe and welcoming place. May God give us
the strength and will to fulfill our mission and as we do, may Jesus Christ be
praised. Thanks be to God.
Amen. Dr.
LaTaunya M. Bynum |
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Broad
Street Christian Church
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