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Sermon Synopsis
6th Sunday after Pentecost
June 22, 2008
Called as God's People
Equipped by the Holy Spirit
Sent to Boldly Proclaim the Love of Jesus Christ to All People
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm 69:7-18
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew10: 24-39
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and one's foes will be members of one's own household."
(Silence)
Come on Jesus, do you really expect us to believe that? After all, you said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." You told us to love one another as you have loved us. You said that we should love our enemies and do good to those who hate us.
Oh sure, we can understand you saying that when talking to the disciples. After all they left their families to follow you. And, when this gospel was written, Gentiles and Jews left the family religion to believe in you. What's more, missionary efforts today influence people to leave their religions in such countries as China and India.
But, Jesus, this is America. We are a Christian country. We follow Judaic-Christian values. What's more, look at our congregation: WELCA does so many good things, so does the men's group. Many of us usher, serve communion, and read the lessons. We even had an entry in the Christmas Parade and look at our Christmas Gala, how many it draws and what an outstanding event that is.
Jesus this wouldn't happen to us.
Let us think about family dynamics. In every family, whether it is the nuclear family, the extended family, a community family such as this, a group of workers, or a neighbor group, there is an emotional system that is created. Just imagine, in whatever that family group is, that the emotional connection is like a bungee cord connecting everybody with everybody else. And we all want that bungee cord to stay "just so," not too tight, not too loose. If anyone changes the way they think or act the bungee cord either tightens or loosens. Everyone changes. What happens when someone changes the way they look at life, their value system, their perception of values? It can get uncomfortable. It can create the conflict that Jesus is talking about.
Let us think about the second reading for today and the gospel comments. They are connected. Paul says that when we are crucified, we die a death like Christ and are raised to a new life in Christ. Jesus said to pick up the cross and follow him and that when we lose our life for his sake, we will find it. That means we will change the way we think, the values we have, and the way we look at life.
When we hear the word "conflict," we consider some kind of squabble or fight. That's not necessarily the case. There are five levels of conflict. (The five levels were identified in the bulletin: a problem, a disagreement, taking sides, a church fight, and an intractable situation.) Conflict is not necessarily bad. There are the three "C's" of a good relationship, communication, commitment, and conflict. It is in conflict that we have an opportunity to understand one another.
The first level of conflict is a problem. It happens all the time. Problems arise. Let's identify three problems facing the congregation. There is the ELW hymnal. There is the frequency of communion. There is the perception of what the congregation is all about, what the congregation is to be and what it means for the kind of pastor OSLC calls.
The second level of conflict is disagreement. We all have disagreements from time to time. We don't see things from the same perspective.
There are those who look at the ELW Hymnal and note that there are no military hymns and that verses have been removed from certain hymns. Furthermore there is inclusive language that takes away meaning for some people. There are others who see the ELW Hymnal as a great resource of ten liturgies, many selections for service music and great new hymns we can use.
Some people do not want communion every Sunday. They argue that it makes it less special. Besides it creates more work for those who prepare the altar. And, let's face it, the worship is longer. Other people look at communion as something in which they want to participate every week and wonder why they can't because others don't want it. The congregation also has a ministry for guests who are tourists. In their home church they might receive communion every Sunday. Furthermore, what if someone comes who might just experience communion at a time that is critical for them.
For the third item, the congregation needs to take a look at the diagram in the bulletin. There is the "Old Church" and the "New Church." The Old Church was some twenty years, or so ago, when the church was in the center of the culture. The culture blessed the church and the church blessed the culture. Everyone, so it seemed, went to church. The leader of the congregation was the professional. His/her clients were the members. The leader baptized, buried and married the members. S/he visited the sick and shut-ins, called on people to check and see how they were doing. If new people visited the congregation, s/he visited them. If people stopped coming, s/he visited them. It was his/her responsibility.
The New Church is what is happening now. The New Church is at the margins of the culture. The New Church is no longer relevant to the culture. Official statistics say that about 50% of the people in this marketplace worship. Unofficially, about 15-25% worship regularly. So, the New Church has perceived that it must return to being missional. The leader's main focus is not to serve the members, but to empower the members to care for one another. His/her responsibility is to empower the members to reach out, to be missional. After all, the congregation's identification of God's purpose is:
Called as God's People
Equipped by the Holy Spirit
Sent to Boldly Proclaim the Love of Jesus Christ to All People
It does not say that the pastor is sent. John 3:16 does not say the God so loved OSLC. It does not say that God so loved America. It does not say God so loves the straights. It says, God so loved the world.
However, we humans want to be in agreement. When there is disagreement, we find people who will agree with us rather than dialogue with those who disagree. So we choose sides. That's the human way. Let's remember what Peter reminds us at Pentecost, namely the Prophet Joel's comment that the Spirit of God will rest upon all people. We are all children of God.
Somewhere between the second level, disagreement, and the third level, choosing sides, Jesus is no longer Lord.
The problem is that the world sees us all labeled. It is comfortable to follow the world. There are blue and red states. There are conservatives and liberals. There are orthodox and revisionists. There are contemporary and traditional. There are black and white. There are European Americans and Hispanics. There are gays and straights. There are "ins" and "outs."
OSLC is blessed with having identified God's Purpose. It also has identified Guiding Principles:
1. We follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
2. We trust God and have faith in His plans for us
3. We are nourished through regular Bible study, prayer, worship, communion and fellowship
4. We answer God's call to be disciples and share his Word
5. We share our spiritual gifts to benefit God's Kingdom on earth
6. We support, encourage and pray for one another in the ministries of our church, community and the world.
We begin by acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord, which helps us not to choose sides but to recognize that we are all one.
What we understand is that we can keep from separating family members when we remember our baptism and that we have died a death like Christ and have been raised to a new life in Christ. We acknowledge that and are willing to lose our life for Jesus sake and pick up our cross and follow him.
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