Coming off the sidelines
Commentary
Object:
A certain congregation has many problems as they survey the community where they exist grows more secular and obsessed with school sports. Fewer volunteers want to do ministry work in the church and several building projects need to be completed before the year's end. The finances are tight, the pastor is spread out thin in terms of what is expected of him or her and many people wonder, "Why not just stay home and watch church on TV?" One group within the church believes they have some great ideas as to what should be in this church to improve things (as they remember them in times past). However, this group wants other people to carry out their ideas because they believe they have "done their time." Another group in the congregation believes they have some solutions to the church's problems but believes if they had the right pastor or if the current pastor would follow their directives, there would be much improvement. Still another group thinks hiring a consultant group may be of assistance. So when the weary pastor comes to the office after another hard week of work, he or she is greeted with a bulletin from another church that an anonymous person has placed on their desk with a note attached saying, "We visited this church, why not have some of the activities and worship order this church uses." In all of these situations, people who remain on the sidelines of the main activity of the congregational life have new ideas, but nobody is planning on coming off the sidelines. Each of the three texts for this Sunday is an invitation to come off the sidelines and get into the action of doing ministry in this season of the church called "Pentecost."
Exodus 3:1-15
A certain person says, "I would like to help out in the church ministry, but I do not have background or training for such jobs." Welcome to the world of Moses. He was neither a prophet nor a priest, but rather a shepherd. He is a wanted criminal in Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15), and he is working for his father-in-law Jethro. He is married to Zipporah and has a son named Gershom. In many modern organizations Moses would have a "tarnished" name. In scripture, God does mighty works through vulnerable humans such as Moses at Mount Horeb. For Christians who have had setbacks in their vocations, family situation, or education, this text reminds all people that God called Moses -- who was hardly a person who would be invited to give a university commencement speech. Moses is being called off the sidelines of the wilderness and invited to be a major player in the game plan God has for Israel.
God appeared to Moses in fire amidst a bush, not a bush that is burning to a crisp. Rather than being frightened or repelled, Moses was curious, which lead to a calling. This account might be called a theophany experience, for which there will be more in the future (for example the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses, Elijah and Jesus, Matthew 17:1-9). Both sound and sight are used here by Moses, as God uses natural fire and a bush to act as messenger and a God who enters into world or creation of God's people. Moses could not look at God directly, as this could mean death. One theme for preaching here might be the "holiness" of God. Do people in our American culture regard anything as being "holy" these days? Possibly there has been "divine initiatives" taken in the lives of people, community, and work, but they are ignored.
God recognizes the suffering of the people in Egypt. God is not at the sidelines but actively suffering alongside the people who are in bondage in Egypt. God is commissioning Moses for this divine project of freeing the people. God remains good for God's promise to Israel's ancestors since Abraham (Genesis 12). Initially Moses hesitates as he does not see himself as a "transformational leader and turn-around pastoral" figure of his time. God's initiative to enlist Moses persists. God still wishes to maintain Moses' and the nation's integrity. God does work alongside his creation to deliver people from bondage and provide gifts of freedom. It is part of creation theology. Some have argued this could be called a "God in process" or "Process Theology" (see writings of, John Cobb, Terence Fretheim, and Tyrone Inbody). God not only calls people from something to some new life as well.
Exodus 3:7-9 is where God identifies the plight of his people and enters into this suffering alongside them. Exodus 3:10 is God asking Moses to come off the sidelines and get directly involved by way of confronting the Egyptian pharaoh. Who are the powerbrokers in any given community the people in our congregations exist in and at what level dare we challenge them? Is there a time to "fight city hall" in any particular town? Moses protests! Does God have to send Moses to a "leadership" workshop or does God work with what he has in Moses? Are there problems and issues in our community that continue to stand like a big elephant in the room, which many people are afraid to address? This text is an invitation to reflect on such mission of the church. God persists in the effort to invite Moses to participate in the same suffering relationship with the people of Israel as God experiences. [source: Terence Fretheim, Interpretation a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Exodus (Westminster John Knox, 1991)]
Romans 12:9-21
The next time some careless driver who is text messaging in a crowded parking lot and they run into your shiny, clean car, consider the final verse of this text, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). This whole passage can give anybody's spiritual muscles a good work out! For those who protest that they do not seem to be growing "spiritually" from the pastor's sermons, here is a real feast of mature spirituality to consider! "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good" (Romans 12:9). These texts invite people to grow as disciples themselves -- rather than sit at the sidelines to watch other Christians stretch their own faith muscles.
These ethical traditions of the early church are grounded in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible in passages such as Proverbs 12:13, 20:29, and 25:22 (heaping coals of fire by being kind). To practice love and hate evil without hypocrisy usually took a concrete form in welcoming the stranger or hospitality ministry because the roads and countryside were dangerous. How could this be accomplished today? Today suppose a new family moved into the community and they did not have an income. Are there people who will try to get them a job at their place of work?
Actually, when I was a child in southeast Michigan, this sort of thing happened often. A neighbor would get a new family's mother or father a job at a factory, driving a truck, or at a local small shop. This also became the "entrance card" to invite this same family to church on Sunday. Believe it or not, many churches grew in leaps and bounds among the poorer families then. As the economy worsened, families became more tribal and only pointed their immediate relatives to job openings. Paul would say that a mature Christian looks out for the whole community.
Christians are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We are to be "little Christs" in this respect as Martin Luther put it. The only "Christ" people may see is in us. This is quite a challenge in times when people prefer to create "gods" of victory; success and "I got mine, so you get yours" type thinking. Paul is preaching a totally countercultural message in this regard.
Not seeking revenge, living in harmony with the community at all costs, being ardent, serving the Lord, and helping those who otherwise might despise you -- is not the formula to get ahead in a "dog eat dog; rat race" world. Yet Paul is preaching to an urban audience in Rome. So why do we live in such a way? After all, this book of Romans is often viewed as uncontested "vintage Paul!"
For Paul, "[the just] shall live by faith (alone)" (Romans 1:17). This was the cry of the Reformation (also found in Habakkuk 2:4). Paul also quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, "Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; because the day of their calamity is at hand, their doom comes swiftly." One of the recurring assumptions here is that one day there will be a day of reckoning or judgment with God for those who continue to act in wicked ways toward other people. Therefore, the best outcome a disciple can have in any situation of conflict is toward reconciliation or to seek peace. Rather than sitting at the race track hoping for the next car wreck to destroy metal or a person, Paul would say to get into the pit crew and help the team out. This happens in church also.
If there is a conflict on church council over a property manner, Paul would suggest that everybody has a chance to share their views. There might come a vote and the people who lose can either try again some other time or get mad, carry grudges, seek revenge, or leave the council and speak negative words about certain individuals. The other view is to find ways to compromise, seek "win-win" solutions to problems, and do not attack the "person but the problem." This could be difficult when dealing with people who thrive on adversity, confrontation, and must always be the winners. It is indeed coming off the sidelines and stretching one's faith muscles. [source: Arland J. Hultgren, Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2011)]
Matthew 16:21-28
"If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). This is an invitation par excellence to get off the sidelines and become part of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew's gospel. Jesus assumes that he and his followers will be criticized and abused like the Hebrew prophets were as they carried out their mission from God. Matthew's audience knew the dangers of standing up to the government and government supported powers of the times.
After Peter's confession, Jesus has a passion announcement regarding suffering, being killed, and being raised on the third day. Peter rebukes this and Jesus in turn rebukes Peter for being on the side of Satan (Mathew 16:22-23). In order to have a fulfilled life on earth and for eternity, those who follow Jesus the Christ will indeed have eternal life. Disciples will not be insulated from trials, and yes suffering for what they believe to be the true God that gives meaning and life.
Matthew asks those who sit at life's sidelines if they either wish to come and follow Jesus with the dangers that accompany this spiritual journey, or do they wish to sit this one out and save their lives for now? This is a daily question for each believer to consider. Christianity continues to be a religion of second chances for those who err. However, suffering is definitely a part of being in the kingdom of heaven here in Matthew's gospel. Part of the confession in which the church is built on with Peter's words is also one must "deny themselves and take up their cross" (Matthew 16:24). For those in any broader community who do not like to hear about suffering as a part of the maturing spiritual journey, one can point out, it is right here in the Bible! There is also new life after every death. This is the gospel of the Christian church as well. [source: Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Wm. B Eerdmans, 2009)]
Application
All three of these texts are basically a challenge to "put up or shut up" when it comes to brainstorming, visioning, and planning for Christian ministry within the church. For instance, starting any type of small group might be a good idea (12 Step, Bible Study, Missionary project). However, which core group of four to five people is going to commit their time and effort beyond a couple months even a year or so to see this ministry to its fruition? Maybe a Bible study needs to be limited for seven weeks and then revisited. Maybe a support group has a life of six months then revisited. What sort of time and money commitments are people themselves willing to give to the community to see the mission of the church carried out?
How often does the cry go out in any given church, "We need a growing Sunday school program or the church will die within one generation?" With that said, will these same voices get up early on Sunday mornings to start a driving or bus ministry for such children? Will these same people call up the parents on Saturday night to remind them that they will be in front of the house early in the morning for Sunday school? Then there is the frustration of possibly a bigger, more heavily financed church in the next town that is already carrying on a bus ministry. That does not let the other smaller churches off the hook. What is our congregation doing that is unique to the kingdom and makes it worth it for children and their families to check out? How are people growing and maturing in their Christian faith in our congregation? All three of these texts address such questions in their own ways.
An Alternative Application
The books like Proverbs have wisdom in them that have lasted for centuries and have served all of the Abraham-based religions in many situations. Monotheism itself was not the only religion show on the block in the days of the Ancient Near East. A pastor could to select texts from books such as Proverbs to suggest that competing views of the gods, and people who like to sit at the sidelines while criticizing, have been around for years. Proverbs might call such behaviors names such as "folly and foolishness." Today, just like Paul used various verses from Proverbs in Romans 12, what sort of texts can God be using to inform our ministry where we are in our communities?
Exodus 3:1-15
A certain person says, "I would like to help out in the church ministry, but I do not have background or training for such jobs." Welcome to the world of Moses. He was neither a prophet nor a priest, but rather a shepherd. He is a wanted criminal in Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15), and he is working for his father-in-law Jethro. He is married to Zipporah and has a son named Gershom. In many modern organizations Moses would have a "tarnished" name. In scripture, God does mighty works through vulnerable humans such as Moses at Mount Horeb. For Christians who have had setbacks in their vocations, family situation, or education, this text reminds all people that God called Moses -- who was hardly a person who would be invited to give a university commencement speech. Moses is being called off the sidelines of the wilderness and invited to be a major player in the game plan God has for Israel.
God appeared to Moses in fire amidst a bush, not a bush that is burning to a crisp. Rather than being frightened or repelled, Moses was curious, which lead to a calling. This account might be called a theophany experience, for which there will be more in the future (for example the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses, Elijah and Jesus, Matthew 17:1-9). Both sound and sight are used here by Moses, as God uses natural fire and a bush to act as messenger and a God who enters into world or creation of God's people. Moses could not look at God directly, as this could mean death. One theme for preaching here might be the "holiness" of God. Do people in our American culture regard anything as being "holy" these days? Possibly there has been "divine initiatives" taken in the lives of people, community, and work, but they are ignored.
God recognizes the suffering of the people in Egypt. God is not at the sidelines but actively suffering alongside the people who are in bondage in Egypt. God is commissioning Moses for this divine project of freeing the people. God remains good for God's promise to Israel's ancestors since Abraham (Genesis 12). Initially Moses hesitates as he does not see himself as a "transformational leader and turn-around pastoral" figure of his time. God's initiative to enlist Moses persists. God still wishes to maintain Moses' and the nation's integrity. God does work alongside his creation to deliver people from bondage and provide gifts of freedom. It is part of creation theology. Some have argued this could be called a "God in process" or "Process Theology" (see writings of, John Cobb, Terence Fretheim, and Tyrone Inbody). God not only calls people from something to some new life as well.
Exodus 3:7-9 is where God identifies the plight of his people and enters into this suffering alongside them. Exodus 3:10 is God asking Moses to come off the sidelines and get directly involved by way of confronting the Egyptian pharaoh. Who are the powerbrokers in any given community the people in our congregations exist in and at what level dare we challenge them? Is there a time to "fight city hall" in any particular town? Moses protests! Does God have to send Moses to a "leadership" workshop or does God work with what he has in Moses? Are there problems and issues in our community that continue to stand like a big elephant in the room, which many people are afraid to address? This text is an invitation to reflect on such mission of the church. God persists in the effort to invite Moses to participate in the same suffering relationship with the people of Israel as God experiences. [source: Terence Fretheim, Interpretation a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Exodus (Westminster John Knox, 1991)]
Romans 12:9-21
The next time some careless driver who is text messaging in a crowded parking lot and they run into your shiny, clean car, consider the final verse of this text, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). This whole passage can give anybody's spiritual muscles a good work out! For those who protest that they do not seem to be growing "spiritually" from the pastor's sermons, here is a real feast of mature spirituality to consider! "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good" (Romans 12:9). These texts invite people to grow as disciples themselves -- rather than sit at the sidelines to watch other Christians stretch their own faith muscles.
These ethical traditions of the early church are grounded in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible in passages such as Proverbs 12:13, 20:29, and 25:22 (heaping coals of fire by being kind). To practice love and hate evil without hypocrisy usually took a concrete form in welcoming the stranger or hospitality ministry because the roads and countryside were dangerous. How could this be accomplished today? Today suppose a new family moved into the community and they did not have an income. Are there people who will try to get them a job at their place of work?
Actually, when I was a child in southeast Michigan, this sort of thing happened often. A neighbor would get a new family's mother or father a job at a factory, driving a truck, or at a local small shop. This also became the "entrance card" to invite this same family to church on Sunday. Believe it or not, many churches grew in leaps and bounds among the poorer families then. As the economy worsened, families became more tribal and only pointed their immediate relatives to job openings. Paul would say that a mature Christian looks out for the whole community.
Christians are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We are to be "little Christs" in this respect as Martin Luther put it. The only "Christ" people may see is in us. This is quite a challenge in times when people prefer to create "gods" of victory; success and "I got mine, so you get yours" type thinking. Paul is preaching a totally countercultural message in this regard.
Not seeking revenge, living in harmony with the community at all costs, being ardent, serving the Lord, and helping those who otherwise might despise you -- is not the formula to get ahead in a "dog eat dog; rat race" world. Yet Paul is preaching to an urban audience in Rome. So why do we live in such a way? After all, this book of Romans is often viewed as uncontested "vintage Paul!"
For Paul, "[the just] shall live by faith (alone)" (Romans 1:17). This was the cry of the Reformation (also found in Habakkuk 2:4). Paul also quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, "Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; because the day of their calamity is at hand, their doom comes swiftly." One of the recurring assumptions here is that one day there will be a day of reckoning or judgment with God for those who continue to act in wicked ways toward other people. Therefore, the best outcome a disciple can have in any situation of conflict is toward reconciliation or to seek peace. Rather than sitting at the race track hoping for the next car wreck to destroy metal or a person, Paul would say to get into the pit crew and help the team out. This happens in church also.
If there is a conflict on church council over a property manner, Paul would suggest that everybody has a chance to share their views. There might come a vote and the people who lose can either try again some other time or get mad, carry grudges, seek revenge, or leave the council and speak negative words about certain individuals. The other view is to find ways to compromise, seek "win-win" solutions to problems, and do not attack the "person but the problem." This could be difficult when dealing with people who thrive on adversity, confrontation, and must always be the winners. It is indeed coming off the sidelines and stretching one's faith muscles. [source: Arland J. Hultgren, Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2011)]
Matthew 16:21-28
"If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). This is an invitation par excellence to get off the sidelines and become part of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew's gospel. Jesus assumes that he and his followers will be criticized and abused like the Hebrew prophets were as they carried out their mission from God. Matthew's audience knew the dangers of standing up to the government and government supported powers of the times.
After Peter's confession, Jesus has a passion announcement regarding suffering, being killed, and being raised on the third day. Peter rebukes this and Jesus in turn rebukes Peter for being on the side of Satan (Mathew 16:22-23). In order to have a fulfilled life on earth and for eternity, those who follow Jesus the Christ will indeed have eternal life. Disciples will not be insulated from trials, and yes suffering for what they believe to be the true God that gives meaning and life.
Matthew asks those who sit at life's sidelines if they either wish to come and follow Jesus with the dangers that accompany this spiritual journey, or do they wish to sit this one out and save their lives for now? This is a daily question for each believer to consider. Christianity continues to be a religion of second chances for those who err. However, suffering is definitely a part of being in the kingdom of heaven here in Matthew's gospel. Part of the confession in which the church is built on with Peter's words is also one must "deny themselves and take up their cross" (Matthew 16:24). For those in any broader community who do not like to hear about suffering as a part of the maturing spiritual journey, one can point out, it is right here in the Bible! There is also new life after every death. This is the gospel of the Christian church as well. [source: Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Wm. B Eerdmans, 2009)]
Application
All three of these texts are basically a challenge to "put up or shut up" when it comes to brainstorming, visioning, and planning for Christian ministry within the church. For instance, starting any type of small group might be a good idea (12 Step, Bible Study, Missionary project). However, which core group of four to five people is going to commit their time and effort beyond a couple months even a year or so to see this ministry to its fruition? Maybe a Bible study needs to be limited for seven weeks and then revisited. Maybe a support group has a life of six months then revisited. What sort of time and money commitments are people themselves willing to give to the community to see the mission of the church carried out?
How often does the cry go out in any given church, "We need a growing Sunday school program or the church will die within one generation?" With that said, will these same voices get up early on Sunday mornings to start a driving or bus ministry for such children? Will these same people call up the parents on Saturday night to remind them that they will be in front of the house early in the morning for Sunday school? Then there is the frustration of possibly a bigger, more heavily financed church in the next town that is already carrying on a bus ministry. That does not let the other smaller churches off the hook. What is our congregation doing that is unique to the kingdom and makes it worth it for children and their families to check out? How are people growing and maturing in their Christian faith in our congregation? All three of these texts address such questions in their own ways.
An Alternative Application
The books like Proverbs have wisdom in them that have lasted for centuries and have served all of the Abraham-based religions in many situations. Monotheism itself was not the only religion show on the block in the days of the Ancient Near East. A pastor could to select texts from books such as Proverbs to suggest that competing views of the gods, and people who like to sit at the sidelines while criticizing, have been around for years. Proverbs might call such behaviors names such as "folly and foolishness." Today, just like Paul used various verses from Proverbs in Romans 12, what sort of texts can God be using to inform our ministry where we are in our communities?
