Reminding Us of Who We Are
Commentary
All of us know that it is by the grace of God that we are what we are and that the church is what it is.
Even so, we somehow manage to convince ourselves as well as many others on the outside that we think there is something about us that is special and marks us as different from others.
I think that that is OK unless we mean to say that it is because we are better or more deserving or something of the sort. What is OK is to recognize that the difference between the sinners outside the church and those inside is that those inside are sinners who are willing to admit that they are sinners saved by grace.
Somehow we have managed to convince many that they are not quite worthy of sharing our fellowship. What is it? Is it our manner, our dress, our speech? If it is, then God forbid such a state of affairs. We have no right to set up standards of entry at the front door and then make people jump through our hoops in order to enter.
Some years ago I was assigned to a new church and, on arriving, was informed by the chairman of the Board that at their last meeting they had come to a stalemate over whether to allow smoking in the building. The vote was twenty to twenty, and they were waiting for me to come and decide. After thanking him for the honor, I suggested that I was willing to approve no smoking signs if we would also put up signs preventing all the other things with which we did not agree. Did we mean that liars, cheats, prostitutes, drunks, and other "sinners" could not come to our church? We finally agreed not to read the minutes at the next meeting and hope that no one would bring it up. They did not and for six good years we excluded no one. And no one smoked in the church.
I tell this story not to cast approval on smoking, but to say that we must be careful about the signs we put up in our churches. Most of them are invisible, according to Lyle Schaller, but they are as really there as if we had them affixed to the wall. Has your church taken time to enquire as to what invisible signs may be here and there that make many uncomfortable and unwelcome?
OUTLINE I
A Song for the Faithful
Psalm 145
Introduction: In Psalm 145 we have one of the hymns of Israel that would have been a part of her worship life. One of the wonderful things about such hymns is that they are timeless. They refer to situations and circumstances which are a part of the daily life of all men and women of all ages. Whether one envisions this hymn as shared in a synagogue, in the temple, in the catacombs, or in some great cathedral, the meaning is simple and clear. Why try to find themes? Why not just take the poem as it is?
A. Verses 1-3. The focus here, as in Isaiah 6, is on God.
B. 4-7. A proper response is spelled out.
C. 8, 9. More good news about God. Keep it simple.
D. 10-13. Again, more doxology. More praise. Don't wander off into other areas of concern. It is the purpose of poetry to exaggerate and to remind us that our words are incapable of holding all the glory of God.
E. 14-21. Again there is a litany of God's deeds, both great and small, on behalf of his creation. Read them one at a time and let them bring new images of blessings to your hearers.
Conclusion: Sometimes I listen to our singing and discover that much of it is narcissistic. We sing of great blessings yet to come. We pray for greater blessings. We speak of all that goes on earth and seek guidance. But is it not important that we be reminded as we are here in Psalm 145 that the proper beginning for any worship is with a word that focuses the attention of the heart and mind on God?
OUTLINE II
Pastoral Concern
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11, 12
Introduction: Most agree that this is probably Paul's earliest letter to one of his congregations. As is usually the case, he writes to address the problems and concerns that are present in the nascent church and he begins in the right place.
A. Thanksgiving. What a wonderful beginning! I wonder what would happen if one of our churches received such accolades from their former ministers or from some supervising officer. What a lift! Just listen to the Christian words: growing, increasing, enduring. No doubt the church at Thessalonica is on the road to maturity or, as Wesley might put it, on the way to perfection. All of our churches should covet such a state of affairs.
B. Prayer. It is Paul's hope that what he has come to know about this church will continue and that they will be a model for all. How great a strength could come to a congregation that knew that someone they loved cared that much for them.
Conclusion: I wonder if in our modern day we ever take the time to think about our last assignment. I wonder if they ever think of us. Do we take time to write words of encouragement, or do we fear being misunderstood? Do we pray for one another and usher one another into the daily presence and power of God as Paul does here? Perhaps these words have much to say to us, much to challenge us, much to judge us.
Suggest to your congregation that it take time to measure itself by these few verses and ask whether they are worthy of such a letter.
OUTLINE III
A Word for the Outsider
Luke 19:1-10
Introduction: Since he was described by Luke as a man of little stature, Zacchaeus has always been a favorite of children. Perhaps they identify with him and his difficulty in seeing and being seen. Here we have a rather human story of Jesus, greatly admired, coming to Jericho. You would imagine that he would have his eye out for the dignitaries who are supposed to meet him and escort him into town. But consider.
A. Come Down. Jesus scandalizes those in the crowd by inviting a tax collector to come down and have him as his houseguest. It is true! Jesus did mix with tax collectors and sinners! Here is one who assumes he is lost because everyone says he is. After all, a tax collector has cheated so many that he can never make amends. If one event goes without being made right, he is lost. And yet, it is this man whom Jesus singles out.
B. Salvation. In Jesus' day and in Luke's day there were those who persisted in the belief that God's rewards are only for the sinless, and that one must clean up one's act, be right, and do right if he or she is to be noticed by God. The last line in the story declares the Good News that Jesus brought to his day and that Luke brought to his day. It is the Good News you and I have to share in our day.
Conclusion: I once knew a man who was one of the best examples of a good father, honest worker, exemplary citizen, and faithful husband that I had ever known. Yet he would not come to church. He said that he still liked an occasional beer and that so long as that imperfection was present in his life he was not worthy of coming to church. How unfortunate! This is exactly the opposite of how things are meant to be. Too many of our churches imagine themselves to be weekly gatherings of the finest and best in the community and are a bit chagrined when some known sinner shows up. Jesus' words sit in judgment on us if that is the way it is in our church.
Even so, we somehow manage to convince ourselves as well as many others on the outside that we think there is something about us that is special and marks us as different from others.
I think that that is OK unless we mean to say that it is because we are better or more deserving or something of the sort. What is OK is to recognize that the difference between the sinners outside the church and those inside is that those inside are sinners who are willing to admit that they are sinners saved by grace.
Somehow we have managed to convince many that they are not quite worthy of sharing our fellowship. What is it? Is it our manner, our dress, our speech? If it is, then God forbid such a state of affairs. We have no right to set up standards of entry at the front door and then make people jump through our hoops in order to enter.
Some years ago I was assigned to a new church and, on arriving, was informed by the chairman of the Board that at their last meeting they had come to a stalemate over whether to allow smoking in the building. The vote was twenty to twenty, and they were waiting for me to come and decide. After thanking him for the honor, I suggested that I was willing to approve no smoking signs if we would also put up signs preventing all the other things with which we did not agree. Did we mean that liars, cheats, prostitutes, drunks, and other "sinners" could not come to our church? We finally agreed not to read the minutes at the next meeting and hope that no one would bring it up. They did not and for six good years we excluded no one. And no one smoked in the church.
I tell this story not to cast approval on smoking, but to say that we must be careful about the signs we put up in our churches. Most of them are invisible, according to Lyle Schaller, but they are as really there as if we had them affixed to the wall. Has your church taken time to enquire as to what invisible signs may be here and there that make many uncomfortable and unwelcome?
OUTLINE I
A Song for the Faithful
Psalm 145
Introduction: In Psalm 145 we have one of the hymns of Israel that would have been a part of her worship life. One of the wonderful things about such hymns is that they are timeless. They refer to situations and circumstances which are a part of the daily life of all men and women of all ages. Whether one envisions this hymn as shared in a synagogue, in the temple, in the catacombs, or in some great cathedral, the meaning is simple and clear. Why try to find themes? Why not just take the poem as it is?
A. Verses 1-3. The focus here, as in Isaiah 6, is on God.
B. 4-7. A proper response is spelled out.
C. 8, 9. More good news about God. Keep it simple.
D. 10-13. Again, more doxology. More praise. Don't wander off into other areas of concern. It is the purpose of poetry to exaggerate and to remind us that our words are incapable of holding all the glory of God.
E. 14-21. Again there is a litany of God's deeds, both great and small, on behalf of his creation. Read them one at a time and let them bring new images of blessings to your hearers.
Conclusion: Sometimes I listen to our singing and discover that much of it is narcissistic. We sing of great blessings yet to come. We pray for greater blessings. We speak of all that goes on earth and seek guidance. But is it not important that we be reminded as we are here in Psalm 145 that the proper beginning for any worship is with a word that focuses the attention of the heart and mind on God?
OUTLINE II
Pastoral Concern
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11, 12
Introduction: Most agree that this is probably Paul's earliest letter to one of his congregations. As is usually the case, he writes to address the problems and concerns that are present in the nascent church and he begins in the right place.
A. Thanksgiving. What a wonderful beginning! I wonder what would happen if one of our churches received such accolades from their former ministers or from some supervising officer. What a lift! Just listen to the Christian words: growing, increasing, enduring. No doubt the church at Thessalonica is on the road to maturity or, as Wesley might put it, on the way to perfection. All of our churches should covet such a state of affairs.
B. Prayer. It is Paul's hope that what he has come to know about this church will continue and that they will be a model for all. How great a strength could come to a congregation that knew that someone they loved cared that much for them.
Conclusion: I wonder if in our modern day we ever take the time to think about our last assignment. I wonder if they ever think of us. Do we take time to write words of encouragement, or do we fear being misunderstood? Do we pray for one another and usher one another into the daily presence and power of God as Paul does here? Perhaps these words have much to say to us, much to challenge us, much to judge us.
Suggest to your congregation that it take time to measure itself by these few verses and ask whether they are worthy of such a letter.
OUTLINE III
A Word for the Outsider
Luke 19:1-10
Introduction: Since he was described by Luke as a man of little stature, Zacchaeus has always been a favorite of children. Perhaps they identify with him and his difficulty in seeing and being seen. Here we have a rather human story of Jesus, greatly admired, coming to Jericho. You would imagine that he would have his eye out for the dignitaries who are supposed to meet him and escort him into town. But consider.
A. Come Down. Jesus scandalizes those in the crowd by inviting a tax collector to come down and have him as his houseguest. It is true! Jesus did mix with tax collectors and sinners! Here is one who assumes he is lost because everyone says he is. After all, a tax collector has cheated so many that he can never make amends. If one event goes without being made right, he is lost. And yet, it is this man whom Jesus singles out.
B. Salvation. In Jesus' day and in Luke's day there were those who persisted in the belief that God's rewards are only for the sinless, and that one must clean up one's act, be right, and do right if he or she is to be noticed by God. The last line in the story declares the Good News that Jesus brought to his day and that Luke brought to his day. It is the Good News you and I have to share in our day.
Conclusion: I once knew a man who was one of the best examples of a good father, honest worker, exemplary citizen, and faithful husband that I had ever known. Yet he would not come to church. He said that he still liked an occasional beer and that so long as that imperfection was present in his life he was not worthy of coming to church. How unfortunate! This is exactly the opposite of how things are meant to be. Too many of our churches imagine themselves to be weekly gatherings of the finest and best in the community and are a bit chagrined when some known sinner shows up. Jesus' words sit in judgment on us if that is the way it is in our church.
