Becoming Christ-Like

Matthew 21:1-11

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

“Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
        and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Philippians 2:1-11

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus:

Though he was in the form of God,

        he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.

But he emptied himself

        by taking the form of a slave

        and by becoming like human beings.

When he found himself in the form of a human,

        he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

        even death on a cross.

Therefore, God highly honored him

        and gave him a name above all names,

    so that at the name of Jesus everyone

        in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow

        and every tongue confess

            that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My week didn't turn out quite how Nancy and I planned.

It was supposed to start with Nancy and I going to Chicago, last Sunday afternoon to spend a few days visiting our grand-daughter.

Then we were going to head to Jackson Tennessee (my father's birthplace) and run a half-marathon yesterday --- driving back last night to be ready to join in our Palm Sunday parade

For some reason it just didn't work out as we had planned

          Nothing seems to be going as any of us planned

One of my favorite days in the life of the church is Palm Sunday, when we start the service off by singing "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna" and parading into the sanctuary waving our palm branches. 

The last couple of years have been extra special because when Matt and I would walk in --- little Zeke would always walk with us --- there is a picture of that event that hangs in the welcome center.

So today we created a new Palm Parade --- one that we will remember for a long time.

It was fun to see all the palm branches being waved and some of you marching around to Hosanna, Loud Hosanna"

I have always been struck by the paradox of this day.

While the Jesus parade is taking place on the West side of the city --- with Jesus and his rag-tag group of followers marching down the Mount of Olives heading into the city of Jerusalem

On the other side of town another parade is taking place --- a very different parade ---this parade has at its head Pontius Pilate --- riding into town with the 10th Legion of the Roman army to keep the peace during Passover week

What always seems strange to me is that everything that is going to take place over the next week seems to be carefully choreographed.

Everything that Jesus will do seems to have one goal in mind --- to try one more time to show us what a disciple looks like

During this season of Lent, Mary and I have been sharing with you some of the key markers of being a disciple of Jesus

·         A disciple worships

·         a disciples is in intentional community

·         a disciple engages in spiritual practices

·         a disciple is generous

·         a disciple engages in service to bring about God's compassion and justice in the world

This morning we will conclude with the sixth marker of a disciple --- a disciple desires to become Christ-like in all that they do

One of the things that I love about Meridian Street UMC is our level of intellectual aptitude (I am challenged week in and week out by this)

While that is one of the real strengths of this congregation --- it can also prove to be our weakness.

We see most things as a checklist of things to accomplish and expect things to flow in a linear fashion

What is so challenging about Discipleship is that it is far from a to-do list

          and it rarely follows a linear coarse.

Not only is that true for Discipleship on a broad scale --- but it is also true in our own personal journey with Jesus.

          We have ups and downs.

         

          We grow --- and backslide

This Discipleship Pathway that Mary and I have been talking about isn't a pathway like interstate 65

          It is not a super highway

Instead it is more like a meandering stream

Each individual's journey is unique --- but the pathway is there to help point us in the direction that God is desiring us to go

Each of these six characteristics are more like touch points to help along the way

So don't be surprised when your journey jumps around

          What draws me in, may not be the same for you

If your passion is for God's justice that growth point may ultimately help you to realize that worship is essential to your life and you seek to discover the Christ everything.

Or maybe it is the disciplines that draw you in --- and as you become more disciplined in your walk with Jesus you start to recognize that you must love your neighbor as much as yourself --- while contemplation is great, it needs to go beyond ourselves --- and when there are things that hold your neighbor down --- you now desire to see them change

Almost fifteen years ago I came across a fascinating book that in many ways was more prescient than people realized

Dan Kimball's "They Like Jesus but Not the Church" argued that many people were fascinated with Jesus --- but didn't like what the church was doing with him and with his message.

They saw Jesus as being filled with love and possibility

          Yet, the "church" often was rigid and unforgiving

Most people come to Christianity, not because of the "church" but because somewhere along the way they have encountered Jesus in the life of a disciple of his and they are intrigued.

Eventually we move from simply being fascinated by Jesus, to wanting to know more and more about him --- which ultimately leads us to a decision to allow Jesus to become the moral compass for our lives.

And we experience that from how other followers of Jesus model their journey with him.

          How they had become "Christ-like" in their lives

That process, of moving from an interest in Jesus, to devoting our life to him is called sanctification.

I can think of no better description of what it means to follow Christ, than what is given to us by Paul in his letter to the Church at Philippi

You already heard Phil share it, but I want to give you excerpts of it from the translation known as the Message, because Peterson always puts it into such simple and profound language:

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death

Is there a better description of being a disciple?

When we set aside our privilege and recognize Jesus in all of God's children.

          And not just recognize Jesus, but lift them up --- higher than ourselves

In 1918, Indianapolis and the rest of the United States and even the world was gripped by a pandemic.  It was September of that year that the Spanish flu began infecting soldiers stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison of the far East side of town. 

The Spanish flu killed more than 675,000 people in the United States and reports say 20 million worldwide — though others argue that it could have been as high as 50 million.

Nearly a third of the world's population was infected with this flu

While the flu pandemic in Indiana was less severe than in other parts of the United States, it still afflicted an estimated 350,000 Hoosiers, and claimed 10,000 lives between September 1918 and February 1919

In October of 1918 Indianapolis was virtually shut down. 

          No gathering larger than 5 people was allowed. 

          Churches were closed by order of the Marian County Health department.

On October 7th, 32 year old Edna Fletcher went to the head of Methodist Hospital and offered to organize and lead a group of volunteers nurses to travel across town to Fort Benjamin Harrison and help stem the crisis that was taking place there

Thirteen women volunteer, mainly student-nurses at Methodist hospital.

The group traveled the fourteen miles via train from downtown Indianapolis to Fort Benjamin Harrison.

The Fort had become one of Indiana’s epicenters for the pandemic, among the worst such sites in the Midwest.

Conditions were awful.

          Nearly 3000 soldiers were ill

          No effective treatment existed to eliminate the flu. 

          The only thing the nurses could do was provide comfort for the afflicted soldiers.

While they were there, two of the volunteers contract the flu and died

In early November, the epidemic seems to have abated --- the policies, that we know of as social distancing today, seemed to have worked

Yet, in mid November, when the restrictions began to be lifted, the flu returned

On Thanksgiving Day, Edna Fletcher developed a cough, accompanied with a fever.       Four days later, she was dead

What does a disciple look like?

          A disciple seeks to become Christ like in what they think and do

What does a disciple look like?

          Edna Fletcher and her 13 volunteers

What does a disciple look like?

          All of you who are working every day to help us overcome this virus

                   Doctors

                   Nurses

                   First Responders

                   Grocery Store clerks

I would even suggest that everyone who is staying home and doing no harm is modeling Jesus.

There are two parades this morning --- one is the Jesus parade, as he comes into town to demonstrate one more time what a disciple looks like

The other parade is the parade of power, the parade of privilege and influence

Which parade has grabbed your attention?

          The parade of sacrifice

          or

          The parade of worldly ambition?

Someone asked me the other day: "What is the purpose of the church"

And I would tell you that we have ONE JOB and Jesus made that very clear as he rode into Jerusalem on the fist palm Sunday.

Our job is to make disciples --- to become Christ like in all we think and do --- everything else we do is secondary.

A Disciple Worships

John 4:21-24 (The Message)

“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

Every day I take time for a couple of devotions and a Bible in a year program.

I am doing a program that is a little different than the one that is sent each week in the weekly email.  The one I am doing has you read about 3 or 4 chapters of a book each week and then a shorter second reading (usually from the Wisdom literature of the Bible)

So while I started in Genesis, the second book I read was the Gospel according to Mark.

I just finished Leviticus earlier this week

          (You should all either be impressed or wonder if I am just crazy)

But what struck me about Leviticus are all the rules about how the community is to live and worship together.

And at the center of all those rules is one thing --- YAHWEH and everything --- from how to live --- to how to dress --- direct us toward how we are to worship God.

Everything related to God really revolves and has its beginning in how we worship

As we talk about a Discipleship Path --- the starting point for many people is showing up to a worship service

          We come because we are interested or intrigued by this idea of God

The truth is, probably at this point we have yet to really encounter God, or have just begun that relationship

So we come to church with the idea that worship is there to FEED ME

          Worship is to provide my needs and scratch my itches

It is as if --- worship is just a component or box in our life

It almost is an experience unto itself that takes place one hour a week and its sole purpose is to take care of ME

George Barna, who created a Christian market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture says:

Most adults will contend that a Christian has a responsibility to worship God. However, when asked to define what worship means, two out of three are unable to offer an appropriate definition or description of worship.

Among adults who regularly attend church services, one-half admit that they haven’t experienced God’s presence at any time during the past year. Remember, this is not among the Easter-and-Christmas-only church attenders, but among people who attended an average of more than two dozen worship services last year.

For most Americans worship is to satisfy or please them, not to honor or please God. Amazingly, few worship-service regulars argue that worship is something they do primarily for God; a substantially larger percentage of attenders claim that attending worship services is something that they do for personal benefit and pleasure.

Those are challenging and damning words for all of us.

It’s not bad to start there --- we just don’t want to stay there

And the idea that worship is about ME is certainly not the biblical understand of the purpose or function of our worship of God

Worship has morphed and changed since the days of Moses

          We don't bring animals to sacrifice to appease an angry God

Just the other day, during our Ash Wednesday service we read from Psalm 51 where we are reminded of the sacrifice that God is seeking

(Psalm 51:15-17  NRSV)

O Lord, open my lips,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

For you have no delight in sacrifice;

    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Or as Paul reminds us in his letter to the Church at Rome

(Romans 12:1-2   MSG)

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

In the Hebrew Bible, the word used for worship (Shachah) literally means to bow down --- to fall down flat --- to show humility before God.

God is constantly telling us throughout the Torah, where God spends enormous amounts of energy explaining what worship is to be like --- God is constantly reminding us that God is to be at the center of worship

That central core statement of Judaism, the Shema maybe says it best:

Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

More than anything else --- those few words define what our worship is to be like

          CENTERED on God

And Jesus reminded us of the same thing when he told us what was central to our faith

Every part of our being --- every part of our life is to be focused on putting God first

And the struggle for many of us --- is what gets in the way of our worship

It's a beautiful day outside --- and I imagine many of us are wanting me to get on with it so we can get out and enjoy the day --- and forgetting why we are here

As we grow in our discipleship --- we see worship as less and less for ME (getting me fed) and more and more as an opportunity to learn about God

As we continue to grow, we look forward to the opportunities to be challenged in our faith and recognize that it is through worship that our life is actually shaped.

Finally comes the realization that worship is not only necessary but essential to my life --- and I begin to realize that I am called to worship God in totality of life and in every place and space of life. 

No one articulates this as well as Richard Rohr in his book The Universal Christ, in which he helps us to see God in everything

But until we get there, we need to keep focusing on what worship is all about ---

          The CREATOR --- not the Created

As Dr. Robert Webber has said:

. . .worship stands at the center of the church’s life and mission. It’s the summit toward which the church moves and the source from which all of its ministries flow. It’s the most important action the church is about. Worship informs the church’s teaching, gives shape to its evangelistic mission to the world, and compels the church toward social action. Worship is the context in which the true fellowship of Christ’s body is realized and where those who participate can find real healing. The single most important thing the church can do is worship. A vibrant worship life will glorify God, edify the faithful, and engage the seeker.

I love what Henri Nouwen said earlier this week in his daily devotion

Everything we know about Jesus indicates that he was concerned with only one thing: to do the will of his Father. Nothing in the Gospels is as impressive as Jesus’ single-minded obedience to his Father. From his first recorded words in the Temple, “Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” (Luke 2:49), to his last words on the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46), Jesus’ only concern was to do the will of his Father. He says, “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). . . .

Jesus is the obedient one. The center of his life is this obedient relationship with the Father. This may be hard for us to understand because the word obedience has so many negative connotations in our society. It makes us think of authority figures who impose their wills against our desires. It makes us remember unhappy childhood events or hard tasks performed under threats of punishment. But none of this applies to Jesus’ obedience. His obedience means a total, fearless listening to his loving Father. Between the Father and the Son there is only love.

I really struggled with how we should have this CONVERSATION today --- when it was first suggested to be at the end (or really a part) of the worship service --- I balked.

          I wasn’t sure it belonged

And then I was reading the Torah --- and if there is any message in it is that all of life is God’s

God demands justice in how we live

Moses would call the people and remind them of what God expected as a part of worship

And it is clear that without justice --- our worship is hollow

As is in front of us every time we enter the Welcome Center

Micah 6:8   (NRSV)

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God?

The Way of A Disciple

Matthew 4:18-22   (NRSV)

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.  

For the last two months, Mary and I have been sharing with you the words of Jesus that are found in the Sermon on the Mount, particularly in the section known as the beatitudes.

These are not easy words --- I get that.

Not only are they not easy --- they sometimes make no sense.

          Blessed are the poor

          Blessed are those who mourn

          Blessed are the meek

          Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

          Blessed are the merciful

          Blessed are the pure in heart

          Blessed are the peacemakers

          Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

          Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you

I mean, come on, who yearns for those things . . .

I know there is a disconnect between Jesus words, and my life . . .

          And have I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out WHY?

          And then it hit me

                   Like a ton of bricks

I was listening to a pod cast and in it was said something that I have known but just had not put into perspective very well

Mark Galli, the former editor of Christianity Today (a very conservative evangelical publication started by Billy Graham) was talking about why he wrote an editorial during the impeachment hearings calling for the removal of President Trump.  If you have not read his piece, I highly recommend it.

But what struck me, was not the discussion about the impeachment, but rather what he said compelled him to write the article.

Galli made the comment that most evangelical Christians "think" with their emotions and most progressive --- I believe he would use the term liberal --- Christians think with their heads but have lost the emotional edge to their faith --- he would suggest that we need to think both emotionally and with our intellect

And I think that is why the Beatitudes are so tough for us --- intellectually they make absolutely no sense --- they call to us not at an intellectual level --- but rather Jesus is speaking from a heart level.

Think about it --- how do you study the bible?

          Most of us study it intellectually

                   We wrestle with the text in our brain

When we participate in mission projects, how do we go about the task?

          Exactly like it is a TASK to be conquered

The problem is, following Jesus is NOT an intellectual enterprise --- it requires way more than just examining it

          It requires ACTION

                   action with passion

Last fall, the staff began working on what for a lack of better language we are calling a discipleship path

          If one wants to follow the way of Jesus --- just how does one do that?

Mary last Sunday talked about the markers that one finds on the Camino de Santiago in Spain

          Trail signs that point you along the way

          What we are trying to identify is --- what are the markers on the way of Jesus?

Now, let me be careful to say --- following Jesus isn't about checking off steps

          Let’s not fall back into that . . .

                    It is all about the journey

And the journey with Jesus is ANYTHING but linear

          It loops and jumps --- backwards, forwards, sideways

                   But the goal is to be constantly moving WITH Jesus

During Lent, Mary and I will share with you what we as a staff have come to believe are the characteristics of a disciple.

·         A Disciple Worships

·         A Disciple belongs to a Community

·         A Disciple commits to spiritual practices

·         A Disciple is Generous and Serves

·         A Disciple seeks to be Christ-like

What i love about these descriptions is that they really are not static objectives.

You can't just show up on a Sunday morning and say: Yep, I can check off that box

They require more --- and it is in the nuances, that one finds Jesus

I can come to church --- and not encounter Jesus

I can join a house group --- and not encounter Jesus

I can meditate, or fast and still not encounter Jesus

I can share my time and resources --- and still not encounter Jesus

It is not the DOING that makes us a disciple --- it is all about the relationship and the reason WHY we are doing what we do

One statistic that I have always found fascinating is the amount of time that people spend in actual conversation with their spouse

According to the UK, Office for National Statistics --- Couples, on average, spend about two to two and a half hours a day together, including weekends

That sounds pretty good --- until you dig a little deeper.

They report that this time is largely spent watching television (one-third of all the time spent together), eating (30 minutes) and doing housework together (24 minutes).

And how often is there actual conversation?

          Quality conversation?

Many marriage counselors have compared marriage to a garden. 

I find this to be an interesting analogy. 

If you know much about gardening you know that the “natural” state of a garden (meaning the state it exists in without the intentional input of energy) is death

What is the “natural” state of a marriage --- divorce. 

          Without the intentional input of energy, marriage dies.

I have also heard the analogy that marriage is similar to drifting downstream together

but that would imply that the natural state of marriage is to go where it needs to go

          but that isn’t the case, as anyone who is married knows.

Most marriages that end in divorce often seem to just drift into divorce.

According to other research --- most married couples spend only 5 minutes a day in actual conversation with their spouse

          5 minutes!

What kind of garden is that going to produce?

I ask all that because it seems to me, this is also indicative of our relationship with God.

How much time do you spend in intentional relationship with God?

Can you honestly answer that question?

          And is that time that you spend with God --- quality time

Just because you are here --- it does not mean that you are actually spending time with God

And when --- IF --- you read the bible --- do you read it for intellectual understanding --- or so that you can be in a relationship with God?

          How do I know the difference? . . .

Do you ask yourself as you read each passage: What is this scripture asking of me?

Is the time that you spend with Jesus --- is it enough to allow that relationship to really grow?

Jesus comes along and in our text today says: (Matthew 4:18f The Message)

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.

The question we have to ask ourselves isn't just will we follow --- intellectually. 

But will we take the time and energy necessary to really fall in love with God

As you come to the table this morning, I invite you to lay aside all your pre-conceived notions about what this is

And instead see it as an opportunity to re-connect with Jesus --- maybe even for the first time

To begin a journey of grace

          To begin to move beyond intellectual knowing of Jesus ---

                   To falling in love with him and his invitation for us today

A DISCIPLES PATH Living Extravagantly

1 Timothy 6:17-18   (The Message)

Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous.

This morning we are continuing the journey we began last month.

We have decided to follow the fork in the road that Jesus is leading us on.

It's not an easy path --- but we know that is the way that leads to life that really is life!

We are using as our guide for this journey the promises that we make as members of the United Methodist Church.

If we practice the disciplines necessary to fulfill these promises --- we will be well on our way on the path of Discipleship

We began by talking about our prayer life --- our relationship with God

Last week we continued by focusing on our need to participate in worship and in a small group

Today we will look at the third promise we make --- which is to support our church through our gifts.

A while back some friends and I were sharing ideas about sermons when we talk about giving.

One of the pastors said that as he began preaching on the topic of giving a husband turned to his wife and said loud enough for most people to hear:

          "Please, Make the bad man stop!"

I kind of doubt that it is a historical story

          But I know that it is true!

We don't like talking about our money.

Monday at the Bible Study, the group tried to remind me that when we talk about gifts it is more than just our money.

And they are right --- but it is too easy to focus on the use of our time and talents (which Matt will talk about next week) and ignore the elephant in the room --- which is our money.

Even at the Y this week I saw that their focus this month is on generosity. 

And their flyer made this significant comment:  "Generosity is one of those words that are meaningless unless activated by action."

We must GIVE to be generous.

Do you remember what I said about the offering last week?

          The purpose of the offering is not to raise money for the church.

                   The giving of our gifts is symbolic of giving ourselves.

Each week, as we have talked about these disciplines, I have been referring back to John Wesley and the early Methodist movement.

Wesley's goal was to make every waking moment of our lives centered in the love of God.

By following the roadmap that Wesley set out for us ---- we are able to live our lives in a way in which everything that we say and do is organized around loving God and loving others.

And that includes what we do with our resources.

One of the surprising results of the methodical way of life that Wesley taught was that through cleaner living, being better educated and living more disciplined lives ---- the early Methodists grew in wealth.

Wesley preached a number of sermons to try and head off potential problems that might develop with this new found wealth.

He preached sermons titled:

·         "The Use of Money"

·         "On the Danger of Riches"

·         "On the Danger of Increasing Riches"

The purpose of these sermons was not to raise money for the Methodist Movement

His motivation was his desire to lead the Methodist people into more Christ-Centered lives.

It wasn't their money he was after --- it was their hearts and souls.

When Wesley preached on money his sermons were rooted in the conviction that we cannot be faithful disciples of Jesus unless we learn to manage --- what Wesley called the "excellent gift" of money and to use it wisely "to the greatest advantage."

In Wesley's sermon --- "The Use of Money" --- he laid out three rather simple rules

·         Gain all you can

·         Save all you can

·         Give all you can

I obviously don't have a lot of time to dig into this (but we will spend more time on it in our study groups)

Let's look at each of these concepts:

GAIN ALL YOU CAN

Pretty self explanatory, but Wesley suggested some guidelines to make sure we didn't pay too high a price for our wealth.

·         Gain all you can without hurting your health

Don't work yourself to death

·         Gain all you can without hurting your mind

Don't cheat, lie or engage in behavior that is not consistent with a good conscience

·         Gain all you can without hurting your neighbor

Loving other as we love ourselves requires that we consider the way our economic practices will impact others

This is the exact opposite advice that Daddy Warbucks offered to Annie

He told her that you don't have to be nice to the people that you pass on the way up --- as long as you don't intend to go back down!

SAVE ALL YOU CAN

This is not about building huge bank accounts.

Wesley was calling the people called Methodist to live a frugal lifestyle.

Wesley called on his people not to waste their money on silly, overly expensive or needless items.

He called them to a simple lifestyle.

He was challenging us to discover the contentment that Paul described to the Philippians

Philippians 4:11-13   (NRSV)

Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

GIVE ALL YOU CAN

Wesley wanted us to gain all that we could and save all that we could so that we might give it away!

But this is more than just writing a check to a charity.  For Wesley, the purpose of the discipline of generosity is for our lives to be shaped into the likeness of the extravagant generosity of God. 

          A life of Loving God and Loving Others

Jesus describes for us what a life of loving God and loving others looks like in Matthew's Gospel.

Matthew 6:25-33   (NRSV)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

If we were to live that way --- How would our lives be different?

James Harnish offers six rules when it comes to the spiritual discipline of Generosity.

·         Generosity begins with God

This is kind of a no brainer

Our generosity can never compete with God's

God is the absolute expression of extravagant, self-giving generosity

We are generous to others ---- because God has been extravagantly generous to us

·         Generosity is essential

We cannot be a disciple of Jesus and not be generous --- it just isn’t possible

Our use of money will undergo a fundamental transformation when we stop asking how much of our wealth we will give to God and instead start asking how much of God's wealth we will keep for ourselves.

Generosity is the only antidote to greed

·         Generosity is intentional

Generosity doesn't just happen

We don't just wake up one morning and become generous --- it is something we have to work at

·         Generosity grows with practice

It is a learned behavior that runs counter to everything that our culture teaches.

We live in a world that says grab for all you can

God says share all you can

·         Generosity is joyful

One of the things I have observed is that generous people are some of the most joyful people I have ever met.

When we give all that we can --- we experience the joy of knowing that our generosity is blessing not only our lives --- but also the lives of others

When I am generous --- I am making an active contribution to the building of God's kingdom.

·         Generosity results in blessing.

I wish that I could promise you that if you tithe you will get wealthy. (I will leave that to other churches)

What I can promise you is that if you develop the spiritual gift of generosity --- YOU WILL BE BLESSED and your life will be a blessing to others.

Proverbs 11:24-25  (The Message)

The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
    the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
    those who help others are helped.

A well lived life is one that is filled with generosity as our scripture passage today reminds us.

1 Timothy 6:17-19  (The Message)

Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

May we all learn to get our wealth and possessions in line with loving God and loving others.

A DISCIPLES PATH: The Joy of True Worship

Psalm 100    (NRSV)

A Psalm of thanksgiving.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
    Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he that made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him, bless his name.

For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

As much as we sometimes believe it, the truth is NO ONE can be a FOLLOWER of JESUS all by THEMSELVES.

There is no such thing as a solitary Christian or Disciple of Jesus.

Christianity --- being a follower or Disciple of Jesus is ALWAYS lived out in community.

No matter how hard we try --- we cannot be spiritual or religious without the presence of other people in our lives.

We need each other --- for:

          encouragement

          guidance

          wisdom

          and accountability

I think E Stanley Jones was right when he said:

"everyone who belongs to Christ, belongs to everyone who belongs to Christ"

While reading McLaren's Book, EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE --- he shared the African concept of ubuntu.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu defined ubuntu as meaning:

"My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours. . . . A person is a person through other persons."

Our humanity is found in our connections with other people!

          I am who I am because you are who you are

This is the whole example of Jesus --- his life was lived in community

·         He calls 12 very ordinary men to be his first Disciples

·         He promises that whenever two or three gather he would be among us

·         As he and his disciples shared a last meal together Jesus even seemed to raise Christian friendship to a sacramental level when he said:

John 15:15   (NRSV)

I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.

And when Paul told the Disciples in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 12:27   

Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.

Or as the author of Hebrews reminds us of the need for community

Hebrews 10:23-25   (NRSV)

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

You understand that there is a problem with this idea?

          This goes totally counter to everything in our culture.

We live by a "do it yourself" --- "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mentality

But that is not the message of the Gospel

One of my favorite passages of Scripture ---- one that I often use at weddings because the image of community is so powerful is found in the book of Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12   (NRSV)

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

When John Wesley began, what became known as the Methodist Movement, one of the things that he did very early was to organize people into small groups.  The purpose of these groups was to do all those things that the author of Hebrews talked about.

provoke one another to love and good deeds, . . . encouraging one another

One of the things that Wesley observed was that those who were active participants in these small groups continued to grow in their faith while those who were not involved often would fall away.

The same seems true today.

If somebody's only contact with the church is worship, there is a pretty good chance that that person will fall away --- or even sadder, miss out on the care and concern of the church community.

Growth as a disciple happens best when each individual is connected to others in the community through a small group

Currently there are a bunch of opportunities for you to connect --- if you so choose, but this fall we will be making a big push to invite you to join a house or what I call an affinity group.

But the place that I want focus, or start this morning is the entry point for most people when they decide that they want to inquire about what it means to follow Jesus --- and that is worship.

Mike Slaughter, pastor of one of the larger UM Churches made this true but sarcastic comment on his twitter page:

          "Curious crowds don't equal committed disciples"

What makes a committed Disciple is one that participates not only in worship, but seeks opportunities to further their spiritual growth.

I have people tell me all the time that they are spiritual, but don't have any use for the church.

As I have already shared --- I think they are missing the most important part of the church --- supporting and encouraging each other.

But more than just that --- worship isn't a solitary experience.

I have had some profound experiences of the divine while watching the sun rise and set ---- particularly over the ocean.

          That experience just opens me up to God

And I have even had those experiences by myself --- but something is missing when I cannot share them with others.

Just about a year ago, I was making a round trip journey here to Indianapolis. 

On my way back to Munster, as I was nearing the wind farm along I65 the sun was just setting. 

It was so beautiful, I had to stop and take a picture.

But I also had to share it --- so I took a few minutes and posted it online, but also sent it to Nancy and the girls

I don't believe we can experience the fullness of Christian worship by ourselves.

It is in coming together --- sharing our common journey ---- that we experience the power of God.

But one of the main reasons we gather together to worship is to be able to proclaim the Word together.

We are the people of the BOOK --- we have a story to tell.

When we come together to worship, we come together to tell the story.

And we do this through a variety of means

          Scripture

          Preaching

          Sharing

          Music

We tell the story of what God has done and is doing through Jesus and us!

We tell the story that shapes us as disciples of Jesus.

We tell the story to invite others to join us on the journey.

Regardless of HOW we tell the story ---- We tell the story to help us find our place within the story so that God's story becomes our story!

But the story is just empty words if we don't do anything with it.

Once we receive the story, we are called to respond to it!

You have probably heard the story before about the guy who was always falling asleep in church.

One Sunday the pastor wanted to try and teach him a lesson, so when the man was asleep he said rather quietly to the congregation:

"Everybody who wants to go to heaven, raise your hand."

Everybody quietly raised their hands --- except for the one guy who was sound asleep.  Then the Pastor shouted:

"Everybody who wants to go to hell, STAND UP!"

The man, startled, jumped up, looked around, and said:

"Preacher, I'm not sure what we are voting on, but it looks like we are the only two in favor of it."

That's not the kind of response that I am talking about.

We are invited to respond to God's word in a number of ways.

One of the ways that we are invited to respond is in thanksgiving to God for all that God has done in our lives and for our commitment to Jesus.

And that brings us to the offering.

Wesley said that the offering should be after the Proclamation of the Word --- as a response to the Word.

Now, we do it earlier in the service, but regardless, where it is placed in the order of worship  --- The purpose of the offering is not to raise money for the church.

The giving of our gifts is symbolic of giving ourselves.

It is the act of worship in which we say thanks to God for all that God has done in Jesus and in which we once again affirm our commitment to Jesus by pledging our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness.

We are called to respond to God's love --- to God's story.

Worship, then concludes with what we call the Benediction --- it is a final blessing, but it really is a sending forth.

Having heard God's story we are called to take that story of love out into the world and share it.

Worship is sort of like the locker room of a sports team.

          We gather together to get fired up on the love of God in Jesus.

          We are sent out of the worship service to share that powerful love!

Can one be a Christian and not participate in worship

          Not really

Worship matters

It matters because it is one of the disciplines that helps shape us into the likeness of Jesus.

It matters because our presence may be the very thing that God uses to strengthen, encourage, challenge and bless one of our brothers or sisters.

It matters because it prepares us to go out into the world to share God's unconditional love and God uses us to help transform the world.

So make a joyful noise to the Lord and worship God with gladness. 

Because God's steadfast love --- endures forever!