Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 09/06/15 Sermon - “A good reputation is better than much wealth" The "Wisdom" series, Part 1 of 2”

Sunday 09/06/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “A good reputation is better than much wealth”

(The “Wisdom” series: Part 1 of 2)                     

                                 

Old Testament Lesson: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23

                                            

New Testament Scripture: James 2:1-10 (11-13), 14-17

Gospel Lesson: Mark 7:24-37

          Friends, brothers and sisters, welcome once again on this the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost. On the day of the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way, and the early church was born. Here we are, nearly two-thousand years later, trying to figure out this thing called faith. He we are, nearly two-thousand years later, trying to be more like Jesus Christ.

          This morning though, I want to talk about reputations. You know, what people think of me, what people think of you, and what people think of us. Our reputations are significant.  In fact, in the Book of Proverbs reading from this morning, it says in 22:1 that, “A good reputation is better than much wealth” (Prov. 22:1a, CEB).

Historically speaking, part of what made many people want to join the early Christian Church, was the reputation of the church. You see, most people in the time period of the early Christian Church had never encountered Christianity before. They didn’t even know what a Christian was. Further, maybe they had never even heard of Jesus Christ, or didn’t know why the church even existed in the first place. Yet many people in the time period of the early Christian Church, watched and studied the Christians from a distance. Some from the early church members would also come and preach the saving message of Jesus Christ, to those who had never heard it before. After doing this, some of these listeners became Christians and joined the church, but many held back for a while. These people just watched, and studied, and tried to understand. Who are these Christians, they said? Why are they here, they said? What do they want, they said?

          The reality though is this, many people in the early Christian Church, and even today, became or become part of the church not just because they were told the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of them joined, because they saw a model of love, kindness, and caring that was so powerful, that they were attracted to it, like metal to a magnet.

For even when Jesus Christ walked the earth, people didn’t just follow him because of his words alone, but he also had a presence about him. There was something different about him. He created a group of followers that modeled love, caring, and kindness, unlike anything the people around them had ever seen before. Since this was true, the church grew.

          Since Jesus Christ had the power to love, heal, and forgive, many came to follow him. Then after Christ was crucified and resurrected, many came to join the Christian Church, because that love, that power, and that grace from God was still at work. This love, this power, and this grace from God, is still at work in us here today to. So people historically and even today, that heard that the Christian Church was loving, caring, and grace filled, might have joined because of this. “A good reputation is better than much wealth” (Prov. 22:1a, CEB).  

          Beyond just our words then sisters and brothers, what we do matters. When we as Christians go outside of this building, people see who and what we are. Sometimes as believers then, we need wisdom from God, and from each other, to be all that Jesus Christ has called us to be.

          In this way, I am starting a two-week sermon series this morning called the “Wisdom” series. I am calling it the “Wisdom” series, because I will be preaching out of the Book of Proverbs, this week and next week. The Book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom.

          This week, which is the first of the two parts of this series, is taken from Proverbs 22:1, that I said a couple of minutes ago, “A good reputation is better than much wealth” (Prov. 22:1a, CEB). Meaning that who we are as Christians, and who we are as people, is what makes our reputation. Now granted, the only one that we really need to please is God. Yet the Christian Church grows in part through our love, kindness, caring, and yes our reputations.

If a church has a good pastor for example, and if that pastor really loves the people, then that pastor will have a reputation as such. Due to this, some people might then want to visit a Sunday morning service, to hear this pastor, as the pastor has a good reputation. “Were heard that she really loves the people,” they may say.

          Now once again, the church should not grow and be built, merely on the reputation of the church. It should be grown on Jesus Christ. We are human though, aren’t we? In this way, for many of us, before we get into all the “churchy” stuff of being part of a church, when we visit for the first time, we say to ourselves, “who are these people?” “Is this a place for me?”

          As some of you might know, the Freeville United Methodist Church recently bought four new beautiful road signs that are affixed at all four roads leading into Freeville. At the bottom of these very beautiful signs, it says, “All Welcome.” Now being the nerd that I am, and wondering how “All Welcome” on a church sign can affect a church’s reputation, I looked up the definition of the word “Welcome.” I found the following definitions from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. These are the definitions: 1. to greet hospitably and with courtesy or cordiality, and 2. to accept with pleasure the occurrence or presence of. It isn’t always easy sometimes to be this welcoming is it?

          When looking at the reading from the Book of James from this morning, James talks about two persons coming into worship or a meeting. James says, “One has a gold rings and fine clothes, while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags” (James 2:2b, CEB). James then challenges us with the question, of who should be more welcomed? The rich person, or the poor person? James then encourages us in verse 8, to “Love you neighbor as yourself,” as he was quoting his brother, Jesus Christ (James 2:8b, CEB).

          To me then, while I believe that Jesus Christ was God on earth, while I believe in scripture, and things like the Holy Trinity, I realize that church at the heart of it, grows because of relationships. It grows in part because of the love and the reputation that we have. I have seen churches before that are massive in size, and could have buildings that are worth millions of dollars. These churches might have massive endowment funds. They might have enough money to sustain the church for years, yet the congregation is so small. Sisters and brothers, “A good reputation is better than much wealth” (Prov. 22:1b, CEB).

          Well before jumping into the scripture for this morning from the Book of Proverbs more, I want to talk a little bit about our Gospel of Mark reading for this morning. In this reading, Jesus heals a child that was “possessed by an unclean spirit,” and then helped a deaf man to hear (Mark 7:24-37, CEB). In the last verse of this gospel reading the crowd reacted to Jesus’ healing of the deaf man (Mark 7:37, CEB). This crowd then said of Jesus Christ, “He does everything well! He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who can’t speak” (Mark 7:37, CEB). So Jesus had and has a good reputation. “A good reputation is better than much wealth” (Prov. 22:1a, CEB).

          Now friends, if we have a savior that has this sort of power, and I believe that we do. If we have a savior that has overcome this world, and has overcome sin and death, which I believe we do, then the joy and the love that we radiate from ourselves, is what people often first see.

           I remember when Melissa and I were attending the Moravia/Locke United Methodist Church, we had a guest preacher come in one Sunday. This preacher in their sermon wanted to know why people joined or attended that church. He then asked people to raise their hands if they joined the church, because the sermons were good. When he did this, about 5-10% of the people raised their hands. He then asked if people joined for the music or the beauty of the building, and again he got about 5-10% of people raising their hands. Then he asked a few other questions, and got just a couple of hands for each one of those questions.

          The last question that he asked though, was this, “How many of you joined or attend this church because one or more people from this church loved you, ministered to you, and made you feel welcomed here?” With that about 70-80% of the hands in the sanctuary were raised. The pastor just smiled, and calmly invited everyone to look around at the raised hands. People were in amazement, that so many hands were raised for that question. He then said, “Friends, this is the power of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this what makes the church so great and so strong.”

          You see, we can do all of the Christian rituals perfect. I can stand in just the right spot on Sunday morning. I can say just the right things, but the Christian faith has always grown, first and foremost, through grace, love, and hope. When we offer all people grace, love, and hope, then all of the sudden Jesus Christ becomes even more desirable. If we have been so changed by the love of Jesus Christ ourselves, then people will say, “then maybe I can be changed to?”

          Admittedly though, we do have some days that we just don’t want to be good and loving, don’t we. We have days that we are tired, grouchy, and irritable. We all do, and we aren’t perfect, but we do serve a perfect God. When we come together though and do our best to extend grace, love, and hope to all people, watch what will happen in the church. I know, because I have seen it over and over.

          So this morning the Book of Proverbs says, “A good reputation is better than much wealth” (Prov. 22:1a, CEB). The Book or Proverbs reading then continues on to say, “high esteem is better than silver and gold” (Prov. 2:1b, CEB). The next verse then says, “The rich and the poor have this is common: the LORD made them both” (Prov. 22:2, CEB). This Christian Church then, should be a place that all people feel what the Merriam-Webster dictionary defined as being “Welcome.” While it is hard sometimes, when this happens, the church and the whole community will transformed.

          The Book of Proverbs reading then continues on to say, “Those who sow injustice will harvest evil; the rod of their fury will come to an end” (Prov. 22:8, CEB). This verse then, is the opposite of welcome, the opposite of extending grace, love, and hope.

          Yet the next verse says, “Happy are generous people, because they give some of their food to the poor” (Prov. 2:9, CEB). You see there are people in our communities that are contemplating coming to this church, and a massive part of their decision will be us. I heard a preacher say once, “that we as believers, might be the only Bible that someone else ever sees or reads.” Following Jesus Christ then, isn’t always easy, but there is nothing better.

          The scripture from the Book of Proverbs for this morning, ends with 22:22-23, that says, “Don’t steal from the poor, because they are poor. Don’t oppress the needy in the gate. The LORD will take up their case and press the life out of those who oppress them” (Prov. 22:22-23m CEB).

          Friends, brothers and sisters, sometimes I fail to be all that Jesus Christ has called me to be. What I try to do though, every day, and every Sunday, is to extend grace, love, and hope, to all people. For this is what Jesus Christ did, and the last time that I checked, it changed the world.

I want to share with you a story about compassion, called “Lunch With God,” submitted by Kathy Pinto. Here is how it goes: “There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer, and he started his journey.”

“When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.”

“As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave but before he had gone more than a few steps; he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

“Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” But before her son responded, she added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

“Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!”

Friends, brothers and sisters, “A good reputation is better than much wealth” (Prov. 22:1a, CEB). For God created the universe, this world, us, and everything, with a purpose. God sent his son Jesus Christ to earth with a purpose. God fills us with his Holy Spirit, for a purpose. Jesus called his disciples and followers to build his church for a purpose. Our purpose as individuals then, and our purpose as a church then, is to extend grace, love, and hope to all people. To “make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world.” Brothers and sisters, there are some people in our communities that are hurting, that desperately need grace, love, and hope. Let us seek to be all the Jesus Christ has called to be. Amen.