Sunday
07/22/18 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Healing, loving, and caring”
(“Living
the Mission” Series – Part 4 of 5)
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 89:20-37
New Testament
Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22
Gospel Lesson:
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Welcome again my friends, my brothers and sisters in
Christ, on this the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. Nine Sundays after the Holy Spirit
moved on the day of Pentecost, nearly two-thousand years ago, and the Christian
Church was born.
As many of you know, I started my first Sunday here at the Sidney
UMC on July 1st by beginning a sermon series called “Living the
Mission”. As I have said many times, and you have probably heard many times,
the mission of the United Methodist Church is:
“To make disciples of Jesus Christ,
for the transformation of the world”.
We are all called in
our own ways then, to bring people, with God’s help, to the saving grace of God’s
son Jesus Christ. Then, with God’s help, to equip them to transform Sidney and
the world. This also means that when we enter into a relationship with Jesus
Christ, that we are forever changed.
Yet, as I have said, and many of us know all too well, so
many of our churches in this country, whether they be Methodist or not, are in steep
decline. To put it another way, most of our churches are shrinking and not
growing.
Well why is this? How can we better live our church’s
mission out, as to revitalize and grow our churches? My sermon series “Living
the mission,” that I have been preaching on discussing five ways that I believe
that we can better live out our church’s mission. Don’t get me wrong, there
other ways to, but I chose just five that I think are good ones to focus one.
So what are these ways that we can better live our mission,
grow and revitalize our churches with God’s help? Of the five ways that I have
identified, thus far, I have said first and foremost, we need to greet and care
for each other “With the love of Jesus Christ”. This means, that people need to
know that they are loved and cared for by their Pastor, by the leaders of the
church, and all of us. Knowing that you are loved, that you matter, that there
is place for you here at the Sidney UMC, is a great way to better live our
mission. It is also good to know that there are people here that are there for
you if you need them. If you are sick, if you are in the hospital, if you need
help, I hope that you can view this church as an extension of your family.
The second thing that we can do to better live out our
church’s mission, is with the power of the Holy Spirit, renew our faith. We
need to believe in a new and a powerful way in Jesus Christ. We need to know
that He is risen, that he is our Lord, and that through him all things are
possible. That Jesus and His gospel changes hearts and lives. Or to put it
another friends, strong faith breeds strong faith. If the church has strong
faith, than that faith will spread. Faith breeds faith. Energy breeds energy.
Optimism breed optimism, and faith breeds faith.
Last week I talked about the church growing. Now this is in
a way, a bi-product of living out our mission better, but it is also the direct
result of doing this. When people feel loved, cared for, and when they grow
closer the Christ, the church grows and flourishes. Yet when new people will
come into the church, how can we make space for them? This could mean a second
worship service, bible studies, trainings, mission trips, Sunday school, youth
groups, prayer meetings, and etc. You see, Jesus Christ doesn’t change, but the
folks who make up churches like this, well that can change.
The next thing that I want to introduce this morning that I
think can better help us to live out our church’s mission better, is the idea
of “Healing, loving, and caring”. Thus far in this sermon series, I have talked
a lot about what we can do here inside of this church. Yet, what can we do
beyond the walls of this church?
One of the things that I have encountered as a pastor, is
folks that have faith, but say, “Pastor, I don’t need to go to church to have
faith”. I have joked with some church folks before that some folks are
interested in the Christian faith for what I like to call “Fire Insurance”.
This means that you have faith in Christ, because you want the salvation and
the eternity in heaven that it will yield. As far as living the Christian faith
out though, well that is a lot of work. It is Biblical though, as we are called
to be the united body of Christ. We are called to be together, to worship
together, and live out our faith together. It is as Biblical as it gets. So friends,
the more that we live and model our faith, the more people will see it and be
attracted to it.
I remember hearing a testimony of man who had come to
Christ at least 10-years ago now. This man said that he had started spending
time with some other Christian men. This man noticed right away that these
Christian men were different than some of his other non-Christian friends. You
see, they had a joy, a peace, and caring and concern for others that he saw in few
of his other male friends have. He didn’t know exactly what they had that was
different than him, but he wanted some of what they had. He finally asked them
why they were the way there were, and they told him that were the way there
were because they had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That they
had repented, come to Christ, and been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So we are called to live out our faith in community, and to
do beyond the walls of this church building.
The
founder of the Methodist Movement, Rev. John Wesley was famous for being out of
his church building among the people. He preached to all sorts of people, blue
collar workers, white collar workers, the powerful, the powerless, and etc. I
read one account once that Rev. Wesley had just preached to a group of coal
miners, who had come out of the mine they were working in to hear his sermon. The
miners were so moved by his words, that there black faces had white streaks
where the coal dust had been washed away by their tears.
Rev. Wesley was questioned one day by his bishop as to why
he was not in his church building or his parish all day. Rev. Wesley said to his
bishop about being in the church building or the parish all day:
“I look upon the whole world as my parish”
(https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_wesley_524890)
For me, for Pastor Paul, my Christian faith goes well
beyond this hour that worship together on Sunday morning. My faith is who I am
in Jesus Christ. Friends, the harvest in Sidney, NY is plentiful, but I hope
that workers aren’t few.
So specifically, since my sermon title for this morning is called
“Healing, loving, and caring,” well what do I mean by that? I mean that we are
called to be Christ’s representatives or ambassadors in the world. In fact, we
are the best hope on earth that Jesus Christ has.
This means love your neighbors, help that older person
struggling to go across the street, pray with and for those who suffer, forgive
and love others, and care for those need care. Live and love like Jesus. The
more that we do this, the more that people will see Christ in us. The more that
they will say, I don’t know what is different about that person, but I want
some of what they have. Friends the love and grace of God is what bring people
to Jesus Christ.
In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the Ephesians
from this morning, we here that the church is:
“built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone”
(Eph. 2:20, NRSV).
The church is to be built on Jesus
Christ, and is to look like Jesus Christ. Let’s look again at our gospel of
Mark reading for this morning. It says speaking of the feeding the five-thousand:
“The
apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a
while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And
they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them
going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns
and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had
compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he
began to teach them many things”
(Mk. 6:30-34, NRSV).
Now the rest
of this story gets cut off in this scripture reading for this morning, but this
part of Mark 6 goes on tell the story of Jesus feeding the five-thousand. He had
love and compassion for then, and so he fed them.
This church
does this great. Through Share the Bounty dinners, the Food Bank, Sauce and
Cross, and etc. we do this. With God’s help, I pray that in addition we can
fill people’s souls even better than we already are doing.
So the gospel
of Mark reading for this morning cuts off before the actual feeding the
Five-Thousand with the loaves and fishes, and then pick us at verse 53. Our
gospel of Mark reading once again ends with this:
“When
they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When
they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that
whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in
the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his
cloak; and all who touched it were healed”
(Mk. 6:53-56, NRSV).
So in this cut and pasted reading that
the church has given us for this morning, Jesus feeds, heals, love, and cares
for many. Jesus Christ, the risen savior of the world, God in the flesh did
these things and many more. Did he first and foremost come to die for our sins,
sure, but Jesus said to love others the way that He loved us. Friends, brothers
and sisters, when we do this well, you will see a church that is on fire,
revitalized, and that is transforming Sidney and the world.
I want close this message with a story
about really loving and caring for other people, and forgiveness. Some of us
might remember hearing a story on television back in 2006 in which Terri Roberts’
son Charlie walked into an Amish School House in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and
shot ten Amish girls. Charlie then shot and killed himself. Here is an updated
report that was published in 2013 about this event. The article says:
“It’s been seven years since Terri
Roberts' life changed forever. In
October 2006, her 32-year-old son Charlie walked into an Amish
school in Lancaster County and shot 10 young girls, killing five of
them before killing himself?”
"I heard the sirens and heard helicopters," Roberts
said. "My phone was ringing and it was my husband and he said, 'You have
to get to Charlie's right away.' And I looked at my husband with these sunken
eyes, just saying, 'It was Charlie.' "It
could not be," she said, shaking her head and with tears in her eyes.
"It truly was. It was our son." “Roberts' initial reaction was that
she had to move away. But the Amish came to her the night of the shooting to
say they wanted her to stay”.
“Some of the victims' families attended her son's funeral". There are not words to describe how that
made us feel that day," said Roberts.
"For the mother and father who had lost not
just one but two daughters at the hand of our son, to come up and be the first
ones to greet us -- wow. Is there anything in this life that we should not
forgive?”
“Roberts
now shares this message with those who have experienced trauma. And every
Thursday, she cares for the most seriously wounded survivor of the shooting,
who is now 13”.
“It's against Amish beliefs to appear on camera. Donald
Krayhill often speaks on their behalf. “I
find what Terri does with that little girl an incredibly moving event. It
takes me to tears every time I talk about it or think about it,” said Krayhill”.
"You have this mother who raised a son who did this
horrific damage to this young woman and the mother has the courage and
spiritual fortitude to come back and care for this young woman, and the parents
of the young woman welcome her into their home. It's a powerful, powerful
story." Asked what she
would say to the families of the school shooting victims killed in Newtown,
Conn., one year ago, Roberts said: "There is always hope. To walk into the
future knowing each day has something that we can be thankful for, and not to
live in the sorrow 24-7”.
"Ask God to provide new things in your lives,
new things to focus on," she said. "That doesn't take the place of
what is lost. But it can give us a hope and a future". A future only made
possible by forgiveness.
(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mother-of-amish-school-shooter-shares-amazing-story-of-forgiveness/)
Friends, Jesus Christ came to earth, to love, heal,
forgive, and to die for us. When we show this to others in various ways, not
only will the church flourish, but we will all be “Healing, loving, and caring”
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment