Sunday
07/08/18 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Amazed at their unbelief”
(“Living the Mission” Series
– Part 2 of 5)
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 48
New Testament
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Gospel Lesson:
Mark 6:1-13
Welcome again my friends, my sisters and brothers in
Christ, on this our Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Seven Sundays after the
Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.
Nearly two-thousand years later, here we are gathered in worship this morning,
as millions and millions of Christians are gathering all over the world.
For
those that weren’t here in worship in the Sauna of heat last Sunday, I began on
my first Sunday here, a sermon series called “Living the Mission”. Specifically,
this series is about how we can best live the mission of the United Methodist
Church, both individually and collectively. As many of us know, the mission of
the United Methodist Church is, “To make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the
transformation of the world”.
This
transformation is what makes us individually and the church an agent for
change, hope, and love in a world that desperately needs it now more than ever.
In
receiving this love, this new life, this hope, this joy, we are then called to
train and equip people to transform Sidney and the world for Jesus Christ. This
transformation could occur through “Share the Bounty” Dinners, “Mission Trips,”
helping others, Vacation Bible School, and etc.
Some
might say then, “well the mission statement sounds pretty easy to me pastor”. I
mean it is pretty straight forward isn’t it?
The
question that I have for us to consider this morning then, is this, if our
mission statement is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation
of the world,” and if it is so clear cut, then why are so many of our churches
shrinking? Why do we have churches that are closing?
By
a show of hands, how many of us here are concerned not only about the future of
the Sidney United Methodist Church, but all churches?
I
wouldn’t be telling you all the truth if I told that you that all of our churches
are doing great right now. In fact, some people have said to me, “It’s just
hopeless”.
Here
is the reality though my brothers and sisters, in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus
says in 16:18:
“And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18, NRSV).
This means that the church of Jesus Christ is alive and well,
and I hope, and I pray that the gospel is alive and well in us. Nothing can
overcome Jesus Christ, his church, or his gospel. This means that when it is all said and done,
that God will win, love will win, evil will lose, and Jesus Christ and his
gospel will prevail. Amen?
So if our mission statement is so simple, then what are we
doing wrong? This sermon series identifies five ways that we can better and
more successfully live out our mission of making “disciples of
Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world”.
Last
Sunday, I talked about how I believe that pastors, church leaders, and all us
need to come to all people “With the love of Jesus Christ”. We have to do our
best to show love, live love, and model the love of Jesus Christ. To welcome
people, greet them, and treat them like they are already family. It is also one
of my sacred duties as your pastor to preach and do my best to live out the
live giving gospel of Jesus Christ. To proclaim with love, passion, and power,
that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, and our hope. That nothing can
fill that void in our hearts and our souls like the gospel of Jesus Christ. When
I am not preaching the gospel, when I am not among our people, and when I am
not serving, then how I can expect anyone to transformed by God is, or should I
say isn’t doing in me?
With all of this said, my sermon this morning is called
“Amazed at their unbelief”. On this day on gospel of Mark reading, Jesus was
teaching in the Jewish Synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and while he taught and
healed right in front of many people, some still didn’t believe (Mk. 6:1-5,
NRSV). Due to this lack of faith, the gospel then says that Jesus:
“was amazed at their unbelief” (Mk. 6:6, NRSV).
If we are being honest here in God’s house this morning, how
many of us have ever struggled with our faith at times in our lives? Maybe
something happened, we lost a job, a loved one died, or something else. We
grappled with God, and we struggled with our faith. Some people have told me,
and I bet there are some here in this church this morning, that through their
times of struggle, through their time in the desert, in the valley, that their
church and its people were there for them. That when they were struggling, that
when they needed a shoulder to cry on, that there church was there for them.
That when your wife or your husband or family member died, that the people of
this church showed up in droves. That you got visits, cards, and since were
Methodists casseroles and covered dish dinners. Your faith right then was
struggling, but their faith in Christ was strong. This sense of community, of
being united is what can often grow our faith. Or as the Bible says, “Iron
sharpens Iron”.
Friends, we have people right here in Sidney, NY and near and
far that need the grace of God through Jesus Christ, and they need church
families like the Sidney United Methodist Church. They need the love of God,
and they need to be part of this thing called a church family. As a great pastor
that I knew once said so well, we are called to “love them into the kingdom”.
Friends, we need to believe anew in what God can do in and
through us. Do we really have faith like that though?
Many years ago a teenager in North Carolina heard the gospel
of Jesus Christ at revival meeting, and that man went on with God’s help to
transform the world and bring millions and millions of people to Jesus Christ.
That man, one of my heroes, was the Rev. Billy Graham. Friends if we are going
to effectively pursue our church’s mission let us never hear that someone looks
at us and says of us that they were:
“amazed at” our “unbelief” (Mk. 6:6, NRSV).
So there I was last March, 2017 on a mission trip to the
Central American country of Nicaragua. The people of this country in general,
have very little possessions. Yet, while many of our churches here in America
are shrinking and struggling, the churches in Nicaragua are thriving. In fact,
as our mission group went around much of the country, we saw churches being
built all over. The churches were filled with young people, and they worshiped
with great praise for God.
In visiting one of the little Eastern Nicaraguan villages, we
saw great poverty. When we arrived at this little village, we saw simple wood
slat houses that stood on poles that were mounted in the ground. Folks seemed
to have some electricity, but as I looked around, the people had few if any
possessions. They had simple woods shacks, where you could see the sun light
coming in through the boards. They had little to nothing, and yet I found out quickly
how much faith they had, while not having many earthly things.
After being there for a few minutes, the pastor of this
community came out to greet us with great joy and love. He then lamented, as he
told me that his little village had been made aware that somewhere in East
Africa people were dying of starvation. He then said that his village that
Sunday would be taking a collection, and would then send the money to feed
those sisters and brothers in Christ, so that they wouldn’t die needlessly.
These people had virtually nothing, yet they were going to give not out of
their abundance, but their scarcity.
Friends, when this pastor said this to me, I was humbled and
it cut right me right to the core. These people had virtually nothing, but the
pastor said because of who Jesus Christ is, because of what he has done for
them, and because of his gospel they are giving to those who need help.
I went back to the hotel that night, and had tears running
down my cheeks as I was humbled and moved by their faith. Yet I feared that if
Jesus was there in the flesh right then in that hotel room with me that he would
have been:
“amazed at” my “unbelief” (Mk.
6:6, NRSV).
I thought on that day that I had deep faith, but on that day
I learned that while the folks in Eastern Nicaragua were materially poor, they
were wealthier then many of us ever will be. I really love the Rev. Billy
Graham quote about possessions, where he said:
“I
have never a U-Haul behind a hearse” (http://www.azquotes.com/quote/1439463).
My Grandpa Winkelman, who I had the honor of officiating the
funeral of three years ago, grew up a farmer in Northern Illinois during the Great
Depression. He was a man of deep faith, and quick wit. After eighth grade he
had to quit school to work on the farm, and he worked hard every day of his
life.
I remember I asked him one day when I was younger, “Grandpa
Winkelman, what do you think of Billy Graham”? He just smiled and said, “By God
he got the job done didn’t he!”
Friends the only thing that is eternal is Jesus Christ and
his kingdom. If we believe this, and if we have faith and live this, I’m
telling you this church will be transformed, it will grow, and God will use us
to further transform Sidney and the World.
How do I know this? I know this because I have seen God do
this in the four church that I have pastored, I saw it in a poor village in
Eastern Nicaragua, and I see it the grace and the love that you all have for
each other, for Melissa and I, and for all people. Friends, this is the gospel
of Jesus Christ, and it is the hope of the world. So friends, how is our faith
doing this morning?
In looking at our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, it
says once again speaking of Jesus:
“He left that place and came to his
hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in
the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did
this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What
deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son
of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are
not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then
Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown,
and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of
power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.
And he was amazed at their unbelief” (Mk. 6:1-6,
NRSV).
The gospel then says that Jesus went to various villages teaching,
that he sent out his disciples, like Methodist Circuit Riders, carrying virtually
nothing (Mk. 6:6b-9, NRSV). He told them to rely on the goodwill and hospitality
of the people, and Melissa and I have tried to do the same (Mk. 6:10-11, NRSV).
Then Jesus gave
them authority to heal, to love, to forgive, and restore people the favor and
glory of God.
If this is the faith that God gave us through Jesus Christ nearly
two-thousand years ago, then why are so many of our churches failing? If we are
going to successfully live out our mission as a church, then we need to love
each other boldly with the love of Jesus Christ, and friends we need to have renewed
faith in God. Do we believe in what God can do anew in the Sidney United
Methodist Church, in Sidney, and in the world?
I would like to close with a story
that our Bishop Rev. Mark Webb told us once in one of his Annual Conference
sermons. Bishop Webb told us about a church in a small rural farming community.
Much like this church, there were many great people in the church and in the
community.
One of these people was an old farmer.
This farmer would do anything for anyone in the community, yet he never
attended church. People invited him over and over, and he would never come to
church. This farmer had heard in more recent years that preacher was boring,
and had no passion. This farmer had heard that the congregation was unfriendly,
and yet people continued to invite him over and over again, but he never came.
One night however, the church unexpectedly caught fire. It was a
terrifying summer night, as hundreds of people came out in drove to watch. The
not so passionate pastor was affright waiting until the fire truck showed up.
Right then though, that old farmer who never would go to church ran up with arm
full of metal buckets. The farmer had someone open up a fire hydrant, and he created
a line of people to fill the buckets and one by one throw the water on the
flames, until the fire truck go there.
Now the pastor, one of the people who
had invited the old farmer to the church many times, was happy to see him. The
pastor was also confused though that the old farmer had shown up. In the midst
of all of this confusion, the pastor asked the old farmer why he had never
shown up for church before, even though he had been invited over and over again.
The farmer just smiled and looked at the pastor and said, “because this church
has never been on fire before”!
Friends if we want to boldly live out or mission of making
“disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world,” we have to
greet and welcome people with the love of Jesus Christ. We also have to renew
our faith, because the people of this community are watching you, and are
watching me. When we live our faith, and when we are spiritually on fire, we
don’t have to for people to show up until the building is physically on fire. I
pray that the great love of Jesus Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit be in
us, renewed in us, and might flow freely in this place called the Sidney United
Methodist Church. Amen.
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