Sunday
07/07/19 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Bear one another’s burdens”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 30
New Testament
Scripture: Galatians 6:1-16
Gospel Lesson:
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Welcome again
dear friends, brothers and sister in Christ, on this the Fourth Sunday after
Pentecost. Four Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved and the Christian Church
was born nearly two-thousand years ago.
Melissa and I really enjoyed our week off together. We were
together every day for the whole week, and after the whole week, she still
wants to be around me, which is good news!
Our time away was very restorative and refreshing, but of
course we missed all of you, our church family. I had a really opportunity this
past week to reflect upon our church, our church community, Sidney, and many
aspects of my own ministry. Today marks the first Sunday in this the eighth
year of my ministry as a United Methodist Church pastor. In the seven years
that I have pastored, I have been blessed to see God do some amazing things in the
churches that I have served, in the communities that I have served, and in
general.
All the churches that I have served have been special in
different ways, and of course Sidney UMC is no different. I hear often from
people who have visited or have joined this church just how friendly it is.
People tell me, “Pastor Paul, your church is so friendly, and the people are so
loving and caring”. I truly believe that this community of faith is a treasure
in Sidney and in the world.
This morning in our reading from the Apostle Paul’s letter
or epistle to the Galatians, he tells us in 6:2-3 once again:
“Bear one another’s burdens, and in
this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are
nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves” (Gal. 6:2-3, NRSV).
The Apostle
Paul is telling the church in Galatia, and us, to shoulder, and to carry the
struggles and sufferings of others. Sometimes when I visit folks, or when I
call to visit folks, they say, “But Pastor Paul, you are too busy to visit me”.
Yet God says that we are to “Bear one another’s burdens”.
It is sad to
me as a pastor to hear about churches that are declining and some that are even
closing. I truly believe that in these times that we are living in now that how
we act and live as a church has massive implications for our future as a
church.
Whether people
have faith or not, most people in this world have and will continue to desire
community and loving relationships. Healthy churches not only offer the lifesaving
gospel of Jesus Christ, but they also offer love, community, caring, and they
are churches that “Bear one another’s burdens”.
I want to
share a story with you about living for others and sharing one another’s
burdens. This story comes from www.godvine.com, and it says:
“The
story of Pastor Jeremiah Steepek has been shared on the internet before; you
may have even read it. But, we think you need to read it again... because it's
more inspirational than you realize: Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed
himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was
to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon
to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service….only
3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for
change to buy food….NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary
to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would
please sit in the back. He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and
dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him”.
“As he sat in the back of the church,
he listened to the church announcements and such. When all that was done, the
elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to
the congregation……..” We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah
Steepek”….The congregation looked around clapping with joy and
anticipation…..The homeless man sitting in the back stood up…..and started
walking down the aisle…..the clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him….he walked
up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and
paused for a moment….then he recited”.
“Then
the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my
Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation
of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I
needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in
prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to
drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The
King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (https://www.godvine.com/read/pastor-jeremiah-280.html).
Why
is our church here in Sidney growing? Why is faith deepening? Why are we adding
new members? The reason, I believe brothers and sisters, is that we are doing
everything that we can to live our Christian faith out. Do I believe in the
Bible? I do. Do I think Jesus Christ is the way of salvation and eternal life?
I do. Those beliefs though for me are much more than just head knowledge, or
things that I just believe. They are things that I live out. I pray for this
church daily. I deeply love all the people of this church and your families. When
you are suffering, I am suffering. When you are rejoicing, I am rejoicing.
I
believe that the churches of the future will do 5-things well. These things are:
1. They
will be extremely loving, inviting, and caring of one another.
2. They will
show great love, concern, and caring for the community and the world.
3. They
will have strong and visionary leadership.
4. They will
have passionate and Holy Spirit filled worship.
5. They
will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ with fire, love, and hope.
In
2019, an era when many churches are shrinking and even closing, some churches
are not only growing, but in fact they are thriving. How can this be? How can
we connect this to what the Apostle Paul said this morning about “Bearing one
another’s burdens”? The historic church, and I believe churches of the future,
if they want to be strong, growing, and filled with the Holy Spirit, then they
will be church that are:
1. Extremely
loving, inviting, and caring of one another.
2. They will
show great love, concern, and caring for the community and the world.
3. They
will have strong and visionary leadership.
4. They will
have passionate and Holy Spirit filled worship.
5. They
will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ with fire, love, and hope.
Many people that are no longer part
of a church, or that don’t claim to have faith anymore, might have had hurtful
and harmful experiences in the church. Most people I know though are desirous of
loving and caring community. Imagine churches like this. Imagine the love, the
caring, the “Bearing of one another’s burdens,” and the donuts. Brothers and
sisters, I believe that this is the type of church that Jesus taught the
disciples to build here on earth. I believe that we are continuing to live into
being a church like that.
The Apostle Paul continues on in Galatian 6:7-10 saying:
“Do
not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow
to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to
the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow
weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not
give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of
all, and especially for those of the family of faith” (Gal. 6:7-10, NRSV).
We have that
famous line from the scriptures here, “for whatever you reap you sow”. To me it
is so easy. We love each other like Jesus loves us, we invite them into the
community of faith, and we share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ
with them. Then we live this out in a variety of ways together. Friends the
problem throughout the years has not been Jesus, it has been the church. Jesus
hasn’t let us down, but sometimes the church has. If we truly “Bear one another’s
burdens,” and truly love each other, then I am convinced that this church and
others churches will and can have bright futures.
The Apostle
Paul finishes this reading from the Book of Galatians encouraging us to stay focused
on Jesus and his cross, and live it out.
Friends I
still lament about when interviewed to be the pastor of this church last
January, 2018. In this interview, I was asked among many other questions if I
would visit the sick and the homebound. I have to admit that I was troubled by
this question. You see true and authentic Christian Community where churches
are growing and thriving, are churches that “Bear one another’s burdens.” It
seems that some churches for years have “skated-bye” by playing church, by not
truly living out our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. People came on
Sunday, and that was about it. Churches of the future will live out their faith
in radical ways, and they will “Bear one another’s burdens”.
So my
challenge to all of us for this week, to myself, is share our faith with
others, to invite someone to this church, to invite someone to a church event.
When that visitor gets here, let’s talk with them, love them, and include them.
Then watch how this church continues to grow. Hopefully the visitor that you bring, will say, “Wow
the people of this church really love each other!” This church really, “Bears
one another’s burdens!” “I want to be part of a church like this!”
In looking
briefly at the gospel of Luke reading for this morning, this is how it begins,
once again in 10:1-11:
“After this the Lord appointed
seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and
place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out
like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and
greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this
house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on
that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house,
eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid.
Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people
welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say
to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do
not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we
wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come
near.’ (Lk.
10:1-11, NRSV).
In this
gospel lesson, Jesus has appointed 70 people to go forth in pairs with
virtually nothing. These people are to share the good news of Jesus Christ and
rely on the hospitality of other. In the process, I am sure that they will “Bear
one another’s burdens”. If they are not welcomed though, Jesus says dust off
your sandals and move on.
I don’t necessarily
think that in our culture today that the problem is that most people don’t have
faith, but instead many have felt hurt or “unwelcomed” as Jesus says in this
gospel reading. As a result, these people have dusted off their sandals and have
moved on from the church. When I hear some of their stories, I can’t say that I
blame them. I believe that we have many people in our society though who have
faith, but who have in fact dusted of their sandals and moved on from being part
of the church. Well what if the church was different then the last time it hurt
you, and you left? What if the church actually tried to love and care the way
they claimed to, but sometimes failed to actually do? Churches of the future
will love like that.
The gospel of
Luke reading for this morning once again ends by saying of the seventy people
that Jesus sent out to spread the good news:
“The
seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons
submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash
of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless,
do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your
names are written in heaven” (Lk. 17-20,
NRSV).
When we love like that, when we truly “Bear
one another’s burdens,” Sidney and the world will truly be transformed!
Friends, the Holy Spirit does the work, Jesus does the saving, God creates, and
we just follow and love. This is the gospel that transforms lives, saves souls,
rebuilds families, and changes the world.
So in closing, may we as people and as
church continue to strive to:
1. Continue
to be extremely loving, inviting, and caring of one another.
2. Continue
to show great love, concern, and caring for the community and the world.
3.
Continue to have strong and visionary leadership.
4.
Continue to have passionate and Holy Spirit filled worship.
5.
Continue to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ with fire, love, and hope.
If we continue to do these things,
and if we take them seriously, watch what God can and will continue to do in
this church, in this community, and the world. It doesn’t matter what the world
says, for Jesus tell us that he has overcome the world. May we today and always
“Bear one another’s burdens” Amen.
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