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"THE TASK BEFORE US" Dr. James
L. Mayfield October 28, 2001
There are those who think it is impossible for the Church to be relevant because the world we live in is so very different from the world of Bible. Of course, the truth is, the world we live in is very different from the one into which we were born -- regardless of our birth date. Our planet continues to shrink with the speed of travel and communication while the population continues to increase. The more crowded our urban living conditions become, the more we retreat within in a personal isolation that causes us to use our houses more like places of refuge than homes for sharing. The more gadgets we have to communicate with one another, the more guarded we become in what we are willing to share and the more isolated and lonely we feel. Looking at the world population, it appears the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and old values seem to be washed away in a flood of so called modernity. Today, all around this planet frustrations and fears are exploding in cruel acts of terrorism. In these and many, many other ways, our world has changed. Yet the task of the Church, the task of those of us who call ourselves Christian remains what it has always been. It is the task of sharing the Good News, whether the times are favorable or not. "Proclaim the message," Paul told Timothy and, in telling Timothy, tells us. Proclaim the message, the Gospel, the Good News that God loves the world, the Good News that God loves us, the Good news that God loves you and even me. We who go to church all the time, or who have been part of this culture for a while may have become insensitive to the meaning in the words I have just spoken. We may no longer really hear what is being said. Like people who live near a railroad track no longer notice the rumbling of trains, we who have so often heard the words "God loves the world and God loves you" may have become insensitive to the message. This is probably one of the reasons why so many of us fail to share the message. We are so accustomed to hearing it, we have lost touch with its meaning and significance, and having lost touch with its meaning and significance, we are unaware of our having an important message to share. We are like people surviving on junk food, while behind a door that is so familiar we no longer notice it, is pantry full of food we neither eat nor share. The proclamation of God's love is a very audacious, amazing message. God, the Mystery that is beyond human understanding, the Force, Reality, Power behind the universe, and the Ultimate Source of all life, is not just an abstract, scientific theory. This One from whom all comes, loves the world and each of us. The Reality behind the mystery of all that is, cares, not merely about creation in general but about each one of us in particular. In ways that are beyond human understanding, this Mystery behind all that is, this One we call God, not only numbers the hairs on our heads but even knows our inmost thoughts and feelings, knows us better than we can know ourselves. This Mystery we call God sees purpose in our lives and gives purpose to our living. This Mystery, Jesus called "Father" or "Daddy," has not only given us life and purpose in living but also seeks to be in significant relationship with us in life and even beyond life. When we live, trusting the profound and complex truth that is simply stated in the proclamation "God loves you," we experience hope, even in the face of crucifixions. It is by God's grace that we have such faith, such trust in God and God's love. And when our living is shaped by faith, shaped by our trusting God really does love us, we experience the reality of hope -- even as we face the reality of sin and evil expressed in terrorism and biological warfare. When we live, trusting the profound and complex truth that God really does love us, we are able to understand how and why Paul was able to sing hymns of praise even when he was in jail facing the very real possibility of being beaten, if not executed. Paul trusted the power of God's love, the power revealed in the resurrection; and trusting in that power, hope shaped his living, even when he was in what most people would call: "a hopeless situation." What was the content of this hope? It was not the timid hope that is merely wishing for and dreaming of some sort of happy ending. This hope is living with strong confidence that ultimately God really does win, that crucifixion is not the last word, that resurrection declares God is ultimately victorious over sin and evil. When we live by faith, when we live trusting God, we have hope -- that is, we are confident that when we live in harmony with God, our lives have meaning and purpose. When we trust God, we are confident God is making use of our lives even when we are unaware of precisely what that use is. Even when all we can see are realities related to crucifixions, we live with hope, with strong confidence, in the meaning and implications of the Easter message. Because we trust God, we are able to face whatever must be faced confident in God and God's grace. It is this confidence in God and God's love, that finally enables us to risk living lives of love -- risk reaching out with Christ like tough and tender love even to those who clearly see themselves as our enemies. Faith in God and God's grace gives us hope, and hope enables us to love others, even as God in Christ has loved us. Paul told Timothy and in the process tells us, to share this message of faith, hope and love. And in the passage Paul includes some advice about how to do this. We are to be convincing, Paul says. For someone to convince me of anything, that person is going to have to care about me, have some understanding of who I am, and speak in a way I can understand. I will remain unconvinced if all someone does is hurl words at me. I think this is true for all people. So, for us to be convincing, we have to care about people and try to understand them and then speak in ways they can understand. Paul also tells us that to be effective, we must rebuke and encourage one another. He was telling us to help one another. We need others to hold us accountable when we are less than our best selves. We also need others to encourage us, to be our cheerleaders, rooting for us to live as God intends. And what we need from others, others need from us. To be effective in our proclamation of the Gospel, in our being the Church, we must help one another. And Paul also added, we must be patient. None of us is transformed by one declaration of the Gospel. None of us get it right the first time. All of us slip and fall -- and at times, even turn around and go backwards. God's patience is amazing. If you remember very much about Jesus' relationship with the disciples, you remember how much patience was called for. They would start off in the right direction, but before the story had gone very far it was painfully evident they had misunderstood, and were going the wrong direction. When the ordeals of Holy Week came, each of them fell short of living by faith, hope and love. Proclaiming the Gospel, teaching the meaning and implication of God's amazing Good News, takes great patience and persistence. It is not easy because, as Paul said, people have "itching ears" and will not put up with sound doctrine. I think what Paul was saying is, people want what they want, not necessarily what God is offering. The result is, we humans are easy suckers for phony good news. There are those who think it is impossible for the Church to be relevant because the world has changed so much. I think Paul would say: "Yes, the world has changed a great deal, but that only increases the relevance of the Gospel." For the world to become the world God intends it to be, we who are the Church must get on with task before us. And that task is proclaiming the Good News of God's love and what that means for the living of our lives. To do this, we must speak and act in ways others understand; we must help one another be our best selves; and we must be patient and persistent. God, enable and empower each of us so that we who are the Church will get on with the task that is before us. Amen. Pastoral Prayer: We have come here with
a variety of concerns
and problems. God, free us from our slavery to fear and anxiety. Rescue us from the dark dungeons of suspicion and enable us to live by faith, trusting You. Help us be sensitive to the ways You are at work in our lives. May we be so aware of the blessings You have provided, that we experience deep gratitude and are able to experience that profound joy known only by those who are truly grateful. God may this joy filled gratitude guide us as we make our estimates of giving for the ministries of this congregation in the year ahead. As we face this opportunity to share what we have in ministries for others, rescue us from anxieties and fears that cause us to be selfish. Give us the peace and joy that comes when we are aware that what we are saying and doing is in harmony with Your will. All this we pray in the awareness of Your generosity to us, especially the gift of Your son, the one who taught us to pray: "Our Father ..."
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