Sermon:
April 24, 2005
Sunday Night Alive  

Scripture:
Selected verses from Colossians, Thessalonians, Philippians, I Corinthians, Romans

Makin' your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Takin' a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same,
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

You wanna go where people know, people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows your name.

That song takes me back. It takes me right back to Thursday at 8:00 when you could always find me hunkered down to watch Sam, Woody, Diane, Carla, Cliff and, of course, Norm. Like so many other Americans, every Thursday night at 8:00 I would stop off at a little watering hole in Boston called Cheers. For eleven years America was drawn to Cheers—where everybody knew your name.  

But what I think is so interesting about Cheers is that the show’s characters, while funny, were not especially heroic. In fact, one could say the characters on Cheers put the fun in dysfunctional. There was Cliff, the mailman who couldn’t leave his mother, and Diane, the waitress who couldn’t leave her illusions. There was Carla, who couldn’t say no to a man, and Norm, who couldn’t say no to a beer. We had Fraser Crane, the psychiatrist who needed more therapy than his patients. There was Woody, who just fell off the turnip truck. And, of course, there was Sam, the washed-up ballplayer who was always looking for love in all the wrong places.  

So why were we drawn to these folks week after week? What did they have that we wanted? They had each other. Not only did they know each other’s names, they knew each other’s stories.  They had friendship and camaraderie. They had fun. They laughed with each other more than they laughed at each other. They celebrated with each other during good times. They held each other up during the hard times. The Cheers gang reminded us that with a handful of really good friends, life ain’t all that bad. We watched Cheers every week because we, too, longed for that place, and we longed for those people, where our names were known, our stories were honored, our brokenness accepted, our troubles taken seriously, our hopes affirmed and, most importantly, our presence valued. The gang down at Cheers tapped into one of the most important desires in all of us: the desire to belong, the need to connect.  

Connections. Real and genuine connections are becoming a valuable commodity in our culture.  And the truth is, people just don’t connect like they used to. Consider these statistics: 

• Since the mid-1960s, the number of Americans who reported they had attended a public meeting on town or school affairs has fallen by more than one-third.

• Labor union membership has fallen for three decades.

• The ranks of volunteers for civic organizations has plummeted. In the mid-1970s, nearly two-thirds of all Americans attended club meetings. But by the late 1990s, nearly two-thirds of all Americans never do.

• Involvement in politics has declined. Participation in political parties has dropped and less than 50% of our eligible citizens voted in the last presidential election

• We spend about 35% less time visiting with friends than we did thirty years ago. 

Studies show that people and families are doing more alone than ever before. We’re even bowling alone. In the year 2000, there were over 91 million bowlers in America….maybe the most ever. But what is surprising is that the proportion of those 91 million Americans who bowl in leagues has declined by almost 75% since the 1960s. What does that mean? It means we are lone rangers at the bowling alley. I do not mean that we bowling all by ourselves. Sure, we may be out there with our kids, our neighbors, our co-workers, or any number of other folk, but we are not out there week in and week out, at the same time, in the same place with the same people.  So what does this say about us? It says we are losing more and more of our connections.  

“Come on preacher! You have got to be kidding me! Bowling alone? Is that all you’ve got for us tonight? Bowling alone! What’s the big deal? So we’re not joining bowling leagues. What does it matter? What impact does that have on me or on the world?” Well, consider this. When we no longer opt for league night, we are never bowling with the same people, week after week. And when we bowl alone, we are seldom with the people who will hold us accountable for things we say or do. Bowling alone means we are less likely to be bowling with people who know us well enough to understand where we’re “coming from.” It means fewer opportunities to have a person who cares enough about you to help you improve your game. Without our bowling team, nobody will know when we’re having an “off night” or when we are “out of line.” When we bowl on a team—with people we know and people who know us, with people we depend on and with people who depend on us—we will have the kind of connections where people are going to understand us some weeks and challenge us others. And we will let them do this for us because we see them and they see us. What we learn from our bowling team is that, over time, our bowling team will love us and push us in ways that will not happen with people with whom we have not made the same ongoing, common commitment.   

Bowling alone. It not only affects us personally, it affects the entire fabric of our society. “Oh, there he goes again. Sure you made your point, joining a team is good for me. But what difference do bowling leagues make in the community?” Well, if we live in communities where nobody ever joins a bowling league (or any other league, team, club, group or committee, for that matter), then we will live in communities where it will seldom matter if we ever show up on time, do our part, make an ongoing commitment or root for our fellow bowlers (all things you have to do when you bowl on a team). If our communities no longer have bowling leagues, then we will begin to live in places where fewer and fewer of us will ever learn to operate in a framework where rules must be followed, traditions honored, sportsmanship exhibited and accurate scores kept. Bowling on a team, with a small group of people who have made an ongoing commitment to each other, strengthens our ability to be responsible, trust each other, follow through, win with grace, lose with dignity, appreciate the gifts of others, and makes sure that life is never all work and no play. And I think we can quickly see that these are the values that form the backbone of healthy schools, communities, nations and, yes, healthy churches. All of these things become scarce in a country, and in a church, when everybody bowls alone.  

But there is another interesting trend. While participation in local clubs, teams and associations is down, there has been an increase of people joining mass membership organizations such as the American Association of Retired People, the Sierra Club, and the Christian Coalition. But for most of these groups, the only act of membership consists of writing a check for dues and occasionally reading a newsletter. Members of these organizations seldom meet each other or play an active role in the work of the organization. Most people who belong to these organizations don’t even talk to their friends about joining because they think of themselves as fans or spectators, and not as players or participants in the mission of the organization. 

So what does all this mean for our life together here in the church? Consider Christ’s Great Commission, our charge “to go forth into all nations and make disciples.” Does it mean we should get as many people in as fast as we can? Grow our membership rolls, take more people’s checks and send out more monthly newsletters? Or does it mean we have to be more intentional about inviting people to become members of the “team,” creating more places where people’s names are known, stories shared, gifts employed, joys celebrated and troubles carried?  

I think we know the answer. If we are serious about becoming disciples and making disciples, then we must become serious about joining a “bowling team” for Jesus. To grow more closely in our walk with God, as well as to build the foundation of our church and society, we must find more ways to get ourselves connected with a small group of people who we see week in and week out. We all need to find ways to get connected with people who will help us understand what it means to live the Christian life, who know us well enough call us to accountability—people who will love us on an off day and challenge us to become the person God has intended us to be. I believe this can only happen when we get ourselves connected.   

Our scriptures for today confirm this. Today I read the opening words of the seven letters Paul wrote to different communities: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossi and Thessalonica. Each of these letters is written to the members of the early church—to small groups of men and women trying to live into their identity as disciples of Christ. If we were to read each of these letters, we would begin to get the picture that the church was founded on connections—on  small, intimate, meaningful connections. These early churches met mainly in homes. They had no steeples, no sanctuaries, no parking lots, no CLCs. But they did have their faith and they had each other. 

More than a church planter, Paul was a small group organizer. Paul did not see himself as the leader of one universal and uniform church that would come together once a year to fill a stadium, listen to three days’ worth of speakers, raise their hands when the band played, go down front when the altar call was given (never mind if we went down to the altar last year), and then load the buses, go back home and wait to come back next time. Paul never saw himself as the leader of the universal church, but rather he understood himself to be the pastor to a church of a hundred churches. He saw himself as a builder of connections to a young church made up of small, home- based local communities. 

When we read Paul’s letters, we quickly discover that we too are called to belong, not just to believe. Paul is constantly reminding followers of Christ, both then and now, that they have been created for community, fashioned for fellowship and formed for family. Paul is clear. None of us can fulfill the life of faith by ourselves. We need to be connected.  None of these seven letters is written to a solitary saint or a spiritual hermit. Paul continually reminds these faith-filled followers that they are put together, joined together, built together, heirs together, fitted together and held together by the love of God found in Christ Jesus their Lord. Paul makes it clear that while our relationship to Christ is personal, it is not private. In God’s family, we are to get connected.  

Being a disciple of Christ includes belonging, not just believing. We are called to be members of Christ’s Body. The word “membership” has its origin from these letters Paul wrote to these small group churches. To the church at Corinth, Paul writes, “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” To Paul, being a “member” of the church meant being a vital organ of a living body, an indispensable, interconnected part of the Body of Christ.  

Church membership is not about growth, numbers, dollars or furthering social or political agendas. Church membership is about the transformation that happens to us, to others and to the world when we become connected to God and to each other in life-giving and meaningful ways.  For the organs of our body to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected to our body. The same is true of us as a part of Christ’s Body.  From the letters of Paul, we are reminded that the church is a body, not a building, an organism or an organization. 

But let me tell you when I became a believer in small groups. It happened almost a year ago. It was just before 8:00 in the morning and the phone rang. In my business, if the phone rings after 11:00 p.m. or before 8:00 a.m., it is usually not good. It usually means something has happened.  And sure enough, it had. The voice on the other end of the phone said I needed to get over to the hospital because Lori Kileen was about to have emergency surgery. I got up, got dressed, got in the car and got myself to the hospital.  

Usually when emergencies happen, the pastor is among the first to be called. For most people, pastors represent the church, and so they want to get us there so that the church is there and so that God’s presence (which of course is already there) can be better felt. But on that morning when I arrived in the emergency room, the church was already there. I wasn’t the first to be called, I was the last. The waiting room was full of familiar faces—the faces from Lori’s Thursday night small group. They had been there for hours. What were they doing? They were being the church. Lori and David’s church was in the house. They were holding them, caring for them, and on the phone making arrangements to support them in the days to come. 

Was I glad to be called that morning? You bet. Did I need to be called? Absolutely not. Lori’s church was already there. The things that I am called into those moments to do were being done.  She was being prayed for. Her kids were being taken care of. Her husband was being consoled. I left the hospital that day with a conviction that I would do anything I could to make sure that every person had an opportunity to be connected to a group that would do that for them.    

I think I am about to say something radical, even counter-cultural. The church of Jesus Christ will best grow bigger when it grows smaller. The church of Jesus Christ best grows bigger by growing smaller, by creating those places where everybody knows your name. 

I want to share with you my vision. I one day hope to be the pastor of a church of hundred churches, a church made of a hundred faith-sharing, mission-oriented, prayer-lifting, go-to-the- hospital, remember-your-birthday, dry-your-tears and laugh-till-it-hurts small groups.  

So here is what we are going to do. Over the next seven weeks, we are going to be encouraging everyone to seriously consider getting themselves better connected. We will be creating some new small, faith-sharing kinds of groups, the kind of groups that have the potential to transform our lives, our church and our community. Or a small group that will start up in the fall. This is your opportunity to get connected. Consider making a commitment to be in one of these groups in the fall. Sign up now so that after the summer, when things really kick into gear around here, there will be a place where everybody will know your name and remember your story. 

A church that is more deeply connected to God and to one another. A church of a hundred churches. That is my vision. And when that day comes, when we are a church of a hundred churches, I will spend more of my time, like Paul, writing letters. They may sound a little like this:  

To the faithful meeting on Tuesday at Sally’s house,
God’s light is sure shining through you folks these days. The work you have been doing down at the soup kitchen has been amazing. Our whole community is buzzing about the impact you are making down there. Keep on servin’ and lovin’ the Lord. 
Peace in Christ,
Jeff

To the Sunday Night Lifers, 
It sounds like your study on spiritual gifts is going great.  We need more called people willing to unleash their gifts for God’s Kingdom. Your passion for ministry is contagious. Other groups want to get in on it as well. Let me know what I can do to help. Keep being faithful.
Your brother,
Jeff

To my brothers and sisters who have been meeting at Andy and Heather’s,
I know it has been tough for your group this past month. Any time we lose a loved one, it can be really devastating. It is amazing how you all have rallied around Jim. You have become God’s loving embrace for him. You’re witnessing to all of us about what it means to love each other through the most difficult of times. I’ll be praying for you all.
Peace,
Jeff

Dear Greg,
Well, I have to admit, when you said you wanted to start a Harley riders for Jesus small group, I was a bit skeptical. But it has been awesome to see how you all have connected. I mean, for some guys, this has been the only way they have connected to the Lord. What a sight it was to watch you take all those toys you collected down to the children’s home. What can I say? 
Keep cruising for the Lord!
Jeff   

Dear Amy,
Please pass this along your growth group. Thank you for inviting me to come to your meeting to talk about the Book of Revelations. Wow! What a great discussion. You all were so hungry to get into the tough stuff. It is so refreshing to see how open you all were to new ways of looking at things. I hope it was helpful.  Please invite me to come again.
Love in Christ,
Jeff
P.S.  Tell Mike the dessert was awesome!!!!

A church of a hundred churches. It begins tonight. And it begins by getting connected. 

Note: I am thankful to my senior pastor, mentor and friend, Dr. William Ritter, and three different sermons he has preached. The first is entitled “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” and was the last sermon he preached at Nardin Park United Methodist Church in June of 1993. His last Sunday there coincided with the last episode of Cheers. In this sermon, Dr. Ritter expounds on the feeling of community this television show seemed to tap into. 

The second sermon, delivered on July 13, 2003, was entitled “The Third Place.” This was another sermon that drew upon the experiences of the Cheers gang and extolled the virtues of community connections. In this sermon he suggests that, along with family and work, every person needs a third place to be connected.   

The third sermon, “Bowling Alone and Praying Together,” was preached in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It is in this sermon that Dr. Ritter referred to a book by Robert Putnam called Bowling Alone. Putnam is the Dillon Professor of International Affairs at Harvard who, in January of 1995, published an article entitled “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” which then led to the aforementioned book. 

As a relatively young preacher, I am truly grateful for the sound advice and willing input that Dr. Ritter gives. It is a rarity to have such an accomplished preacher share so much of his insight and sources with a colleague. My vocation as a “proclaimer of the gospel” will always be indebted, in part, to the years I have spent under his mentoring.