Sermon:
February 19, 2006
All Services

Scripture:
Ephesians 4:1-13

It seems my little jaunt into English grammar, and especially the proper placement of prepositions, produced more response than almost anything I have written in Steeple Notes. I suppose that, in itself, is amazing. Several of you sent me Winston Churchill’s famous quotation: “This is a situation with which I will not put up.” 

But the best one came from a couple of my Wednesday morning Arbon Dennis buddies. It’s the story of the little girl, already in bed, who berated her father when he came to read to her: “Why did you bring the book I didn’t want to be read to out of up for?” 

But as much as you enjoyed the prepositions, the real grammar lesson was about three active verbs: 

GATHER, NURTURE AND EQUIP

That’s the mission we exist for. (Oops!—the mission for which we exist.)

• To gather men and women, children and youth into the Body of Christ

• To nurture individuals to become living, growing disciples of Jesus Christ

• Then to equip the body for ministry and mission in the world

…so that, through the life of this congregation, lives would be changed and we would model what it means to be a 21^st century New Testament church.  

It’s right in line with St. Paul’s vision for the early church in the wonderful third and fourth chapters of the Ephesians letter. He begins with the message of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Through the blood of his cross, we have been reconciled to God and given the ministry of reconciliation; through him we are no longer strangers and sojourners, but brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Mid-course, he shifts to the image of a household built on the foundation of Christ Jesus, and he encourages them to “maintain the unity of the Body in the bond of peace.” One spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and in all and through all.

Then he says that within that household, we have all been given various gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. And I would expand the list to include:

• singers and secretaries and social workers

• builders and businessmen and bean counters

• doctors and dietitians and designers

• carpenters and carpet layers and contractors

• lawyers and lecturers and lovers of children

• athletes and actors and aerobics instructors

All gathered in the Body of Christ. All nurtured in their discipleship by the spirit of Christ. All working together with one clear purpose: “To equip the saints for the work of ministry, building up the Body of Christ.” 

Around here, we boil it down to three active verbs: Gather, Nurture and Equip. 

1.  OUR MISSION IS TO GATHER INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST. 

I am sure you are familiar with the amazing story of the migration of the monarch butterfly, a lovely little creature who blesses our gardens and forests in the summer. Every autumn, millions of monarchs from all over the eastern United States and Canada migrate thousands of miles to a small handful of sites in Mexico where they rest for the winter. Then in the spring, they begin their return trip to the north. The amazing thing is that no individual monarch ever makes the trip to Mexico and back.  

A butterfly that leaves the Adirondack Mountains in New York will fly all the way to Mexico and spend the winter. In March, it begins the trip northward, but after laying eggs in the milkweed of Texas and Florida, it will die. Those butterflies will continue northward, laying eggs along the way until some of them, maybe three or four generations removed from the original, make it back to mountains of New York. But when August comes, they will head south, aiming for the exact place their great grandparents visited, a place they have never been. 

Sue Haplern says: “The monarchs always migrate in community and depend on each other. Although a single monarch may make it from New York to Mexico, it is the next generation who completes the journey.” 

Now here is the word for the church. She says: “No one completes the journey solo. It is only as a community that we discover the fullness of God’s plan for us.” (Homiletics, January 2002, page 13) 

The old gospel songwriters and revival singers witnessed to it when they sang: 

When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory.

I have a hunch we aren’t going to complete the journey solo. It’s only in community that we discover what God has in mind for us.  

So we gather….we welcome, we include, we receive all persons into the inclusive, life-giving, joy-filled Body of Christ.  

Let me give you another example from the animal world. In Compass, we have been talking about the difference between “sponge evangelism” and “octopus evangelism.” For the most part, we are pretty good about sponge evangelism—soaking up folks who come by, get close, walk in the door. But octopus evangelism is something else. It means reaching, stretching, finding, touching, drawing in those who are in need of the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and may not have even realized it yet. Are we actively reaching, actively inviting, and actively gathering all into the body of Christ? 

A recent study of the rapidly growing mega-churches confirms what we already know. They are growing, not primarily because of their programming or preaching, buildings, video screens or cute, thirty-something pastors. They are growing primarily because members are actively inviting others to join them in worship. Eighty percent of all first time visitors to a church come because a friend or neighbor invited them.           

It’s the active verb…inviting, reaching, gathering…which makes all the difference. 

If you have seen the current movie Brokeback Mountain, you know the Methodist church shows up twice in the movie. The second time is in the last scene. Ennis, the hard-scrabble, hard-working, sullen ranch hand, is meeting with his beautiful daughter (really the only symbol of hope in the whole movie) in his broken down trailer. She tells him she is going to be married and that the wedding will be at the Methodist church. She wants him to come. 

At first, he hesitates, and you just know he is going to make excuses. “They need me down in the Tetons.” Then he pauses and says, “But I guess they’ll have to get along without me if my little girl is getting married.” 

• With all of his pain and all of his brokenness

• With all the sorrow of his life

• With all the guilt and regret and grieving

I hope that little Methodist church will be a place where even Ennis Del Mar can be gathered into the Body of Christ.  

Our mission is to gather.

2.  AND OUR MISSION IS TO NURTURE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. 

I said that was the second place the Methodist church shows up in Brokeback Mountain. The first time comes early in their friendship when Jack Twist says to Ennis, “My mamma, she believes in the Pentecost.”  

“What exactly is the Pentecost?” asks Ennis, in idle curiosity. Then, as if to excuse his lack of biblical knowledge, he says, “My folks, they was Methodist.” 

It reminds me of that old preacher story I am sure you have heard a hundred times, about the two soldiers in the foxhole. It was looking pretty grim, so the Methodist said, “Maybe we should pray.” And the Presbyterian said, “I learned the Lord’s Prayer when I was a kid.” The Methodist replied, “I’ll bet you five dollars you can’t say it.” So the Presbyterian prayed: 

Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take. 

And his Methodist buddy said, “Here’s your five dollars. I didn’t think you could do it.” 

To be fair, Jack Twist didn’t have it right, either. But I am afraid Ennis’s experience is too true of all too many children of all too many Methodists: a lack of clarity about our faith, a lack of conviction in our beliefs, and biblical illiteracy to boot. 

St. Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church are written to a church torn by political and theological battles, a church unsure of its foundations and faith, a church struggling with issues of sexual morality and social pressure. So he reminds them:  

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, in what terms I preached the Gospel, which you received and in which you stand. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day, in accordance to the scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:1) 

It’s the reminder of the central message of the Gospel, a reminder of the word we have to proclaim. And today, just as in the Corinthian church, there is a desperate need for disciples of Christ to be grounded in the faith, to grow together in our spiritual journey, to nurture one another in the life and spirit of Jesus Christ.  

John Wesley’s genius in the early Methodist movement was the network of “class meetings, societies and bands” for spiritual formation, biblical reflection and care-giving. During Lent we are creating a host of small groups, inviting the whole church to be part of the nurturing community of faith… “until,” as Paul says, “we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. So we are no longer children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, but rather we would grow up in every way into him who is the head, even Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 4:13) 

To gather…to nurture…and… 

3.  OUR TASK IS TO EQUIP FOR MISSION AND MINISTRY.  

Kent Millard is the pastor of St. Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis, with over 5,000 members and a worship attendance of over 3,000 in twelve weekly worship services. Kent says: 

By average worship attendance, St. Luke’s is the seventh largest United Methodist church in the nation, and the only one in the top ten which is in the North Central Jurisdiction. However, the ultimate measure of the effectiveness of a congregation is not how many people come to the church, but how many people go from the church inspired to make a difference in the world.

(Midweek Message from Kent, Oct. 13, 2004) 

We are not just in the gathering and nurturing business. Ultimately, all that gathering and nurturing has to result in equipping and sending for the sake of Christ. The real measure is not how many people come, but how many people go to serve Jesus Christ in the world.  

Again… it’s the active verbs which make all the difference.  

I came across a cute video which I wish we could use right here, but, oh well. It’s called Me Church. The first shot shows a woman at her desk who says, “My life is so busy; I’d like a church where worship begins when I get there.” Voice over: “Can do. When you arrive, we begin.”  

The second shows a young couple with a baby.  He says, “This guy has a mind of his own. We want a church where if he screams, we don’t feel like we’re the bad guys.”   

“Got it…at Me Church, you can stay and everyone else will leave.” 

Third witness: “My wife and I don’t give much financial support, but we sure would like to know what everyone else gives.”  

“No problem. We’ll tell you what everyone else gives in detail.” 

“Can I get my car buffed and waxed while I’m in church?”   

“Of course. And how about an oil change and lube?”

Then a little kid on his bike says, “I want a pony.” 

            “Take a look in your back yard.” 

And the final caption: “ME CHURCH: THE CHURCH WHERE IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU.” 

By contrast, you will hear me say more than once, “In this church, membership has no privileges.  Everything we have is available to everyone. Membership has no privileges, only responsibilities for service in the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.” 

I think Kent is right. The true measure of the church is not how many people come to worship, but how many people go to make a difference in the world. 

Well, I briefly thought about dying my hair a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world.  

Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end this sermon with. (Get it?) In the end, it’s not the prepositions. It’s the active verbs that make all the difference.  

NOTES: 

Following, please find a copy of the full “Shared Vision” of First United Methodist Church.  

If you would like to the see the Me Church video, go to www.sermonspice.com.  Click on “View Videos” and scroll down to Me Church.                                    

More information about our mission work at Kusayapu school in Chile can be found on our website at www.fumcbirmingham.org/mission/chile.htm.

_________________________________________________________

First United Methodist Church
Birmingham, Michigan 

SHARED VISION
December 2005
 

Our Purpose
The purpose of the First United Methodist Church, Birmingham, is to (1) gather persons into the body of Christ, (2) nurture them as disciples of Jesus Christ, and (3) equip them for ministry and mission in the world.

Our Vision
With deepening commitment and expanding ministries, First United Methodist Church, Birmingham, will change lives and become a model New Testament congregation for the denomination and the center of Christian faith in the community. 

I.   Gathering Persons into the Body of Christ
         Go and make disciples…  Matthew 28:19

• Make ourselves better known in the community with additional communications about “who we are” and “what we do.”

• Focus on the 10,300 “Interested but Unchurched” people living within 5 miles of our church.

• Encourage all members to serve as ad hoc members of our church’s welcoming ministry.

• Create additional meaningful fellowship opportunities.

II.  Nurturing Persons on their Spiritual Journey
         Love the Lord your God…  Mark 12:30

• Expand worship opportunities, both traditional and contemporary.

• Support a wide variety of meaningful opportunities to meet the needs of persons at different places on their spiritual journey.

• Build on strong Christian education and nurturing for children and youth.

• Build small affinity groups to foster close relationships for each member.

III. Equipping and Sending Persons Forth in Mission and Ministry in the World
         Love your neighbor as yourself…  Mark 12:31

• Equip each member to be a representative of the church in the world.

• Expand our outreach and mission efforts.

• Increase local hands-on outreach opportunities for our congregation.

• Expand congregational caring ministries.

• Continue to be a teaching and learning congregation by nurturing seminary students and by inviting scholarly guest lecturers.

IV. Hallmarks of Our Purpose and Our Vision
         Try to excel in gifts that build up the church.  I Corinthians 14:12

• Continue to build on historic strengths and strive for excellence in all that we do.

• Maintain variety and enthusiasm.

• Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors