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Two centuries of annual
conferences have opened with the hymn which asks the
essential question: And are we yet alive…?
For the early circuit riders, it was a literal reality, a
personal greeting. Not having seen or heard from each other
for the past year while traveling their far-flung circuits,
there was no way of knowing who had survived the rigors of
those difficult days when many of them died before they were
35. And they would answer the question with joy as they
greeted one another:
And are
we yet alive,
and see each other’s face?
Glory and thanks to Jesus give
for his almighty grace!
What
troubles have we seen,
what mighty conflicts past;
fightings without, and fears within,
since we assembled last!
(UM Hymnal, page
553)
With technology and
communication what it is, we know who is alive and dead on a
daily basis, so the question might not have the literal
meaning it did then, but it is still an urgent question: “Are
we still alive?”
In my files, I came across an
article written by my predecessor at Ann Arbor and former
conference leader, Al Bamsey. It appeared in the
Christian Century in 1984, the year of the Methodist
Bicentennial. Unfortunately, it is still relevant today:
Perhaps the most distressing
word to be uttered during American Methodism’s bicentennial
has already been spoken. In 1979, a panel of 200 United
Methodists from across the nation concluded that the
development of a clear sense of direction was our paramount
need. But they also believed that it is unlikely “even by
the year 2000 to develop a sense of identity and direction
needed to move with vigor toward fulfilling its mission.”
(Al Bamsey, “United Methodist
Identity Crisis,”
Christian Century, May
16, 1984, page 510)
Al said then that many United
Methodists are like the old Beduoin caught in his tent in a
desert sandstorm with nothing to eat but a bag of dates. He
lit his candle, pulled out a date and found it covered with
worms. He threw it away and pulled out another, also
infested with worms. Third date, still filled with worms.
So…he blew out the candle and ate the rest of the dates.
We don’t like to hear that for
the past three decades our membership has been in steady
decline. We’d rather turn out the lights than see the truth
that many of our churches have failed to receive even one
new member by profession of faith in the past year. We don’t
want to deal with the fact that our clergy are aging and we
are failing to recruit a new generation or even hold onto
our own children.
I am afraid Al’s assessment of
the church still applies and the question is as urgent as
ever: “Are we yet alive?”
1.
ALIVE…WITH A PASSION FOR THE GOSPEL
Passion…that’s what it’s all
about. Princeton professor Kendra Creasy Dean has a new book
about youth ministry called Practicing Passion: Youth and
the Question for a Passionate Church.
Somewhere in our bones we know
that if the church is going to make sense to adolescents,
and if we are to convince them that Christianity is worth
the trouble, our ministry must be predicated on passion. A
passionless church will never address passionate youth. It
is highly questionable whether a passionless church
addresses anybody, or if it even is the church in the first
place.
Christianity requires passion,
and youth know it. Passion means something is at stake.
Religion makes a difference. Jesus is to die for. Amen.
(Quoted in Context, July
2005, page 4)
I thought of that the other day
when I literally bumped into a woman in the checkout line.
After my apology, we fell into a casual conversation. Before
I knew what was happening, she was telling me about her
church and what it meant in her life…a warm, genuine
witness; not pushy, but passionate.
I love the story of Peter
Cartwright, circuit rider and sort of the Garrison Keillor
of early American Methodism. In his old age, he looked back
with longing:
When I consider the
insurmountable difficulties and disadvantages that the early
pioneer preachers labored under in spreading the Gospel in
these western wiles in the great valley of the Mississippi,
and contrast them with the glorious human advantages that
are enjoyed by their present successors, it is confoundedly
miraculous to me that our modern preachers cannot preach
better and do more good than they do. Many nights, in early
times, the itinerant preacher had to camp without fire or
food for man or beast. Our pocket Bible, hymnbook and
Discipline constituted our library.
It is true, many of us could not
conjugate a verb or parse a sentence, and murdered the
King’s English at every lick. But there was a divine unction
attended the word preached, and thousands fell under the
mighty power of God, and thus the Methodist Episcopal Church
was planted firmly in this western wilderness.
The illiterate Methodist
preachers actually set the world on fire while others were
still lighting their matches.
So St. Paul writes to the
Romans: “I appeal to you, brethren, to present your
very bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God”…give it your all! He challenges them to “never
flag in zeal. Be aglow with the Spirit.” That’s passion…a
passion for the Gospel. And if we are to be alive in
ministry today, it’s the passion we need.
2.
AND ARE WE ALIVE WITH A COMPELLING WORD?
I am fascinated by the current
wave of commercials for Burger King, with an SUV going over
a bridge and the bulky weight lifter hauling a huge
load…all for the whiff of a burger, and the message, “It’s a
man thing!” Whether a love of burgers is the true test of
manhood in America, you have to say they know their audience
and they are clear about their message. They know what they
are trying to say and how to say it.
In a recent study of spiritual
seekers who are not currently aligned with a congregation,
47% agreed on top four conditions for finding a church. They
say they are looking for:
-
A
church that accepts you for you, no matter where you
come from, what you wear, or what you look like
-
A
church which is very active in helping people in the
community who are hurting and in need
-
A
church where people care deeply for and support each
other
-
A church where participants
believe God’s love is available to all persons
regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation
(Susan Rauch, Director of
Conference Spiritual Leadership Development, General
Board of Discipleship, Nashville, TN, Sept. 2005)
Other
things that ranked high in the survey were:
-
A
church that makes Scripture understandable
-
A
church that believes thinking and reasoning are
important
-
A
church that strengthens families
-
A
church with a passion for peace and justice
-
A
church which allows people to explore their relationship
with God
And I
thought: “That sounds like the United Methodist Church!”
I am convinced that there are
many people in the world, and in our community, who are open
to the message of Methodism—people who are tired of rigid
fundamentalism on one hand or hollow liberalism on the
other. And when they encounter the Methodist way of faith,
they respond by saying, “Where have you been all my life?
Why didn’t someone tell me church could be like this?”
I remember Bishop Judy Craig
describing the United Methodist Church as a great banquet
table filled with good food, wonderful music and beautiful
settings. The only problem is, we aren’t inviting anyone to
the table. We just aren’t getting the word out. What is
lacking is a compelling message.
Alive with passion for the
Gospel.
Alive with a compelling message.
3. AND ALIVE WITH
OUTREACHING LOVE
In response to a question about
what it means to be a Methodist, John Wesley wrote a
pamphlet which has become a classic, called “The Character
of a Methodist:”
The distinguishing marks of a
Methodist are not his opinions of any sort, his accepting of
this scheme of religion, his embracing any particular set of
notions, or mouthing the judgments of one man or another.
All these are quite wide of the point.
As to all opinions which do not
strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think.
The rhetorical question is:
“What, then, is a Methodist?”
A Methodist is a person who has
the love of God in his heart. Inscribed indelibly on the
Methodist’s heart is the truth that “he who loves God, loves
his brother also.” His heart is full of love for everyone.
This love does not stop with the person’s intimate
acquaintances, but extends to all of mankind. Even those who
hate Methodists receive love in return.
Then one of Wesley’s most
familiar quotations:
And so I beg you, let all true
Christians remain united. Is your heart right as my heart is
with yours? I ask no further questions; give me your hand.
Do you love God? This is enough. I give you the right hand
of fellowship.
It is not that theology, beliefs
and social issues don’t matter. In the pamphlet, Wesley
addresses several key issues of theology, faith and
practice. But the bottom line is love. Paul calls the Romans
to exactly that pattern of living:
Let love be genuine.
Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
The
ultimate test for the character of the Methodist is of
outreaching love.
And are we yet alive?
Well, I can’t answer for the whole Annual Conference, but I
can answer for this church. In the past decade, this
congregation has responded with a resounding “YES!”
Are we alive with
passion for the Gospel?
YES!
Are we alive with a
compelling message?
YES!
Are we alive in
outreaching love for the world?
IN THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME, YES! AMEN.
Let us take up the cross
till we the crown obtain,
and gladly reckon all things loss
that we may Jesus gain.
* * * * * * *
Notes:
The full text of John Wesley’s
“Character of a Methodist” can be found at
http://gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/charmeth.stm. It is
included in The Works of John Wesley, Thomas Jackson
edition, 1872.
A web search for “Peter
Cartwright” will produce a number of interesting websites on
this colorful circuit rider who ran for Congress against
Abraham Lincoln in 1846.
After preaching this sermon, I
returned to the Annual Conference session. The last item on
the agenda was the statistician’s report, which confirmed
the grim statistics. But it was quickly received with
laughter(!) and no response. My weekly e-mail memo is below.
Monday Memo
It was
ironic, and it would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
Yesterday morning I preached on
our denominational membership decline and told the story of
the old Bedouin caught in a sandstorm with only a candle and
a bag of dates. He pulled out the first date and found it
was full of worms, so he threw it out the tent flap. Second
date, full of worms; he threw it out. He picked out the
third date, held it up to the candle and saw more worms. So
he blew out the candle and ate the rest of the dates.
Then last night at Annual
Conference, the conference statistician gave his report. It
was the last item on the three-day agenda with the house
half empty and everyone ready to go home. He reported
decline in just about every area...and the house laughed! We
chuckled over an increase of only one baptism in one
district and hooted over the decline in worship
attendance. In his dry wit, the statistician kept us
laughing with his chart showing a steady 1% per year decline
for the past 30 years.
Blow out the candle and eat the
dates.
We say our denominational
mission is to “make
disciples of Jesus Christ,” but the
statistician's report which tells us how we are doing in
fulfilling that mission is scheduled as an afterthought
rather than the paramount issue for the conference. The
Detroit Conference mission statement says we are a “healthy
branch on the tree of life,” but when the doctor gives the
diagnosis on our health, we laugh all the way to the
graveyard. Bill Ritter used to quote Lyle Schaller who said
any organization will quietly tolerate a decline of about 1%
per year without response until it dies. I guess he was
right.
I don’t mean to be a dour
prophet of doom, and I will call on humor in the face of
tragedy just like everyone else. But it really isn’t
funny. The denomination which transformed the American
frontier is dying a slow death and we laugh about it. Maybe
the response is even sadder than the news.
The old hymn asks the
question: “And are we
yet alive...?” And the answer is, “Just barely,
but not for long, and we seem to be enjoying it.”
So I’ll come back home to a
thriving local church and celebrate the promise of new life
in this corner of the world. Here at First Church, there
really is a lot to be joyful about!
Still
singing,
Jack Harnish
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