Sermon 7a 2014: Messengers of Grace, Living Transformed Lives Introduction: A Message of Grace that Goes Unspoken There s all kinds of great minds and great thinkers writing and commenting On what s wrong with the Church today; And that if we just had better preaching or a better sound system; More modern music or better parking or better marketing of the message Then more people would come. And Christian communities all over our country, at least, are trying the next new thing; Expecting that that s what will fill the church and raise attendance; And draw people into the life with God. Now, I m sure many of these changes would be improvements in a lot of churches; But the one aspect of a church that makes the biggest difference and has never changed; Is the transformed lives of people like you and me; Is a community of people who have been changed by a sense of God s grace And live as though it really matters; live with a purpose. And when visitors come to a community like that, they can t wait to join in and they do; Because as nice as good preaching or good parking or good marketing is; They re never as life changing as the examples of God s grace and love Sitting next to them in the pew and welcoming them into the Christian life. You see, as Christians, you and I have been entrusted with a message of grace; A message of forgiveness and a love that is undeserved and unearned; A message of hope for today and for all time; A message of the promise of God s presence with us A message and a way of life that s really life. And all these ways of doing church will always be secondary to a community; To a group of people who are actually living as though the Christian hope really matters. 1
You see, God, who loves us so, who loves you and me; loves others, too all others; And He calls us to the changed life of grace in this church and in the world; Calls us to be His messengers so that others, so that all others May come to know the forgiveness, the hope and the companionship That we are coming to know in our own lives as Christians. And though a few of us may actually be called to shout it from the rooftops And stand in pulpits or at street corners being strangely loud about the faith; All of us are called to make Christ known by the way we live our lives here, And by the way we live our lives out there in the world; And it s rarely about talking and much more about doing; Much more about living a little louder as Christians. The Transformed Life Now, Jesus doesn t appear to have a real marketing plan for His ministry; And he doesn t have the latest sound system or business plan; He doesn t even have a building, except for the few times He s a guest preacher at someone else s synagogue. But what Jesus has is the understanding that lives need to be changed by God And that when they are changed, His followers will live with purpose. And in today s Gospel lesson, Jesus gives us four clues For how we may be transformed in our individual lives and as a community; Four clues for opening our lives to the transforming power of God So that we may changed by the power of God working in us And in the process become louder Christians at St. David s and in the world. First, Jesus calls us to be like Him; He says, No student is above the teacher and no slave is above the master; It is enough for the student to be like the teacher and the slave to be like the master 2
This doesn t mean that we re all called to be little saviors. But Jesus means we re to be like Him; Like Him in our connectedness to God through prayer; Like Him in our kindness and giving to the least among us; Like Him in our willingness to love others expecting nothing in return; And like Him in pointing others to God. Second, Jesus calls us to a fearless life; To live our lives without fear and worry because it is God who is caring for us; And ultimately we will come through this life, safe in God s presence. You see, the God who would care about sparrows cares about you; And the God who knows us intimately enough to have a count On the hairs on our head is a God who will care for us and be with us In whatever circumstances and difficulties we may face. Third, Jesus calls us to acknowledge God in our lives; To live and speak in such a way that others know that we belong to God Even when that puts us at odds with those around us; And their different expectations of life and living. And so we do different kinds of things, we Christians, Like going to church on Sundays, saying our prayers and reading the Bible, Feeding the poor, showing kindness to others expecting nothing in return; Living our lives in ways that reveal our connectedness to God. Finally, Jesus calls us to keep our priorities in the right order; to put God first; And please understand, Jesus is not calling us to disregard Our closest family members or friends or commitments; But He is calling us to an order of commitment that puts all commitments Second to our commitment to God. 3
And when we turn and follow in Jesus way, then our lives will be changed by God; Our lives will be opened to God s power working in us And others will come to know God through the grace and love That come from our lives. The Rescue Society But since these changes, this transformation is a lifetime process; Jesus also gives us the purpose of sharing the message of grace with others And not for ourselves alone. And when persons and Christian communities remember That our lives are being changed by God for our good and for the good of others Then God will send others to us to be changed And to share in the activities and ministries that can literally change the world. One of my favorite stories about our call and commitment to live for God s purposes To live a little louder as Christians involves a lighthouse in Maine years ago. There s a piece of Maine coastline with treacherous shoals and hidden rocks In the surrounding waters where unsuspecting ships Often ran aground in stormy weather. After many years of tragedies and many deaths, The local residents decided to build a lighthouse way out on a point of land To protect travelers and ships from the dangerous rocks; And to guide them through safe waters; The lighthouse made all the difference. Ships were no longer lost at sea along that piece of coastline And even in the perfect storm, there was always a reliable light To guide ships on their way and allow them to continue their journey in safety. 4
The group that built the lighthouse and took turns running it Called themselves the Rescue Society; And because they understood that people s lives depended on their work, They were deeply committed and found great fulfillment in their task. They loved being together and they loved the challenge of their work For decades the ships were safe because the Rescue Society Was there to guide people and to offer a safe passage; But as charts and ship guidance systems became more reliable The lighthouse wasn t as necessary And the urgency of the Rescue Society s work seemed to slip away. The members of the society continued to go out to the lighthouse to have their meetings But they lost the passion for their work And became more like a social group - there for fellowship only; And the love and vibrancy and attendance of the community dimmed. Before long, the lighthouse fell into disrepair And one night, the light in the lighthouse went out. And sure enough, soon after the light went out and the storms came as they always do; People began to wreck on the shoals again, even with the better charts And several lives were lost. The group began to see that what seemed so casual Was, in fact, essential for guiding people through the storms And giving direction for safe passage. And so the Rescue Society rediscovered its mission and renewed its commitment And called itself and new members to the urgent task it once held so strongly, And helped many people who came their way; Guiding them through storms and as a landmark for safe passage. 5
The Church as Rescue Society That s the kind of community we re called to be as followers of Christ; That s the kind of evangelists and apostles Jesus calls us to be in a troubled world Where many are losing or have lost their way. For as Jesus followers, as the Church, we are a rescue society. Our Founder, Jesus Christ, came into the world to save people from sin and death; To offer a life with God and a way of living that is really living; And to build a community of changed people. There s always better ways of doing church in terms of the buildings and marketing; Always improvements that can be made to physical aspects of a church; But there is nothing that will ever be as powerful As a group of people whose lives have been touched by God And who understand that they have a purpose beyond themselves to others. And so as Christ s messengers, as people who have been touched and changed by God, I invite you to join me in turning your heart to Him again or for the first time; To turn so that God may grace our lives with His love and presence And so that God may use us here at St. David s and in the world As people who have been changed by God So that everyone may be drawn into the life that s really life, The life that is touched and renewed and empowered by the grace of God. Amen. 6