This message was shared at Centerville UMC in Centerville, IN on August 16, 2015.

Unity among the body of believers is an important theme we find throughout the New Testament. Paul addressed unity in many of his New Testament letters. Jesus talked about unity as well.

John 17:20-23 “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Jesus proclaims his desire that we would be one…why? So that the world will believe! Our unity is crucial to our witness as a church.

In 1991, the Irish band U2 released the album Achtung Baby. That album contained the song “One”, which would go on to be one of their greatest hits. I believe the song has a message for us this morning.

Ephesians 4:1-6 “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”

What unites us? One body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God.

Greg Garrett, “We Get to Carry Each Other: The Gospel According to U2”- “Our lives are for and with one another. We need one another to be who we are called to be.  And not only are we called to carry one another – we are permitted to. It is a grace and a mercy for us as well as for those who need our help.”

There are times when the church has been the most loving, peaceful, joy-filled, kind, hospitable, encouraging, self-less…a place where we do the work of Philippians 2:12-15 together “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.”

Yet, we also know there are times when the church can be the opposite of what it truly should be. There are times when we come to the church looking for peace, comfort, hope, encouragement, and what we find is a cold shoulder, tense interactions, and judgmental looks and words. Again, our unity plays a crucial role in our witness. Why would non-believers want to have anything to do with folks who are always bickering, complaining, gossiping, fighting, and judging one another?

Unity doesn’t necessarily mean we have to agree about every single thing. Unity means that we come together, as different and unique as we are, in Christ. Jesus Christ as Lord is the uniting force among all believers.

So, gathered here are many people with different views on political, moral, and social issues. Yet, we find unity in Jesus Christ as Lord. As a church, we might have differences of opinion, but we unite around Christ and our call to “go and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” And so, because we are united in Jesus Christ, the church should be united…we should make God’s joy complete, united by the same love, not being selfish or conceited, but humble, considering others as better than ourselves, not looking to our own interests, but to the interests of others

Now, look at your neighbor and say, “You’re awesome!” Now, look at your neighbor and say, “But, you aren’t perfect.” Now, look at your pastor and say, “Eh, you’re okay.” Now, look at your pastor and say, “You definitely aren’t perfect.” Now, look at your neighbor and say, “However, we’re all in this together!” We are on a journey of faith together…with Jesus Christ as Lord as our uniting force.

This summer, our family spent a lot of time at the softball diamond. It was a blast! Recently, Emily and I found ourselves asking, “What if the church could be like softball?” At the softball diamond, we all came from different backgrounds…but we all rallied together around one cause…the team! We all encouraged the girls. We all cheered for the girls. We celebrated their wins. We comforted them in their losses. We got angry at the umps together! We didn’t always agree with the coaches decisions, but we supported and encouraged the coaches. We shared conversations and there was a genuine sense of concern for one another. We heard each other’s stories (the guy who met his wife after a fight and is terrified of her). Our kids not on the team played together and entertained us. It was at the softball diamond we experienced a true sense of community. We looked forward to going to the games and interacting with the softball crew. What if the church could be like softball?

What if the church was a place where we rally around Jesus…where we look forward to going, where we encourage one another, cheer for one another, celebrate together, comfort one another, share our stories and share a common story as God’s people uniquely gathered in this time and place? What if the church was a place where we could come together in” all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain unity”? What if the church were to unite together in order to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, without murmuring or arguing, that we might shine like stars in the world?” What if the church was like softball?

The Scriptures are rich with text on unity because God is fully aware of how much we need one another. As we walk on this journey of faith together, life can, at times, give us more than we can handle on our own. That’s why we need each other. That’s why, as the unique body of believers gathered together in this time and place, we need to stand united. There are things we will face on this earth that will seem too much to bear…and the only way we’ll survive is with the help, comfort, care, concern, support, encouragement, and love of our fellow believers.

Again, what if the church was like softball?

This morning, I’ll be sharing a message using John 5:1-18 and Kirk Franklin’s “Brokenhearted” as a launching pad.

I would encourage you to read the passage from John 5, listen to “Brokenhearted”, and then read John 5:1-18 again.

After reading the passage and listening to the song, ask yourself:

• How am I like the man Jesus encountered?
• How am I like the religious leaders in the story?
• Do I want to get well?
• Are there people in my family, circle of friends, work place, neighborhood or community who need to experience the healing water?

This message was shared at Centerville United Methodist Church on Sunday, July 26, 2015. John 14:1-7 was the Scripture reading for the day. 

This summer, we are going through a worship series called “Love is a Mix Tape”. Each week, we use Scripture and songs to explore various topics. We’ve used the music of Bob Marley, Mumford & Sons, Johnny Cash, and Coldplay. A little later this morning, we’ll hear a powerful song by Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors.

Last week, we talked about forgiveness and the importance of seeking, receiving and then extending forgiveness. This morning, we will be focusing on the relationship between love and obedience.

In this morning’s passage of Scripture, Jesus begins by saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

Now, in order to better understand this, we need know what Jesus had been talking about prior to this statement. Just before this passage, Jesus had made it known that he would be betrayed by one of his disciples, he commanded his followers to love and humbly serve on another, and then predicts Peter’s denial.

This is a lot of heavy stuff Jesus just dropped on his disciples. Can you imagine the weight of that conversation? These disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus and now He says, “Well, I’m out. One of you will betray me. Peter, you’ll deny me.” Ouch!  It would be stressful and cause fear and anxiety. And, it’s in this context that Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

In the midst of our stressful, fearful, anxious, troubling moments – those moments where life punches right between our eyes – Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

Let me ask you to think about something this morning…What troubles your heart? I’m not talking about your heart being troubled because Meijer was out of Ben & Jerry’s “Tonight Dough” ice cream. I’m not talking about your heart being troubled because the Cubs and Reds split their series last week. I’m not talking about your heart being troubled because your dad bought a Harley on Wednesday and you’re still riding a Schwinn. I’m not talking about your heart being troubled because you didn’t get that “whatever” you so desperately wanted. What troubles your heart?

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled”, and then provides reasons to place our hope and trust in him.

Jesus calls us to stubbornly trust God. When our hearts are troubled, that is when we need to stubbornly trust God. William Barclay writes, ““There comes a time when we have to believe where we cannot prove and to accept where we cannot understand. If, in the darkest hour, we believe that somehow there is a purpose in life and that that purpose is love, even the unbearable becomes bearable and even in the darkness there is a glimmer of light.” When we stubbornly trust God, the unbearable becomes bearable; we can see that glimmer of light in the darkness.

Jesus proclaims that he is the Way. He is our guide. He leads us. Therefore, we are called to follow His example. Jesus was kind, compassionate, loving, and a grace-filled, hope-filled presence among the overlooked and the outcasts, the marginalized, the most notorious of sinners. He had very little tolerance for the legalistic religious types who perverted the ways of God to their own benefit and to oppress the least among them. So, Jesus is the Way. He is our guide.

Jesus proclaims he is the Truth. Jesus didn’t say, “I’ve taught you the truth.” He said, “I am the truth.” If we want to know what is true, we look to Jesus. “You shall know the truth (Jesus) and the truth (Jesus) shall set you free.”

Jesus proclaims that he is the Life. If we want to find true life, it is found in Jesus. What is the meaning of life? Jesus!

Jesus then proclaims that no one comes to God except through Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. The way, the truth, and the life of Jesus can be summed up in one word: love! If we are followers of the way, the truth, and the life, we are called to love.

Let us hear these words of hope from John 14:15-21: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever. This Companion is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be with you. I won’t leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

We trust Jesus because we love Jesus. Our love for Jesus should naturally lead us to obedience. If we love Jesus, we will obey. The Holy Spirit is given as the guiding force that gives us the strength, the courage, the ability, and the desire to obey the way, the truth, and the life. It is by loving and obeying Jesus that we find life! Obedience is the evidence of our love.

Let me ask you again, what troubles your heart?

• Hungry children? (33% of children in Wayne County live in poverty – Pal-Item. That 33% too high)
• Addiction
• Crime/Violence
• Broken relationships
• The fact that many of the most marginalized, the most hurting, the most broken and desperate in our world are overlooked, abused, mistreated
• That people do not know the way, the truth and the life? People need Jesus!

Demographic studies report that nearly 80% of the folks in a 5-mile radius of our church don’t participate in a faith community. Many are open to Jesus, but they are turned off by the church. What’s that mean? The harvest is plentiful? Hopefully the workers won’t be few!

If we truly love Jesus, if we truly desire to obey Jesus, we have a responsibility to share Jesus with our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and complete strangers. We have to get out of our comfort zones, get out of our building, and share the love of Christ with the world around us. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples” not “sit around and hope someone shows up!”

We have the greatest hope in the world. We’re being selfish and unfaithful if we hold onto it for ourselves.

As Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors “Live Forever” plays, I’d like you to think of those you know who desperately need the way, the truth, and the life. Who do you know who desperately needs Jesus and His church? Pray for them.

Don’t just think about it. Don’t just pray about it. Do something. Share your faith. Invite someone to church. Jesus said “go and make disciples.” Well, what are we waiting for?

This message was shared at Centerville United Methodist Church in Centerville, IN on Sunday, July 19, 2015.

During our time together, we will be exploring the practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. We heard a short, but powerful passage of Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness. Jesus’ words indicate that our ability to forgive one another is closely connected to our ability to receive forgiveness. (Matthew 6:12-15)

Is there anyone here today who has nothing for which they need forgiven? Any sinless folks among us?

Let’s be honest, we all stand in need of receiving and extending forgiveness. If we are to be reconciled, restored into a right relationship with God and one another, it is essential that we learn to seek and extend forgiveness.

Randy Maddox, in his book Responsible Grace writes, “However extensive our spiritual transformation might be in this life, we still stand in need of God’s gracious pardon.“

When we talk about forgiveness, it is crucial that we understand the various dimensions of forgiveness. Forgiveness is both personal and communal.

Forgiveness is personal when we seek forgiveness from God and others when we are sinful, hurtful, and harmful. Forgiveness is personal when we extend forgiveness to others when they are sinful, hurtful, and harmful.

Forgiveness is communal when we realize that, collectively we have not risen to the bar Jesus has raised. Look at the Old Testament and you can find numerous examples of people seeking forgiveness on behalf of the entire community for acts of injustices, sin, hurt, and harm.

Forgiveness is communal when we seek forgiveness as the body of believers for not doing what Jesus has called us to…failing to extend love and grace to all people, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, caring for the least, the last, and the lost among us. Forgiveness is communal when we collectively extend forgiveness. Forgiveness is communal when God extends forgiveness to His people.

We heard these words from Jesus in Matthew 6 that if we forgive others, we will be forgiven; if we don’t forgive others, we won’t be forgiven. And, yet, in light of these words, we still find forgiveness to be a difficult process. For some, it’s easy to seek forgiveness from God…But it gets difficult when we need to seek forgiveness from our neighbor. It gets tricky when we need to extend forgiveness to our neighbor.

Some of our deepest wounds, our deepest pain, and our deepest hurts are caused by the words and actions of others. When someone causes us harm by their words and actions, we have a decision to make…we can let that hurt define us or we can let it go and move on.

When someone says something that causes us deep pain and hurt, we need to ask ourselves, “Does it hurt because it’s true?” If it’s true, then we need to make a decision to work on that. We need to learn from it and deal with it.

If it isn’t true, we need to decide that another’s untrue words about us will not define us, will not hold us back, and learn to let it go, shake it off, and move forward. (Yes, I just quoted the Frozen soundtrack and Taylor Swift in one sentence. Yes, I am ashamed! Please forgive me!) We have to decide that someone’s false words about us will not control us. We have to decide that our anger, disappointment and frustration will not rule the day.

We are called to forgive- it doesn’t mean that we forget…it doesn’t mean that we stay in an abusive situation…it doesn’t mean that we still won’t hurt or mourn, but it means we will no longer allow that hurtful word or action to define us and hold us back. Instead, we will choose to focus on what is true. We choose love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

Here’s the truth- No matter who you are, no matter what you may or may not have done, you are a deeply loved child of God.

While we are forgiven, there are still consequences and repercussions. For example, if I practice the sin of gluttony (yes, over-consumption is still a sin) and abuse my body, I should not expect perfect health even when I repent and receive God’s forgiveness. I can improve my health, but there may have been some irreversible damage done. Or, let’s say I get pulled over for speeding on US 40. When the officer comes up to the window, I feel like I should be able to inform him that a ticket is not required because, just before he got to my window, I prayed, confessed my sin of not obeying the laws of the land and have received God’s gracious and loving forgiveness. It simply doesn’t work that way. There are earthly consequences to our words and actions.

So, forgiveness is personal and communal. Forgiveness is also something that is received and extended. When we receive the love, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, we are called to respond by extending love, grace, and forgiveness.

John Wesley developed what we call the “via salutis” or “way of salvation”. Wesley talks about prevenient grace (grace which exists before anything else), justifying grace (which is the grace that provides forgiveness), sanctifying grace (deliverance by God from the plague of sin…that we might sin “less” while working out our salvation), and Christian perfection (perfectly loving God and one another).

In terms of our receiving and extending forgiveness, Wesley said that “God’s desire for our sanctification is a desire for love to become the constant ruling temper of our soul.” In other words, love for God and one another will rule the day…and we will no longer be drawn into sin. (This Wednesday at 10am, we’ll be exploring Wesley’s Way of Salvation through Scripture and song. You should join us!)

We are called to extend forgiveness as God extends forgiveness.

God is continually extending love and grace to a broken, hurting, and sinful world.

God’s love and grace requires a response – we either accept it or reject it.

If we accept God’s love and grace and receive forgiveness, another response is necessary. We respond to receiving God’s love, grace, and forgiveness by extending God’s love, grace, and forgiveness to everyone.

What do we need to be forgiven of personally and communally? Are there groups we are harming by our words/actions or our silence/inaction?

Who do we need to forgive personally and communally?

As the Colplay song “Fix You” is played, think about what you need to be forgiven and who you need to forgive…then seek, receive, and extend forgiveness. May God, through his love, grace, mercy and forgiveness “fix you” and me!

This message was shared on July 12, 2015 at Centerville UMC in Centerville, Indiana. 

This morning, we’ll be talking about obedience. If you Google “definition of obedience”, you will find that obedience is “compliance with an order, request, or law…or submission to another’s authority. As Christians, when we talk about faithful obedience, we are talking about obediently complying and submitting to the way of Jesus.

One of my all-time favorite country artists is “the man in black”, Johnny Cash. This morning, as we explore the practice of faithful obedience, I’d like us to listen to Cash’s hit “I Walk the Line”.

“I keep a close watch on this heart of mine, I keep my eyes wide open all the time, I keep the ends out for the tie that binds, because you’re mine, I walk the line.”

Part of faithful Christian obedience is learning to walk the line between faith and action. It’s one thing to possess a great deal of Biblical knowledge. It’s another thing to demonstrate that Biblical knowledge through our actions.

We are called to be obedient That’s what Jesus is pointing out in Matthew 7. We don’t prove our connection with God through quoting a bunch of verses or attending multiple Bible studies during the week. That might be part of faithful obedience, but it’s a means to an end and the pursuit of knowledge isn’t the end in itself.

We show the evidence of our faith in the way we live. We demonstrate our obedience through our daily lives. In other words, the proof is in the pudding. We show that we get it when following Jesus transforms our priorities.

Just because our calendars are full of “church” related activities does not mean we are obedient. There are plenty of us who give the appearance of being spiritually mature because we check a great deal of “churchy” things off our religious duties checklist…we go to Sunday school, we go to worship, we attend two different mid-week Bible studies, we’re part of an accountability group, we do personal devotions, we know all the right things. And, this reflects a certain image…my non-Christian friends would say it’s the “holier-than-thou” image. Yet, if our “right faith” doesn’t produce “right actions”, we might not be as spiritually mature as we (or others) think we are.

Yesterday, at a district gathering, Mick Miller (our associate DS and pastor at College Corner) said, “There are plenty of students with perfect attendance who still fail.” In other words, showing up isn’t enough…transformation has to take place.

So, there may be times when we are more like modern-day Pharisees than obedient followers of Jesus.

When it comes to faithful obedience, what did Jesus say it looks like? Let’s take a look:

Matthew 22:36-40

Matthew 25:34-40

Matthew 28:18-20

Our obedience is demonstrated, not only in how we love God, but also in how we love others. Are we loving, serving, and sharing our lives and our faith with the world around us?

Are we obedient followers of Jesus or are we modern-day Pharisees?

In Matthew 15, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees over their legalistic dedication to the law because they questioned him when his disciples didn’t wash their hands. Jesus used this opportunity to point out some of their errors in following the law and then in verse 8 quotes Isaiah 29:13 and says, “This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.” They had the knowledge, but not necessarily the right knowledge. They had the practice, but not necessarily the right practice. (Orthodoxy and orthopraxy)

Jesus demonstrated to the Pharisees that, while they knew the law inside and out, they demonstrated in their extremely judgmental lifestyles that they did not understand. The Pharisee’s had learned how to talk the talk, but they did not understand how to walk the walk. And, this is the reason so many Christians are labeled as hypocrites…Many of us are really good at talking the talk…but when it comes to walking the walk, well, that gets a little tricky.

Sometimes we are like the Pharisees because we, in our prideful arrogance, have determined what it looks like to be a “true Christian”. So, we set these legalistic expectations of what it looks like to be a follower of Christ- don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew, don’t go with girls who do, don’t be gay, don’t be a democrat, don’t be a Cardinals fan, don’t be a whatever…and really, there’s very little, if any, Scriptural or doctrinal support for many of our legalistic rules and expectations we place on one another.

This week, I stumbled upon a funny postcard-

A good reminder to consider…are we walking what we’re talking?

 

(At this point, I shared some quotes/thoughts from the following article: “Don’t Be a Modern-Day Pharisee”)

So, are we obedient followers of Jesus or modern-day Pharisees?

We are not being faithfully obedient and are more like modern-day Pharisees when we choose:

• judgment and condemnation over love
• gossip and speculation over the truth
• backbiting and slander over Biblical conflict resolution (Matthew 18- one of the biggest ways to gauge obedience and spiritual maturity – do we talk to people or about them? Do we entertain conversations about others or redirect the disgruntled?)
• disdain and arrogance over compassion and empathy (in other words, “those people” get what they deserve)
• exclusivity over inclusivity (you have to fit our pre-determined mold/expectations before you can participate or belong)
• legalism over freedom
• Idolize our past rather than embracing what God desires to do here and now
• Expect others to become just like us, to fit our expectations, rather than simply love them and allow them to be who God has called them to be

“We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” ~Madeleine L’Engle

• Faithful obedience is about learning how to walk the line between faith and action.
• Faithful obedience is about learning how to walk the line of the tree of life, rather than by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
• Faithful obedience is about learning how to walk the line of loving God and our neighbor.
• Faithful obedience is about learning how to walk the line of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing shelter for the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, caring for the least of these.
• Faithful obedience is about learning how to walk the line of sharing our faith with all those we come into contact.

How will you practice faithful obedience in the days, weeks, and years to come?