This message was shared at Centerville UMC on Sunday, May 17, 2015. Acts 1:1-11 served as the launching pad for this message. 

I love stories. I love reading biographies and watching documentaries. I love listening to Garrison Keillor tell stories on “A Prairie Home Companion.” I love hearing stories from the people I happen happen to meet. I love stories! The good news is, I don’t think we’ll ever run out of stories because everyone has one.

If I asked each person the question, “what’s your story” we would most likely get a different answer for each person. Some might tell us what you’ve been up to lately. Some might tell us what you’ve done in the past. Some might tell us what they do for a living. Some might tell us about their family. Some might tell us where they are from. Some might tell us their entire life story. The point is that we all have some kind of story.

As Christians, we have a common story that brings us hope, life, and unites us. The short story:

• God created the world & everything in it and it was good
• God set up an ideal relationship with humans, basically giving them one rule
• Man and woman settle for something less than ideal. They fall short of the standard God had set. Things are not so good
• By the 6^th chapter of the 1^st book of the Bible, God wants a re-do
• Throughout the Old Testament, we witness a continual pattern of people being in good standing with God, messing up by settling for something less that what God intends, and then God doing something to intervene and restore the relationship into good standing.
• God sets up a system of law, a list of do’s and don’ts, accompanied with sacrifices to be made to make atonement for ones errors
• This pattern of people messing up, God intervening goes on and on
• God sees the need for a new way…He realizes we can’t do it on our own.
• So, He sends His Son to live – to teach us how to live – to set the target goal – to show us what life with God truly looks like
• He sent His Son to die – to be the final and ultimate sacrifice for our sins
• He sets up a system that by believing in Jesus we can have eternal life…the law is no longer the focus…we no longer have to offer up sacrifices
• The new system is all about believing in Jesus as Lord and repenting of our sins.
• The idea is that our relationship with Jesus will motivate us, encourage us, strengthen us, and give us the ability to live in a right relationship with God…but we no longer abide by a legalistic system…we now operate on faith.

So, we have this story, this amazing story – we claim and embrace this story – we quote verses like John 3:16 and sing songs like “Blessed Assurance” that remind us of the story – and this story is what this faith is all about! But, it’s not supposed to end with our comprehension and acceptance of the story.

Jesus, in some of His last words to His followers, tried to help get the focus off of self and onto others.

1. Matthew 28:18-20 – Go and Make Disciples
2. Acts 1:1-11- Be My Witnesses

These passages imply that we will actively participate in sharing this wonderful, awesome story with the world around us. Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God and love one another. If we truly love God and one another, we will be compelled to share His story.

Look at our world: there are people in desperate need of hope – our story is the greatest hope in the world – and we can’t reduce those in need of hope to only those without food, shelter, and clothing or those who are sick and so on. There are people living in mansions, driving Ferrari’s, eating in the finest restaurants, and seemingly living the high life who are in great need of hope.

We can all probably agree that our world needs our story. Yet, in an alarmingly increasing manner, fewer and fewer people are interested in our story.

Bill Maher, host of Real Tim with Bill Maher and maker of the documentary Religulous (which demonstrates the hypocritical nature of some Christians), said, “I’m a big fan of Jesus. I’m not a big fan of those who work for him.”

Movie director Woody Allen once said, “If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he wouldn’t be able to stop throwing up.”

Mahatma Gandhi has been credited with saying, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

The second largest “faith group” in the US, according to the latest Pew Research report released last week, is the “nones”. They have grown to over 56 million Americans who want nothing to do with religion. While the nones are growing, Christians are shrinking. From 2007-2014, the number of Americans professing to be Christians dropped from 78% to 71%. During the same time, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism grew.

Who do you know that needs the story? Every person we come into contact with needs the story. If all of your friends are Christians, you need to make some new friends! With the shifting numbers, certainly we all know someone who needs our story. At the very least, the potential of getting to know someone who needs the story exists for all of us.

Our story, the message of the Gospel is crucial because it offers the greatest hope, joy, love, peace, and life in this world and beyond!

Acts 17:16-34 – This is a great example on how to share our faith. What lengths will we go to in order to share the story?

Paul spoke the language of the people. He didn’t ask about their walk with the Lord. He didn’t ask if they were saved. He didn’t ask if they knew where they would go if they were to die today. He didn’t ask if they had been redeemed. Honestly, these are bad conversation starters because many people immediately get defensive & confused. And, let’s not refer to those outside our faith as lost. I’m one of the biggest offenders of that. It’s easy to do, but that’s one of the most insulting things we could ever say to someone. Most people we would classify as “lost” would probably respond, “Lost from what?” It’s one thing for me to say, “I once was lost, but now am found.” It’s another thing for me to say, “You are lost and need to be found.” Maybe we should refer to folks as unchurched or dechurched instead of lost?

Paul thought before he spoke. We need to do the same. Paul met people where they were. We need to meet people where they are at and speak in ways they will understand.

Paul quoted their poets. In this, we see that Paul did not ignore the culture outside of the “church”. Who are our poets today? Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Wiz Khalifa, Zack Brown, Sam Smith, Bono…

He complimented their “religion” and their devotion. Would we compliment those who don’t believe and live like we do? Let’s be honest, we rarely compliment those who do believe like us!

Paul met them where they were at and revealed the truth to them. He showed up on their turf. He didn’t sit around and wait for them to come. Where are the unchurched and dechurched folks in our community? Are we meeting them on their turf or waiting for them to come to us?

People aren’t necessarily looking for a Biblical fact sheet with a bunch of statements concerning absolute truth that will convince them to believe in Christ. People are looking for an honest and authentic telling of the story. Speak the way you normally do…don’t use Christianese if that’s not how you normally talk…be yourself…be honest. Let people see who you really are…let them see that it’s okay for Christians to have fun, to laugh, even to mess up.

People want to hear your story. So, how do we tell the story:

• Share what your life was like before Jesus (example)
• Tell people about how you met Jesus & why you came to believe in Jesus (example)
• Tell people about your life with Jesus- what your life is like with Jesus. Don’t candy-coat it…be honest…it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. (example)

A simple way to share is to extend an invitation to church or a church function (Summer Camp Saturdays- invite families/kids- requires everyone to step up to the plate. I’m not worried about getting enough kids to come…I’m worried about getting enough of us to get our back-sides out of the pews to help… or the next pitch-in “free food”)

Some people will say, “Well, I don’t need to vocally share my faith because I live it out.” We definitely need to live out our faith (St. Francis, “preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words). But, there comes a time when we need to speak up (1 Peter 3:15- always be prepared to give an answer when asked about the hope you have)

We have this great story, this great faith If we aren’t sharing it, if we’re just holding onto it for ourselves, we run the risk of being selfish and irresponsible stewards of our faith

Coming to church and being generally good people are nice things…But, church attendance and moral righteousness fall short if we fail to share this story, our story with those around us.

Invite someone to church…share your story…say,”this is important to me, I’d love for you to discover that it’s important for you. I’ll pick you up and treat you to a cup of coffee!”

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to stroll through the beautiful campus of Ball State University prior to an appointment. It was the perfect day to walk around campus as it wasn’t too hot or too cold. It was a lovely trip down memory lane. Of course, with age, some of the memories are becoming a bit foggy.

The appointment took place at a coffee house in the village. I ordered a mug of coffee and walked over to the air pots to make a selection. They had three offerings:

• Colombian Decaf
• A Love Supreme
• Giant Steps

Now, we all know that I would quickly skip over the decaf because decaf is for sinners. However, naming coffee after John Coltrane albums is a bit vague. So, I asked the friendly baristas, “What’s the story with the John Coltrane coffee?”

This is where the disappointment sets in…Both baristas laughed and one said, “You are like only the second person in two years that has caught on to the whole Coltrane reference.”

Seriously? I’m only the second person who picked up on the Coltrane reference? Certainly not! I’m on the campus of Ball State University which has an incredible School of Music with an amazing jazz program (and, I’m not in the least bit prejudice). Certainly I’m not the second person. This cannot be! Muncie, at least in the area surrounding campus, is a decently cultured area. Certainly the folks who stop by this coffee shop own a Coltrane album or two. And, if they purchased a Coltrane album or two, chances are either “A Love Supreme” or “Giants Steps” would have been one of them. Certainly this reference has not gone unnoticed!

I’m sure BSU School of Music students drop in all the time. I’m sure BSU School of Music faculty and staff drop in all the time. It’s too convenient of a location for this coffee shop to not have high traffic from the School of Music. So, obviously, I’m disappointed that more School of Music folks have not, at the very least, acknowledged the Coltrane reference. Of course, maybe that’s not the case. Maybe School of Music folks skip the coffee shop in the village and settle for the coffee in the Coke lobby or even worse…go to Satan’s den (also known as Starbucks)…which would add to my disappointment.

Okay, I’ll cut them some slack. Maybe they caught the Coltrane reference and giggled a little. However, I remain disappointed because people should interact with their baristas!

In talking with the barista, it became apparent that not only do people not ask about the Coltrane reference, they don’t ask about the coffee itself.

I asked about the Coltrane reference because I wanted to know about the coffee. Is “A Love Supreme” some kind of blend? Is “Giant Steps” some kind of flavored atrocity? What is this John Coltrane inspired coffee I’m about to pour into my cup?

It appears that most folks don’t ask. They just walk up to the air pot and select whichever coffee they think has the most hip name. And, so I’m disappointed that people don’t show more concern about the coffee they are about to consume.

After listening to the description of each coffee, I decided to go with “Giant Steps”. Of course, that decision might have been influenced by the fact that when it comes to Coltrane recordings, I prefer “Giant Steps” over “A Love Supreme”.

So, the next time you find yourself at The Cup, if they have “Giant Steps” or “A Love Supreme”, be sure to bug the barista about John Coltrane. They will appreciate it and I will be less disappointed!

This message was shared at Centerville UMC on Sunday, May 10, 2015. The Scripture used to launch this message came from 2 Timothy 1:1-5. The message began with a short video by the Skit Guys called “I’m Sorry, Mom”. You can view a preview of the video on their website. 

After that video, I hope all of us will take the time today to give thanks for our mothers. And, if your mother is still with us, be sure to let her know you love her. So, make that sweet little vegetarian mommy of yours the best salad she’s ever had!

The thing with Mother’s Day is that it can be a joyous celebration. But, for some it can be a painful reminder…a reminder that your mother is no longer with us; a reminder of a painful relationship; another reminder that though you may desperately desire to be, you are not a mother; a reminder of loneliness, hurt, and pain. So, while we celebrate Mother’s Day, we also need to be mindful of the fact that Mother’s Day isn’t all flowers, fancy brunches, and dressed up kids for everyone.

Now, I’m about to make a statement that will blow your mind. What I’m about to say just might knock you out of your pews. What I’m about to say is so deep, so profound, so heavy…I’m not sure if we can handle it.. But, it has to be said. Are you ready to hear it? Okay, here it is:

None of us would be here today if it weren’t for our mothers!

I know, that’s a shocking statement. It just might have made some of you uncomfortable. Of course we all know that we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our mothers (or our fathers for that matter, but they get their own day next month, so that’s enough about fathers). You see, our parents played a pretty big part in our creation. No matter how great or how lousy your relationship with your mother may be (or may have been), you wouldn’t be here without her.

But beyond that, there are some of us here this day that wouldn’t be in worship this morning if it weren’t for our mothers. Whether we were willing participants or dragged kicking and screaming, some of us learned the importance of faith and church from the leading, example, and sometimes the pushing, shoving, and dragging of a faithful mother. Some of us may still be learning from that example too.

So, what’s the underlying theme and motivation for these faithful mothers? One word…LOVE. This morning, we will look at motherly love through the power and example of Gods great love.

We heard a short passage from 2 Timothy that tells the story of how Timothy’s faith was passed down…from his grandmother to his mother, and from the mother to the son. This passage sets a great example.

One of the best things we can do is pray for the children in our families, church, and community. How many mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles are constantly remembering their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews in prayers? Our prayers for the members of our families are incredibly powerful. We need to be praying for our children. If you don’t have any children, you can be praying for the children you know. (Story of returning to Center Chapel and having people say, “A lot of us were praying for you when you were in high school and college.”)

Timothy’s faith was handed down from his grandmother to his mother and from the mother to the son. The way we live out our faith and the priority we give to it speaks loudly to our children and others around us.

The importance we give to drawing near to God through passionate worship, intentional faith development, extravagant generosity, radical hospitality and risk-taking mission and service communicates so much to those in our lives.

For the adults in the room, we have a great responsibility to live our lives in such a way that others will be drawn to Christ. Our lives should be lived in a way that they add to and enrich the faith of those around us. If participation in church, Sunday school, Bible study isn’t a priority for us, we shouldn’t be surprised when our kids don’t make it a priority.

For the young people in the room, you have a responsibility to live your lives in such a way that others will be drawn to Christ too! In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul encouraged Timothy and said, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” So, young people, you’re not off the hook.

So, we need to ask ourselves, are the people in our lives developing a sincere faith because of our example? What are we handing down to younger generations? What are we passing on to the people around us?

In John 13:34-35, Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

“Love one another as I have loved you.” That’s a great description of motherly love. Some of us have had the great pleasure of having mothers that have lavishly poured out their love on us throughout all the various stages of our lives. I’m positive that our mothers desire is that we would then share and give that same kind of love to those around us. It’s that unconditional love…the kind of love that is love for love’s sake…not a give and take kind of love (I’ll share my love with you if you do “this” for me). It’s the unselfish giving of ourselves for others.

But yet, the love that a mother has for her children doesn’t even begin to measure up to the kind of love that God has for each of us. His love goes above and beyond. And yet, this is the love that Jesus calls us to…a love marked by sacrifice, humility, service, peace, mercy, forgiveness, joy, the list could go on and on and would still fall short in trying to describe the kind of love that Jesus has for us and calls us to have for one another.

We are told in this passage that people will know we are with Jesus by our….bumper stickers? Listen, if you are going to put Christian bumper stickers on your car, make sure that you drive the speed limit and don’t cut people off!

One of our local police officers shared a story with me earlier in the week. He said he noticed a female driver tailgating another vehicle on 40 near Round Barn Road. Suddenly, the light turned yellow. The first did the right thing, stopping at the light, even though he probably could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman slammed on the brakes, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection.  As she was still in mid-rant, the police officer went and tapped on her window. She looked up with surprise and concern. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger-printed, photographed, and then placed in a holding cell.  After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal possessions.  He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ bumper sticker, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car!”

So, Jesus didn’t say they will know us by our bumper stickers. Oh, I know, Jesus said they will know us by our t-shirts! That’s it, right? No! Many of the Christian t-shirts in the Christian bookstores are most likely violating all kinds of trademarks and copyright laws.

Did Jesus say they will know us by our words? No. Think about some of our Christian words and how they don’t make sense to those outside the church. Not only do we have words like chancel, narthex, substitutionary atonement, hermeneutics and exegesis, we love to use “code words” for various rooms and classes. When I was growing up, I used to hear announcements like “MYF will meet in the JOY room”. What the heck does that even mean? You want to know why new people don’t participate in MYF in the JOY room? They have no clue what that means! Why can’t we just have classroom numbers and say “The high school youth will meet in room 4, also known as the old folk’s room”? People who haven’t been around for 5, 10, 20, 50 years won’t understand our code words!

Oh, I know, Jesus said they will know us by our songs? No! Let’s be honest, many of our Christian songs leave something to be desired…lyrically, musically. Some of our Christian music is the worst music ever. And, it should be the best. Christian music and art should be the best. Yet, we often settle for mediocre or worse.

It’s not by our bumper stickers, t-shirts, words or songs. It’s by our love.

If you couldn’t speak, if there weren’t t-shirts that said “Jesus Freak” or “Come at me, bro”, how would people know that you’re with Jesus? Do people see God because of the way you love?

If we Christians took seriously the call of Jesus to love one another, this world might be a lot different from what it looks like today. Can you imagine what a world led by and focused on love rather than greed, lust, power, and money would be like? It’s hard to imagine a world free of war, free of hunger, free of pollution, free of injustice, free of hatred, free of judgment…Maybe that’s why love is so important. Maybe love, real love, gives us a glimpse of what God originally intended for us. Maybe love gives us a glimpse of what the Kingdom will be like. Maybe love is the basis to make the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven a reality.

John 14:23-29- This passage starts off with a call to obedience. If we truly love God…If we truly desire to follow Him we will obey His teachings. As children, we’re called to honor and obey our parents. Why? Because they just might have our best interest in mind. As followers of Christ, we’re called to honor and obey Him. Why? Because He does have our best interest in mind. His ways our better than our ways. If we would only be obedient…

It also tells us in this passage that if we are obedient as His followers that He will dwell within us. We’re not on our own here. God’s not only with us, He is making His home deep within us. Why does God give us the Spirit? To teach us. To guide us. To lead us. To remind us.

God’s desire is that we would show our love for Him by following His ways. We have a call from Jesus to love and to obey his ways. We do this by leading lives of passionate worship, intentional faith development, extravagant generosity, radical hospitality, and risk-taking mission and service. We love and obey by making a commitment to grow, give, and go together.

But we’re not out on our own. The Spirit is with us to develop our strength, to lead us to faith, to bring us peace and to help us find freedom from fear.

If people will know that we are Christians by our love, then we have a responsibility to live out lives of love. Are you doing all you can to show love? What are people learning from the way we live? Do people see Jesus in and through us as a result of the way we live, work, play, talk, and set our priorities? What are our lives communicating to the world around us? Love, faith, peace, freedom, or something else?

Max Lucado in his book “Come Thirsty” took some passages of Scripture to put together some thoughts on what it might look like if God wrote us a letter. This is one I really enjoyed: “I throw my arms around you, lavish attention on you, and guard you as the apple of my eye. I rejoice over you with great gladness. My thoughts of you cannot be counted; they outnumber the grains of sand! Nothing can ever separate you from my love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Your fears for today, your worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep my love away.”

This is the kind of love the Father has for us and calls for us to have for one another. Are you living out a life of love?

On Sunday afternoon, a friend and I visited a local “soda fountain”. It was a beautiful afternoon. So, after getting our “Diet Coke”, we made our way to the outdoor seating area.

The outdoor seating overlooks a small pond surrounded by beautiful trees. It truly is gorgeous, especially this time of the year. Who would have imagined a “soda fountain” would be surrounded by such beauty?

Before we could find a seat, an older gentleman seated with a younger gentleman waved us over and offered an invitation to join them. He immediately struck up a conversation.

After some interesting small talk, he said, “Well, if you have the time, I’d like to buy you another ‘Diet Coke’.” We didn’t want to be rude, so we accepted the offer.

The conversation continued. The older gentleman has led a pretty intriguing life. He is a retired businessman and splits his time between Indiana and California. I love California! So, I’m thinking I need to become close friends with this guy so I can have a free place to stay!

We talked about how the “soda fountain” wasn’t very busy. He talked about the lack of advertising and creative marketing. We talked about how it was a shame because the “soda fountain” truly is one of the gems of this area.

He asked what I did for a living and I told him that I’m the pastor at Centerville United Methodist Church.

He responded, “I don’t go to church. But, hey, the Church has great advertising. People are always talking about churches and trying to get other people to go.”

Before we left, he said, “Hey, we’re here most Sunday’s. So, maybe we’ll see you next week.” Then he invited us to join his “losers club” that meets at the “soda fountain” on Thursday’s. I think I’ll stop by!

The whole interaction was a great display of radical hospitality. Here are some things I learned that are good food for thought for the Church:

– Radical hospitality starts with an invitation. The gentleman saw two guys looking for a place to sit and invited us over. How many in the church are inviting others to come and sit for a while? When we see people looking around, do we invite them to join us?

– Radical hospitality isn’t a one-way street. The gentleman didn’t have an agenda. He didn’t monopolize the conversation. But, it wasn’t all about us either. He asked us questions and shared about himself and we left the conversation intrigued by the most interesting man at the “soda fountain”. How many of our conversations with our guests are one-way streets (trying to get their information, trying to get them into the next group study, trying to get them to come back, trying to sell our church)?

– Radical hospitality is sacrificial. The gentleman, as a way of indicating that he had enjoyed visiting with us and a way to extend our visit, offered to buy the next round of “Diet Coke”. He didn’t have to do that. But, we were humbled and honored that this stranger wanted to keep us around long enough to enjoy another “soda”. How often in the church are we thinking more about what our guests have to offer us than what we have to offer them? How do we view our guests…as potential friends or as potential contributors to our budget? Do we make a sacrifice (of our time and resources) in extending hospitality?

– Radical hospitality ends with an invitation. The gentleman made two invitations. He indicated that we were welcome to join him on Thursday’s or Sunday’s…anytime. I left the “soda fountain” with the impression that the guy really would be open and welcome to another visit.

– Radical hospitality can’t be faked. The gentleman was genuine and sincere. He wasn’t going through the steps of some program a consultant taught him. He was simply being a warm and friendly individual. How often are we simply going through the motions or checking off the steps we were giving in our hospitality training seminar?

– Radical hospitality happens in many environments. This lesson on radical hospitality took place at the “soda fountain”. Honestly, the most impressive displays of radical hospitality I’ve experienced have taken place in coffee shops, bars, homes, and “soda fountains”. While radical hospitality can happen in the church building on Sunday morning, it needs to happen outside the walls of the church too!

Where have you experienced radical hospitality recently?

The following message was shared at Centerville UMC in Centerville, IN on Sunday, May 3, 2015. The Scripture for the morning was John 15:1-8.

In this morning’s passage of Scripture Jesus paints a glorious picture that his Jewish audience would have been able to fully understand. Jesus proclaims to be the true vine, God is the vine-grower, and we are the branches.

Speaking about vineyards, vines, and branches had a deeper meaning for the Jewish people than we might realize. The idea of vines, branches, and vineyards were woven into the religious heritage of the Jewish people. A quick walk through the Hebrew Scriptures reveals that Israel is often referred to as the vine or vineyard of God. Isaiah 5 refers to Israel as the vineyard of the Lord. Jeremiah 2 says that God planted Israel as a choice vine. Ezekiel 15 & 19 makes references to Israel being the vine. Hosea 10 calls Israel a luxuriant vine. Psalm 80 also refers to Israel as a vine. These references actually led to the vine becoming one of the symbols of the nation of Israel. In this passage, Jesus calls himself the true vine. In the Old Testament, many of the references to the vine have to do with the vine running wild. When Jesus refers to himself as the true vine, he is proclaiming to be the perfect image of the perfect vine. Also, in this passage, he makes it clear that it is not their Jewish heritage that will save them, but their faith in Jesus. The Jews of Jesus day were heavily leaning on their bloodline to save them. Jesus indicates that only faith in Him and remaining in Him has the power to save.

So, Jesus talks about caring for the branches:

• We should prune branches producing fruit so they will flourish and bear more fruit.
• The branches not producing fruit are drastically cut back so that they will not drain away any of the plant’s strength.
• What about from a personal account? Where do you need to be pruned? What needs cut off?

Those branches that need to be cut off and thrown into the fire, remember at one time they were fruitful. However, they have run their course and it’s time for new branches to emerge.

We have to be careful not to confuse a young branch that has yet to produce fruit and an old branch that has run its course. A young vine is generally not allowed to fruit for the first three years and each year is cut drastically back to develop and conserve its life and energy. It has to be given time to mature.

That’s why we don’t just try something new one time and determine whether or not it’s fruitful. We have to give it some time to mature. Of course, some things in the church and our personal lives have been given more than enough time to mature and just need to be cut off!

There are times when the pruning process is about finding new ways to do old things. When we talk about this process in the church, we often say “the message stays the same, but the methods change.” (think about technological advances that have changed how we communicate; think about how aging bodies & aging facilities have caused us to find new ways to communicate)

This summer, we’re going to be doing VBS in a new way. Summer Camp Saturdays is an exciting new program to reach young people and families in our community. It will take every single one of us doing our part to help this ministry succeed. We need you to pray, to give your time, talents, and treasures to support the ministry, and we’ll need your presence to lend a helping hand. Everyone can help because, at the very least, everyone can pray! Last week, Melinda gave us a quick overview and an opportunity to start prayerfully considering how you can help. She asked for 40 people. I’m asking for every single person who calls this their church home to step up to the plate.

After the summer, we’ll review the program. We’ll do some pruning so that next summer it will bear even more fruit. Melinda’s goal for this summer is that we have the opportunity to interact and share Jesus with 100 students. Maybe we should be planning for 200 next year! Even if we only have 20 kids, that will be a success because last year we didn’t have VBS. Even if we only have 20 kids, we will still need every single person to get behind this ministry.

How many of you are familiar with the story of Medway, Ohio UMC. (You can learn more about Medway at: http://www.medwaychurch.org/)

Now, in churches, we have the tendency to attempt to prune branches that need to be cut off and thrown in the fire. Some of you might be asking, “why did they throw them into the fire?” The branches aren’t good for anything else…not strong enough to build with, so fuel the fire.

Let’s be honest, there are times when we are too attached to old branches. There are times our attachment to old branches is unhealthy. It’s difficult because we remember these old vines in their glory days. They used to be fruitful, but no longer bear fruit. Deep down, we know pruning will end up being a waste of time. Cutting them off and throwing them into the fire is the only option.

If a branch has not produced fruit for 5, 10, 15, 30, 50 years…cut it off!  When something has run its course, we need to give it an appropriate send off! Celebrate what it accomplished when it was bearing fruit. But do the hard work of making the cut!

It’s like my hair. That hair cut had run its course and it was time for some pruning. Let’s all pray that the pruning process will lead to more fruit!

How many of us would be willing to honestly admit that we are often all too excited to point out where others need to be pruned, but not so willing to prune ourselves?

Some of us are afraid to take the risk of pruning. We are fearful to take the risk of giving up what is for what could be. So, we’ll hold onto things that aren’t working because we don’t want to face the uncertainty of the unknown.

Jesus gives us the path towards fruitfulness. In this passage, He tells us the secret to bearing fruit is abiding in Him. To abide = to keep contact with; constant communion with Christ. We do this through:

• Intentional faith development (SS, BS, devotions, small groups, etc)
• Wesley’s Three Simple Rules:
  • Do good
  • Do no harm
  • Stay in love with God (or as Wesley put it “attending upon all the ordinances of God”)

Abiding in Christ isn’t just about getting closer to Jesus. Sure, that’s part of it. But, here, Jesus tells us the practice of abiding in Him will develop us into healthy, fruit-bearing branches. So, where’s our fruit?

John Wesley encouraged a number of practices that would help us abide or “attend upon all the ordinances of God”. Sometimes, we refer to these as spiritual disciplines.

1. The public worship of God;
2. The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded;
3. Communion: The Supper of the Lord;
4. Family and private prayer;
5. Searching the Scriptures;
6. Fasting or abstinence.

The public worship of God refers to worship in your local congregation. The ministry of the Word refers to the Word being read and expounded upon through preaching. The Supper of the Lord refers to Holy Communion. Wesley encouraged regular participation in Communion. Pastor Mark Gough – Every time you eat or drink, give thanks and remember. Family and private prayer is the time you commit to praying when you are not at church. Searching the Scriptures might happen at home, in Sunday school, or other small group studies. . And fasting or abstinence was a personal practice of refraining from certain practices in order to focus more fully on God.

In reference to Wesley’s ordinances, Bishop Rueben Job wrote that, “We may name our spiritual disciplines differently, but we too must find our way of living and practicing those disciplines that will keep us in love with God – practices that will help keep us positioned in a way that we may hear and be responsive to God’s slightest whisper of direction and receive God’s promised presence and power every day and in every situation.” (Job, “Three Simple Rules”, page 55)

In the UMC, our members make a commitment to uphold the church through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. By attending to these ordinances, these spiritual disciplines and practices, we find the strength, courage, and direction to faithfully follow Jesus. The result will be fruit! (Do numbers matter? Absolutely! They are evidence of our fruit! What we measure matters!)

Maybe we have made previous attempts to attend to these ordinances. Maybe we have attempted to make good on our commitment to Jesus and His church and have failed. The good news is that we call have the opportunity to start again. No matter how many times we fail, we can get back up and start all over again. Our past failures can be forgiven. God’s love never fails and never gives up! God loves you, no matter what!

Biblical scholar William Barclay, in his reflections on John 15:1-8 wrote that, “The secret of the life of Jesus was his contact with God; again and again he withdrew into a solitary place to meet him. We must keep constant contact with Jesus. We cannot do that unless we deliberately take steps to do it.” (Barclay, “Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of John: Volume 2”, page 176)

At CUMC, our mission is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”. We believe that a disciple is a follower of Jesus who is committed to grow, give, and go together. The steps we take to grow, give, and go are the keys to abiding in Christ. We grow through intentional faith development and passionate worship. We give through radical hospitality and extravagant generosity. We go through risk-taking mission and service.

As we take deliberate and proactive steps to grow, give, and go, we will abide in Christ and bear fruit. We take these steps in order to grow in our love for God and for one another. By abiding in Him, we will develop the strength and courage necessary to share God’s love with the world around us and “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

As we abide in Christ, we will view our church as a mission station, view ourselves as missionaries, and view our surrounding community as our mission field. May we be fruit-bearing missionaries!