This message was given at Centerville UMC on Sunday, September 21, 2014. 

Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)

This morning is the final Sunday in our “Contagious” worship series. Throughout this series, we’ve looked at the contagious nature of our Christian faith. We’ve explored our call to point others to Jesus, to invite others to “come and see”, and the call to be “salt and light” in our church, community, and world.

The passage of Scripture we heard from Matthew 28 gives us another example of what it looks like to be a contagious Christian. A contagious Christian accepts the challenge of Jesus to “go and make disciples.”

We often refer to this passage as the Great Commission. A commission is an instruction, a command, a duty. So, those of us who identify ourselves as followers of Christ have an instruction, a command, a duty from Jesus to “go and make disciples.” If you’re here this morning and you’re not a follower of Jesus, you’ll hear a little bit about what those of us who claim Jesus should look like in our daily lives.

This commission comes in some of Jesus’ last words. What do we know about last words? Last words generally carry a great deal of weight and are extremely important. Last words are usually the “here, let me sum this up for you…here’s what I want for you.”

Let’s take a look at three things Jesus does in this passage of Scripture known as the Great Commission.

1. He assures us of His power. This should give us hope, confidence, and strength.
2. He gives us a commission. He hands us a task.
3. He promises us His presence. This should provide us with a sense of comfort. We are not alone. Jesus is always with us.

In other words, Jesus reminds us that He is God in the flesh, He is in control. He tells us what He wants us to do. And, He promises to be with us, always!

Part of the challenge of the Great Commission is to see beyond ourselves…to truly understand that it’s not about me, it’s not about you, it’s about Jesus…it’s about developing a genuine care and concern for the least, the last, and the lost. Part of our call is to be so in tune with the heart of Jesus that we will be compelled to live out the Great Commission and go…go into our community and world to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

We will have to overcome a couple of things in order to capture this heart.

One is that we will have to overcome our misperceptions about reality. Some of our perceptions are really misperceptions. We come to church, the lights are on, our friends are here, we can find a place to park, and we know which door to come in, so things must be okay. However, reality would imply that fewer and fewer people in our community are interested in what our church – and any other church for that matter – has to offer. We have an amazing church with great people. But, fewer and fewer people outside our doors are aware of us. Fewer and fewer people know we’re here!

I know some of you think I’m making this stuff up. I wish that were the case. Just this week, Emily had an interaction with a young mother in our community. She grew up right here in Centerville. When Emily mentioned that we moved here because I had been appointed as the Pastor at Centerville United Methodist, she asked if it was the church next to the park. When Emily said “no”, the woman asked if it was the church on Mattie Harris. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We have obstacles to overcome. We also have a great commission and a great God. This is a great church with a tremendous amount of potential because we have a great mission field.

We also have to overcome the temptation to be maintenance Christians. Maintenance Christians are those who have been around for a while and have gotten comfortable…so comfortable that we have lost our evangelistic passion and fire and we have slipped into maintenance mode. We start to believe that the church exists for me – to meet my needs – to feed me – to care for me – we don’t want the pastor and leaders to challenge us to grow, give, and go – we want our pastor to make us comfortable – we like the things the way they are – we might want our church to grow, but we definitely don’t want it to change – we believe we’re just too old, too tired, and that we’ve already given our time – so, let someone else do it – isn’t that the pastors job anyway? Listen folks, Jesus never said, “Go tend to the religious folk.” Jesus irritated the religious folk. Most of you are fully aware that my top two spiritual gifts are irritation and aggravation! Jesus said, “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. “(Mark 2:17)

Yes, part of the role of the church is to care for those already here…to grow in our faith together…but as followers of the Way of Jesus, our call is the great commission…our duty is to “go and make disciples.”

Living out the great commission isn’t just about putting more people in the pews. That’s not our motivation…that may be a side effect. But, our motivation is faithfulness to Jesus. Our motivation is pointing others to Jesus because that’s what Jesus calls us to do. If we aren’t serious about going and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, I would seriously have to question if we are serious about Jesus. If we truly believe the way of Jesus is the best way, shouldn’t we be compelled to share Jesus with the world around us?

In order to fulfill the Great Commission, we must take Jesus seriously. We have to put our faith into action, as we talked about at Wednesday Night Together in our study of James where we are challenged not only to listen to the word, but to be “doers” of the word. I’ve shared the demographics over and over that show there are more outside than inside the church this morning. Churchleaders.com featured an article that shows that only 20% of Americans will be in worship this weekend.[1] The mission field around us is ripe for the harvest.  In moving forward to “go and make disciples” we can take confidence knowing that Jesus in in control and that Jesus is with us.

I want us to consider three ways of living out the Great Commission.

1. Love God – take steps to grow in our love for God through passionate worship and intentional faith development
2. Love others – take steps to give our love to others through radical hospitality and extravagant generosity of our time/talents/treasures. Let us remember: our call is to love, not to judge. Our call is to love, not to condemn. If we are truly loving God and loving our neighbor, there is no room for all the ism’s and phobia’s in the church. No racism, sexism, homophobia, socio-economic discrimination – Rich Mullins, the talented Christian singer/songwriter from this area, wrote before his death that “Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in your beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken…This, I know, will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re wrong. They are not bad, they’re just wrong.” In his song, “Surely God is With Us”, Mullins sang, “Well, who’s that man who thinks He’s a prophet? Well, I wonder if He’s got something up His sleeve Where’s He from? Who is His daddy? There’s rumors He even thinks Himself a king Of a kingdom of paupers Simpletons and rogues The whores all seem to love Him And the drunks propose a toast And they say, “Surely God is with us. Well, surely God is with us.” They say, “Surely God is with us today!” Too often, we tend to exclude those who flocked to Jesus.
3. Build Genuine Relationships- realize that people are people, not targets. Develop sincere and genuine friendships because you truly care about the person. We’re not trying to chalk up numbers, we’re attempting to offer people Jesus!

I’m fully convinced that if we’re taking steps to grow in our love for God, we’ll grow in our love for others. If we’re growing and giving our love to others, we will develop a contagious desire to share Jesus with others. Love God, Love Others, and Build Genuine Relationships. Our mission as United Methodist’s is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” We have to take this mission, this command from Jesus seriously as we grow, give, and go…together…as we point others to Jesus…as we invite others to “come and see”…as we live as “salt and light” in our church, community, and world.

Too often, there are three fears that hold us back.

1. Fear of Inadequacy- Who am I to tell others? What if they ask questions? (our greatest response is “I don’t know, but I’ll check”). What if the pastor really tanks? What if the choir just, well, isn’t quite right? What if?
2. Fear of Rejection- What if they dismiss me? What if they reject me? What if they belittle me? What if they get angry or defensive?
3. Fear of success- What if they actually come? If new people come, well, things might change. Of course, we have to ask, what if they change for the better?

We have some great opportunities to point others to Jesus, to be salt and light, to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ:

1. Invite people to:
   1. Church
   2. WNT
   3. Stuckey’s
   4. Trunk or Treat (more details coming soon)
   5. Hear Tom Heaton on November 9^th
2. Sign up to be a visible presence, to be salt and light in our community:
   1. Operation Serve (sign ups on preschool cubbies downstairs – from prayer to minor construction)
   2. Crossing Guards (pass out clipboard, no excuses for this not to fill out…20-30 minutes a week…lots of retired folks)
   3. Bulldog Buddies (CAE representative indicated desperate need for positive adult role models- 2 folders downstairs if you’re interested, call Amy at CAE- 30 minutes a week)

This is God’s church. This isn’t my church. This isn’t your church. This is God’s church. I believe God has laid out a big vision for this church (154 is the number laid heavy on my heart). Won’t even come close…won’t even sustain our current church…if we all aren’t on board. Listen, if you’re not on board, at least grant us your blessing. But, I’d pray you would pray about jumping on board.

Why do we need to jump on board? To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I’m not a good enough pastor or a good enough person to make it happen on my own. Here’s a reality check: neither are you! We need each other. We all need to fully embrace this commission of Jesus- to invite, welcome, receive and care for the least, the last, the lost, and the poor among us.

Love God – Love Others – Build Relationships – Go and Make – Be Salt & Light – Invite others to Come & See – Know that Jesus is Always with Us!!!

[1] http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html

Some of my readers are fully aware that I have a Thursday lunchtime routine. Each Thursday, I leave the office and head over to the Brown Jug Tavern for a coney dog and a beverage.

Each week, I interact with some of the folks bellied up to the bar, do some reading, and work on my sermon. This has been a routine since I started at Centerville UMC in July.

Every time I wander into the Brown Jug, I’m warmly greeted…not only by the staff, but by the patrons as well.

On a particularly busy day, an older gentleman saved me a seat. He said, “Young man, I saved you a seat because I knew you were coming.”

Today, when I bellied up to the bar, the bartender said, “So, do you want a coney dog, cheese, onions, mustard, barbecue chips and a Bud Light*?” She knew my order to a “t”. Now, I am a creature of habit. But, let’s be honest, the bartender sees a number of people throughout the week. I’m just one customer who comes in on Thursday and always orders the same thing. But, she remembered. And, the old man who saved a seat for me a couple of weeks ago said, “Young man, we missed you last week.”

As I stood up to walk out the door, a gentleman at the bar said, “See you next week!” The bartender said, “Thanks a lot, we’ll see you next time!”

Some things I’ve learned about radical hospitality at the Brown Jug:

– Radical hospitality has to go beyond the staff. When folks walk into a church, they expect the pastor to be friendly…they probably expect the ushers and greeters to be friendly too. But, they may not expect the entire congregation to be friendly.

– Radical hospitality means expecting people and saving seats (but not in the “this has been my pew for 35 years kind of way”).

– Radical hospitality means letting people know you miss them.

– Radical hospitality means remembering even the minor things about people, like whether or not they want mustard on their coney dog.

– Radical hospitality means letting people know you’re glad they came and that you hope they’ll return.

– Radical hospitality is sometimes more obvious in bars than it is in churches.

– Radical hospitality goes beyond expectations.

*Yes, this craft beer snob drinks a Bud Light when at the Brown Jug. You know what they say, “When in Rome…”

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ~1 Peter 4:9

On Sunday, I’ll be exploring the idea of radical hospitality.

In his book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Bishop Robert Schnase writes that, “Radical means ‘drastically different from the ordinary practice, outside the normal,’ and so it provokes practices that exceed expectations, that go the second mile, that take welcoming the stranger to the max. It means people offering the absolute utmost of themselves, their creativity, their abilities, and their energy to offer the gracious invitation and reception of Christ to others” (p. 21).

As I’ve been studying and preparing for Sunday’s message, I keep coming back to 1 Peter 4:9, where we are encouraged to “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

Those last two words…”without grumbling”…they trip me up every single time.

How many of us would admit to offering hospitality with grumbling?

I know that I’m definitely guilty of practicing grumbling hospitality! I do the “right things” in an attempt to welcome others, however, my motivation is sometimes suspect. There are times when my motivation is simple to do the “right thing”, rather than having the “right heart”.

Radical hospitality is all about doing the “right things” for the “right reasons” with the “right heart.” We offer our best, not because it’s what we should do, but because it’s what we desire to do.

After we discover the heart and desire to practice radical hospitality, we should move beyond the ordinary and the expected. We should practice hospitality that makes people say “wow!”  We will leave a lasting impression one way or another. People will either be wowed, indifferent or totally turned off.

Radical hospitality goes beyond friendliness. Radical hospitality goes beyond coffee and donuts (but, it probably should include coffee and donuts…the best coffee and donuts, by the way!). Radical hospitality goes beyond what anyone might expect. Radical hospitality leaves a lasting impression! Radical hospitality is one of the keys to getting folks to return to your home, church, business or organization.

Grumbling hospitality also leaves a lasting impression! There are plenty of places I won’t return due to the hospitality (or lack thereof) received.

So, how have you experienced radical hospitality? How have you practiced radical hospitality?

Lately, I’ve read a number of articles dealing with the “problem” of singing in the church. It seems the “problem” is that people simply aren’t singing in worship. However, I’m not sure that’s really a problem. Isn’t worship more than singing? Can’t one be fully engaged in even the musical aspects of worship without singing?

I don’t always sing in worship settings. In fact, if I’m not leading worship, I generally don’t sing.
For me, worship is about my heart connecting with God. It’s about offering God my best in all I say and do. It really isn’t about singing. And, if we are reducing worship to the musical aspects of a worship gathering, I’d rather play the drums, guitar or banjo than sing! If we are reducing worship to singing, then that is a bigger problem!

However, that’s what all these articles have focused on…if people aren’t singing, they aren’t truly worshiping. Now, I’ll admit that the Scripture is full of references to singing. One can make a strong case for the importance of singing. There are great benefits to singing. Sometimes my best singing happens when my mouth is shut!

But, I guess singing in the church is a “problem”. So, a number of articles have been written to offer suggestions on how to “fix” the “problem.”

The articles have addressed the “problem” in different ways.

One author suggested that people aren’t singing because they aren’t familiar with the songs. He went on to suggest that we should sing old, familiar tunes. Of course, that presents a problem. Fewer and fewer people are familiar with what we refer to as the “old, familiar tunes.” New folks coming into our churches are generally no more familiar with “And Can It Be” than they are with the latest Crowder, Tomlin, or Rend Collective tune. If familiarity is the issue, maybe we should consider using more “secular” songs?

One author suggested that praise choruses are more difficult to sing than hymns. The author suggested that praise songs are written in keys/ranges that are hard for the typical church goer to be comfortable singing. I don’t disagree. Some of my favorite praise songs are not written with the average persons vocal range in mind. However, I can grab a hymnal and quickly pull out 100+ hymns that have the same issues. Maybe what we need are worship leaders who can identify this problem and rearrange songs into more comfortable ranges?

One article indicated that we’ve moved away from hymnals and people simply aren’t comfortable singing songs without written music. Now, my background is in music education. I believe all people should know how to read music. However, let’s be honest, the average person in the pews is not going to sing any better with written music than without. So, unless churches are teaching basic music theory, I’m not sure this argument holds up. Maybe we need more repetition? How many times do we need to hear our favorite songs on the radio before we’re belting them out? Maybe we need the same thing with hymns and choruses?

One author suggested that we need to dim the lights and up the volume. Another author suggested that we need to dim the volume and up the lights. So, which is it? I’ve seen both work in different contexts. Maybe what we need are worship leaders and a/v engineers who understand their particular contexts?

One article spoke about how we are creating concert environments in worship and that discourages participation. I’m not sure when the author last went to a concert, but my experience is that folks at concerts are fully engaged…singing, dancing, clapping, shouting, etc.

For me, the bottom-line is this, there is no one way to worship. We have to take our context into consideration. What works in one setting may not work in another. What works for one individual may not work for another.

Whether one sings or not shouldn’t be viewed as a problem. Sing or don’t sing. Sit or stand. Raise your hands or fold your arms. Be still or dance.

We should be more concerned with whether or not people are connecting with God. Maybe that’s the real issue? Maybe the problem isn’t with the music at all?  Are people experiencing the presence of God when they gather together for corporate worship? That’s a bigger issue than whether or not people are singing.

This Sunday, the text I’m using is from Matthew 22:34-40. I used this same passage last week and focused on loving God. This week, we’ll be focusing on the “second” of the greatest commandments…loving our neighbors.

I’m fully convinced that one of the clearest ways we communicate our love for God is the way we love our neighbors.

I’m also fully convinced that we best love our neighbors when we show our love in practical and tangible ways. In other words, we can’t simply claim to love our neighbors. We have to actually love them, demonstrated in not only our words, but also through our actions.

How many of us have been in situations where our “neighbors” have shared a very specific need and we simply respond with a “well, I’ll be sure to keep you in my prayers”?

Now, I’m not saying that our prayers aren’t good…I’m just saying that if we can offer practical help to our neighbor, that just might be the answer to their prayers!

James 2:14-17 speaks to this concept. If your neighbor is thirsty, don’t offer a prayer…give them a drink! In some ways, loving our neighbors in practical ways is simply common sense. If you hear of a need and can actually do something about it, well, do something!

Romans 12:20 (quoting Proverbs 25) takes this a step further, demonstrating how far our love for neighbors should go. Not only are we called to love the neighbors we like, we are called to demonstrate love through outward acts of service to our enemies. So, if you bump into a Cardinals or Reds fan, and they are hungry or thirsty, rather than passing judgment and saying that they deserve it as a result of their allegiance to these lousy baseball teams, give them something to eat and drink!

1 John 4:7-21 really lays it on the line. We are called to love because God loved first. Our natural response to God’s love should be to love all that God loves…which is everyone! So, when we withhold our love for others, are we truly loving God? If we say we love God, but hold hatred towards another, are we truly loving God?

So, on Sunday, I’ll be talking about some simple and practical ways we can demonstrate our love for God by the way we love one another (even our enemies) through acts of service.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “everyone can be great because everyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree…You only need a heart full of grace…a soul generated by love.”

May our hearts be filled with grace and our “souls generated by love.”