What Does it Mean to “Be” the Church?

 

Scripture Luke 12:41-48 

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?" And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

HYMN OF THE DAY - "I Am The Church"

(Chorus) "I am the church!
You are the church!
We are the church together!

All who follow Jesus, all around the world!
Yes, we're the church together!"

"The church is not a building,
the church is not a steeple,

The church is not a resting place,
the church is a people." (Chorus) 

"We're many kinds of people,
with many kinds of faces,

All colors and all ages, too,
from all times and places." (Chorus) 

"Sometimes the church is marching,
sometimes it's bravely burning,

Sometimes it's riding, sometimes hiding,
Always it's learning." (Chorus) 

"And when the people gather,
there's singing and there's praying,

There's laughing and there's crying sometimes, all of it saying:" (Chorus)
 

MEDITATION - "I" Am the Church!

 

The "Stewards" in this parable probably refer to Christian leaders and the responsibility they bear NOT to misuse their positions of leadership for personal advantage. Deliberate offenders will be judged as "unbelievers". God holds us responsible for our actions based on our knowledge of His will for ourselves and for His whole creation. Understanding this means we also understand what sin is and isn't!!! We are held accountable for our sins, both those of commission and omission!!!! Something is not a sin until we understand it as such and choose to do it, or not do it anyway! 

Look back at the words of the hymn for today. I find this charming little hymn to be both comforting and maddening. Such simple words, yet so profound in meaning! It is found in the United Methodist Hymnal under the category "Nature of the Church", and it tells a lot about that very thing, indeed. I think it also conveys a tremendous amount of responsibility on me - - - indeed, on everyone who sings it!!

Responsibility? How so?

"I" am the church. I represent the church wherever I go, in whatever I say, and however I act . . . I "am" the church. Some people will never, ever go inside a building that says "church", or "temple", or "synagogue", or "Kingdom Hall" or any of the other ways we identify our gathering places for worship, but they may see me going in or coming out, and in that moment, I "am" the church - - - some people will decide what the church is all about based on what they know about me - - - good, bad or indifferent. Some people will see me
and decide whether or not I am one of the hypocrites who keep them away from the church.  If I am somewhere I shouldn't be, doing things I shouldn't be doing and that weaken my witness, I "am" the church in that moment in that place as surely as I am when I am on the organ bench on Sunday morning or when I am in Prayer Meeting on Wednesday evening. Maybe I am "MORE" the church in  the bar than I am inside the walls of the church building.
 

If I am failing to respond to someone in need,
I "am" the church as surely as I am when I am standing in a line as a volunteer serving soup to the homeless on a cold winter day. If I am pushing ahead of someone to get a parking place in the lot at the grocery store or at the mall, or hurrying to get in the just-opened checkout line at Wal-Mart,  I "am" the
church, just as surely as I am when I am working in the kitchen serving potluck supper in the Fellowship Building of our physical church plant. 

If I am driving and cut someone off with a gesture, I "am" the church just as surely as when I am shaking that same hand on
Sunday morning after services, or when I am letting someone go in front of me when I'm waiting to get out of a parking place in front
of my church building. 

I "am" the church - - - 24/7 - - - I "am"
the only Bible some people will ever read and the only sermon some people will ever hear. The scary thing about this for me is that I may not ever even know what influence and/or affect I've had on someone else, for the good or for the "not-so-good" 

It's a lot of responsibility. Sometimes I don't WANT to be the church - - - sometimes I don't WANT to be charged with all of that responsibility, but no matter - - - I "am" still the church - - - the church is not a building nor a steeple - - - the church provides sanctuary and respite for a time, but it is NOT a resting place - - - it's a people. Were all the people to go away, the building that "housed" them would immediately cease to be the church in that place. The church is a PEOPLE. 

I "am" the church.

"We're many kinds of people,
with many kinds of faces,

All colors and all ages, too,
from all times and places." 

The church is many kinds of people, with many kinds of faces - - - all colors, ages, sizes, shapes, gifts, graces, handicaps, needs, and experiences. We are many kinds of people, with many kinds of faces - - - we're all colors and all ages. We come together with all of this and more - - - we come with our needs and our experiences and our "baggage" - - - we are no stronger than our weakest member!

I "am" the church. 

"Sometimes the church is marching,
sometimes it's bravely burning,

Sometimes it's riding, sometimes hiding,
always it's learning." 

Sometimes I am marching and working
hard and feeling so good about things. Sometimes I am bravely burning - - - for the church, for family, for friends, for some community cause, for conservation, etc., and sometimes, I am shrinking from the "flames"
in cowardice, anything but brave, and in fear. 

Sometimes I, too, am "riding" or "coasting" and sometimes I am really hiding - from myself, from you, from the world, from responsibility for others, from God -  from love, from pain, or from loss and and from my own brokenness.

I "am" still the church. 

"And when the people gather,
there's singing and there's praying,

There's laughing and there's crying sometimes."

This "IS" the nature of the church. We gather, we celebrate, we care about and think about each other and our needs and concerns; we laugh and joke around and, very often,  we cry together - - - for ourselves and for each other... whether in church or at the lakeside or under the bed - - - this is our nature, as people in relationships and as the church.

I "am" the church. We "are" the church - - - whether we are "there" or "here" or even somewhere else. This is the responsibility, I think. This is the burden. This is the joy. If we represent the church everywhere we go, what does this say about our responsibility as Christian leaders to not corrupt the message for personal gain? For ease of lifestyle? For pride? For prejudice? And what, perhaps most importantly for us, what does it say about
what God requires of us, who have greater understanding of His word and His will?

It says, and frighteningly so in some ways, that we will be required to give a stricter accounting for our actions as Christians, for the way we "are" the church, than will those who have less understanding. This is quite a responsibility -  quite a burden, isn't it? 

PRAYER - Dear Jesus, we thank You for loving us and for Your guiding Presence in our lives all the time, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We thank You for trusting us to be the Church and to represent You and Your love to a hurting world. Help us to stay aware of the influence we have on others and to be faithful and pure in our living so as to be examples that are safe to follow! In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen 

ACTIVITY - Reflect upon your influence on other people. Ask yourself, "Whom do I influence and how?" "How do I 'try' to influence others and how?" "How do I affect others negatively? Positively?" Make a list of things that you do that might provide negative influences on others - - - have a little ceremony with yourself in which you burn your list. Make a contribution to your church's outreach or mission program in honor of your decision and commitment to eliminate your negative influence on others.

Your King Cometh!

Icy Clouds on a November Day!

(taken outside our church on the afternoon of November 28, 2004)

Hymn of the Day:

"Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending
Author: Charles Wesley


Based on Revelation 1:7

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him,

even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will

mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Lo, He comes with clouds descending,

Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand, Thousand, saints attending

Swell the triumph of His train;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

God appears on earth to reign!

Every eye shall now behold Him,

Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,

Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,

Shall the true Messiah see.

The dear tokens of His passion

Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation

To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture,

Gaze we on those glorious scars?

Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee,

High on Thy eternal throne,
Savior, take the power and glory,

Claim the Kingdom for Thine own;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Everlasting God, come down. Amen ~

(Used by Permission - Public Domain)

~ Meditation ~

“Your King Cometh”

This Advent-oriented hymn of Charles Wesley, speaks of the Second Coming of Christ. When Jesus came the first time, only a few people saw Him - a few shepherds and angels, some animals, an innkeeper, other travelers, and perhaps three strangers in town - - - kings from a distant land.

What a contrast it will be when He returns for His Second Advent. Revelation says, “every eye will see Him” and Matthew says, “coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Even those who crucified will see Him and mourn Him. The day I snapped the photograph that appears on today's message, I was thinking of this hymn - - - "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending" - - - and if the Lord might return on just such a day from just such clouds in just such a sky! The picture isn't particularly "Christmas-y", but it did remind me of the hymn when I saw it. It is reminiscent, as well, of a rainbow . . . the symbol of God's covenant with humankind following the Great Flood.

Somewhere along the way, Wesley published a work called Hymns of Intercession for All Mankind, and in it appears this four-verse hymn. It is an excellent hymn from the scriptures, and one that should be used much more frequently than it is, as we contemplate and anticipate our Lord’s return. The hymn tune most often associated with the text is titled "Bryn Calfaria."

The beautiful words of this lovely hymn draw us a picture of what the scene might be like when Jesus comes to the earth a second time. Gone is the stable with the animals. Gone is the lowly, quiet birth to a Virgin and a carpenter of Nazareth. Gone is the innkeeper and his, “No room in the inn.” Instead we see Jesus coming down out of the clouds, with thousands of saints attending Him. There are shouts of “Hallelujah!” this time. Gone are the cries of the mobs that shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” We are told that "every eye" shall see Him, robed in all the majesty one can possibly imagine. We see, too, that "every eye", includes the eyes of all who betrayed Him, who sold Him out, who denied that He is who He is, as well as the eyes of the faithful who have loved and served Him all their days, and as well as everyone in between.

I guess the question for me is, "Where do I fit among that number?" How many times have I denied Him by my failure to serve Him? How many times have I unknowingly and unwillingly stood with the crowd yelling, “Crucify Him!” by my failure to follow Him and to heed His lessons? How many times have I “done it not unto Christ because I have done it not unto the least of His brethren?” I have loved Him all my life, and I have tried to serve Him to the best of my ability most of the time, but what about those times when I have done nothing and thereby allowed evil to happen?

I will never forget the friend of some years ago who was the first person to ever tell me, "Evil occurs when good people do nothing.” Am I a "good person" who allows evil to flourish because I fail to act? How many times have I been among that number? When I behold Christ in His glory will I behold Him with eyes of joy, or will He be, as the song says, to my eyes, "robed in dreadful majesty"? If Jesus were to make His Second Coming today, with what eyes would you behold Him?

Prayer ~ Dear Lord, we confess that we often fail to serve and love Thee as we know we ought to do, and we beg your loving and merciful forgiveness for our sins and our shortcomings, especially those which we commit by “default” as they may be the most grievous. Help us to live that we may sing with the angels and the host of saints, "Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee, high on Thy eternal throne . . . Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Everlasting God, come down.” Amen ~

Activity ~ Update your personal address/telephone book. Make a new one if you need to. This will help you get ready for your Christmas card and Christmas mailing.

Expectations!

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus!

~ Christmas Hymn of the Day ~

"Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus"
Author: Charles Wesley

Based on: Haggai 2:7

"’And I will shake all nations,

and they shall come to the Desire of all Nations,

and I will fill this temple with glory," says the Lord of Hosts."

~Meditation ~

"Expectations"

"Anticipation" is a big part of a believer’s spiritual life, and "Advent" lends itself right to "anticipation". In the Old Testament days people "actively" anticipated the coming of the Messiah. Are we as urgently anticipating the advent of the Savior today - - - to triumph over sin and death with the trumpet blast of His Second Coming?

"Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" is just one of more than 6500 hymns written by Charles Wesley. He published it in 1744, five years after "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" was published, in a small collection of eighteen poems titled Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord. It is a hymn of Israel’s Messianic expectation: Christ, born a King destined to reign forever over the hearts of all men.

The tune we most commonly use with this hymn is "Hyfrodol", which means "good cheer". It is a popular hymn tune used frequently with other beautiful texts.

The text of this beautiful hymn promises us that Christ comes to set us free and to release us from our fears as well as our sins. Fear is a strong emotion, one that can paralyze us completely if we don’t have some way of finding release from its grip. I remain convinced that my fear was the greatest danger I faced a few years ago during a time when I had to deal with multiple physical problems, surgeries, procedures, and consequences of complications from one of those procedures. My surgeons, my other doctors, nurses, friends, family - - - all of them - - - were much more certain than I was about the probability of a "good" outcome. Why was this so? For a while, I was paralyzed by fear, and for a while I found it difficult to "find my rest" in God, as the hymn says. I looked to myself and my own "strength" during the ordeal, and I found it lacking.

When I once again turned to God for strength and consolation and hope, He was as faithful as the promise we find in the words of Jesus, "I will not leave you comfortless". I have come to believe more than ever before that this is one of the greatest promises in all of Scripture. To know that we are not alone when we are passing through the valley of the shadow of death is to know consolation and to know peace. It often enables us to do the impossible, to face the inconceivable and to "win" . . . to experience the truth that my best friend spoke to me when I called her from ICU after days of being on a ventilator and in a coma following one of my surgeries. Her first words to me were, "Life wins."

When circumstances occur that appear to be less than a "win", such as happens with terminal illness and with sudden or untimely death, we are able to face what we have to face with assurance and with consolation and with hope, because He faces it with us, and never leaves us comfortless.

There are other powerful words in this short hymn. Think for a moment about the implications of a King coming to the world as a tiny Baby in a rough and rude stable in a "nowhere" kind of township like Bethlehem. This is a bit like going down to the public hospital in Atlanta and being told that a Baby born on a cold, dark, rainy night on a back-alley street is to be the Messiah. This is an astounding thing to think. I believe it was no less astounding to shepherds in the fields outside the city of Bethlehem to whom angels appeared singing "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill to men." (Notice that here too, in the Nativity story, singing plays a part. Music has always been a part of God’s scene.

"Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King . . . Rule in all our hearts alone, Raise us to Thy glorious throne." Words of wonder, of mystery, of power these are. God has done in Bethlehem what He promised to do so many years ago. He has sent us salvation in the person of a tiny Baby ~ His only Son, Jesus. He does indeed deliver us and release us from our fears and our sins, and He raises us to His glorious throne to live with Him for eternity if we but believe in our hearts.

Prayer ~ Come, Thou long-expected Jesus . . . come again to each of us that we may know the peace that passes understanding, and that we may be released from fear and sin and find our rest in You. We thank you for forgiving us when we fail to trust and fail to allow You to rule alone in our hearts . . . when we give in to the temptation to trust in our own strength, and to do it "our way". We praise You and we look forward with joy to welcoming You anew into our hearts and our daily lives so that You might set up that gracious Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Bless us with renewed faith and hope and strength in this Advent season as we contemplate the miracle of Your coming. Amen ~

Activity ~ Do something this week to deepen your longing for God. Is there anything in your life that rivals God for your attention and love? Are there things in your past that keep you from drawing closer to God? Do you, as I do, often try to handle things "on your own" without seeking the presence of Christ in your everyday life? Now is a good time for some self-examination.