Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 28:16-20, Isaiah 6:1-8

Matthew 22:34-40

Matthew 28:16-20

Isaiah 6:1-8

January 25, 2009

“A Great Commitment To Worship”

Part 2 of The Purpose Driven Church series

Read Scripture

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great

Commission makes for a great Church.

That’s what Rick Warren – in his book The Purpose Driven Church – gives as a purpose statement for a great church.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

If we are going to be the Church God wants us to be, we are going to have to have a vision for what we can do for God’s glory in the community and the world. We’ll have an exciting opportunity to begin the Acts 16:5 Initiative – where consultants from the Vital Churches Institute will be working with churches in New Harmony Presbytery – later this year – but at we wait for that opportunity I want us to look at what God may be calling us to do by studying Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Church on Wednesday nights and my preaching on topics from the book on the next 5 Sundays.

The thing we need to remember is that as a Church, we can’t do everything.

Not every Church can do everything.

No one Church can do everything.

But – every Church can do some things.

There are things we can do.

There are things we should do.

In fact — there are things we must do if we are going to be the Church God would have us to be.

Every Church can’t do everything – but every Church can do some things.

We can’t do everything – but we can do some things.

So – what are we supposed to be doing?

What are the things we can do – should do – indeed must do – to be the Church God intends for us to be – and to do God’s work and will in the community and in the world?

What are the things that should define who we should be?

What are the things that we should be focused on as a Church – and that we should do and do well?

What are the things that we should talk about when we talk about Hopewell to others:

“At Hopewell we ….”

What are the things others should talk about when they talk about Hopewell:

“At Hopewell they …”

What are the things that should be our focus – our purpose – that we should use to define ourselves — and that others should use to define us?

What is our purpose as a Church?

Rick Warren writes that

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind and loving others as ourselves – that’s what we find in Matthew 23 with the Great Commandment –

And a great commitment to going and making disciples for Christ – that’s what we find in Matthew 28 with the Great Commission –

Makes for a great church!

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

I really like that statement. I believe that it encompasses the things that are most important for us to be doing as a Church – and keeps our focus on God – on others – and on making disciples.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

But – we can’t just have nifty little sayings such as this one and expect to truly be the Church God wants us to be. It takes much more than just words to do God’s work in the community and the world – it takes commitment – and it takes action.

If we are going to say that loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds — loving others as ourselves – – and going into the community and the world to make disciples for Christ — is our purpose as a Church – then we have to be focused on these things – and focused on how we can do these things and put actions behind these words. We have to be focused – and committed – to truly being people and a Church that loves God – loves others – and makes disciples.

In his book Warren gives 5 things that a church needs to focus on to truly live out it’s purpose of loving God – loving others – and making disciples. These things are:

Worship

Ministry

Evangelism

Fellowship

Discipleship

Warren ties Worship and Ministry to the Great Commandment — loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind – and ties Evangelism, Fellowship, and Discipleship to the Great Commandment – going and making disciples, baptizing, and teaching.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

For the next 5 weeks we are going to look at these 5 aspects of the church – and look at how our commitment is to these things at Hopewell.

Worship

Ministry

Evangelism

Fellowship

Discipleship

Let’s begin with Worship.

Jesus says that loving God with all our heart – soul – and mind — is the greatest commandment.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment”

Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-38.

Friends – loving God – and expressing our love for God – is the most important thing for us as Christians.

At it’s best, that is what we do in worship.

When we worship, we should be expressing our love for – devotion for – God.

If we are going to be a Church that is a great Church – and that is focused on loving God and others — and making disciples for Christ – then the first thing we are going to have to be committed to is worship.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

Have you heard the story about Gladys Dunn?

It seemed that Gladys Dunn moved into a community and was looking for a Church. She noticed one particularly pretty Church – and attended worship there one Sunday. The Sanctuary was just as beautiful on the inside as it was pretty on the outside – and the music wonderful. But – the minister was boring and dry. As he droned on and on, Gladys noticed that most of the congregation was nodding off. Finally –after what seemed to be an eternity – the minister completed his sermon and said:

“Now – everyone greet your neighbor”

Gladys noticed the gentleman beside her was trying to wake himself from his nap during the sermon — and stuck her hand out to greet him.

“I’m Gladys Dunn” she said.

The man looked at her and responded:

“Me too lady. Me too.”

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

If we here at Hopewell are going to be a great Church – if we are going to be a Church that is focused on what we can do for God’s glory in the community and the world, we are going to have to be focused on – and committed to — loving God – and that means we are going to have to be focused on – and committed to – worship – not come in – just sit – and leave with a “glad – it’s – done” attitude – but have a real commitment to loving God – and praising God.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

For Hopewell to be the great church that does great things for God in the community and the world, we are going to have to have a great commitment to worship. We can’t have an attitude of “Glad It’s Done” when it’s over — but an attitude – a heart – a commitment — for worshipping and giving praise to God.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

Now – maybe you think that when I refer to worship I’m referring to the service that takes place here between 11:00 and 12:00 on Sunday morning. That’s true to a certain extent—the Sunday morning service should be a worshipful experience — but that’s not all there is to worship, because that’s not all there is to life.

Worship is a lifestyle — it’s a 24 hour a day, seven day a week experience.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

It’s so easy to develop a bad habit if we’re not careful: the habit of “critiquing” the worship service instead of fully participating. It’s easy to attend a service and find ourselves evaluating the music, evaluating the hymns, evaluating the Choirs, evaluating the Sermon — and not evaluating them on how they impacted us spiritually, but on how well they were “performed”. And if they don’t measure up to our standards, we’ll might say something like:

“I don’t know…I just didn’t get anything out of worship this morning… I didn’t like the hymns, the Choir didn’t sound as good as they sometimes do. There were too many mistakes… the Sermon just didn’t speak to me. I just didn’t get anything out of worship.”

You see — the purpose of worship is not so much to entertain you – or to even speak directly to you. There are times you may be entertained by great music or spoken to be a moving message – but that is not the real purpose of worship.

Several of us attended The Ephesians Event in Darlington yesterday and heard Doug Oldenburg – former President of Columbia Seminary and former moderator of the Presbyterian Church General Assembly speak on “Why Go To Church?”. His first reason was not so we will be entertained or so we will even be enriched – but because God calls us to worship Him. Worship is not about “what can I get out of it” – but “what can I put into it”.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

Worship, then, is not about us and what “speaks to” or “does not speak to” us – but it’s about focusing on God – what God would have be doing as a Church and as individual Christians – listening to God’s call – and responding.

Worship is not so much about us as it is about God.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

If we here Hopewell are going to be the Church God is calling us to be, then we are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God – and a commitment to worshipping God.

Certainly the music, the choir, and the message can assist you in worshipping God and are important elements of the worship experience – but the main focus for worship must be on God.

It’s not about us – or what entertains us – it’s all about God — it’s all about Jesus. It’s all about having a commitment to love God with and praise God. It’s all about having a great commitment to worshipping God.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

We all need to learn how to have a heart for God – and a commitment to loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds – and worshipping God. . This is a crucial lesson to learn in order to be the Christians God is calling you to be. It’s a crucial lesson for us to learn if we are going to be the Church God wants us to be.

You have to have a heart for worshipping God – a heart for loving God with all your heart, mind, and soul – and great commitment to worshipping and praising God.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

If we here at Hopewell are going to be the Church God is calling us to be, then we are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God – and a commitment to worshipping God.

Well – how do you do that?

Our Scripture Passage for this morning from Isaiah 6 teaches three things you can do to develop a heart for worship.

First of all – you can get focused on God.

You need to know who it is you are worshipping.

Isaiah 6:1 tells us:

(v. 1) In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Isaiah mentioned King Uzziah. In some ways he had been a good king, but he was just a man and he made many mistakes. His reign was a time of prosperity for Judah, but his pride led to his downfall. King Uzziah decided to rewrite the rules of Judaism, and he was eventually struck with leprosy. So Isaiah begins this chapter by saying – in effect —

“Regardless of what happened with King Uzziah, I saw the Lord. My eyes weren’t on the king; my eyes were on God.”

If you want a heart for worship – which you must have to be the person God calls you to be – and this Church must have to be the Church God is calling us to be, you need to do the same thing Isaiah did:

get your eyes off people and get focused on God.

Instead of looking at people, focus on God’s majesty.

Notice what Isaiah said…

vs. 1 —  I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Instead of looking at people, focus on God’s holiness.

Isaiah said…

vs. 3  And they [the angels] were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty…

Instead of looking at people, focus on God’s glory..

Isaiah said…

v. 3 …the whole earth is full of his glory.

When you come to church, don’t look at people as much as you look at God.

Look at His majesty.

Look at His holiness.

Look at His glory.

Love god with all your heart, soul, and mind – and be committed to worshipping him.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

If we here Hopewell are going to be the Church God is calling us to be, then we are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God – and a commitment to worshipping God. We are going to have to be people who focus on the majesty – holiness — and glory of God – and loving God with all our heart – mind – and soul.

If, as a congregation, we at Hopewell will do this, the same thing will happen here that happened in Isaiah.

Listen to what Isaiah wrote…

v. 4  The glorious singing shook the temple to its foundations.

Get focused on God and see if the worship doesn’t shake you to your foundations.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

The first step in this is focusing on God.

The second thing we need to do to have a heart of worship – a commitment to worship — is that we need to… Get cleansed by God’s grace.

Get cleansed by grace.

There is something about seeing God for who God is that causes us to see ourselves for who we are.

Isaiah eye-witnessed the glory of God, and then he said,

v. 5) My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race.

That’s what happens when you get in the presence of God.

Pride suddenly melts away and you become aware of your own sinfulness, your own inadequacy. You can’t help but respond the way Isaiah did.

“Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”

It’s not that God wants us to acknowledge our sinfulness merely for the sake of doing it so that we can talk about how wretched we are. He wants us to acknowledge our sinfulness so that we can experience the transformational power of his grace.

Listen to what happened next to Isaiah…

(v. 6-7) Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

That’s the purpose of being in the presence of God.

We acknowledge our sin so that we can experience His forgiveness.

If we here Hopewell are going to be the Church God is calling us to be, then we are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God – and a commitment to worship.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

The act of worship involves recognizing our total dependence upon God’s mercy in our lives. We don’t approach Him proudly. We don’t approach Him on the strength of our good deeds or our acts of righteousness. We approach Him with a sense of humility, with a sense of gratitude for His forgiveness. When you have this attitude, it’s impossible to get distracted by some of the aspects of the service. It’s impossible to get distracted by any superficial thing, because your heart is directed toward God.

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

What this means in our day-to-day life is that you don’t need a Church service atmosphere to enter into worship. You don’t need a Choir or anything else. You can worship him alone, in the privacy of your room, just you and him.

Now obviously it is important that we come together as a body and worship together each week — but this isn’t the only time worship takes place.

It can be a seven-day-a-week experience.

If we here Hopewell are going to be the Church God is calling us to be, then we are going to have to have a heart for worshipping God – and a commitment to worshipping God. .

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church.

Having a commitment to worship God requires that you:

get focused on God,

get cleansed by grace,

and thirdly…

You have to get ready to go.

Listen to what Isaiah says …

v. 8 —  Then I head the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.”

Worshipping God and working for God go hand-in-hand. Our best response to worship is to say, as Isaiah said,

v. 8 Lord, I’ll go! Send me.

When you have a one-on-one encounter in the presence of God, it affects the way you spend the rest of your day. It affects what you say and how you treat the people in your life.

Warren writes that:

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

The first thing this means is that

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

This means being committed to loving God and sharing God with others – making disciples for Christ.

The first thing this means is that

A great commitment to worship makes for a great Church

As a church and as individuals, we need to develop a heart of worship – a commitment to worship — not an attitude of “glad – it’s done” but a true heart for worshipping God.

We have to get focused on God — get cleansed by God’s grace — and get ready to go into the world and do his work.

That’s what comes when you have a commitment to worship.

So – the question is – Do you have commitment for worship?

Do you have a desire – a passion – for worshipping God – every day?

Do you have a great commitment to loving God with all your heart – soul – mind – and strength – and to worshipping God?

Do you let yourself get focused on God, get cleansed by God’s grace, and get ready to go into the world and do his work?

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to worship.

This makes for a great Christian.

This makes for a great Church.

Amen.

Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 22:34-40

Matthew 28:16-20

“A Great Commitment To Our Purpose”

January 18, 2009

Part 1 of “The Purpose Driven Church” series

Read Scripture

We at Hopewell will have an exciting opportunity this year – an opportunity to become a part of an exciting program called The Acts 16:5 Initiative. This is a program that Presbytery is offering to the churches where consultants from the Vital Churches Institute come and work with groups of churches and help them define what they can do to have a greater impact for God’s glory in the community and the world. This will launch in March – and I pray that we will be a part of it.

But – before we take part in this program – I want us to take some time to focus on what our purpose is as a Church. I am going to be preaching on topics from Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Church for the next 6 Sundays – and some of us are going to be looking at different topics from the book on Wednesday nights.

Looking at our purpose as a Church will help us focus on what we can do – and should do – for God’s glory in the community and the world.

So — what is our purpose as a Church?

What are we supposed be be doing?

These are important questions for us to consider – because if we do not know what our purpose is, we probably won’t be doing a very good job of fulfilling it.

We need to know what our purpose is.

We need to work to fulfill our purpose.

Here’s the thing: As a Church, we can’t do everything.

Not every Church can do everything.

No one Church can do everything.

But – every Church can do some things.

There are things we can do.

There are things we should do.

In fact — there are things we must do if we are going to be the Church God would have us to be.

Every Church can’t do everything – but every Church can do some things.

We can’t do everything – but we can do some things.

So – what are we supposed to be doing?

What are the things we can do – should do – indeed must do – to be the Church God intends for us to be – and to do God’s work and will in the community and in the world?

These are the things that should define who we should be.

These are the things that should be our purpose as a Church.

These are the things we should be focused on as a Church – and that we should do and do well.

These are the things that we should talk about when we talk about Hopewell to others:

“At Hopewell we ….”

These are things others should talk about when they talk about Hopewell:

“At Hopewell they …”

These are the things that should be our focus – our purpose – that we should use to define ourselves — and that others should use to define us.

So – what are these things?

What is our purpose as a Church?

If I were to pose that question and ask for responses in a setting different from Sunday morning worship, we might come up with a rather long list – for I am certain that you all have things you believe we should be doing and have ideas of things we can do – and do well – things you believe we need to focus on.

This would be a great process – and I pray we will have the opportunity to go through it some day. It would be exciting to look at different ideas and things we might want to consider as we strive to fulfill our purpose as a Church.

But – you know what – as great as sharing ideas is – and as important as it is – we have to be careful that we don’t leave out a key ingredient in our search for our purpose as a Church. While it’s great to have ideas and get input from each other about what our purpose at Hopewell should be – what the things we should do to have the greatest impact for God in the community and the world are — we need to – first of all – look at what God feels we need to be doing and what God thinks we need have as our purpose. If we focus on what we think we need to be doing and what we think Hopewell’s purpose should be we run the risk of never really discovering what God has in mind for us – what God thinks we should have as our purpose. While sharing our ideas is good – even needed – we first of all need to pray for God to give us His vision and His ideas for the Church

In the series I preached on Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life I related a story Warren used to illustrate the point that we can’t discover our true purpose for our lives by looking at what think we should be doing – but we need to focus on discovering  what God thinks we should be doing.

Warren relates that once – while driving in the mountains – he was on a remote mountain road and couldn’t seem to get where he wanted to go.  He was afraid that he was lost.  After driving on the remote mountain road for some time (his wife was probably telling him to stop and ask for directions) he finally did stop and ask for directions.  The response he got was:

“O – you can’t get there on this road. You’ll have to go back down the mountain and take the other road.”

Warren says that – if we are looking for true purpose for our lives by looking at our own ideas or the ideas of other people – we will never discover our true purpose.  We’re on the wrong road.  But – if we look for true purpose for our lives by looking at God’s will and following God’s advice – we will discover what God is calling us to do.

In the same way, we are not going to discover what we need to be doing as a Church by looking at our ideas. We are only going to discover what we need to be doing as a Church – the things we need to do to be the best Church we can be – if pray for God to give us a vision and look at God’s ideas and what God wants us to be doing as Church.

So – to truly find our purpose as a Church – we need to look at what God has in mind for our purpose – and strive to do what we can to meet God’s purpose for our Church.

In his book The Purpose Driven Church Rick Warren writes that:

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

A great commitment to the Great Commandment – that’s what we find in Matthew 22:37-39 where Jesus says:

” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

and a great commitment to the Great Commission – that’s what we find in Matthew 28:19-20 where Jesus says:

“go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

makes for a great Church.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

I believe that Warren “hits the nail on the head” as far as describing the commitment churches need to have.

If you look at Hopewell’s web site and go the tab “Missions” you’ll see the statement that we are a church with a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. I didn’t create that on my own – it is what was on the brochure that was created before I came 2 years ago – so someone else must have liked it also!

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

I like that statement—not because Rick Warren writes about it or someone thought it to be a good Mission Statement for Hopewell – but I believe it states what we should have as our purpose as a Church in a way that it simple and easy to remember.

I believe it states – in a way that is simple and easy to remember – what God wants us to have as our purpose for the Church.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

A great commitment to loving God with all our hearts – souls – and minds – loving others as ourselves – and going into the community and the world to make disciples for Christ. These are God’s will for us — God’s purpose for us. These are the things that make for a great Church – and will make Hopewell a great Church.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

So – how is our commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?

How great is our commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?

You know – we can make all kinds of statements and adopt all kinds of nifty slogans to describe how we want to be as a Church – but the bottom line is not a slogan or a statement – but a commitment that encompasses what we say and do. We need – as a Church and as individuals – to be committed to our purpose as a Church.

If we are going to say that loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds — loving others as ourselves – – and going into the community and the world to make disciples for Christ — is our purpose as a Church – then we have to be focused on these things – and focused on how we can do these things and put actions behind these words.

So – how about it?

What does it mean when we say that we are a Church with a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?

What does it mean that we have a great commitment to loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds?

It means that we realize how much God loves us.

It means that we give our lives to loving God – just as Jesus gave His life out of His love for us.

It means we strive to serve God in all we say – think – and do.

Really – it means that you realize how much God loves you – it means that you give your life to loving God – just as Jesus gave His life out of His love for you – it means that you strive to serve God in all you say – think – and do.

It means we live our lives in ways that give glory to God – show love for God – and serve God.

It means that you live your life in ways that give glory to God – show love for God – and serve God.

Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.

But – there is a second part to this Great Commandment – love your neighbor as yourself.

What does that mean?

What does it mean to love our neighbor as oursleves?

It means to show God’s love to others – to work for the benefit of others – and find ways to reach out to others with God’s love.

Part of our purpose needs to be having a great commitment to the Great Commandment – and living out that commitment as we strive to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds – and love others as ourselves.

We need to focus on ways that we can do this – as individuals and as a Church – so that we can truly say:

“at Hopewell we love God and love others – and act in ways that show that love to each other – the community – and the world”

We need to focus on ways we can live out the Great Commandment – so that others can say about us:

“Hopewell is a church that certainly reaches out to the community and the world with the love of God”.

This takes having a great commitment to living out the Great Commandment as our purpose.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

So – what does it mean that we say that we have a great commitment to the Great Commission?

It means that we are committed to going into the community and the world and make disciples for Christ.

It means that you look for opportunities to share Christ with others – either by witnessing for Christ in your words or your actions.

It means that – as a Church – we look for ways to share Christ with others – and we train for how to better share Christ with others.

Part of that is talking about our faith and sharing our faith with others. We need to do a better job in teaching our members how to share their faith.

Another part of that is that we look for ways to share our faith in actions that will show others what God’s love is all about.

We need to focus on ways that we can do this – as individuals and as a Church – so that we can truly say:

“at Hopewell share Chrsit with each other and with others – and make disciples for Christ”

We need to focus on ways we can live out the Great Commission – so that others can say about us:

“Hopewell is a church that certainly reaches out to the community and the world with the love of God”.

This takes having a great commitment to living out the Great Commission as our purpose.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission makes for a great Church

Having a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission is indeed a great purpose for our lives and the Church.

We have a lot of exciting things going on here at Hopewell. God is using us to bless many people – and is helping us grow in His love ourselves. Just this week we provided supper for over 100 students at Francis Marion University on Tuesday night – and then had 17 young adults at the first night of our new Wednesday night study on Wednesday night. These things – along with the ways we have reached out to each other and members of the Church in times of grief and sorrow – have made for a busy – yet blessed – – week . I am in awe of what God is doing – and you should be also.

We can give praise to God for how we have been able to love God and others – and make disciples this week. But – we need to continue focusing on our purposes – and look for new ways to act on our commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

As I stated earlier, we are going to be looking at different aspects of this as we worship and some meet on Wednesday nights for the next 6 weeks. In his book The Purpose Driven Church Rick Warren lifts up 5 elements of the church that need to be focused on our purpose – those being:

Worship

Ministry

Evangelism

Fellowship

Discipleship

We are going to look at each of these elements on Sundays as we go through this series and discuss them on Wednesday nights.

For today, though, ask yourself several questions:

1. How great is my commitment to loving God with all my heart, mind, and soul – and my neighbor as myself?

2. How great is my commitment to making disciples for Christ – and showing the love of Christ to others?

Indeed, how great is your commitment to God – to Christ – to sharing Christ with others – and to making disciples for Christ?

It takes a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission to make a great Christian.

It takes a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission to make a great Church.

Amen.

Mark 1:4-11

Is It Real?

Mark 1:4-11

Baptism of The Lord

January 11, 2009

Some of you may know that Sally and I purchased a new – to us – vehicle – a 2004 Ford Explorer last month. It has a lot more “bells and whistles” than the Pathfinder Sally was driving – which had windows you had to manually roll up and down and doors you had to manually lock.

Remember cars like that?

The Explorer has touch button locks – windows – seat warmers – a moon roof – CD player – and a whole lot less miles than the Pathfinder – which was pushing 200,000 miles when we sold it.

Sally is enjoying the Explorer immensely!

Now – I say that Sally is enjoying it – – and she is. She loves driving it.

And me?

Well – I enjoy it too – I enjoy riding in it!

I was telling some of the guys down at Gregg’s Store one day after we bought it that I wasn’t sure Sally was going to let me drive it. One of them replied:

“Preacher – I’ve seen how many dents are in your Camry. I don’t blame her for not letting you drive it!”

But – I do enjoy the ride!

We enjoy having an SUV. Sally likes being able to see over other cars and feels safer in an SUV — and they’re great for transporting her pottery stuff. Our old Pathfinder even made it into a story our niece wrote about Sally when she was in elementary school (she’s now a Journalism major at USC) entitled “My Aunt”. On one page it read:

Some aunts drive economical cars – but my aunt drive a 4 wheel drive SUV!

Yea – she loves SUVs !

But – if you happen to turn on the TV – especially during sporting events like the College Bowl games of the past few weeks or now the NFL Playoffs – you’ll see commercials touting the “next generation” of SUV’s.

Each commercial looks about the same — attractive people load up their oversized 4×4 to head out over some terrain negotiable only by Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, throwing up dirt and gravel all the way. The automotive action is usually followed by an image of the same folks setting up camp or jumping into a kayak or dangling off a rock.

Looks like fun.

“Looks” being the operative word here.

Actually analysts say that only about 5 percent of SUVs are ever taken off-road, which means that you’re more likely to see a Range Rover at Starbucks, for example, than on a wilderness road. For some SUV owners the look and the possibility of one day actually locking in the four-wheel drive are worth the extra bucks in the purchase price. I think we used 4 wheel drive once (maybe) on the Pathfinder to get out of the drive one winter when the snow was piled up behind it where the road had been scraped – and Sally did go down a dirt road at Lee County Park not long ago and had to sue 4 wheel drive to get the Pathfinder out. But as for rugged camping – well – that same story our niece wrote about Sally included a page that read:

Some aunts like to go camping in the woods. My aunt camps at the Holiday Inn.

A lot of SUV owner prefer the Holiday Inn over the woods.

Of course, with the current debate about rising gas prices, oil shortages, environmental impacts and alternative energy, many SUV owners feel they have to explain themselves to their those who may object to their driving such a “gas guzzler” when they won’t even take it off the road. Why have four-wheel drive if the only dirt those four wheels will ever touch is at the fringe of the kids’ soccer field?

Well, I have discovered the perfect product for those who want to look like they take their SUV “off road” – even if they don’t! It’s called “Sprayonmud” — and it’s a spray on concoction that creates the illusion that an SUV has, on more than one occasion, been baptized in mud.

What will they think of next?

For a mere $14.50 per quart-sized bottle you can buy “fake mud”to spray on your vehicle in order to make it look as though you’ve just bumped back from a wild ride in the wilderness when, in fact, you’ve been merely hiking through the aisles at Target.

The promotional material says:

“If you’ve got a 4X4 or off-roader, Sprayonmud will send the message that you use your off-roader, off the road as well as on it.”

Inside each quart-sized plastic container is real dirt from the Britain (where the product originates), mixed with water and a “secret ingredient” which helps the mud stick to the vehicle’s body. A few strategic squirts on the fenders and you’ve got an Escalade that’s dirtier than a mudslide.

Real off-roaders, though, know that the best mud is free and generally available. Their vehicles wear that mud as a badge of honor, marking them as adventurers. Fake-mudders mark themselves as – well – fakes.

To be real you have to go where the dirt is.

You know — when Jesus burst on the scene in first- century Israel, one of his first actions was to mark his life and ministry with some real mud. He traveled way off-road, all the way out into the Judean wilderness, to see his cousin John, the quintessential rugged individualist. In the manner of other ancient Israelite prophets, John lived a solitary life amid sand and snakes but preached a message so compelling that people were willing to get their feet dirty to go find him.

Standing there in the notoriously muddy water of the Jordan River, John offered a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” Now –- first-century Jews were used to ceremonial washings, but the only one that involved immersion was for those converting to Judaism. But John called everyone, even ethnic Jews, to be baptized — or “marked” — as being in need of forgiveness and salvation. What John called for was that the mud and muck of human sin needed to be washed away and replaced with a real mark of repentance and confession. John’s baptism was, in a real sense, a great equalizer, declaring that — rich and poor, Jew and non-Jew, righteous or roustabout — all must turn toward God.

Now – I have learned through the years that you don’t wash dishes in dirty water. Yet John calls for people to be “washed,” marked, or cleansed in the dirty waters of the Jordan.

Baptized in dirty water?

When Jesus came to the edge of the water, John recognized that He was “the one” who “is more powerful than I … I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals”

If anyone needed to skip this particular mud bath it was Jesus. Yet Jesus willingly steps down into the brown water to take on the same muddy mark as others John is baptizing.

Yea — when we’re baptized we take on that same mark as Jesus did.

Jesus’ baptism is the prototype for those of us who would follow him.

But — what does our baptism say about us?

Well, we understand baptism as a mark of God’s favor.

Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. For him it was a form of anointing — not just with water but with the Spirit. Here we see the Trinity in action: the Son receiving the blessing, the Father expressing his love for the Son, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Baptism marks Jesus as “the Beloved” in whom God’s own nature is revealed and with whom God is “well pleased.” It’s a powerful expression of the intimacy of God’s own relational nature.

For us, baptism is a sign of God’s favor as well, but it is favor that is unmerited.

We can’t fake out God and look like we are something that we’re not — so we “come clean” through repentance and confession and simply receive the love of God who created us and sees us as being “very good.”

But — there’s more.

The baptism of Jesus was a form of anointing by which the Messiah, the promised One, would save Israel and the whole world. Israelite kings were marked as a symbol of their office and their responsibility. For Jesus, and for us, baptism is preparation for ministry.

Baptism is a sign that we pledge allegiance to a different kingdom — the kingdom of God. And that allegiance is worked out in our love for God and our service to others.

Baptism marks us, sets us apart as different from the world’s idea of power. It’s not fake – like the “Sprayonmud” some people might spray on an SUV to make it look used. It’s the real thing.

When the great reformer Martin Luther was tempted, he would often put his hand on his head to remind himself that he was baptized — that he was different — that he could resist temptation because of his connection with Christ. Our baptism into Christ calls us to be a different, peculiar and passionate people who are called to love God and then sent out to follow Jesus in changing the world.

In other words, we’re called to “come” to worship, learn, and fellowship – and then “go” into the world and get dirty serving others. There’s no room for pretending or keeping to our own side of town. Our baptism is a commission and a call to go into the wilds of a hurting world.

Jesus, God in the flesh, lived and moved in the world but was not “of” the world. He was tempted like us, human like us, but recognized that His kingdom was beyond the human realm. Jesus didn’t merely call people to get straightened up so that they could fly off to heaven when they died. The real good news that He preached is that God’s kingdom, in the person of Jesus, had broken into the world — — a new reality was coming to the forefront

Our baptism means that what we do now matters. Our baptism means that we can be to be agents of kingdom of God in the community we live in. Our baptism means that we can experience the promises and purposes of God in our lives – then share it with others. Our baptism, then, invites us to live in that new reality — that heavenly, God-ordained reality where we can share God with the world – with the community – as we “come” to worship, fellowship,. and learn – then “go” to serve. It means that we can be a part of God’s work in the Church and the community — here and now.

Living as baptized followers of Christ is something we can’t fake. No amount of spray on religiosity can hide who we really are. As Jesus waded into the muddy water, he set the example for us.

The bottom line is this: If the Son of God is willing to get dirty changing the world, we who follow need to do the same.

So – how about it?

Is your commitment to Christ – who was willing to get Himself dirty – willing to go into the world and bring the Good News of Salvation to all people – real?

Are you willing to follow Jesus into the world – follow Him as He calls you to “come” and worship – serve – and fellowship – then “go” to serve — showing His love to all people – even if it means going “off the beaten path” at times – and even if it means really “getting dirty” for His work?

Is it real?

Friends – a “spray on commitment” won’t work. It has to be the real thing.

So – how about your commitment?

Is it real? Amen.

Jeremiah 31:7-14, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 1:1-18

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

John 1:1-18

This Year Will Be Different

January 4, 2009

Communion

Happy New Year!

We are 4 days now into a new year – a year filled with new possibilities – new potential – – new opportunities.

Some of you may have made New Years Resolutions – promises to yourself and possibly to others to improve some area of your life.

Maybe some of you have made a resolution to lose weight. That’s one of mine for this year – but it has been one of mine for several years now – with little success.

This year – though – will be different!

Maybe some of you have made a resolution to exercise more. That’s been another one of mine for the past several years – with little success.

This year – though – will be different.

Maybe some of you have made a resolution to spend more time with your loved ones.

Some of you have made a resolution to spend more time with God or in serving others.

We have a tendency to make New Years resolutions.

Some of you may be doing really well with your resolutions so far.

I mean – we are lonely 4 days into the year!

But – then again — some of you may have already be struggling.

And some of you may have not even made any resolutions at all – knowing that they are hard to keep.

But every year – we tell ourselves –

This year will be different.

This year will be different.

I remember one December 31^st when I was with some friends – and we happened to met another friend. This one turned to one of the others I was with and said:

“Well – I know you’re misbehaving today – you’re probably getting it all out of your today – because I’m sure your New Years Resolution will be to behave next year.”

We all laughed.

But – whether you made a New Years Resolution or not – whether you are keeping your resolution so far or not – it can not be denied that it is a new year – and it indeed can be – if we will let it be – a time for new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities.

We can truly say that this year can be different.

And – if we let it be – we can truly say that

This year will be different.

This year will be different.

But we have to let it be that for us.

We have to let it be different.

We have to let ourselves take advantage of the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that may be before us this year – or this year will not be any different than any other.

When I was young I used to want to stay up until midnight on New Years Eve and “see the New Year in”. When I was four we not only were celebrating a new year – but a new decade—the 1960’s! I was just sure that it would be different – look different in some way – and I begged my parents to let me see the new year – the new decade – in. Finally, they decided to let me stay up.

I was excited!

I was ready to stay up to “see the New Year’ – the “new decade” – “ in” – but around 10:00 my tiredness caught up with my excitement.

I decided I would lie down for awhile – but slept through the whole thing.

On the morning of January 1 , 1960 I awoke – disappointed that I had missed the New Year – the new decade — coming in – but raced outside to see how this new year – this new decade — looked.

I think I expected things to look different.

A New Year had come in.

A new decade, for that matter.

Surely things would look different.

But – guess what.

Things did not look different.

Things looked the same.

Disappointed again – I went back inside – and told my parents that I did not know what the big deal was – everything looked the same to me.

Is that how this new year will be for us – just the same?

Is that how it will be for us personally?

Is that how it will be for us as far as our personal relationships with God go?

Is that how it will be for us as far as how we do as a Church – how we serve God in the Church – the community – and the world?

Will 2009 be for us – as individuals and as a Church – just more of the same?

Or – will it be different?

Will we see and take advantage of the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that lie before us?

Will we commit ourselves to letting God make a difference in our lives – then making a difference in the Church — the community – and the world?

Will this year be the same – or indeed – will it be different?

Will your commitment to God – to the Church –

to loving God with all your heart – soul – mind and strength – and your neighbor as yourself –

be greater – or different – this year?

Or will it be the same?

We all have the opportunities to make it different – but will we?

If you are like us – you have not only been involved in celebrating a new year and maybe making resolutions this week – but have also been involved in taking down Christmas decorations and sorting through Christmas gifts.

You know the process – you go through the gifts – decide which ones you really like and will use – and put the rest away.

Christmas gifts can be very nice – and with many we remember the one who gave them to us every time we see them.

Others are not as special – and are put away – either to be brought out at some other point in time or forgotten about forever.

But — when putting away all the Christmas gifts — there is one Christmas gift we should not just “put away” – should not just put aside and maybe look at again next year.

That’s God’s Christmas gift to us –

The Greatest Gift of All

God’s Son – Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ –

as John writes – THE WORD –

the one who is part of the Godhead –

who was with God from the beginning –

who was part of the creating force that created the world. –

who came into the world to show us God –

who came into the world to save us from our sins –

who came into the world to give us life

Jesus Christ – God’s gift to us of salvation – of peace – of love – of justice.

Jesus Christ – God’s gift of Himself to us.

I remember a sign I once saw outside a church in Greensboro, NC before one Christmas that read:

THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT

IS NOT UNDER THE TREE – BUT

ON A TREE.

The best gift we can ever receive is not one that will be wrapped under our Christmas trees – but Jesus Christ – the Son of God – who died on a cross – on a tree – for us.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT

IS NOT UNDER THE TREE – BUT

ON A TREE.

God’s great gift to us of Himself – Jesus Christ – God’s gift to us of salvation – of peace – of love – of justice.

That’s the greatest gift – isn’t it?

Here’s something to remember for the new year –

If you want the New Year to really be different –

If you want to really see a difference in this year –

If you really want 2009 to not just be the same as every other year –

If you really want things to be different this year –

If you really want your life as a Christina and as a member of Hopewell to be different this year —

If you really want to see and take advantage of the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that lie before you this year –

You have to open the greatest gift of all —

You have to open yourself up to Christ – and the salvation – love – joy – and peace Christ can bring for you.

When you open yourself to the greatest gift, you life changes.

You experience God’s love, joy, and peace for this life – and salvation for the life to come.

The year – in fact your life – cam not be “business as usual” – but the year – and your life – will be filled with the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that God will lay before you.

As John writes – you will have the power to become a child of God –

born not of blood or the will of man – but of God

You will be blessed in a special way.

If you will open yourself up to Christ, and let Him change your life, you’ll see a difference in your life. And – a number of us will do that – we will see a difference in the Church.

This year will be different.

Our lives will be different.

The Church will be different.

You’ll be blessed with a different life – a different way to live – and a different way to love God and others.

You’ll be blessed with an ability to share the richness of God’s love – grace – peace – and salvation with the community – indeed a world that is hurting and needs to experience Jesus Christ in a new way.

Jesus Christ – God with us –

God in our midst –

God in our world –

God’s will for salvation – justice – mercy – and peace –

is God’s greatest gift to you.

Jesus Christ is the way to make your life different – the Church different — the community different – the world different.

Jesus Christ is the only one who can give us the assurance to say:

This year will be different.

This year will be different.

Accepting God’s gift – with the salvation — love – mercy – justice and peace Jesus brings – is the way to make your life different – the Church different – the community different – the world different.

As we accept that greatest gift –

as we begin to let God change us – and through us change our Church – our community – and our world – things will indeed be different.

Committing – or recommitting — your life to serving Christ – is the only way you can insure that this year will not be “business as usual” – but will be filled with God’s love and blessings for us as a individuals and as a Church.

Committing – or recommitting — your life to serving Christ – is how you insure that you can take advantage of the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that God will lay before you.

Make that commitment.

Make it your New Year – or maybe we should say New Life – resolution to accept God’s greatest gift — Jesus Christ – and either commit or recommit yourself to sharing Christ with others.

If you can do that – you will be able to receive – and share the greatest gift God offers — and can have a happy –

no – I think it better to say – blessed —

New year

And new life.

That’s indeed how we can make sure that this year will be different!

Amen.

Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-28

“Have A Mary Christmas”

December 21, 2008

Advent 4

Read Scripture

Mary,

Nazareth girl,

what did you know of ethereal beings

with messages from God?

What did you know of men

when you found yourself with child?

What did you know of babies,

you, barely out of childhood yourself?

God-chosen girl;

What did you know of God

that brought you to this stable

most blessed among women?

Could it be that you had been ready

waiting

listening

for the footsteps of an angel?

Could it be that there are messages for us

if we had the faith to listen?

Ann Weems “Mary, Nazareth Girl” Kneeling in Bethlehem p.25

So Ann Weems beautifully probes the mind — faith — and expectations of Mary — and so invites us to probe our mind — faith — and expectations.

Faith and expectations — especially when it comes to the things of God — need to be geared towards surprises — towards wonder — towards the surprising and wonder – full and wonder – filled ways God works through the events and people in our lives — the times God comes to us in ways we do not expect — and through events and people we would never expect. With God — we have to have faith to see the unexpected — and even expect the unexpected. With God we

have to be in tune to things of wonder and mystery — so we can be touched by the wonder – full and wonder – filled, mysterious, things of God.

We have to have eyes to see — and a faith to understand — the surprising and wonderful moments of God in our lives. We have to have a sense of wonder and awe when we are dealing with the things of God.

Mary may not have known much about men – or babies – but Mary knew how to have her eyes to see – and faith to understand — the surprising and wonderful moments of God in our lives.

Yes — when it comes to God’s work in our lives — we have to be able to see and understand God’s surprises — the awe-inspiring, wonder-filled, wonder-full ways of God.

What a surprise Gabriel’s visit — and message — to Mary must have been.

Imagine that you are Mary

You are poor — you live in Nazareth in the Roman province of Palestine — the year is somewhere around what we now term as 30AD — you have had a very humble upbringing. You are not unusual or extraordinary in any way. You are a very typical, poor, young Hebrew girl.

You live a very average life. Like most girls your age, you are engaged to be married. You are engaged to Joseph — a man somewhat older than you. He is a carpenter. You hope his business will continue to prosper — how you would love to not have to constantly worry if you will have enough flour to bake bread for the next day.

In other words, you are a typical, poor, simple, ordinary Jewish girl — nothing extraordinary — and you feel that there isn’t much in store for you in life besides that of being a peasant in Nazareth.

Or at least that’s what you think.

Then — the most surprising — wonder – full — wonder – filled thing happens. One day an angel appears to you. The angel tells you that the Messiah — the one you and your people had prayed for for centuries — was finally coming. The one hoped for to establish David’s throne forever — the fulfillment of Nathan’s prophecy to David — was coming. The prayers of your people were going to be answered — and you were going to be the one to bring the Messiah into the world.

You are ecstatic with joy.

The Messiah is coming.

David’s throne will be established forever – just as Nathan said.

God is actually going to answer prayers.

But — you be the one to bring the Messiah into the world?

You be the one to bring the one to forever establish David’s throne into the world?

It made little sense.

It is too wonder – full — too wonder – filled — to be true.

Just as Nathan’s message to David years ago — this is indeed a surprise!

It is indeed a surprise.

But you remember that throughout your people’s history God has come in surprising — wonder – full — wonderful – filled ways. You praise God — and although you are confused and scared — you praise God for His surprising — wonder – full — wonder – filled ways.

God establishing David’s throne forever — and doing it through Mary?

A savior born of a virgin in lowly Bethlehem?

Not exactly what we would expect — is it?

It is surprising.

It is full of wonder.

It is wonder – full.

It is wonder – filled.

But it is God.

God — who comes to us in awe-inspiring ways — in ways that are filled with wonder — ways that are wonder – full and wonder – filled.

Indeed — when it comes to God — we have to come to see — and expect — the awe – inspiring, wonder-full, wonder-filled ways of God.

But — I’m afraid we have lost our ability to see and expect the things of God. We seem to have lost the ability to see and experience and realize the wonder and awe of God’s work in our lives. We have lost our sense of wonder and amazement at the things of God — or things of life in general.

Our ability to be filled with wonder and amazement at the things of God — or anything else in the world — is not what it can or maybe even should be.

G. K. Chesterton is an English priest and author who gives this illustration about how we lose our sense of wonder and awe as we grow older and the world is more a part of us.

He says tell the following sentence to three groups of children — ten year olds — six year olds — and three year olds.

The sentence he suggests is:

The man slowly crept up the steps — he put his hand on the knob of the door — and turned it slowly — slowly — slowly — when suddenly out jumped out — A DRAGON!

Chesterton contends that when you tell this to ten year olds, their eyes begin to get filled with wonder as the dragon jumps from the door.

Six year olds, however, would start getting a sense of wonder and awe as the man turned to doorknob.

Three year olds, however, begin to react with wonder and awe as the man slowly climbs the steps.

Chesterton’s point is that we lose our sense of wonder and praise as we get older. He believes we need to regain that sense of wonder — because as we lose the wonder and amazement from our lives — we lose our ability to recognize and take part in the wonder – full and wonder – filled things of God.

Indeed — our sense of wonder and amazement at the things of God has pretty much been lost.

Just look at how we celebrate Christmas.

We have completely programmed surprise and wonder out of Christmas — haven’t we?

We give and receive gifts based on what we want — or can use — with little or no regard to the fact that something we never thought of — something that is a complete surprise — something that is so wonderful we would have never expected or asked for it — may indeed be the best gift of all. We are scared to venture to buy someone a gift that would be a complete surprise — so we ask them to give us a list to choose from — and even number the suggestions as to which would be the most appreciated.

Not much surprise to it at all —

Not much room for surprises – –

Not much room for wonder – –

Not much room for the surprising — wonder – full – – wonder – filled things of God —

Not much room for God at all.

But — friends — Christmas is about a real surprise.

It is about a really wonder – full and wonder – filled event.

The coming of Christ into our world is the most surprising — wonder – full — wonder – filled event that has ever occurred.

Christmas is about being full of awe and wonder at the ways of God. It is a wonder – full and wonder – filled time. It is about a total reversal of our want – list as Christ comes into our lives and changes all aspects of our lives with the glory of God.

It indeed needs to be a wonder – full and wonder – filled time.

Maybe Mary knew that.

Maybe she had been looking for that.

Maybe she was looking for the wonder – full and mysterious ways of God.

Maybe she was able to have a sense of awe and wonder at the things of God in her life — and that is what made her able to see the angel as it stood before her.

We need to have a life of wonder — a life full of the wonder of the things of God.

We need to have a sense of wonder at the things of God.

We need a sense of surprise at God’s work.

We need a sense of awe and wonder at God’s work.

Friends — Christmas is about the wonder – full fact that God has come into our lives — and our lives — our world — will never be that same again.

We need a wonder – full Christmas.

We need a Christmas full of the love of God — seeing God all around us — and celebrating the wondrous fact that God has come into our world.

We need to have a wonder – full life — seeing and realizing and celebrating the Friends — Christmas is about the wonder – full fact that God has come into our lives — and our lives — our world — will never be that same again.

We need to have a wonder – full life — seeing and realizing and celebrating the wonder – full things of God in our lives.

Yes — we need to have a wonder – full Christmas.

Indeed — as Weems writes:

Could it be that there are messages for us

if we had the faith to listen?

Have faith.

Re-gain that sense of wonder and surprise at the things of God in the world.

Be more like Mary.

Have eyes to see – and faith to understand — the surprising and wonderful moments of God in our lives in our community – in our world.

See the surprising ways God comes into our lives and world – and commit yourself to serving this God who came to Mary in a surprising way – and continues to come to each of us in surprising ways – if we will just be willing to see and be a part of His work in our lives and world.

Be more like Mary.

Have a Mary Christmas. Amen.