Sermon preached on Jan. 15, 2012 - the week after our first visitation to a neihboring congregation. Committees started up, Christmas decorations came down and people we allowed to take them home. This week the reality of the future direction of the congregation was real.
Over the past few week s there have been a lot of questions
going around. Other pastors ask me if it is true that Mayfair is closing.
People in the community ask me why we are closing. Members of the congregation
have other questions, like, when do we disburse our assets? Why is the For Sale
Sign up already? Can I have back the donation I gave to the church? Who is
going to shovel the snow?
We all seem to be concerned with these kinds of questions.
Money, possessions, the building. I must admit, my to do list covers many of
these kinds of questions too. I make phone calls during the week to talk about
funds or I talk to people in the community helping them understand our
decision. Lynn and I give tours of the building to perspective buyers, we talk
to the realtor about how to get the building ready for sale.
I’m sure many of you read the article in the Press. Many of
the questions raised above were asked during the phone interview. The reporter
wanted to hear about low finances dwindling numbers – but instead, I answered
the questions in light of mission. In light of all the questions my prayer is
that we will be able to remain focused on the kingdom of God. That we can keep
the commandments of Jesus at the center of our thinking and at the core of our
hearts.
This weeks Gospel text is requested by Maryann – but I know
it’s a favorite for many of us. It’s a bible verse we all memorized in Sunday
School. A scribe comes up to Jesus and ask him, “Which is the greatest
commandment?” The scribe was looking to see if there was a simple way to follow
the commandments. When you look at all of them together they can be hard to
follow. We break many of the commandments quite often. The scribe was wondering
if he were to pay attention to one of them, which one should it be. Then Jesus
answer wasn’t what he expected. Instead of saying, do not murder, do not steal,
do not commit adultery – Jesus instead says, “you shall love your lord god with
all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When the scribe hears
this and he realizes that Jesus is right and that these things are more
important than burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Indeed we know about sacrifices here at Mayfair. Isn’t that
were our questions are coming from? Our sacrifices? I don’t need to tell you
about the sacrifices. You all know them. You can feel then in your heart, your
soul, your mind and it zaps your strength. It’s easy to get so focused on the
sacrifices. I know I’ve been focused on them. Talking to people about the holy
things in the church, taking an inventory of everything in my office, talking
to members about items – things, council talking about money.
Then we have a bible reading that reminds us what it really
is all about. It’s not about the candle sticks or the Christmas ornaments. It’s
about giving glory to God. It’s about living out God’s kingdom with the time we
have here. It’s about asking ourselves what kind of legacy we will leave and making
sure that the legacy does noting other than point others to the kingdom.
How do we do this? This is the same question the scribe
asked Jesus? What is the best way to live out the kingdom? He wondered if it
was by living out one important commandment. He found out that it is by
following two commandments that are so different from all the commandments that
he knew about. Love you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, with all your strength. If we are to love our God with everything –
absolutely everything that we are and everything that makes us, everything that
makes this ministry – then really all the other questions don’t matter.
The one question we should be asking ourselves through this
entire process is, how are my actions and my decisions pointing us toward God,
how is it living out the kingdom? Our questions we have – like, where does our
money go? The question should be, what is the best use of the money so that we
can have it give glory to God. How is our decision using all our hearts, our
minds, our souls and our strength in order for this decision to live out the
kingdom.
This is a huge task. Probably one of the biggest tasks we
ever dealt with as a congregation. We are leaving a legacy and we are leaving
one that will forever point toward the kingdom.
Jesus never says anything quite like what he said to the
scribe in this passage to anyone else. This man was on the threshold of the
kingdom because his attitude was right, his heart was open. Jesus’ words were
given to make this man think, think beyond the simple questions, and to turn
his questions into a commitment and a discipleship.
When the scribe heard the answer
his heart opened, his mind widened, his soul awakened and his strength in the
Lord became stronger.
How do Jesus’ words make us think
about our questions just a little differently? How are we called to give glory
to God, point others to the kingdom and leave a lasting legacy of ministry?
(Then I kind of went on just a little bit more after this, but maybe only another paragraph or two- and I don't remember it to type it out. As I was preaching I knew that I couldn't leave the sermon here.)
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