There are many stories that get passed around in preaching circles. Stories that are heartwarming or have a fine lesson to teach. Here's an old one...
It is a "true" story about a nine year old boy who lived in a rural town in Tennessee. His house was in a poor area of the community.
A church had a bus ministry that came knocking on his door one Saturday afternoon. The kid came to answer the door and greeted the bus pastor.
The bus pastor asked if his parents were home and the small boy told him that his parents take off every weekend and leave him at home to take care of his little brother. The bus pastor couldn't believe what the kid said and asked him to repeat it. The youngster gave the same answer and the bus pastor asked to come in and talk with him.
They went into the living room and sat down on an old couch with the foam and springs exposed. The bus pastor asked the kid, "Where do you go to church?" The young boy surprised the visitor by replying, "I've never been to church in my whole life."
The bus pastor thought to himself about the fact that his church was less than three miles from the child's house. "Are you sure you have never been to church?" he asked again.
"I sure haven't", came his answer. Then the bus pastor said, "Well, son, more important than going to church, have you ever heard the greatest love story ever told?" and then he proceeded to share the Gospel with this little nine year old boy.
The boy listened as the bus pastor talked about Jesus and his teachings. He was attentive as he heard about the man who loved everyone, cared for everyone, but had been killed and raised back to life by God his Father. He was in awe when the bus pastor told him that Jesus was his friend and would walk with him, love him, guide him and strengthen him if he opened up his heart to Jesus and made the simple way of Jesus the choice for his life.
They prayed together and the bus pastor asked if he could pick the boys up for church the next morning. "Sure", the nine-year-old replied.
The bus pastor got to the house early the next morning and picked both boys up.
Keep in mind that this boy had never been to church before.
The church was a big one. The little kid just sat there, clueless of what was going on. A few minutes into the service these tall unhappy guys walked down to the front and picked up some wooden plates. One of the men prayed and the kid with utter fascination watched them walk up and down the aisles.
He still didn't know what was going on.
All of a sudden, it was like a bolt of lightning hit the kid to what was taking place. “These people must be giving money to Jesus.” He then reflected on the free gift of life he had received just twenty-four hours earlier. He immediately searched his pockets, front and back, and couldn't find a thing to give Jesus. By this time the offering plate was being
passed down his aisle and with a broken heart he just grabbed the plate and held on to it. He finally let go and watched it pass on down the aisle.
He turned around to see it passed down the aisle behind him. And then his eyes remained glued on the plate as it was passed back and forth, back and forth all the way to the rear of the sanctuary.
Then he had an idea. This little nine year old boy, in front of God and everybody, got up out of his seat. He walked about eight rows back, grabbed the usher by the coat and asked to hold the plate one more time.
Then he did the most astounding thing I have ever heard of. He took the plate, sat it on the carpeted church floor and stepped into the center of it.
As he stood there, he lifted his little head up and said, "Jesus, I don't have anything to give you today, but just me. I Give You Me!”
I have suspicions this is not a “true” story in the sense that it happened in Tennessee one weekend. I am confident that it expresses a deep truth about how we are to live as followers of Jesus Christ.
True worship is us coming here determined to give ourselves, our lives and our loves to God. True worship is coming together to please God.
I’d like to take just a minute and think this one through. True worship is coming together to please God.
As I’ve participated in worship for a lifetime and observed the winds of change blowing through worship the last thrity years, I’ve come to the conclusion most of us don’t come to worship with the primary purpose of gathering together in order to please God.
As I walk into a church I begin a critical survey: do I like the way the building and grounds look? When I had young children and went into a new church I wanted to know where the nursery was and how to find the sanctuary. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find the sanctuary in some churches.
I’d walk into the sanctuary and continue checking off my list.
Now, before you start thinking, “Man, that Julia is one tough customer!” Ask yourself this: how many Sundays do you sit through worship checking off your own list?
From the minute you get the bulletin in your hand: do I like the songs we’re going to sing? Is the temperature the way I like it? Are there too many squirmy children in here? Not enough children in here? Those parents don’t seem to be strict enough? Those parents could loosen up a bit. Wow, there’s too many old people?
There’s a drumset! There’s a drumset? There’s an organ? There’s an organ!
What does Janet have on today? Do I like the way Julia’s hair is? Did we start at 10:30 or 10:32? Were the announcements too long? Were the prayers too long? Was the sermon too long? Were the songs too long? Am I going to be stuck here too long?
Perhaps this is just human nature: the constant pulse-checking to see if everything is pleasing to me. If I am satisfied. If I am happy.
And really, when we’re shopping for a car or shampoo or a shirt, it should be about what I like what is pleasing to me. But isn’t worship something different than yet another consumer experience?
What if along with all the self-assessment and checking to see if we were pleased, we looked with the eyes of God upon this gathering...and asked ourselves from time to time: is God pleased with our offering of worship this morning? God is pleased if we have come to sacrifice ourselves. To lay ourselves at God’s feet. To offer our whole selves in service to God and the Kingdom of God.
SO...Have we walked into this place with hearts that are full of thanksgiving? Thanksgiving that we are able to be here one more Sunday. Thanksgiving that in this place we are safe and loved and people know us. Thanksgiving that God has fed us one more week, put clothes on our backs, a roof over our head?
Are we full of praise and joy that our musicians, with love for God in their hearts, have brought their gift here to share with us. Are we full of praise that there are children and parents here, who hassle through getting everybody ready to go one more day each week because GOD matters to them. Even if all the parenting isn’t figured out and all the self-control the children will one day have isn’t yet present. Have we come with respect and interest in the lives of the older folks who have made this place their weekly pilgrimage for 50 years?
Are we here with hearts full of gratitude for the strength we have in Christ Jesus? Are we filled with the power of Jesus to overcome evil and oppression? Are we the embodiment of love and generosity?
Are we here to fulfill a one-hour obligation? Or to enjoy being together in this beautiful space with people we care about preparing our hearts for one more week of faithful living.
Are we here looking to please ourselves? Or are we here looking for all the ways we can and do please God in this time of worship?
Our Scripture lesson for today tells us what is holy and pleasing to God: the sacrifice of ourselves.
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Your sight, your ears, your mouth, your hands, your feet, your mind, your bodies: given as your offering...a living sacrifice...holy and pleasing to God.
So far we have only talked about the worship that takes place in here on Sunday morning...but surely our living sacrifice, the true and pleasing worship Paul is talking about has to take place in the streets and office buildings and schools and homes outside our doors. What might living sacrifice as worship look like out there?
I’d like to share with you one more story: it is from a book called Irresistible Revolution by a young man named Shane Claiborne.
When we was in college he and his friends heard about 40 homeless families who were living in an abandoned cathedral, St. Edwards, in North Philadelphia. These families were on waiting lists for housing, but the housing never came. They had lived in tent cities, but the flooding and rats made that an impossible options. They moved into the abandoned cathedral in an attempt to be more visible to the community and safer for their families.
The Catholic archdiocese which owned the property gave them 48 hours to get out or face arrest.
The college students who read about this situation had been trying to combine their faith with their lives, to be living sacrifices. And while they didn’t know what to do, they sensed they needed to go the cathedral and meet the people living there.
When they got to the cathedral they discovered a huge complex that took up an entire block with sanctuary, educational building, rectory and convent...all empty. The homeless had set up their shantytown in the massive sanctuary. When the college students arrived at the huge wooden doors they read this banner: “How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?” They were talking about Jesus.
After knocking on the door, the students were let in, embraced, and given a tour. That evening when they returned to their dorms, they put up posters calling for a meeting. The poster read: jesus is getting kicked out of church in north Philly.” They expected a handful of friends to show up and strategize...they got over a hundred.
The decision was made that the students would be there at St. Edwards with the homeless families until the eviction hour came. If the homeless families got arrested, the police would have to take the students too. The story shifted and became one of interest to the media.
As the forty-eight hour approached, the students gathered with the homeless, the crowds who had read or heard the story were gathered outside. The officials from the archdiocese pulled up, saw the crowds, got back in their cars and left.
Well. One hurdle had been cleared, but the struggle was far from over. In the days and weeks ahead, the students took turns staying at St. Ed’s. At one point, the edict was issued that the fire marshall would be coming to do an inspection, knowing that any fire inspection would fail and give the city the “right” to evict the homeless for their own safety.
The night before the fire marshall was to arrive, there was a knock at the door: two firemen were standing there. Terrified the fire inspection was going to start in the middle of the night, the students let the firemen in and started talking defensively in circles around them. The firemen interrupted and said, “we are here against orders. We know what they will be looking for and we’ve come to help you bring this space up to code, so that you will pass the inspection tomorrow.”
They gave them smoke detection systems, exit signs and fire extinguishers. When the marshall came the next day, St. Ed’s passed its inspection. The homeless people could make their home there for a while longer.
The students and homeless started having worship each Sunday. Because of the media attention, gospel choirs came and sang, catholic priests came in to celebrate the liturgy, homeless kids and their mothers preached...and they became a church.
The adventure of St. Ed’s ended with families holding a press conference. Many of them had received housing as people saw it on the news and donated homes, as city agencies were persuaded to provide housing and as friends pulled together to make sure everyone was taken care of.
Homelessness was not eradicated in Philadelphia...but hundreds of hearts were set on fire with love for God and love for neighbor.
People made living sacrifices of their lives...and in so doing were utterly pleasing to God.
That was their call. Andy they responded.
What is our call? And how will we respond?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment