The prophet Joel put it this way.
...it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all
flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:23
I'm not sure if I'm the young man or the old man any more. My kids tell me that I'm sort of old and the confirmation kids tell me that too. They don't use words to say that though; they just roll their eyes at my old music. But that's not the point. Tonight's about dreams and visions being made real in your lives.
I want ask you to to invite you to take a moment to stand up and stretch. Now if you aren't facing forward I'd encourage you to turn your chairs around so that you'll be more comfortable. Thanks you.
Let's Pray:
Father God we're here tonight to do something bold. We here to step out in faith. Guide us as followers of your son Jesus. Help us see your plan for our faith in action. Let your Spirit blow free and move boldly among us tonight. Open us up to the joy of giving and to the joy of following you in every part of our lives. AMEN.
Our faith in action, our faith in Jesus has always been be full of surprise. The first Easter there was a surprise waiting when some women who'd followed Jesus stepped inside His tomb. A mysterious man arrayed in white met them,
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." Mark 16:6 NIV
This announcement was Good News then and it remains Good News today. It is our Christian story, and the mystery of faith as simple as it gets.Our faith in Christ, our salvation and everything that matters rests on this Good News. The women who heard it first were speechless. I've spoken with some women and men about the this speechless part of the story.
Most of the women I speak with can't imagine these 3 women, or any woman for that matter, being completely silent. I'll tread very carefully here. I live with 4 women and it's rarely quiet at our house. Something big happened that stunned these women and left them silent. They were ready for a dead body; not an empty tomb. They were silent and afraid; but they didn't stay silent and afraid for ever. At some point in time joy broke in and overcame their fear.
Fear is a basic involuntary emotional response. We can't prevent it or avoid it; it happens. Maybe you've experienced fear when you heard a dog's bark rapidly getting closer and closer to you as you were walking. Maybe you've winced in fear as you heard breaks and tires squealing behind you as you sat waiting for the light to change at an intersection. The unexpected grabs us. The 3 women at Jesus tomb were caught in a moment of great surprise. The great psycho-analyst Bill Cosby said that if you want to see people as there most true selves you have to see them when they loose their cool.
Resurrection defies easy explanation and comparison. We think that the change of winter into spring is a miracle. But a resurrection is even bigger. We might say wow as the first flowers pop up out of the dead leaves but we're here today because of something bigger. Maybe your a baseball fan and you think its pretty amazing to see your team come back when they've been trailing in a game. But a resurrection is even bigger than your team chewing up a 2 run deficit with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. When that happens at timber rattlers game or at Miller Field or at the Metro-dome everybody jump up on their feet to cheer.
Resurrection is so much bigger than anything else in human experience. Resurrection is our reason to jump up and give in order to boldly help God grow the kingdom.We have news to share: Jesus came back and promises new life to all who believe. We have resources, talents, prayers, and strengths to offer up, to give away in order that we might know more fully the the joy of God the Father. We live in a time when sin, death, and the devil often look stronger than faith, hope, and love.
Fear held the women silent; but we know today that they didn't sit on the story. We know that the Joy of the Good News overcame their fear. That's God's work in our world: God's great gift of faith in action breaks through fear.
You all have heard and seen Jesus words, “...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20b Tonight is about stepping out in faith. Tonight is not for talk but for commitment and faith in action.
3 out of the 4 Gospels tell the same story about Jesus' walking out to his friends on a boat out in the middle of Lake Galilee late at night. In all 3 versions of the story Jesus had just taught a huge crowd by the shore of the lake and then fed the thousands who'd come to hear him teach with only 5 small loaves and two fish.
Lets hone in on one account, in the Gospel of Matthew, of the events of that particular night. Matthew said that
Right away [after the crowd had eaten their fill], Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake. But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. 23Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later that evening, he was still there.
Jesus left his friends and went up to pray. He sent them out onto the water in the boat to head on to a new place. They'd just seen thousands come to hear him teach. They were there when He healed hurting souls and restored broken bodies. They were there when 5 little loaves and a couple pieces fish turn into a meal for thousands with baskets full to spare.
Sometimes we have what Cath Mode calls God moments. We have those experiences in our lives when we sense God at work. One of the joys I had in my time at Our Saviors was listening as people told me what God was doing in their live and in the lives of other people. We have moments when we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel God at work. We learn from the God moments, from following Jesus in the church that our lives are part of greater plan.
Jesus sent his friends out onto the water. He sends us out onto the sea. We do not know what's next. Neither did the 12 when they went out on the water. Jesus sent them out together. He sends us out together in the church. We aren't to go into the world alone. He sends us out with brothers and sisters. He sends us out as part of a greater body.
A couple years ago I was in Christus Victor Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. When Hurricane Katrina hit Ocean Springs was high ground on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. And Christus Victor was at the highest point of the high ground; a whopping 26 feet about the gulf. And that church opened up everything they had for the people who needed help and for the people who came to help them rebuild in Mississippi.
They gave over their fellowship hall to the forklifts, pallet jacks, and pallets full of food, cleaning kits, and electric generators. The carpet was only 6 months old; but that didn't matter. They gave over their offices to the Red Cross, Church World Service, Luther Disaster Response, FEMA, and other agencies. They gave over their Sunday School Classrooms to the volunteers who came to stay and work. The church got a second name, Camp Victor. They would have opened up their sanctuary too; but that was too damaged by the storm to be of use.
The members of Christus Victor opened up their homes, shared their food, money, and resources because in that moment they were living out their faith as the body of Christ. They don't believe in consequence at Christus Victor anymore. They believe in God's providence. God gave them resources they never knew were there and they gave them away only to find even more coming in right behind. God is good and gracious. He's blessed us abundantly.
The apostle Paul wrote about our life as Christians understanding from the very earliest moments on that the church is, and has always been, a body. He understood that as a body that we need each other. Paul wrote boldly instructing the early church:
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts
are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized
by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were
all given the one Spirit to drink. 14Now the body is not made up of one part but
of many.
Paul's point is too important to loose. He's telling us something that we don't want to ever forget. If we think that faith is only a personal thing we're missing a great joy of living for Christ; for Paul faith started as a personal experience. And when that experience of faith in action moved into every part of his being it became transformative. Faith in action changed Paul. Every single believer has been touched by what God did with Paul's life after God so radically changed him. Paul knew it then and we know it now. We are in the church together with a purpose.
You as Our Saviors today have a purpose. You as Our Saviors together are out on the water. You are out there, just like Peter and Jesus' other friends were out on the water in the middle of Lake Galilee. It was late that night. Matthew wrote,
24By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the
wind and was being tossed around by the waves.
There's a lot of wind and lot of waves today. There's a lot of uncertainty. The fear's real; and the kingdom of God is just as real.
One fellow told me that he and his wife were driving on the interstate in Montana and that they'd run out of gas. He could see an overpass aways on, up ahead in the distance, and he knew from the map that there was a town up ahead. He told his wife he was going to get some gas. His wife was in the middle of a good book and didn't seem too worried. So he started walking.
After walking for a while an old car pulled up along side. 3 young men were inside. They asked him if he needed a hand. He got in, unsure if it was the best idea. The car quickly got up to speed. It took a while longer than he expected to get the bridge. It turned out the bridge he saw ahead wasn't as close as it appeared. He was miles away. And there was no gas at that exit that he was going to walk to. The nearest filling station was a few miles further down the road. They pulled up to the filling station; but they had no gas cans. The two young the men in the car took him to a Wal-Mart still even further on down the road to get a gas can.
The young men brought him back to his car. He offered them some money explaining that he was grateful for the help. When he got back to the car his wife looked up from her book and said, “glad you're back.” She didn't realize how far he'd gone to get gas.
Every person has had this kind of experience. We've all found ourselves way out there. We've all had those moments where we have to step out in faith and take a risk.
God isn't inviting us to stay where we think its safe. He's asking us to follow him. Jesus told his friends to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” God calls you and me to follow in the way of the cross. His call comes at unexpected hours. You have a great moment at hand. For years Our Saviors has visited about building and remodeling. And today you're being asked to commit. Today you are being asked to discover the joy that comes from giving away from what God has already given to you.
I've spoken with people who thought they were ready for everything until the past year. One man told me last week that he'd lost $200,000 in a few days time. I didn't tell him; but I sure wish I that I had had that much to begin with. There's uncertainty and anxiety. And the enemy wants us to be paralyzed in fear. And God wants us to see faith in action. Out on the water of lake Galilee Jesus' friends were riding west in a boat. Matthew wrote,
25A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his
disciples. 26When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified
and started screaming.
Fear is real. Doubt is real. The Devil wants fear to be the most real thing we know so that we'll sit paralyzed. The Good News is that Resurrection and are just as real. Jesus' transforming love is real and complete.
27At once, Jesus said to them, "Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid."
28Peter replied, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water."
29"Come on!" Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward
him.Stepping out in faith is risky. Jesus called “Come on [Pete].” Step out of the boat and live with your faith in action.
30But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. 31Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, "You surely don't have much faith. Why do you doubt?"
32When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down. 33The men in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, "You really are the Son of God!"Maybe you think you aren't ready. Or maybe you just have to be ready whether you think its the right time or not. You see today's been set aside by your friends in Christ, your brothers and sisters, to make pledges in support of a building plan. You're being asked to go beyond your regular giving. You being asked to grow by 50% percent a year what you give for the next 3 years. This is not a simple stewardship talk. You are being asked to make something wonderful happen by giving away more than you all ready do. You're being invited tonight to consider with prayer and hope a commitmnet not just to the current ministry of Our Saviors. Your being asked to move forward together being the very best stewards you can.
You're being asked to build an elevator and remove every barrier to people with disabilities who want to worship and celebrate what God is doing with you. You're being asked to be wise and responsible stewards who will upgrade your facility replacing old wiring and plumbing in the kitchen finally bringing it up to code. You're being asked to replace a tired roof and to even dream about growing your facility with a new nursery, new office space, and music space.
This exactly the moment not to talk about money and ministry but to go ahead in faith and act. Maybe you don't think you're prepared today. A church like Our Saviors is relevant today because the people who came before you who committed and put their faith into action. You have an opportunity now to be the very best stewards of your collective gifts. You have the opportunity to go forward together with grace and faith, hope and love.There's real ministry happening in this congregation that you won't hear about on CNN, NPR, or FOXNews. There is real ministry happening, and much of it goes unnoticed and uncelebrated. Ministry happens when any of you bring Christ's greatest gifts, faith, hope, and love into the world. People who've been caught unprepared need to hear the Good News. Paul said it beautifully in
Philipians 4:5. “The Lord is near.”
Paul's advice isn't pie in the sky. It's an honest word for tonight. Jesus is close enough to hear your prayers. He's near enough to meet you in the Word of God. He's close enough to touch you in worship and to inspire you as you read the Word. Its a very good time to be the church.
The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philipians 4:5-7 NRSV
We are living in an anxious time. Young families with kids are balancing student debt, careers, mortgages, the responsibilities of parenthood, and lust for the things of this world. None of these struggles are new; but as so many have come to a new understanding about the world and money Our Saviors and many other churches have been given a new opportunity for ministry.
Tonight is about the future. Tonight is about a dream and a vision. Your ministries all at some level can grow as you put faith in action. It's time to preach Christ. It's time to be church together.
AMEN.
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