The Church's DNA
Sermon
The Courage to Carry On
Sermons for Lent and Easter During Cycle B
Object:
Once upon a time, a dear woman struggled to muster enough strength to face the trials that came her way. One worry after another seemed to pile up for her every day. Under the burden of it all, she became quite ill. Finally she went to see her doctor, a fine Christian gentleman who happened to know her and her family. He was aware of some of the disappointments and misfortunes the family had recently endured. He could find nothing organically wrong with the woman, but he told her that he was giving her a prescription that she must take every day for the rest of her life.
This was more than what she had imagined. What possibly could be wrong with her that she must be under prescriptive care every day for the rest of her life? The prospect of having huge drug bills and more doctor visits only added to her depression. The doctor suggested that she read over the prescription before she left the office, just to be sure she understood the dosage. She opened the slip of paper and this is what she read: "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him."1
The early church communities certainly understood that the assurances of God's word are the best medicine that anyone can take. The awareness of God's merciful presence can heal our sin, lift our fallen spirits, and put vitality in living.
That was one of the essential elements of what it meant to be a church, the body of Christ. We are devoted to each other. We will care for each other and share good news at every level.
In our first lesson today, Luke gives us a glimpse of the DNA of the early church -- characteristics and principles that have ensured strength of mission and purpose in every church since the first century.
He wants us to recognize how much their Easter faith had empowered their Spirit-filled and Spirit-led community. During those formative days, all had in common this profound conviction that the Lord was present among them. There was a deep awareness that God was at work among them.
The first principle was being a community of strong faith fully aware of the Lord's purpose for their lives and committed to support each other. One such example was their commitment to share every possession they had for the sake of the entire community. I don't think I have ever seen that, but I can imagine how strengthening that would be. The sensitivity to each other's needs, whether they are spiritual or physical, is critical to every church community.
The other compelling principle was the eagerness they all had to tell the Easter story, to build up the body of Christ, and to make disciples.
Fred Craddock tells the story about a parish he once served near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Oak Ridge was booming at the time with the atomic energy initiative. The little town became a small city overnight. Every hill and every valley was teeming with motor homes, trucks, and temporary housing. People came from everywhere, many with their families. You can imagine how challenged the community was to accommodate these newcomers. Mr. Craddock indicated that their church was relatively close by. It was a beautiful little church. A white frame building that was 112 years old. The church had an organ in the corner, which a young boy had to pump while the organist played. The sanctuary was always beautifully decorated. Every pew was hand hewn from a giant poplar tree.
Pastor Craddock suggested one Sunday that they needed to launch an evangelism campaign in all the trailer parks and campgrounds to invite everybody to church. One of the council members responded, "Oh, I don't know. I don't think they would fit here." Another said, "It's just temporary, just construction people. They will be leaving soon."
"Well, we ought to invite them, make them feel at home," said Pastor Craddock.
They argued back and forth until a council member stood and said, "I move that in order to be a member of this church, you must own property in the county." "I second it," said another. The motion passed.
Several years later, Pastor Craddock took his wife back to their first parish community. It was different now. The parking lot was full. Motorcycles, trucks, and cars were parked in every space. And out front, there was a great big sign that read, "Barbecue, All You Can Eat!"
The Craddocks went inside. The pews were pushed against the wall. There were tables everywhere and tons of people, all kinds of people: Parthians, Medes, Edomites, and dwellers of Mesopotamia, all kinds of people.
Mr. Craddock leaned over to his wife and said, "It's a good thing this place is not a church, otherwise these people wouldn't be here."2
The early church was empowered and emboldened by the Easter faith. It was so energized that their mission was never in question. The core of its life was to proclaim the risen Lord, and this message was always accompanied with powerful signs and miracles. Unlike the little church in eastern Tennessee, the early church communities would have seized the moment, viewed their mission with clarity, and trusted the risen Christ to lead them to be faithful.
It is never easy, is it? In these days especially, we seem to have many more issues to grovel with. There is much more maintenance and programs to wrestle with. Our council agendas are filled with these necessities.
Occasionally someone says something or does something that reminds us of the early church and that simple but powerful Easter faith. Like the dear widow who took it upon herself to greet every new visitor after worship. She sat near the back so she could easily identify the newcomers. She was very cordial, very sincere. She loved the Lord and her church very much. That in itself always made an impression on the new folks. But what really caused them to reflect was her simple heartfelt witness. "If you decide to join our church, I promise you, you will never ever carry another burden alone."
That's a principle of the real church. It's in our DNA structure. May God continue to give us courage and conviction to be his people in our broken world.
____________
1. Reuben K. Youngdahl, Looking God's Way (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing, 1966), p. 141.
2. Fred Craddock, Craddock Stories (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001), pp. 28-29.
This was more than what she had imagined. What possibly could be wrong with her that she must be under prescriptive care every day for the rest of her life? The prospect of having huge drug bills and more doctor visits only added to her depression. The doctor suggested that she read over the prescription before she left the office, just to be sure she understood the dosage. She opened the slip of paper and this is what she read: "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him."1
The early church communities certainly understood that the assurances of God's word are the best medicine that anyone can take. The awareness of God's merciful presence can heal our sin, lift our fallen spirits, and put vitality in living.
That was one of the essential elements of what it meant to be a church, the body of Christ. We are devoted to each other. We will care for each other and share good news at every level.
In our first lesson today, Luke gives us a glimpse of the DNA of the early church -- characteristics and principles that have ensured strength of mission and purpose in every church since the first century.
He wants us to recognize how much their Easter faith had empowered their Spirit-filled and Spirit-led community. During those formative days, all had in common this profound conviction that the Lord was present among them. There was a deep awareness that God was at work among them.
The first principle was being a community of strong faith fully aware of the Lord's purpose for their lives and committed to support each other. One such example was their commitment to share every possession they had for the sake of the entire community. I don't think I have ever seen that, but I can imagine how strengthening that would be. The sensitivity to each other's needs, whether they are spiritual or physical, is critical to every church community.
The other compelling principle was the eagerness they all had to tell the Easter story, to build up the body of Christ, and to make disciples.
Fred Craddock tells the story about a parish he once served near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Oak Ridge was booming at the time with the atomic energy initiative. The little town became a small city overnight. Every hill and every valley was teeming with motor homes, trucks, and temporary housing. People came from everywhere, many with their families. You can imagine how challenged the community was to accommodate these newcomers. Mr. Craddock indicated that their church was relatively close by. It was a beautiful little church. A white frame building that was 112 years old. The church had an organ in the corner, which a young boy had to pump while the organist played. The sanctuary was always beautifully decorated. Every pew was hand hewn from a giant poplar tree.
Pastor Craddock suggested one Sunday that they needed to launch an evangelism campaign in all the trailer parks and campgrounds to invite everybody to church. One of the council members responded, "Oh, I don't know. I don't think they would fit here." Another said, "It's just temporary, just construction people. They will be leaving soon."
"Well, we ought to invite them, make them feel at home," said Pastor Craddock.
They argued back and forth until a council member stood and said, "I move that in order to be a member of this church, you must own property in the county." "I second it," said another. The motion passed.
Several years later, Pastor Craddock took his wife back to their first parish community. It was different now. The parking lot was full. Motorcycles, trucks, and cars were parked in every space. And out front, there was a great big sign that read, "Barbecue, All You Can Eat!"
The Craddocks went inside. The pews were pushed against the wall. There were tables everywhere and tons of people, all kinds of people: Parthians, Medes, Edomites, and dwellers of Mesopotamia, all kinds of people.
Mr. Craddock leaned over to his wife and said, "It's a good thing this place is not a church, otherwise these people wouldn't be here."2
The early church was empowered and emboldened by the Easter faith. It was so energized that their mission was never in question. The core of its life was to proclaim the risen Lord, and this message was always accompanied with powerful signs and miracles. Unlike the little church in eastern Tennessee, the early church communities would have seized the moment, viewed their mission with clarity, and trusted the risen Christ to lead them to be faithful.
It is never easy, is it? In these days especially, we seem to have many more issues to grovel with. There is much more maintenance and programs to wrestle with. Our council agendas are filled with these necessities.
Occasionally someone says something or does something that reminds us of the early church and that simple but powerful Easter faith. Like the dear widow who took it upon herself to greet every new visitor after worship. She sat near the back so she could easily identify the newcomers. She was very cordial, very sincere. She loved the Lord and her church very much. That in itself always made an impression on the new folks. But what really caused them to reflect was her simple heartfelt witness. "If you decide to join our church, I promise you, you will never ever carry another burden alone."
That's a principle of the real church. It's in our DNA structure. May God continue to give us courage and conviction to be his people in our broken world.
____________
1. Reuben K. Youngdahl, Looking God's Way (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing, 1966), p. 141.
2. Fred Craddock, Craddock Stories (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001), pp. 28-29.
