Pilgrim Or Tourist?
Preaching
Lions And Cows Dining Together
And 111 Other Sermon Ideas
Object:
Purpose Statement: How serious (or loose) is our connection to Jesus Christ, the church, and Christianity?
Pilgrim and tourist are intriguing words when juxtaposed. "Pilgrim" denotes someone who is on a serious religious journey, usually destined for a holy shrine or event. A "tourist" would be more of a casual sightseer out for enjoyment. If those are adequate descriptions, then which one best identifies our spiritual journey? One of the central events in the final days of Jesus' life was his entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week (Matthew 21:1-11 and the other three gospels). It is an exciting event for Jerusalem as the crowd was cheering Jesus as exuberant-like fans at a football game. Where were they later when Jesus was crucified? Were those who greeted him when he entered Jerusalem the same ones who either jeered at him at his execution or watched apathetically? Or were they there only for the celebration and good times when all was glitter and glamour, and gone when things took a more serious turn? I have a friend who said that when she was a child and the circus came to town her family would turn out for the circus parade and sit on the curb watching the clowns and elephants march by. It was free. The family never attended the actual circus because it was too expensive. We can excuse the way they chose to see the circus, but can we excuse our behavior when we engage in the celebratory but not the sacrificial life of the church? Is our relationship with Jesus one of an acquaintance or a member of our family? Is our journey a pilgrimage or a vacation? Let's focus on two questions:
a. Is our church experience a life-centering event or a social activity? When we examine our relationship with the church, are we able to be objective and honest in evaluating what the church means to us? Do we find our activity and connections with the church family generally casual and not very demanding? Do we "enjoy" the Sunday morning service, or at least tolerate it? Do we attend church dinners, and perhaps even take our turn helping? Do we usher, sing in the choir, attend women's or men's groups, and perhaps even participate in Bible study groups? Would we characterize our activities in the life of the church as comparing favorably to belonging to a country club or lodge? Or can we say our relationship is more serious? We wouldn't miss church unless there was an illness or emergency. We feel that we are followers of Jesus. We make sacrifices for our church family and for the church's ministry in our community and the world. Would we profess our faith in Jesus if it meant losing our jobs, having friends and even family members not understand us, or even cost us our lives?
b. How real are the teachings of Jesus for us? When we read the teachings of Jesus and come to the hard parts, are we disturbed and challenged, or do we feel totally comfortable and at ease? Jesus spoke of the difficulties his followers would encounter. He mentioned persecutions, making sacrifices, serving others, and witnessing for the faith. He said we must feed the hungry, go into all the world (out among the wolves) serving and being threatened, preaching and healing. Are you and I called to do this? If we are not uncomfortable with these challenges, we may have misunderstood Jesus. If we consider his teachings to be "nice" ideas, we have successfully wrapped them safely up in cellophane and stored them away. Are we pilgrims or tourists?
Pilgrim and tourist are intriguing words when juxtaposed. "Pilgrim" denotes someone who is on a serious religious journey, usually destined for a holy shrine or event. A "tourist" would be more of a casual sightseer out for enjoyment. If those are adequate descriptions, then which one best identifies our spiritual journey? One of the central events in the final days of Jesus' life was his entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week (Matthew 21:1-11 and the other three gospels). It is an exciting event for Jerusalem as the crowd was cheering Jesus as exuberant-like fans at a football game. Where were they later when Jesus was crucified? Were those who greeted him when he entered Jerusalem the same ones who either jeered at him at his execution or watched apathetically? Or were they there only for the celebration and good times when all was glitter and glamour, and gone when things took a more serious turn? I have a friend who said that when she was a child and the circus came to town her family would turn out for the circus parade and sit on the curb watching the clowns and elephants march by. It was free. The family never attended the actual circus because it was too expensive. We can excuse the way they chose to see the circus, but can we excuse our behavior when we engage in the celebratory but not the sacrificial life of the church? Is our relationship with Jesus one of an acquaintance or a member of our family? Is our journey a pilgrimage or a vacation? Let's focus on two questions:
a. Is our church experience a life-centering event or a social activity? When we examine our relationship with the church, are we able to be objective and honest in evaluating what the church means to us? Do we find our activity and connections with the church family generally casual and not very demanding? Do we "enjoy" the Sunday morning service, or at least tolerate it? Do we attend church dinners, and perhaps even take our turn helping? Do we usher, sing in the choir, attend women's or men's groups, and perhaps even participate in Bible study groups? Would we characterize our activities in the life of the church as comparing favorably to belonging to a country club or lodge? Or can we say our relationship is more serious? We wouldn't miss church unless there was an illness or emergency. We feel that we are followers of Jesus. We make sacrifices for our church family and for the church's ministry in our community and the world. Would we profess our faith in Jesus if it meant losing our jobs, having friends and even family members not understand us, or even cost us our lives?
b. How real are the teachings of Jesus for us? When we read the teachings of Jesus and come to the hard parts, are we disturbed and challenged, or do we feel totally comfortable and at ease? Jesus spoke of the difficulties his followers would encounter. He mentioned persecutions, making sacrifices, serving others, and witnessing for the faith. He said we must feed the hungry, go into all the world (out among the wolves) serving and being threatened, preaching and healing. Are you and I called to do this? If we are not uncomfortable with these challenges, we may have misunderstood Jesus. If we consider his teachings to be "nice" ideas, we have successfully wrapped them safely up in cellophane and stored them away. Are we pilgrims or tourists?
