Joining

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 8/14/16

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^NRS  Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." But before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

We need to join Christ where Christ is working. Henry Blackaby teaches that God is already working in the world around us and we need to open our senses to that work and join in. It means that we begin to focus our lives on service to others and giving generously. One thing I will say for this church is that when there is a need, this church can give generously. But it means that as a disciple that I am prepared to give of my time and my money where God is already working in the world. Disciples tithe! Disciples sacrifice! To be a disciple means that when given the choice between attending an important function in the church or some social activity that the church event is attended. It means that when given the choice of doing what I want to do versus what God wants me to do, God wins out every single time.

So what does joining Jesus really mean? It means living a life that is attuned to where Jesus is already working and allowing our senses to see how we can best fit into that world plan. It is a life of service as Jesus showed us when He shed His regal robes and put on the robes of the servant as He washed the feet of the Disciples. It is about being willing to dig ditches for those who cannot do it on their own. It means we are to feed the homeless when they cannot feed themselves. I was in awe of the work of Martha’s Table to prepare 5,555 sandwiches that went into Washington to do just that. It is to realize where Jesus would be if He were here among us and to be in those places. Jesus would not be at the places where we are most comfortable, He would be in the places where the marginalized are living, where the downtrodden are seeking answers, in the prisons and in the streets with the homeless. He would be in the bars with the alcoholics and addicts trying to lift them up and restore them to relationship. So where should the church be?

When we begin to join Jesus we begin to open our eyes to see the world in a very different way. Did you know that the homeless are the most invisible people in the world? They did a study where they took family members, dressed them as homeless people and then had family members walk by them. Not a single family member recognized the homeless who were their brothers, sisters, husbands and wives. Jesus is calling us to a life of service. Being a Disciple is a life of service. It means for some that you may feel the call to mission work and I know that many of you already do just that. It means that some of you it may require us to come away from our comfort zones to reach out. We will talk more about that in a few weeks when we talk about risk taking mission.

We must live a life of generosity. What that means is that we as Disciples of Christ need to think about how we spend our money. John Wesley would say to us, make all that you can, save all that you can and give all that you can. What he is saying is what Jesus is saying. If wealth is your motivation for living, then stop living. Sounds harsh? Well our lives should be focused on providing compassion, comfort and life for those who cannot do for themselves. A life of generosity means that we work towards tithing in our personal lives and the church works towards at least 25 % of its income going out to mission and benevolence, much of it locally.

Finally, I believe that every Christian, every Disciple of Christ ought to memorize the Great Commission. It is our mission statement given to us by Jesus. It is our marching orders that we are to respond to. Nothing is as important in our lives as it. Jesus said Go. He wants us to be in ministry in the church but more importantly outside the church. We cannot win new souls to God when our harvest field is old and the nutrients have been pulled out of it. That is why farmers let fields sit for a year every so often to replenish the nutrients in the ground. When they don’t all they get is dust. We must reach outside to spread the word. Jesus said make disciples of all nations. He did not leave anyone out. Making disciples means that we are teaching and leading by example so that others might truly see what God’s love looks and feels like. Jesus said, Baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He dictates to us that the Trinity is important and vital. Think on it for a moment. Normally two is a couple and three’s a crowd. But to God, the trinity is the perfect formation of love. Creation, redemption and sustaining power wrapped into one in three. Baptism in this sense is not the baptism of water but the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks to it in his letters and we should be aware that unless we die to self and fill ourselves with the spirit of God, we can do nothing. And finally to teach the commandments of Jesus to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors in the same way.

Shortly after World War II came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces. Much of the Old Country had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. One of the saddest sights of all was the little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities. Early one chilly morning, an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little boy with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and walked quietly over to where the boy was standing. Through the steamed-up window he could see the pastries as they were being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully. The soldier's heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him. “Son . . . would you like some of those?” The boy was startled. “Oh, yes Sir, I would!” The American stepped inside and bought a dozen doughnuts, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the boy was standing in the foggy cold of the morning. He smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: “Here you are.” As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He looked back and heard the boy ask: “Mr . . . . Are you God?” We are never more like God or show the nature of the love of God more than when we give and share with others unselfishly.