A Lay Driven Church

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 2/10/19

Click here for audio

^NRS Exodus 18:13 The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening. ¹⁴ When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?" ¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. ¹⁶ When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God." ¹⁷ Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God; ²⁰ teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do. ²¹ You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you, but decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. ²³ If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace."

I stand before you today to acknowledge the accomplishment of laity throughout the history of our relationship with God. God has called us out to serve in ways that praise the majesty of God’s work here on earth and to perform the countless activities that God desires. We are called to witness to the power and majesty of God, the grace, mercy and love that is God, to the world around us through our hands and feet. This week I was saddened that we failed to secure enough hands and feet to support our ministry at Rising Hope for the homeless. That has never happened before. I pray that it will not happen again. For those of you that cannot comprehend, let me share it this way. Any one of us stands one catastrophic event from becoming like those who have come seeking a little assistance to allow them to keep their heads above water. When we provide food and shelter to the homeless, we acknowledge that we have an abundance that not everyone has. God asks us to share that abundance, our resources and our time, by providing a safe place for those who have no place to rest their heads to do so. Jesus said, foxes have holes and the birds have nests but the Son of God has no place to rest His head. Maybe, just maybe, that homeless person who has a place to sleep in safety and warmth is Jesus. So when we spurn the opportunity to provide it, we spurn Jesus.

The text today is all about letting go of ego and having control to share in the load of effort that life demands of us. Moses is leading the people into a new reality and he is trying to do so all by himself. Fortunately, for Moses, he has a wise father in law in Jethro. Jethro tells him, teach and let your teaching lead the people. Teach them the rules and the way of things. Then delegate those activities to the people to do the wok so that it may be done effectively and efficiently. So Moses does just that and the people, the laity of his day step up and perform the hands and feet work that must be done.  So begins the story of the laity.

In Jesus day, the disciples are called by Jesus to witness to the message of grace, mercy and love to the world. Now I think it is important that note that none of the disciples in the inner circle are seminary trained. Not a single one attended the Wesley school of Jewish religious studies located in the City of David. Not one wears the symbols of the office of ordained elder, the robe or the stole, though each we could argue wears the dirty sandals that are called for in their role. I often wondered how they could ever do what they do without that formal diploma hanging on their walls at home. Maybe, just maybe, because they are the laity they are more attuned to the needs of those around them. Maybe, just maybe, they understand what Jesus is trying to tell them because it relates to them more closely. So they go out and change the world. Now we can argue they become the Pastors of their day, but they certainly do not start out that way. I suspect if we could view the groups on that day there are many lay people doing the necessary work that needs to be done.

In more modern times, John Wesley began a movement that helped shape a nation. His desire to modify the current Episcopal order became itself an order called the Methodist church. At its very root is the role of laity. Laity led the church in study and order, only transferring that leadership to clergy for sacrament. Early churches existed in people’s homes and laity led the weekly worship. Clergy showed up every few months to baptize and share communion. Meanwhile the laity, not the clergy, did the work of the church, the day-to-day work, the witnessing and assisting and sharing. Interestingly enough, the church not only survived but also flourished in this laity led environment.

Today we have become more pastored centered. We rely on the pastor to lead and direct us, to share with us how to do this and that. But in truth, the pastor should be our spiritual guide to set vision and direction. Just like Moses, the church should function with the laity leading, driving and doing. Just like the model of Jesus with the Disciples, I should offer us vision and direction, which comes from God first, not me, and then let you the laity listen to that vision and lead us into the world. The laity of the church need to step up into the role of leading, doing and growing the church. John Wesley understood this well.

So what does that look like? For the last 2 ½ years we have been on a journey of discovery, learning and discernment. God has been leading us to grow as a church in new and different directions. We are called to build relationships with neighbor and family. Today we have Scouts here with us that are part of our extended family, who meet on Mondays and Thursdays and other times, many of those activities right here on our campus. As they are exploring how to grow into productive adults, we are here to assist them and guide them as God is guiding us. That is what relationship is all about. The earliest disciples were not focused on ego’s but on relationship. In fact, I heard a relationship story recently. There were two robins sitting on the electric line. One says to the other, “I’m really hungry.” The other replied, “So am I” “Well let us go down into the field below us and get some lunch.” So one flew down and then the other. The field below them has been freshly plowed so there were lots of worms to eat. Pretty soon, they were both full. The one says to the other, “I am so full I don’t believe I can fly back up.” The other says, “The sun is nice and warm, why don’t we bask in the sun.” Soon they were fast asleep. Suddenly a big fat cat came along and seeing the sleeping fat cardinals, ate them up. The cat said to itself, “I do so love baskin robins”  

When our egos are in control, we stand a good chance of losing sight of our surroundings and often find ourselves eaten by the world around us. Our efforts constantly need to be sharing radical hospitality to our neighbors, sharing the grace and mercy and love of God. Our new model of leadership is about practicing discernment rather than polarity. Practicing asking God to direct us is very different from the standard; I have an agenda model most churches practice. As laity, our role is take the vision from the Pastor and put it into action, through the hands and feet of the congregation. We the laity should drive the church to be the gift to neighbor that God intends it to be. What if we suddenly decided to no longer be a place where we simply come, but a place where we share the best of the best with each other? What if we decided to practice the love of God the way that God modeled it for us with the early disciples?

John Wesley in setting up small groups was modeling what he had read and understood from the model of Jesus. What had happened in the early church was that people gathered shared witness of Jesus to one another, shared a meal with one another, then went out, and did the hard work of lifting people into a better place. Small groups that took the vision given to them by Jesus and put it into action. What if we did the same? What might it look like?

Maybe the NLI model is the key. The Pastor sets the vision, the Leadership Board takes that vision and sets the policies and direction for the church, establishes the staff and volunteers needed and then empowers the laity to go and do. The laity in teams of small groups go out and do the work. That is the essence of where we are going and of what discipleship really looks like. Are you ready to go on this journey with me? Let us become the disciples for the modern age and change the world into a place of peace, joy and harmony, at least in this place and in this time.