You and I have an important part to play in this idea of keeping Jesus’ vision alive.
A faithful Christian church is uniquely situated to bring a vision of a different way of seeing and doing to the world around us.
Attributes of A New Church:
#1. Christ-ian
#2. Faith-full
#3. Visionary
Last week we celebrated 85 years of ministry in Christ’s name here in Drexel Hill.
When I look at the history of this church I am taken back by the witness of tremendous faith by so many over the years.
And, over the church’s history it’s mission and it’s congregation changed several times.
And, through the years, often when things began to look the bleakest –
for the world around them, as well as for their church –
the believers here re-thought what their church should be and do,
and rededicated themselves to bring the new reality into being.
At this point in our church history we have an opportunity to look ahead and come up with a redesign – a new plan – as to what our church might be and do in the years ahead,
So, for the first few weeks of this new year, I have putting together some thoughts on just what the “attributes” of a new church might be.
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke about the first and foremost attribute that should be considered – that a church should be Christian.
(Not as obvious as it may sound since there are actually not many churches around that exhibit the qualities and ministry of the Christ that is given to us in our Holy Writings.)
[By the way, if you missed that first week’s sermon, or if you miss any in this series, you can access it from our website on the internet!]
So, the first attribute of a new church, I believe is that it should be Christ-ian.
And the second attribute should be that it be Faith-full.
I say that a primary church attribute is that it should be faithful, because all around us we see huge signs – billboard signs – that indicate that our culture is experiencing a crisis in faith –
that indicators are that we live in what could be called a faith-less society.
Since we (and all churches, really) are in the faith business, I think we need to address the issue of faith-lessness head on.
It seems to me that in a faith-less world, there is a need, more than ever, for a Faith-full church.
That is a church of faith-full people,
doing faith-full things.
So, it seems to me that a church in today’s world should be both Christian and Faith-full –
and . . . . Visionary.
A faithful Christian church is uniquely situated to bring a vision of a different way of seeing and doing to the world around us.
Let me ask you, who would you identify as true “visionaries” in today’s culture?
Who would you say has had great influence on our lives –
on the way we do things –
on the way we see things –
on the what we value –
and don’t.
I think that most of us would be hard-pressed to come up the names of many people we would call truly visionary.
When Steve Jobs died many people (including me) called him a true visionary – a person who affected the way most people in today’s world interact –
with I-phones, and I-pods, and I-pads, and I-books, I-whatevers.
I think the story of Bill Gates is the story another real visionary – one who saw an opportunity and came up with a way to make the new emerging field of personal computing accessible to every man, woman and child in this country and the world over.
Of course, within certain aspects of our society, there are certain people who have had a vision of what could be done and went on to develop the means to accomplish the task at hand.
But were are the visionaries from our faith?
Time was there are many people of vision who strove to make the world a better place –
we remember some of them:
the Presbyterian layman, John Wanamaker – who saw the need to bring faith stories to Philadelphia street urchins in the mid-19th century – starting a whole string of “Sunday schools” throughout West Philadelphia –
(As well as a unique market for merchandise - the first department store.)
There were the folks who envisioned a string of railroads crossing the country connecting centers of commerce to move goods and people efficiently and safely.
There were the folks who envisioned ways to communicate with newspapers, radio, television, and satellite services.
And before that there were the visionaries that provided the framework and design of our very country itself:
Benjamin Franklin
John Witherspoon
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
And, even before that, people like William Penn and his vision of a peaceable kingdom –
a place where people of many races and religions could live together –
all making a contribution to the common welfare of all.
But, were are the visionaries today?
Of course, I think the number one visionary of all time is the one we call Jesus of Nazareth.
Of course there were many visionaries in the faith prior to Jesus:
there were the stories of Moses,
and David,
and Jeremiah,
and Isaiah,
and Ezekiel,
and so many others.
Jesus acknowledged the vision of all of these people who had gone before.
In fact, the Gospel of Luke relates that at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry he placed himself squarely in the tradition of the visionaries of the faith, by reading from the Isaiah scroll in the synagogue of Nazareth:
(18) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed
(19) and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people."
And, then, the account is given that
Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and said to them, "This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read."
Jesus spent three years spreading throughout the land a vision of a different way of life,
a different way of seeing things,
a different way of valuing what is important and what is not:
where neighbors are treated as family,
where the last will be first,
where the down-trodden get a break,
where the poor have enough,
where the sufferers will find consolation,
where compassion is the basis for human interaction,
where a person’s welfare takes precedent over laws and regulations and rules.
And, of course, the vision Jesus promulgated struck a chord and spread throughout the known world in pretty short order.
People in all cultures,
in all sorts of circumstances,
resonated with Jesus’ vision of what life could be.
Jesus’ vision inspired believers throughout the years to work for – and establish –
a better, fuller, life and way of living.
All over our country – and all over the world – believers established centers of learning,
hospitals,
benevolent communities,
governments,
and work-places.
Today, were is the vision of a better way to live coming from?
Sadly, I don’t see it coming from the church in any meaningful way.
We followers of Jesus,
we progeny of Jesus,
we decedents of Jesus,
are doing a pretty poor job of articulating
and promulgating
and demonstrating,
and enacting a vision of a different world in which the least are valued more than the haves,
where peace is valued more than war,
where neighbor is valued more than self.
We are an era now where it has been fashionable for our politicians to talk about their faith.
But, alas, to a person, whatever vision they see from their faith is one from the past –
not a vision of the future:
how things might be
rather than how things used to be.
I remember listening the radio as a child.
The stories of the Lone Ranger always began with the words:
“Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear . . .”
And, that’s I hear today from the politicians who talk about faith.
“Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear . . .”
Where is the person of vision who proclaims “move ahead with us now, to even more thrilling times to come?”
I have come to conclusion that Jesus really wouldn’t recognize much about the church as it is today, as it has come to be.
The vision of the world promulgated by most Christians today,
and most churches,
has little to do with the vision of Jesus,
where neighbors are treated as family,
where the last will be first,
where the down-trodden get a break,
where the poor have enough,
where the sufferers will find consolation,
where compassion is the basis for human interaction,
where a person’s welfare takes precedent over laws and regulations and rules.
And, as I look around, it seems to me that we so desperately need a loud, effective, articulate voice for a world where all share in living life to the fullest.
You and I have an important part to play in this idea of keeping Jesus’ vision alive.
You and can keep telling the stories of our faith to all who will listen.
You and I can keep treating other people we meet with the same respect we would expect –
and offer the same kind of help we would hope to receive from another when we are in need.
You and I can pray for a way that the church we know and love can put flesh on some of these notions of what a church could and should be in today’s world.
You and I can think of ways of designing and supporting the implementation and promulgation of Jesus vision – here and now.
Because we are here, you and I are visionary people.
You and I strive to be faith-full people.
You and I are Christian people.
The world around us so desperately needs people like us,
the world around us so desperately needs a church like this,
I sincerely hope that we can figure out a way of effectively keeping the vision alive.
Amen.
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