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September 09, 2007

Radical Christianity: Joy Over Drudgery

Radical Christianity: Joy over Drudgery
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 16-21
Philippians 2:12-13, 3:12-16

In his article entitled, The Secular Uprising , David Kinnaman reports that a larger percentage of people are atheists (don’t believe in God) and agnostics (are indifferent about God) than ever before. Among those in their 40s or older just 8 percent are self-proclaimed atheists or agnostics. The number is double among those 18 to 22 years old at 19 percent. These atheists and agnostics have negative opinions about Christians, much of it based on the actions of radical Christians. Kinnaman sums it up this way, “their mistrust of Christians makes it increasingly difficult to convey the message of Jesus.” (pause)

The word radical has many negative connotations. IT IS the religious radicals who have caused much of the problems in our world with their desire to kill those who don’t believe what they do. We have seen the result of such radicals on the evening news. And the radicals belong to all sides of the religious coin. Christianity has their skin heads and biblical literalists, Islam has their jihadist, and Judaism has their Zionist.

So why would I use this highly charged, negative word in a sermon series? In part to peek your interest, and in part to reclaim a word that has a positive side to it as well.

There’s a banner at Euclid Avenue UMC that states, “Jesus was Radically Inclusive” and I want to make a case that this is true. What does radically inclusive imply? It implies that the people the Church has turned away are exactly the ones Jesus would be hanging out with. It implies that Jesus was about being present with individuals, not just labeling folks into categories and turning his back on them.

It implies that Jesus did not let anyone else set his agenda or allow society to dictate who he would be. It implies that many people who where indifferent to God or mistrustful of God changed their point of view when they met Jesus. So let me rephrase the sermon series to Radical Jesus-like Living. What does it mean for us, at Irving Park UMC, to live in a radical Jesus-centered like way?

Over the next four weeks I am going to look at 8 areas of our life together. This morning I will focus on worship and small groups. What is it about these two areas that would enable us to call them radical in a Jesus-like way? Jesus was radically inclusive, not exclusive. Radically loving, not radically hating. Radically authentic, not a cookie cutter of someone else.

What would it mean for us to be radically inclusive, radically loving, and radically authentic? First of all because this is so counter cultural and in many senses, counter Christian, we would need to find others like ourselves who believe it is time to reclaim what it means to be a Christian. We would need to find others of a like mind who are tired of the loudest, meanest voice being the voice that speaks for us. It’s time for us to seek out and gather together with others who were trying to live radical Jesus-centered lives.

When we come together in worship, we remember and celebrate the all-inclusive, sacrificial love of God through Jesus Christ. We remember all God had done in history over the centuries and give thanks.

We welcome everyone who walks through the doors—old friend, stranger, family member, someone we saw yesterday. We celebrate that each one of us are children of God. It is hard sometimes to celebrate being children of God. When we are struggling with long-term illnesses, sick family members, grief, new school schedules that overwhelm us, fear about the unknown, even when we feel as if God has abandoned us, we remember God and give thanks for Her continuous abiding presence with us. And it is in that way that we are able to express gratitude, to be joyful in our walk of faith.

King David is a great example of someone who celebrated his relationship with God. King David danced for the Lord in front of his subjects and brought condemnation on himself from his wife. She informed him that he was not regale enough, he did not control himself in a proper fashion. It seemed as if she was embarrassed for him and thus she chastised him.

For his part, David was radically authentic in his love of God and he was not embarrassed to express that love in the presence of other people. He did not care if others thought him foolish or out of control. He was expressing his love for God in a way that worked for him—he danced to express his joy.

For the most part, we are a bunch of traditional Methodist and we aren’t comfortable with this dancing and shouting stuff. We’re concerned about what people will think and how we will look. Maybe we are used to being passive recipients of worship and not active participants. We probably side with King David’s wife, Michal, and think there is a certain way to act in worship.

But if there is any place we can experience and then express our love of God, it is in this place. If we want to be radically Jesus-like we will be participants in worship, not recipients. This can be a safe place to sing and dance if we feel so moved. This can be a safe place to raise our hands, close our eyes, and shout in praise. This can be a place where an Amen is shouted out when something resonates with you. In other words, we can give ourselves permission to feel and express the movement of the Spirit in this place. If not here, where?

That moves me to say that we can thus have an expectation that we will meet God here. Jesus told us that when two or more are gathered in my name, I am with you. And when we gather on Sunday morning, we gather in the holy and awesome name of Jesus. When you come to worship, do you expect to experience the Holy presence of God. Because if not now, when? What do you need to let go of (extend arms and open hands) so that you can receive the joy that comes from worshiping God.

When we worship, we gather to experience the presence of God that we might be filled up, assured, strengthen, encouraged, put back on the path in order to return to the world. It is my hope that when you leave this place, you will feel better for having come, you will have experienced the presence of God at some point during the service and that experience will make a difference in you.

Rev. Thomas Long, observed in one of his many books, “Worshiping God is not simply a good thing to do; it is a necessary thing to do to be human.” I’ve asked people before why they come to worship, and none of them have ever said that they come to be more human. But that really resonates with me.

When we worship the God of Jesus Christ, we realize it is not about taking. Jesus gave freely of himself for you and me. It is about receiving so we can give. So when we allow ourselves to worship the God of Jesus Christ, We become more human…more humane…more radically Jesus-like. And then we don’t focus so much on ourselves but find ourselves able and wanting to share what we have with others.

When you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you to do something a little out of the norm, and the elder statesman in your brain says, “what will people think” or “act your age”, remember King David and express your joy. Allow the Spirit to assist you to be a joyful person, not someone so serious all the time that life is something to be endured.

Jesus went to Synagogue just as we come to worship. We remember he went as a young man, eager to learn from the scholars and teachers. We read about him teaching in the synagogues. Worship was an important part of Jesus’ life. Coming to worship is a muscle that gets stronger the more you exercise it. There are many other places that you could be this morning. But you chose to come here. Look around at the other people who also chose to be here. I’m really glad each and every one of you made that choice this morning. And I encourage you to remember how you feel when you leave here. Put the memory in the bank and pull it out next Sunday when other commitments or people begin to pull at you, wanting you to skip worship. Who loses out when you give in to their demands? Not them, but you and your children.

Some of you are thinking, “It’s the first Sunday back from the summer and our pastor is beating us up for not coming to worship!!” Don’t hear it like that.
We get into habits of not coming and it becomes easier to not come. I’m encouraging you to give yourself the gift of being in community with others who want to make God a priority in their life and be with others who have a similar focus.

Set a goal of coming X number of times a month. Maybe two is all you can manage right now. That’s great. I want to encourage you to make the effort on Sunday mornings to come to worship. Because the more you exercise this muscle, the stronger your desire and the more connected you will feel. Make the choice to be radically Jesus-like and come here Sunday morning, celebrating God’s presence with other people of faith before you move into the rest of your day.

Go visit our website. It’s been updated. Vicci has set up our website where I can download my sermons. So when you miss, especially during this sermon series, go to our website and stay connected that way.
Another aspect of this being radically Jesus-like in our living is building relationships with other Christians in a small group setting. Jesus invited 12 men to be in community with him. Men that would get to know him on a more intimate level than the average person in synagogue. Jesus’ life demonstrates for us the need for intimacy with our fellow sojourners. People who have a similar desire to know God and thus will have similar struggles, concerns, and joys associated with that journey.

We note that the people in Jesus’ small group were not perfect or all alike. But they connected in their desire to be in a relationship with Jesus. John Wesley, the founder of our denomination, belonged to a small group at Oxford. He was already a priest but found the small group of his brother Charles, Charles’ friend William Morgan very edifying for his spiritual journey. The history books tell us that they met for study, prayer, religious conversation, and kept track of their lives by daily notations in a diary. John kept a journal his entire life. Much of it has been saved and it is interesting reading, although difficult sometimes to follow “the King’s English.”

When John Wesley was preaching to the crowds in the beginnings of the Methodist movement, he organized people in class meetings where they could support each other in their walk of faith, just as he and his brother had supported each other at Oxford. Small groups are a place where we can really get to know people on a level not possible in larger worship gatherings. It is in small groups where we can ask questions, share our doubts, share our fears, share our excitement—a place where we can hear others and be heard ourselves. It is in small groups when we discover that we aren’t so unique and that we aren’t alone.

Our struggles are other people’s struggles. Our fears are other people’s fears. But small groups are not only about sharing difficult stuff. Small groups allow us to see changes in people’s lives. Often we are able to see things in others before we can see or acknowledge them in ourselves. For example, one session someone in our group shares a struggle she is having. We see that person around the community, with their family, in worship. We know they have so much on their plate, but yet they seem to be wearing life like a loose garment. Their willingness to be honest and open has helped us see that life can be more than drudgery. By continuing in small group with them, we find out where they get their strength, how they keep on going. We come to care for them on a intimate level.

Small groups have always been important in my walk of faith. I’m not a scholarly type person so I need to talk about God to understand how God is working in my life. I need to see God at work in other people’s lives so that I can then see God at work in mine.

It was in a 32 week Disciple Bible Study class that I first voiced my thoughts to answer the call to become a pastor. It was in that class of people where we studied the Bible, discussed difficult issues, ate dinner, laughed and prayed together that I shared what was on my heart. I trusted them enough to share this new thing that was going on with me. And they affirmed my call. They affirmed that what I thought might be going on was what they saw too! I can’t tell you how exciting and uplifting that was.

Listen to Paul’s word to the Philippians from The Message, “I’m not saying I have this all together, that I have it made.” This is the apostle Paul who you would consider one who had it all together. He goes on, “But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me…So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us...”

If we’re going to live this counter-cultural radical Jesus-like life, we need others who are on the same journey to walk beside us. A small group gives us that support, encouragement, and fellowship that we can’t get in a large group setting.
It’s risky. We need to open ourselves up to each other and show each other that we don’t always have it all together. That’s not always easy, but it’s worth the risk. And just like worship, small groups are a place we can experience the Holy presence of God—for where two or more are gathered in my name, I am with them.

My goal is to get all of you involved in some type of small group. I want you to experience the joy that I have experienced in small groups. I want you to connect with your authentic self, connect with other Christians, and connect with God. Teri Lafferty has put together a variety of options. They will be outside on a table for you to look at and sign up for. We have many different options. We have a couple Bible study options, garden group, work nighters (who will do odd jobs that need doing around the church) and Film, Faith & Fiction group. The choir is a small group. The times each group will vary depending on the group. They can meet once a month to once a week. Check it out. Even you overscheduled parents. If you don’t see something that interests you, give us some ideas.

Let me close by saying that being a radical Jesus-like Christian is to be on a joyous adventure—not drudgery. Join in. Come to worship. Join a small group. Let’s be the kind of radical Christians who are fun to be around, who attract people, who spread joy, and who know whose we are. We are people of the living God who shows up when we gather in his name!

footnotes:

1 Rev! Magazine, Sept/Oct 2007 issue.
2 Beyond the Worship Wars—Building Vital and Faithful Worship

Posted by vickie at 10:00 AM