Something New

Are you frightened or excited when God promises something new? You'd think that the answer would be "excited," but maybe not. After all, "something new" means change; and we don't always like that! This sermon considers some things to remember when God calls us to change. Maybe some of them will be helpful to you!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s a secret that only we pastors know; so please don’t tell anyone that I told you. That scripture reading that we just heard – the one from Isaiah? (Isaiah 43:16-21) we hear it all the time. We hear it at denominational gatherings and at clergy training. We read it in inspirational emails and in devotional books. Sometimes, when we open the Bible, it even falls open to this text in Isaiah! But that text makes our blood run cold. It scares us out of our wits. It makes us want to jump in bed and pull the covers up over our heads!

You are probably wondering why this text is so frightening. There’s a simple answer. It says that God is going to change things. Change things! Now, believe it or not, we pastors don’t like change. Change is OK if it’s our idea. Change is fine if it’s what we want when we want it. But change that’s God’s idea, the change that God wants when God decides it’s time for it… that kind of change is scarier than a Freddie Krueger movie! And that’s exactly the kind of change that God is talking about here in Isaiah. “Forget about the past!” God is saying to us. “I’m doing something new! Look – it’s all around! Can’t you see it?” And if we clergy are honest with ourselves, we can see it. But we’d much rather just close our eyes and pretend that it’s not happening. After all, we’re all comfortable with all the stuff that we learned in seminary: how to preach and how to teach and how to lead a committee. We like the way that things have always been. And now, God is telling us that we might have to do something new? Why, the nerve of God!

I imagine that most of you feel pretty much the same way that we pastors do. We may love to read these verses from Isaiah and imagine what delightful surprises God has in store for us, but we don’t want to change so that we can enjoy those surprises. We like doing things the way that we’ve always done them. You’ve all heard the joke that asks “How many people does it take to change a light bulb?” Well, here’s the church version of that joke. “How many church members does it take to change a light bulb? Change?!?!?” Now, I have to be absolutely honest. Our congregation doesn’t mind changing light bulbs. In fact, during the last few months, we have changed all of our old light bulbs and replaced them with high-efficiency, low-cost lights. So, see – we’re happy to change light bulbs! Beyond that… Well, we’re not so sure. But God keeps pestering us, tapping us on our shoulders and whispering in our ears that things are changing.

And we all know that. Why, just look at the neighborhood around us. All kinds of people are living there now, not just farmers like the ones who built this church from the ground up. Lots of fancy new homes now stand on fields where corn used to grow. Instead of complaining that things have changed, maybe we should get to know those people around us and ask them what they need. We could even reach out to them, and invite them to join us in reaching out to others. Actually, I think that’s exactly what God is calling us to do; and it isn’t something new, at all. It’s really just doing what we’ve always done – reaching out in mission to the people around us. But we will have to do that in new ways, because the days that we grew up in are long gone. All of us will have to change – you and me both!

The New Beginnings program is going to help us to do just that. Over the next six weeks, small groups will meet in homes to discuss who we are as a church, what our gifts and talents are, and what we’re passionate about. We’ll find out who is living in the area around us, courtesy of the high-tech marketing research that helps advertisers encourage us to buy their products. That same research is going to help us figure out what their spiritual needs are, so that we can reach out to them in mission. And then, we’ll match our congregation to that mission field – and we will decide what adjustments we need to make in order to meet the needs of the folks around us. Maybe we’ll only have to change some light bulbs. But maybe we’ll have to change a little more than that.

Now, I have a confession to make. Over the last month or so, I have been preaching sermons that will help us start thinking about the changes that God is calling us to make. You might remember some of those sermons. I encouraged you to remember that that God wants only the best for us; and that God wants to partner with us as we discern how to move ahead. I reminded you that God is much greater than we even imagine; and that God can accomplish things that we could never even dream of doing. I talked about the kinds of people who help the church move ahead – clear-eyed prophets who can envision the future, cheerleaders who encourage us to keep going when it’s difficult, and comforters who hold our hands when we’re afraid. And I suggested that we might have to adjust our glasses every now and then as we reevaluate what we always thought we knew. Those are important things to remember as we plan for the future as a faithful congregation of Jesus Christ.

But what if you’re not participating in the New Beginnings program here at Nashville. What if you can’t join in one of the conversation groups for one reason or another? Does this text from Isaiah have anything to say to you? Oh, my, yes, it certainly does. I’ll bet that something in your life has changed recently. Let’s face it, things change all the time, whether we want them to change or not. And that change might not be the kind of change that you wanted. In fact, that change might be downright threatening. Maybe you’re dealing with an unexpected illness – yours or that of a loved one. Maybe a close relationship has come to an end. Or maybe your job situation has changed. I want to remind you of the very same things that I just touched on a minute ago. God wants only the best for you; and God is waiting for you to ask for his help as you figure out how to move ahead. God is greater than you can imagine; and God can accomplish things that we could never even dream of doing! People in your life will help you as you decide where to go from here. Some will comfort you when you are discouraged. Others will encourage you when life is tough. And still others will see possibilities that you didn’t see. They’re all there for you. And as you move ahead, you might have to adjust your glasses a little bit. Sometimes, what we’ve always believed isn’t true at all. The path ahead is much easier when we can see clearly what’s on it.

Oh, yes, change is coming. In fact, change is here already! “Don’t dwell on the past!” says God. “I am doing a new thing! Don’t you see it?” The good news is that God is ready to guide us, to comfort us, to inspire us, and to encourage us as we meet the challenges – and the blessings – that those new things are already bringing to us. And that is good news, indeed!

All One

What did Jesus mean when he prayed that his people might "all be one"? Are we supposed to all be the same? This sermon takes the reader around the world to visit three different types of Christian worship. They are not all the same, but the worshippers are "all one" -- at least, in the sense that Jesus intended! Will you journey with me?

We’re going to take a trip today, far afield from our little church here in Ohio. But don’t worry, you won’t have to fly on a crowded airplane or risk getting seasick; and it won’t cost you a penny. We’re going to use our imagination as we travel across the ocean and join three other Christian churches in worship on this World Communion Sunday. Ready? Settle in and relax as we prepare for departure.

First, we’re going to Italy – to Rome – to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, that enormous cathedral that is the sometimes called the mother church of Roman Catholicism. As we enter St. Peter’s, the size of it is overwhelming! Why, you could put 10 churches the size of ours into this space and still have room left over! We realize that we are surrounded by priceless art. The Pieta by Michelangelo, for example, is right over there, so close to us that we could reach out and touch it if it weren’t protected by a glass panel. The interior is so magnificent that it takes us a moment to realize that worship that is going on right in front of us. And when we focus on that worship, it is as splendid as the surroundings. The priests are clothed in beautiful vestments of red, gold, and white. The altar cover is glorious with traditional Christian symbols embroidered with gold thread. The chalice that holds the sacramental wine appears to be hammered gold itself, and is encrusted with priceless jewels. The priests are chanting reverently, and the worshippers are listening in rapt attention. Everything is worthy of royalty! But, after all, God is the King who rules the universe, and Jesus is seated at his right hand; and this worship is meant to remind us of that. We drink in atmosphere for a few minutes, appreciating the splendor of the place and the reverence of the Mass. But now it’s time to move on.

We are going next to Russia, to a little Russian Orthodox church on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. This little church managed to stay under the radar when Christianity was outlawed by the Communist Party, and its parishioners have been quietly worshipping here for generations. As we enter the small wooden building, it takes our eyes a while to get used to the dimness. The room is heavy with the scent of incense; and the only light is from candles, each one sending a wisp of smoke that mingles with the incense. And there are a multitude of candles! On our left, a table is filled with lighted candles, with worshippers praying silently in front of it. On our right is a small chapel with more candles. More worshippers are over there kneeling in prayer. And everywhere, the walls are covered with icons, images of the Holy Family and of the saints. These images are used for prayer and meditation in the Orthodox tradition. Each one of the icons has its own candle, too. There are no pews in this church, and the worshippers are moving around from place to place – first to the table of candles, then to an icon, then to the chapel. Many of them are praying with knotted prayer ropes, each knot a reminder of a specific prayer. Although the priest is chanting a liturgy in Russian at the altar and a small choir sings the responses, no one seems to be listening to them. But then we realize that what looks like chaos is actually just a different style of worship, meant to transport the congregation into heaven itself! The chant of the priest, the songs of the choir, and the icons of the saints all remind the worshippers that they are in a sacred space where time as we know it is meaningless and everyone encounters God in their own way. Now that we understand that, this Russian Orthodox worship makes more sense. But we have only a few moments to imagine ourselves with the saints in heaven, and then we need to move on once more.

Our final stop is in Africa – in Nigeria, to be exact, a country that has experienced explosive growth in the Christian faith in the last few decades. When we arrive, we find ourselves on the outskirts of a village. On a nearby dirt road, people are converging on a small, thatched structure. Their faces are happy as they talk to their traveling companions and call to friends who are still a distance away. In the small hut, we can hear singing and the sound of native instruments. As we come close enough to peer inside, we see a plain room with a floor of beaten earth. The only ornamentation is a plain wooden cross sitting on a rough-hewn table. But the hut is crowded with people singing together joyfully. In fact, they are dancing with joy as they sing songs of praise to God in their native language. And that singing continues for quite a long time! Finally, a tall man steps apart from the crowd and begins to pray. All the worshippers throw their hands in the air, lift their faces to heaven, and respond, “Amen! Amen!” After the prayer, the joyful singing begins again. We turn to one of the worshippers and ask, “How long will the singing last?” “How long?” the woman replies. “Why, as long as it takes! What better way to spend our time than praising God!” We realize that all this singing isn’t the introduction to their worship; the singing is their worship! After we join them in singing for a few minutes, it’s time for us to return home to our little Protestant church here in west central Ohio.

If the situation were reversed and our newfound Christian friends from around the world visited us, what would they think? Our Roman Catholic friends might wonder why our worship is so informal. We have no priest chanting the liturgy – just a person in a plain white robe (and a woman, at that)! And why is our sanctuary so plain? Shouldn’t worship of heaven’s King be a little more elegant? Our Russian Orthodox friends would be astounded to find that we sit in one place to worship! How can we respond to the moving of God’s Spirit if we all do the same thing at the same time? And only three candles? This wouldn’t seem like worship in heaven to them at all. Our African friends might be the most surprised of all. “You mean that you just sit there?” they would say in surprise. “Where is the joy in your worship? And you mean to say that you stop after an hour? What if you’re not finished worshipping yet?” Oh, yes, our own worship would seem very strange to them, at least as strange as their worship seemed to us.

It’s good to remember that when Jesus said, “I pray that they may all be one,” he wasn’t asking that everyone be the same. “One” doesn’t mean “identical.” No, Jesus wants something else. He wants a Church that is unified in its goal to love God and others, to follow Jesus Christ, and to seek God’s will through the Spirit. We don’t all need to be alike to do that. In fact, we can only witness to the variety of traditions and cultures around the world if we aren’t all alike! The Spirit speaks to some in one way and to others in another. But that same Spirit binds all of us together in love.

The story is told of a group of children who played together all the time. Summer heat or winter cold, they could be found enjoying one another’s company. One day, a costume party was announced, and all the children began to dream of what they would wear on that great day. That is, all but one. This little fellow sat in his room and wept because his family was poor and he had nothing to wear. When the other children learned of their playmate’s sorrow, each one went home and found his own costume. One was a lion, another a knight, a third an astronaut, a fourth a firefighter, a fifth a butterfly. Each child cut a piece off that costume and took it to the child who had none. That child’s mother sewed all the pieces together to make the colorful suit of a jester. When the day of the party arrived, the prize for the best costume was won by none other than the little fellow in the jester’s suit. His costume was the most beautiful of all. Friends, the Body of Christ is just like this colorful suit. We come in all colors, and we come from all cultures and traditions. We worship in many different ways and in many different kinds of places. Our missions are varied. But when we work together, we are united in God’s kingdom of love. On this day when, all around the world, we gather around this table to which the Lord invites us, my prayer is that we may truly all be one.