Invitation: This is the Way

Introduction Part One: Previously...

Well, here we are once again at the end of a series.

We’ve been exploring the marks of The Way of Christ:

Forgiveness

Generosity

Humility

Celebration

Today we get a kind of catch all, with a rather short scripture to go with it.

The New Revised Standard Version The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Introduction Part Two: Kona

Today I want to tell you the story of our dog, Kona.

I ought to start with Kona is great, and everything in this story works out for the best.

No need to fear.

We got Kona a year and a half ago from a shelter in WV.

We went there for a different dog who turned out to be…not great.

So the shelter pointed us in the direction of this black lab they had.

She was a total stray, so she didn’t have a name or anything like that.

After a few minutes in the play yard, we knew this was our pup.

I some how tricked Sarah and the boys in to letting me name her Kona, which is a beach in Hawaii, a type of coffee, and a mountain bike company, so it checks a lot of boxes for me.

We brought her home, and she took to the boys right away! Super gentle, super sweet, super awesome dog.

After we had gotten her settled, I went out to visit some friends while Sarah stayed home with Kona and the boys.

Just after I arrived at our friends house, Sarah called. Kona ran away.

Let me reestablish the scenario for you:

Brand new dog, in a brand new neighborhood she doesn’t know.

A black lab, who has gotten loose in the middle of the night.

A dog who to this point hasn’t had a name, and doesn’t know what the word “Kona” even means.

How do you find a dog who doesn’t know its name?

I was sure we’d lost Kona.

But, our friends all came back home with me in different cars, and we spent about an hour or so searching the neighborhood.

My friend Ed eventually found her and caught her, carrying her home over his shoulders like a shepherd carries a wounded lamb.

Three Things Jesus Wants to Do:

Matthew kind of gives us this brief overview of what Jesus is doing as he’s out on a tour around the cities and villages.

Matthew narrows in on three things that Jesus himself is up to:

Didasko- Teach

This verb in Greek implies that the teacher has some sort of knowledge or skill that they want to pass along to a student.

I can do this, and by the end of the day I would like for you to be able to do this.

Jesus it turns out teaches a great deal to his disciples, and ultimately to us.

Counter cultural living

One thing that Jesus teaches is that the way we ought to live stands almost in direct opposition to the conventional wisdom of the world.

Jesus teaches that those who are poor in spirit, or mourning, or meek, or merciful, or peacemakers will be blessed above those who are arrogant, or self-centered, or boastful, or vengeful, or violent.

Jesus teaches that anger can be on a par with murder.

Jesus teaches that we should not resist and evildoer, but rather turn the other check, give our extra cloak, and to go the second mile.

Jesus teaches that we ought to love our enemies, not tweet about them.

Jesus teaches that we ought to store our treasures in heaven, not in the local bank or under our mattresses, or in Game Stop stock.

Jesus teaches that worry does more harm than good.

Jesus teaches that in everything we do we should do to others as we would have them do to us.

And all of that is just in the first 7 chapters of Matthew!

…it should have been.

A former boss of mine wrote a book of letters to his kids about the Christian faith.

He wrote all about the way of Jesus, and these counter cultural teachings.

At the end of the book, he writes to the cynic who fears we might be wrong about all of it.

What if we get to the end and there’s no Jesus?

What if it was all a made up story?

What if there’s no heaven?

And his conclusion has been a line that rings true in my head for years:

Even if it wasn’t true, it should have been.

Now, first of all, I am reasonably well convinced that it is in fact all true!

But essentially he was saying, even if you stripped any and all religious elements away, the way of Jesus is still the best way to live.

Forgiveness is the best Way

Generosity is the best Way

Humility is the best Way

Celebration is the best Way

All this, and heaven too.

Kerysso- Proclaim

The next thing Jesus wanted to do on this tour was proclaim the euangelion- the good news.

The good news is that God created this beautiful world for us to enjoy.

The good news is that in spite of all the sin, and toxicity, and brokenness we bring in to the world on a daily basis, God is working every day to repair us and repair the world.

The good news is that while so many other religions insist that it’s all about us working our way to God, God has instead worked his way to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

The good news is that while we are determined to handle things on our own, Jesus is endlessly inviting us into relationship with him.

The good news is that this relationship will last forever and ever, world without end!

The good news is that those who we have lost in this life will be with us again in the glorious kingdom.

And we ought to make it abundantly clear, any version of Christianity that isn’t centered in good news is a good bit lost.

Any version of Christianity that is about condemnation over redemption is lost.

Any version of Christianity that is about critiquing culture rather than creating culture is lost.

Any version of Christianity that belittles followers rather than lifting them up is lost.

Jesus is all about good news!

Therapeuo- Heal

The third thing the text says that Jesus is here to do is to heal.

It turns out, we need lots of different kinds of healing in life, don’t we?

Physical Healing

This is the first place our minds jump to when we think about the healing that Jesus offers.

Healing the blind man.

The lame walk

Raising people from the dead.

And truth be told, we often find ourselves praying for physical healing.

For a friend who is struggling with cancer.

For someone whose arthritis has become debilitating.

For this airborne virus that just…won’t…seem…to let…us…go...

And it is a whole different sermon to explore why it is that some people have these prayers answered with physical healing, and some seemingly do not.

But I do know just looking around the room that many of us gathered here have miracle stories from friends, family members, loved ones.

Jesus is at work in the world to provide physical healing.

Mental Healing

What has always baffled me is how quickly we gather around those who have needs for physical healing, and yet we get a bit squeamish when it comes to praying for mental healing.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that 16.2 million U.S. adults had at least one major depressive episode in 2016. This represents 6.7 percent of the U.S. adult population. Depression is most common in ages 18 to 25 (10.9 percent) and in individuals belonging to two or more races (10.5 percent).

And let’s be super super clear: If I’m pulling those stats out of 2016, they are surely out of date here today in 2021.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2017.1

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment. (Repeat)

Let’s call it what it is: Our brothers and sisters around us are suffering.

Jesus always draws near to those who are suffering.

Jesus works with counselors and therapists to bring healing to those suffering from anxiety and depression.

Jesus works with friends who are constantly checking in on their friends and neighbors to make sure they’re ok.

Jesus works right here, right across the street in the manse, with our brothers and sisters in NA to find healing from addiction.

Jesus is at work in our world to provide mental healing.

Spiritual Healing

And lastly, there are folks in our world who relate far too well to what Jesus says about the crowds.

Jesus has compassion on these folks, like sheep without a shepherd.

There are far too many people who have been hurt and wounded by the church, such that they need spiritual healing.

There are folks who have been told that God is not on their side, which is very much a lie.

There are folks who have been told that God will only love them when they get their act straight. Again, a lie.

There are folks who have been so hurt and wounded by the Church that even walking in to a space like this can be a mark of pure bravery.

To be sure, Jesus wants these folks to know healing as well.

Jesus wants us to know that God is for us, not against us.

Jesus wants us to remember that we are saved by grace through faith, and it’s got nothing to do with us.

Jesus wants the church to be not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.

May we be the home for such healing in our congregation!

What Jesus is asking us to do:

Invite folks in.

Euangelion- Evangelism.

I know, this is a word that scares Presbyterians more than thunder scares Kona!

But I think a part of the reason it scares us so much is because we have a rather limited view on Evangelism.

Evangelism to Salvation- Kerysso

This is almost exclusively what some Christians think they’re called to do.

And even that, some people whiff on.

Some assume that to invite someone in to salvation is to prove that our religion can beat up other people’s religion.

No one is interested in this!

What if instead we invited someone to know that God loved them?

What if instead we invited someone to know that God is ultimately on their side?

What if instead we invited someone who is struggling to know love in this life to know the love of God in their midst?

What if instead of putting down the parts of a person’s life we disagree with, or struggled with, we invited them in to life in Christ, and life to the full?

I feel like I can get in on that!

But what if evangelism isn’t just about the life to come, but it’s about this life too?

Evangelism to the teachings of Jesus- Didasko

Eugene Peterson said once that a pastor’s job was to observe the culture around us, and make some observations.

Here’s a general observation about our culture: we are much more ready to define ourselves by what we’re against than by what we are for.

We are ready to denounce a person as fast as you can tweet.

We vote not so much for the party we support, but we vote to make sure the dangerous or evil other party doesn’t get power.

Whoever isn’t for us must absolutely be against us.

I wonder if we could be a church that created a culture of what we are for?

What is we were the church that was for the teachings of Jesus?

What if we were the church that was for forgiveness, advocating for it as strongly as anything out there.

What if we were the church that was known throughout the neighborhood for being generous, with our time and our talents and our abilities and even our cash?

What if we were the church that was known for advocating quiet, humble confidence, always taking the role of a student in God’s kingdom?

What if we were the church that was famous for celebration of God’s goodness in the world, rather than belly-aching about the places where we disagree with the culture?

I for one think that this way of living sound like a lot of fun!

It sounds substantially less stressful.

It sounds like it would ease the tensions of our world.

It sounds like a never-ending party of God’s goodness.

And, it sounds like something that I can reach out to others and invite them in to.

Evangelism to healing- Therapeuo

We are just over a year in to a global pandemic.

And I feel like a broken record that I keep talking about it in these sermons, but it’s because this was a massive earth shaking event, one that deserves a little bit of reflection.

But just about everywhere I look in the course of this pandemic, I see people who need healing.

There are people who have lost dear loved ones to this virus, some of them in the prime of their life.

I know one friend who lost both of his parents in the same week!

There are people who have lost livelihoods and businesses in the wake of shut downs and restrictions.

There are folks who are suffering unimaginable mental health issues as a result of isolation and loneliness.

And given the culture I mentioned earlier, there are some of us who are carrying the wounds of the never ending polarization around everything, the endless debates with family and friends about what’s really happening leaving wounds on our souls.

Just about everywhere I look, I see people in need of healing.

And just about everywhere I look, I want to invite folks in to this space to find the healing they need.

I want to invite folks in to this place not because I like preaching in a more full sanctuary, but because I want to point people to Jesus.

I want to invite folks in to this place not to balance the budget, but because I want to point people to Jesus.

I want to invite folks in to this place so that they can remember their name, the one that Jesus has been calling this whole time, beloved son or daughter, come on home.

I want to invite folks in to this. Will you join me in that?

Challenges

Set your watch.

I learned this challenge from a friend on a mission trip:

In Matthew 9:38, we are encouraged to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laboreres into the fields.

So the challenge is to set your alarm on your phone for 9:38

AM for the morning crowd, and PM for those of you who can’t pray before at least 10 cups of coffee.

And to make it a priority every day to pray for those of us who are laboring to invite folks in to the fold.

Pray to invite folks into the proclamation of Good News.

Pray for an opportunity to invite folks in to the Way of Jesus.

Pray for the healing of our world, our nation, our community, and our family.

Invite someone to the goodness.

And then, once you’ve spent some time in prayer, take a few steps to invite someone in to something.

I keep mentioning on the Lab Report, we are rolling out more and more opportunities here at the church seemingly every week.

Invite someone to the new Glow Service that’s starting up April 7th.

Invite someone who has kids and could use a little bit of a break to bring them to our VBS this summer.

Invite someone who has been wounded by the disease of addiction to our NA meetings on Wednesday or Friday.

Invite someone who isn’t quite ready to leave the house and sit in a space like this to watch the live stream along with us.

Invite someone to this place.

Believe it or not, that’s the easy part.

Where we as Presbyterians have room to grow is to invite someone to something a little deeper.

Invite someone to the healing power of Jesus Christ by offering to pray with them when they share their hurts.

Invite someone who is standing in the wreckage of poor decisions to the teachings of Jesus.

Invite someone who is loosing hope to the salvation that Jesus has promised, that we are all invited to the hope of resurrection and redemption.

Invite them in this week church.

Because when it comes to Forgiveness, or Generosity, or Humility, or Celebration, or Invitation...

This is the way.