Eyewitnesses of the Word
Eyewitnesses of the Word
Luke 1:1-4; 24:44-53
Did you know that what you believe is more important than what you have or what you do!? It’s true. Take the story about a man who was locked accidentally in a refrigerator car. The rest of the crew went home that night and did not know that he was missing. He panicked. Taking his pen, he wrote a letter on the floor of the box car. He said it‘s so cold in here that he would freeze by morning. They found his body the next morning, although the temperature had never dropped below 55 degrees. It was not the cold that killed him, but his inner conviction.
I share this little story to lead us to another question about what we believe. What we believe about the identity of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church as an assembly of God’s people is vital to our functioning as Church. So here goes.
1. Why does the Church exist? I am using the word Church in a special way today. I’m not talking about a building, or denomination. I’m talking about the people of God, the gathering of those who believe Jesus Christ is both Lord and God, the One Holy and Apostolic Church, the invisible Church. So, in reality, I am asking Why do true believers exist in this place at this time.
Many people haven’t a clue why the Church exists. They see only the visible aspects of the Church. To some it might look like a holy country club! Others might see the Church as a way to help cope with kids, or crowds, or countless other problems. Some might see the Church as an arena to parade one’s pity, or have a place to meet, eat, and be entertained.
Regardless of such viewpoints, the Church is people who gather around Christ through the means of grace, Word and Sacrament. Notice how Luke talks about this when he says “He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Through that Word of faith God’s people know the Savior and the power of his resurrection that is at work in our lives. “That power” Paul says, “is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion.” My fellow believing friends, we are much more than a gathering of like-minded people. We are a gathering of the Lord Himself. In each one he deposits faith, and to each one he provides good works that benefit the whole body, the whole Church, and by extension of the Gospel, the whole world.
In this Church we find fellowship koinonia with Christ and his people. The Church is the place where love reigns as we receive forgiveness. Not just a statement of forgiveness, but the very blood-bought release from sins, in Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. They gather to pray, praise, , and give thanks for what they are in the Lord, that is, the very blood-bought body of Christ.
The Church realizes its full potential when it realizes it is the body of Christ in the world. How sad it is when the Church thinks of itself only in terms of money and budget, or in terms of only what the eye can see. That falls so far short of our God-given reason for being here.
2. The Church is here to make Christ known. There is no other way for anyone to know the Christ except through the revelation God has made known in the Scriptures.
Through His message God has made us his and has called us into his kingdom for his purposes. To each one he has given gifts to participate in this endeavor as Church. Jesus gave responsibility to the Church when he said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
He has put us into this place to bear fruit and cause growth in His invisible Kingdom. But here’s the rub. It costs money to do those things necessary just to baptize and teach. This is where budget becomes an indication of a congregation’s heart. Because of this, I have been asked by Council to make a few comments about our budget.
I want you all to know that I do not like to talk about money from the pulpit. That’s why you hear so little about it. But there is a time when it becomes absolutely imperative to bring it before the whole assembly as I am about to do. As your pastor, I am deeply concerned, not about the Lord’s provision, but about our response to his call. In this regard, let me share a letter written to the congregation from our Treasurer. <read>
Having read this letter let me ask you the question again. What are we here for? We are here to make Christ known. This does not happen in a vacuum. It takes workers and planners and staff and facilities and materials. And that all takes money. Projections to the end of the year based on current giving shows that we will be about $24,000 short of meeting this year’s accepted budget. Good grief! We cannot continue to carry out the Lord’s mission like this. So with this much of a deficit what are we saying?
3. What do we proclaim by our actions? Do we proclaim The Christ who died is the One who also rose and lives in us. Or, do we proclaim as our budget shows, a weariness in our discipleship? God forbid that this congregation ever become known for giving over its responsibilities to dollar bills.
I shared with the council what I believe about our purpose. I believe that God places in the hearts of his people his cause, his mission and his ministry. And when his people respond in faith to what he lays on their hearts, he provides everything needed, including money, through his own people. I believe we are his people in Christ Jesus.
Over and over he has guided this congregation into plenty. He put it on your hearts to build this beautiful facility for worship, and he paid for it through you, his people. He brings people into this place to participate in his grace and life, and he provides them with plenty through you his people. Should we not consider as our own his message to the Church which says, “See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.” Should we not listen and hear the Spirit’s message to the Church that says, “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.” God give us ears to hear for the sake of Your blood bought Church.
Of course, the message we are here to share might bring some hardship on us. We do battle against our spiritual enemies that would lead us away from our responsibilities. But remember the necessity of the cross: It was part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world.
The urgency of the task cannot be overstated. The need for a budget that reveals our love for the Lord over anything else we must consider. We must leave the upper room of leisure, and go out into the world with the cross of our Lord lifted high.
God gives the power for the task. He even says, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We are now clothed with His power from on high. He has touched our hearts with life. We have a Lord who is exalted above all creation and is present throughout heaven and earth. We have the God who says to us, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because oour gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.”
Yes. Jesus has come to turn the world upside down. He scatters the proud; dethrones rulers; sends the rich away empty. But those who believe, he lifts up. He fills the hungry and he helps his servants. St. Luke brings the outsider in and leaves the insider out. He writes to the underdog: to tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. He wants the least, and the lonely to come to the Christ. He wants us to be His Church! This is the Gospel of the Lord! Amen.