Outgrowing the Secret Service
One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little 7-year old Alex staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. Now, Alex had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside him and said quietly, “Good morning, Alex.”
Alex replied, “Good morning, Reverend Smith,” but he was still focused on the plaque. “Reverend Smith, what is this?” Alex asked.
“Well, son, it’s a memorial to all the men and women who have died while in the service.”
They stood together a little while longer, silently staring at the large plaque. And little Alex’s voice was barely audible when he finally managed to ask, “Which one, the 8:30 or the 10:45?”
This week we start to take a look at the vows of United Methodists: Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, and Witness. This week’s sermon is about Presence. Our presence in God’s church with our church community.
I have a question for everyone – after Alex’s encounter earlier, do you think little Alex was more or less inclined to go to church? If he did not necessarily enjoy going to church before, what do you think his attendance record will be after that conversation? And what about all of us? What’s our attendance record like for church? We’re all human – there are just some Sundays where getting motivated to be present in Church can be a challenge. Now, sometimes we have a legitimate excuse – illness, a job, a family vacation. Sometimes, though, it is simply a question of motivation. Here’s the deal: It’s important to spend time alone with God, soaking up His Word. But He didn’t intend for us to live in isolation. He specifically designed us to crave—and thrive in—relationship with others. We are our best selves when we are experiencing life’s highs and lows with other believers. That means everyone, whether you’re single or married, old or young, black or white – everyone needs community. That community – and your presence in it – is the focus of this week’s sermon.
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, was clear that Christianity is a social religion, and that our spiritual and emotional growth is deeply dependent on being in face-to-face community with others who are interacting with us in love. And it is in the context of these face-to-face relationships that we experience what it means to be the body of Christ in the world.
The Bible backs up Wesley in several places. Hebrews 10:24-25 says “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…” Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken”. And Romans 12:4-5 says that “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” What does that mean in a slightly simpler form? We are better together than we are alone. We can accomplish things together that we never could individually.
I spent my high school and college years in Columbia, South Carolina. The church I attended was a United Methodist church, and it was…unique. A friend of mine who (slightly unwillingly) accompanied me to church one Sunday was in front of me coming out of church after the service. He was a member of the church, but hardly ever attended. The preacher – whose nickname was “Red” – was standing at the door like he always did to shake hands. Red was one of those southern preachers who even though he was Methodist, sounded like he had graduated with honors from the Southern Baptist College of Sermon Delivery. Because when you went to one of Rev Red’s services, by God you knew you were saved by the time you left. He grabbed my friend by the hand, pulled him aside and said to him, “Son, you need to join the Army of the Lord!”
To which my friend replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.” So Red asked him, “Then why do I hardly ever see you except at Christmas and Easter?”
He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”
We may laugh about that, but just like the human body, the church cannot function in a healthy manner without the individual parts working together. Just as each part of the human body is important to its function, the role every Christian plays in the life and ministry of the church is important as well. Each believer has different gifts and abilities to offer the church that other people just do not have. Each person’s gifts and abilities may be different, but that does not make their contribution any less important. In order for God’s church to be healthy and grow, every believer needs to be functioning as God intended them to be. I started playing piano when I was about eight, so I have played piano for 38 years, but I am nowhere near as good as our church organist; so I am grateful she shows up every Sunday to enhance our worship experience. That is just one example of different people having different gifts that help make the church the best it can be.
A church member recently mentioned the over 100 ministries this church has going. Some of those are inward facing – like pastoral visitation to our shut-ins, or confirmation class in Sunday school. But many are outward facing for the community, like the food pantry, or the rummage sale, or the community suppers we have like the fish fry or the BBQ’s. None of these missions would be possible if there were only one person to do them. It takes all of us, working together as a community of believers, to be able to make people’s lives better. To be able to reach out in love as Jesus commanded us to do and help others. To be able to do that – to be able to be as effective as possible – we need as many members as possible to be here – to be present.
Now, we usually think of presence as showing up on Sunday morning. And believe me, I am all for showing up on Sunday morning. But being present with and for God also might mean being present with and for God in other places, with those who are sick or who need a helping hand, with someone at work who is having a bad day, or someone who is simply lonely and needs someone to sit with them and just be there. That is not just the pastor’s duty. That is really the whole church’s work — to be a sister or a brother with all those with whom we have been united by baptism. Let me give you an example – last week we had a baptism where the little girl was baptized into the family of God, and everyone who was in church promised to help her parents raise her. We promised to live according to Christ’s example and part of that means we promised to help them out if they run into issues. That is our job as part of their church family. And if they cannot get to us, it is our job to go to them – and not just electronically. What we can do by text, email, instant message…it’s wonderful, but there is simply no substitute for showing up. I would ask you – how many people read a Facebook post where someone posts about a situation where they are scared or have a health concern or possibly need help with a family member and then you post “Sending prayers your way”, hit enter, and you feel you have done your duty. I know I have done it. Do we actually even pray for that person after we said we would? There are times that I have not. And that is why so much of showing Jesus’ love is just showing up.
Now, to wind this up, I would like to talk about why the Bible says that community is so great. First, community is encouraging. Galatians 6:2 says to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” That is awesome if you think about it, because everyone has something to teach and something to learn. In fact, church creates the ideal environment to be a friend, be a teacher, or be a learner. And I am not talking about being a teacher or learner of geometry. I am talking about learning and teaching about life and love – about the things that really matter. What it comes down to is lifting each other up, learning from one another, and being the friend each of us needs.
Second, community is fun! Community shouldn’t ever feel boring or forced. In fact, it should be the exact opposite. Psalm 133:1 tells us “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Our culture can sometimes portray Christians as pretty boring, for lack of a better word. But that could not and should not be further from the truth! Believers can be goofy, witty and just really fun to be around. Yes, community has a higher purpose. But it should also be enjoyable!
Third, community attracts the Holy Spirit. The Bible says the Holy Spirit is present whenever believers gather together. Matthew 18:20 says “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” A great example of this was the early church of Acts, which made a habit of meeting together, eating together, and worshiping together. As a result, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”. The Holy Spirit has a way of bringing more people into the fold.
Lastly, community fosters love. We have probably all been to a wedding where the minister recited 1st Corinthians 13, which ends with, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Paul held love above all else in his letter to the Corinthians. And he did the same with his letter to the Colossians: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14). As part of our wedding presents to each other, my wife and I found some mugs at Cracker Barrel. The mugs have the verse of 1st Peter 4:8 on them – “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Many people do not realize that the Passing of the Peace our church does every Sunday is not really meant to say good morning. Originally, the passing of the peace was meant to foster love and forgiveness among believers. We were granting peace to each other for wrongs committed during the week. I might say “Hey John, sorry I cut you off in traffic the other day.” John would respond “The Peace of Christ be with you”, meaning I forgive your dumb driving decisions.
Now, it can be hard for some of us to commit to community, especially if we are guarded or just prefer solitude by nature. But Proverbs 18:1 tells us that “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.” Community is God’s desire for us—and a sign of a mature faith. Because at the end of the day, when we grow in our relationships with others, we are growing in relationship with God!
This is the thought I want you all to take with you for the week: God wants you to have the support of your spiritual family when life’s earthquakes come – and they will come. This week, I want you to ask yourself how can I support someone in the family of God who is experiencing tough circumstances right now? How can I be the hands and feet of Jesus with my presence? How can I outgrow being in the Secret Service?
AMEN
