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Corinthians 16:1-4
February 3, 2013
Now concerning the collection for the
saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On
the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever
extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. And when I
arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to
Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
I want to start with some pet peeves this morning. I want
to rant and rave about some statements I’ve heard over the years regarding
mission in the church. They aren’t necessarily said in this church. They’re just
statements I’ve heard Christians say over the years that kinda bug me. For
example, have you ever heard someone say, “Why
should we send our money to places like Africa or South America when we have
enough poor here to take care of”? Of course you have. Maybe you’ve even
said it. It bugs me, though, because I always wonder if God sees things the
same way. I wonder if God says, “You
know, that fella over there really shouldn’t send money to Africa to help the
crushingly poor when there’s enough for him to do in his own country.”
Another comment I hear at times is “It’s nice to give to the poor and all, but
how do we know they’ll use our charity for something worthwhile?” How many
times have you said this or even heard it? Why does it bug me? Because God
seems to care much more about whether or not we love, than about how effective
our love is. God doesn’t say, “give only
to people who’ve proved their worthiness!” God says, “love others as ourselves, lay down our lives for others, treat others
as better than ourselves,” and more.
Also, have you heard anyone who has said this: “Why should we give to people who refuse to
take care of themselves—who refuse to lift themselves up like I did. I lifted
myself up by my bootstraps. They should, too.” The irony is that everyone
who says that they’ve lifted themselves up by the bootstraps ignores the fact
that so many people in their lives, from parents to teachers to coaches to
friends to strangers, have helped them along the way. They’ve also ignored
those who gave them opportunities, loans, and more. Also, God’s way isn’t to
only help those who are worthy, but to see all as worthy of love.
The basic problem with the thinking behind these
statements is that it misses the point of mission. Mission isn’t about the
results, it’s about Love. Christian mission has a simple source: love of God, love of others, a love of
serving God and others. Christian mission doesn’t care so much who we love, or who we serve in love. The central
idea in Christian mission is THAT we
love, and THAT we serve.
This idea and emphasis comes out clearly in our passage
for this morning, if we are willing to dig a little deeper to understand it.
Paul is writing to the church in Corinth about a mission to widows in
Jerusalem. Corinth is a sophisticated Greek city filled with wealthy and
educated Romans and Greeks. It rested on the isthmus between the northern and
southern parts of the Greek peninsula. The Romans and Greeks had built a roller
system across the twenty-mile isthmus at Corinth where ships could be pulled
out of the water, dragged across land, and put back in the water on the other
side; thus avoiding the winter storms and rocks that plagued the southern
coastline. These Corinthians, being sophisticated, wealthy people really didn’t
care much about the poor widows in Jerusalem. These widows, abandoned by their
own families, and their dead husbands’ families, were often left to beg or
become prostitutes. One of the first missions of the Christian church was to
care for them. But why should the Corinthians care about them? These widows
were in a backwater part of the Roman Empire, and they were Jews. So what if
they struggle?
The same questions could be asked of the Galatians, who
were mentioned in the passage. They lived in north-central Turkey, a
mountainous and isolated area. They were of Celtic descent, and had little to
do with the Jews. Why should they care about widows in Jerusalem when there
were enough people in their own backyard to care for? Besides, what if the
widows misused these funds? What if the collected money didn’t get to them or
was misspent? Paul faced the same questions about mission that we do today. But
Paul emphasized that part of being a Christian was caring for those we don’t
know by taking up collections for them. And we do this because God calls us to
do so.
One of the biggest challenges to Christian mission today
is that we don’t live in particularly loving times. When people talk about the
problems of our culture, they tend to be more “Me” and “I” focused. They say
things like, “MY taxes are too high. They
want to limit MY guns. Why should I care about people who are poor and
struggling? What is the government doing for ME? How is the government
oppressing ME? How is any of this good
for ME?“ We don’t talk publically as much about who we should reach out to and
care for. This is not a comment about gun control or taxes. It’s a comment
about how ME-focused the ruling generation is.
Ironically, the younger generation (many of whom consider
themselves “spiritual but not religious” because of how ME-focused Christians
seem to be) is often very focused on caring about others. For example, have you
noticed how many of Seneca Valley’s senior projects are focused on raising
money to help some organization, group, or people. This generation is very
“other” and “them” focused. So many of them are dropping out of church, but
holding onto the Christian ideal of loving others. My lament is that I wish
they would also root their love of others in a deep, deep love of God because
that would actually enhance their ability to love others. The point, though, is
that they understand the need to love.
As Christians, what matters is that we love not just in
mind, but through our actions It’s not enough to say that we love. We also need TO love. And that love has to be rooted
in God first.
There’s a big mission movement in the Presbyterian Church
right now, which I think is a good thing. But one problem with it is that it is
not quite rooted in the biblical model of mission. Biblically, mission is a
mark of Christian maturity, not an entry point into religion. The most powerful
mission of the Bible is carried out ,not by young Christians, but by the most
mature Christians. The reason is that mission is a response to God’s grace and
love. We reach out best in mission when it is rooted in a deep desire to share
God’s love, and when time is spent in prayer seeking how we are called to share
that love.
Something that you wouldn’t necessarily know about Calvin
Presbyterian Church is that we have a guiding paradigm that not only helps us
understand how to develop programs in the church, but that also helps guide us
in moving people to become mature Christians who naturally want to reach out to
others in mission.
We developed this paradigm about 12 years ago on the
Spiritual Nurture Committee, and it subtly guides us. We realized that in
looking at the gospels, there are really four levels of Christian maturity
represented. There are Onlookers, Followers, Disciples, and Sent Ones (really
they are “apostles,” but calling them that seemed grandiose). What we try to do
is to create programs in the church that help move people one level up so that
they move, step-by-step, toward becoming more mature and more mission-minded.
Here’s an explanation of the four levels:
- Onlookers: These are the people who mainly come to church on Christmas, Easter, and other occasions. They like the church, they can be inspired by the church, but their commitment level is really low. They’re not sure they understand the value of church, so they’re a bit ambivalent about it. Our question is how we help them to move to the next level. The main program we use to move them is to try to make our worship service and Sunday morning experience as accessible and inspirational as possible. Our music is varied, we try to make our preaching dynamic and deep, and we try to be as friendly and hospitable as possible. What we hope to do, through worship, is to help them want to become followers. By the way, the model for understanding onlookers is a scene from the Monty Python film, Life of Brian. In it, Jesus is preaching the Sermon on the Mount, and the camera pulls back. You see Jesus’ disciples crowded close to him, then his followers on the hillside and up the next hill. Finally, three hills away, the onlookers watch and listen. Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” But the onlookers can’t quite hear him. So one says, “What did he say?” Another replies, “He said, ‘Blessed are the cheesemakers.’” The first asks, “Well why are the cheesemakers so blessed?” The other replies, “He’s not talking about cheesemakers per se. He’s talking about anyone in a trade.” The point is that onlookers want to hear the Gospel, but they don’t quite get close enough, and then they mishear and misinterpret what we Christians say, preach, and do.
- Followers: These are folks who are either new to faith, or inexperienced in in-depth study on matters of faith. They are more committed, and want to live a more spiritual life. What holds them back is that they have so many commitments: family, work, friends, sports, dance, theater, social organizations, and so much more. We have a lot of programs to help move them from being followers to disciples, such as youth groups & teen Bible studies, the Beth Moore Group, Sunday adult education, Financial Peace University, and our new member classes. These are designed to move people deeper, and hopefully make them want to become disciples.
- Disciples: These are people who have a yearning to move deeper into the Christian life, and to become a “disciple,” a student, of Christ. Their focus becomes much more deeply on learning how to live as Christ’s servants and friends. The programs we offer to move people from discipleship to becoming “sent ones” are our Tuesday and Wednesday devotional groups, our Science & Spirituality Group, the Presbyterian Women’s circles, the Tuesday Centering Prayer Group, the Thursday Morning Prayer Group, the Men’s Group, and our committees and session. I put the last two here, but you’ll also find them also among the “sent ones.” We start every committee meeting and session meeting with 30-45 minutes of prayer and study. The point is that we help our leaders move from discipleship to apostleship.
- Sent Ones: These are technically are “apostles”(in Greek, ἀπόστολος or ”apostolos”). These are those ready to serve God in Mission and Ministry, choosing to be Christ’s hands, feet, and voice in the world. They include our session and committee members. These are the ones with the maturity to serve in mission because they have a real desire to make a difference. And if you look at Calvin Presbyterian Church, you find a lot of “sent ones.” I want to share with you a list of the mission we are doing at Calvin Presbyterian Church, because it is impressive. What it really says about us is that we have a spiritually mature congregation. The main reason I say this is that this isn’t centralized mission sparked by a central committee. Most of it comes from members who say, “I feel called to do this.” Here’s the list:
· Mission Trips: Each year Calvin Church sends out three mission trips. Two are for youth to work at Camp
Westminster on Higgins Lake in Michigan. Camp Westminster is a ministry of
Westminster Presbyterian Church of Detroit, and is devoted to giving inner-city
children an opportunity to discover and learn about nature, while also growing
spiritually. The other mission trip is to the Wayside Christian Mission
in Louisville, Kentucky. Wayside is devoted to helping people with
homelessness, addictions, and other urban problems.
· Project Hope: Project Hope of Zelienople, Inc. Is an organization dedicated to
inspiring HOPE during the traumatic event of a child’s unexpected or long-term
hospitalization. We provide support and encouragement for families during this
stressful time. We believe parents and guardians must take care of themselves
physically, emotionally and spiritually in order to meet the needs of their
hospitalized children.
· Special Mission Fund: Calvin Church is committed to helping people locally
and in the region meet their basic needs and respond to crisis. The Special
Mission Fund is a fund we use to respond when people are in need. Through this
fund we have helped abused women pay for new housing, families in need buy food
and other needs, support missionaries, support families in which the primary
provider has become suddenly unemployed, pay medical expenses for families
facing medical emergencies, help with disaster relief, support medical clinics
in Africa, buy sleeping bags for the homeless, support the work of shelters for
the homeless and abused women, aid in the building of a library in Columbia,
send books to a pastor in Uganda, and so many other needs.
· The Zelienople Food Cupboard: The Zelienople Food Cupboard offers food and other
essentials to families in need. We do this with other churches in the area.
· The Ladle and the Hearth Ministry: Several times a year Calvin members provide and
serve meals at the Ladle, an organization that provides a hot meal every Monday
to the hungry in the Ambridge community. We serve about 60-90 people per meal.
· Clean Water for Connoquenessing Families: Calvin Church has teamed up with several other
churches to provide clean water for 31 neighbors in Connoquenessing Township
whose water has become tainted. While the local government attempts to
determine if it was related to drilling in the area, the church has been the
collection point for water contributions from Calvin and other churches. We
have joined with others to provide over 200 gallons of clean water a week.
· SERRV: Calvin
Church warehouses products for SERRV’s ministry in the region, as well as
hosting a SERRV Sale in the church every year. SERRV is a nonprofit
organization with a mission to eradicate poverty by providing opportunity and
support to artisans and farmers worldwide. It markets their crafts and foods,
finds joint solutions to their challenges, and helps them grow and embrace the
future. One of the first alternative trade organizations in the world, SERRV is
a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization and a founding member of
the Fair Trade Federation.
· The Green Team: Calvin Church is committed to being Green. We have created a task force
called the Green Team that oversees ways to make us greener, such as florescent
and LED lighting, recycling church and member paper, using recycled paper,
low-flush facilities, and more.
· Campus Ministers at Kenyon College: Calvin Church has helped to support Jen and Zane
Sanders, Christian Coalition Campus Ministers, as they minister to college
students at Kenyon College
· Mission Trip Support: Calvin Church is committed to being a
permission-giving, mission-supporting congregation that nurtures and encourages
everyone’s personal calling to mission. We find ways to raise funds and offer
other support for individuals called to mission. Over the past few years we’ve
supported members helping to build a preschool in South Africa, a medical
mission to Lithuania, and disaster relief and clean-up in Joplin, Missouri.
· 30-Hour Famine: We sponsor an annual 30-hour fast to raise awareness and funds for
hunger projects supported by World Vision, an international hunger and relief
organization.
· Wounded Warrior Project: Calvin Church has collected and sent backpacks and
plastic containers for hospitalized troops in Afghanistan.
· Presbyterian Church (USA) Disaster Relief: Calvin Church periodically provides funds to support
the work of our denomination’s Disaster Relief organization, which has helped
people recover from earthquakes in Pakistan and Haiti, tornados and hurricanes
in Missouri and Louisiana, and much more.
· Other Mission We Support
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Samaritan
Counseling Center
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Oikocredit
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Hot Metal
Church
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The Alliance
Against Drugs
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Bread for the
World
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VOICe
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The Heiffer
Project
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The American
Cancer Society Relay for Life
· Peace Candles: On the pedestal behind the communion table, you will find peace
candles. If you are a visitor to Calvin Church or a member planning to visit
another church in the next few weeks, we invite you to take a votive with you.
Present it to your church or the one you’re visiting on behalf of Calvin Church
as a reminder to pray for peace.
· Gifts that Matter: Calvin offers its members an alternative to buying
gifts for loved ones at Christmas. Donations may be made to a charity in honor
or memory of someone. A certificate is mailed to the honoree informing him/her
of the donation in his/her name
· Financial Peace University: This is a program that teaches a biblical,
spiritual, and practical way of handling money. Through video teaching, class
discussions, and interactive small group activities, FPU presents practical
steps to get financial stability and peace. This shows how to get rid of debt,
manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more. So many people
struggle financially but don’t know where to turn. This program, developed by
internationally known consultant Dave Ramsey, has helped thousands get their finances,
and lives, in order. The 90-minute
classes meets Thursday evenings for 9 weeks from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
· Narcotics Anonymous: Calvin Church hosts a Narcotics Anonymous meeting
for those in recovery from addiction. The meetings are on Wednesday
evenings from 7-8 p.m.
· Zelienople Nursery School: Zelienople Nursery School holds 3yr old and 4yr old
half-day classes in the lower level of Calvin Presbyterian Church. Three year
olds attend Thursday and Friday AM or PM. Four year olds attend Monday, Tuesday
and Wednesday AM or PM.
What I’ve given you is a listing, but there is much more
personal mission going on. For instance, the Stubenborts have been so inspired
by the Wayside mission trips we do each year that they started taking Karen’s BC3
social work students down at Thanksgiving to serve Thanksgiving meals there.
Our Financial Peace University started because Bethany Shreckengost said to me,
“I’ve been blessed by so much that I want to give back to God by offering these
classes.” We also support the Circle of Friends Choir, which was a community
choir that performs as a way of raising funds for many local and regional
charities. They started out, painfully, from a conflict in a local church that
caused them to part ways with the church. There were about fifteen of them
without a church, and they decided to turn their choir in to a service to God.
They have now grown to about 40—way beyond their original size. And they
practice here every Tuesday night.
The key in all of this is that we have a mantra here,
which is that we only do mission over which we’ve prayed about and feel called
to. We don’t do mission out of guilt or a sense of “should” or “ought.” We do
it because God calls us to it, and that’s why you’ve seen an explosion of
mission in this church. The mission in our church is done because people are
called, not coerced.
As a way of summing up this morning, you are called to
grow ever deeper as a Christian, and as you do, you are called to become
increasingly God-focused, other-focused, and love focused. So,… where’s your
mission?
Amen.
