Introduction
It’s easy to imagine the thought of finally arriving at the Promised Land is exhilarating. Finally it’s happening. Finally we’re here. Finally the struggle is over. Finally everything we’ve dreamed could be, will be. Finally the feelings of being lost are gone—I once was lost, but now I’m found. But as I said, there’s about to be some radical change—not to mention there’s work yet to do as this Promised Land isn’t exactly vacant.
And while this entrance into the Promised Land is exhilarating, this radical change, no doubt, will be disorienting. So, in an effort to combat the disorientation they are about to traverse through, Moses advises the people to do something important: first remember— remember the basics God has taught—especially God’s first commandment, “Hear O Israel: The Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength.”
Moses was reminding the people, in the midst of all the chaos that had been and all the chaotic disorientation that was about to be: Keep God central in your thoughts and actions. He told them to reorient themselves in this time of disorientation by remembering how God has called you to live in the land that God has provided, being the people God has called them to be. He told them to reorient themselves in this time of disorientation by remembering to tell of God’s presence and love to their children, their children’s children, and on and on.
To this day we reorient ourselves as a church by remembering the core of who we are in relationship to a loving God. And when we remember we tell the stories of God’s faithfulness to our children and to our children’s children.
We tell the story of God’s love, we share the story of God’s love, we live the story of God’s love. And when we do we lead people to a God Promised Land. We lead them from being lost, broken, and fragmented, to a place of healing and wholeness.
Move 1
Brokenness. Fragmented. These are words we can understand, aren’t they? They are words—check that—they are truths and realities we know firsthand, aren’t they?
We all have our experiences, our stories, of when our lives have been broken and fragmented. We all have our experiences, our stories, of our wilderness wandering when we were searching for the way through—searching for something that would renew our bodies and souls; searching for that great Promised Land where life would be good.
The story of the Israelites is all of our stories, right?
Certainly the last 18 months have seemed like 40 years of enduring a difficult journey. It’s been really hard—living in isolation, complaining about all the hardships— maybe we’ve even resorted to worshiping other gods—golden calves in the form of politicians, political parties, media outlets, or even Facebook groups that espouse our beliefs. All of it, and more… Brokenness. Fragmented. Wilderness wandering. Searching for the Promised Land that is good.
Yes, we know exactly what Moses and the Israelites went through. Which is why this text, this story is so relevant today. Which is why just as Moses called the Israelites to remember we too are to remember. Remember God’s love. Remember what God has done. Remember what God brought us through. Tell our story, share it, live it. Do this, and we will reorient ourselves in a time of chaotic disorientation. Do this and we begin to find healing and wholeness.
Move 2
Healing and wholeness is crucial today, and it’s why we as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have made the intentional focus of pursuing and promoting such because the business of healing and wholeness is not just a life issue to be left to doctors, therapists, and health care professionals. Healing and wholeness is a faith issue.
Now there is a difference between being cured and being healed.
When you fell off your bike and scrapped a knee, your mom or dad took you in their arms, bandaging the scrap, and gave you a hug and a kiss. The wound was still there, but the comfort made it better, and in time the pain subsided, yet the scrap remained.
God brings about the same healing and wholeness to a fragmented world, and our churches are the best conduit for it all to come. This kind of healing is needed because our world is a fragmented world and our lives, and the lives of those we cross paths with, have times when they too are fragmented. Be it from illness, injury, hopelessness, discouragement or any number of afflictions that cause brokenness.
But we must not only look to doctors, therapists, and pharmacists for healing. We must look at the mandate issued by God through Moses, who said to God’s faithful, from generation to generation, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
In short, if we are to truly be a church that strives for healing and wholeness in a fragmented world, we need to tell it, show it, and live it.
Move 3
Just as Moses called on the people of God to remember, we too are called to remember—remember who we are, whose we are, and from where we have come. That is the key to how we tell it, show it, and live it.
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In a sermon to the Disciples of Christ General Assembly a few years again (when those event still happened) Rev. Holy McKissick said “Our church denomination needs to do more than just be a brand name no one knows about because we are a church that people want. In survey after survey when asked what they want in a church, what people say they want is us.
They say, ‘If I could find a church that I could go with my questions and doubts and be accepted…… I would go.
If I could find a church that was not trying to divide the world into gay and straight, black and white, democrat and republican… I would go.
If I could find a church that wasn’t trying to own Jesus but just follow him… I would go.”
McKissick goes on to say, “Church, that is who we are. We, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are a church that if people knew more about who we are, what we strive to do, along with what we are not—people would go. They would go to Disciples churches. They would go to your church. They would go to our churches, and they would begin to find the healing and wholeness they need in their broken and fragmented world.”
Rev. McKissick is right, right? But to get people to go we first have to remember—remember who our God is, remember our story and God’s role within it—and then tell it, share it, and live it.
Conclusion
Even though school started back earlier this week for our Stow-Munroe Falls students and High School football kicked off Friday there is still a little bit of summer to eke out as Labor Day is a couple weeks off yet. After that, it’s full speed ahead into the Fall and towards…well, who knows.
The plan as of now is to return to our regular schedule of weekly worship—first service in the Chapel and second service here in the sanctuary—still live streaming though. Jr. Church, Children’s Choir: that’s in the plan, for now—the Youth Group kicks off next Sunday with a rousing game of kickball.
How it will all work and look in relation to the ongoing pandemic is still to be determined as it has been, and will continue to be a moving target. But the bottom line is this… We will continue to be and do church in a way that seeks to be a presence of healing and wholeness in a broken and fragmented world—and we need to tell it, share it, and live it. And how do we? (*Slide on screen)
How Do People Start Attending Church?
- A friend invited me—86%
- Organized visitation—6%
- Invited by the Pastor—6%
- Advertising—2%
Source: churchgrowth.org
People are wandering lost in their own wilderness, complaining about all the hardships they have to endure, worshiping gods that do not work, wondering if they will ever be whole again. But we know they can be because their story has been our story. Somewhere along our way someone told us, someone shared with us, someone with their life showed us the way to healing and wholeness. Somewhere along the way, someone gave us an invitation to healing and wholeness. And we took it. And now we must share that same invitation.
We can post this invitation online; run an ad in the Stow Sentry; put it on our front sign. We can try having me stand on the stoop of the Chapel waving people in… But none of these ways compare to the effectiveness of you telling, showing, and living your story of how God led you through the wilderness to a promised land—how God led you from brokenness to healing and wholeness.
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The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a church that proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ; a church that believes in essentials we seek unity, in non-essentials we encourage diversity, but in all things we offer love. We set ourselves on the prophetic task of being a church that strives to bring healing and wholeness, to all people.
So let us tell it. Let us share it. Let us live it. And let our telling, sharing, and living become an invitation to healing and wholeness. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, August 22, 2021
Gracious God, as we again consider how you are calling us to be the Church that tells, and shares, and lives the Good News of Jesus Christ; as we look forward to days ahead we know will be filled with blessings of hope, peace, joy, and love no matter our varied life circumstances, stop us, for a moment. Close our mouths, open our eyes, our ears, and most especially our hearts, for right now there are children of God who have no good news; who have no hope, peace, joy, or love; and the circumstances of their lives are dire.
In Haiti your children have been devastated by earthquake and powerful storm leaving thousands without shelter, adequate food and water, or health care. The situation is unimaginable. The images are heartbreaking.
In Afghanistan your children are literally fleeing for their lives, running in terror to the only possible place for rescue, only to find the hope for safe refuge dashed. The situation is unimaginable. The images are heartbreaking.
Holy God, we know you are present in these places, and in all places where the situation is unimaginable. We know you are at work to restore life through your Holy Spirit and through those who have heard the cries of the broken and gone to offer aid. And we know too, we are not in a place where we can do much—at least that is what we let ourselves believe. We are too far away, we are too few a people, we are too powerless to be of any use.
Dispel those thoughts—those beliefs—by opening our eyes and ears and hearts to the needs of your children, our brothers and sisters, no matter the miles between us and reveal to us how we can do something—even if that something is as simple as hearing their cries through our televisions or devices and be with them in spirit. For even that small act will make us feel a deeper truth—that we are all connected, and we all can do something.
Do that Lord, and then move us forward, with hearts broken yes, but with spirits filled with a fire to be the Church you call us to be. For with you, we are never too far away, never too few, never too powerless to tell, share, and live the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Hear now the prayers of our hearts as we lift them to you in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of Christ Jesus, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”