Interdependence: The Connected Body: Sermon 1/28/2007

Pastor David Nicol

Nehemiah 8:1-3 5-6 8-10 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12. When we see one Christian working alone, we see part of what the Body of Christ is, but we don’t see the BIG PICTURE. Interdependence is a big-picture matter.

According to Natural Church Development, Interdependence is a key growth force to keep in mind. Interdependence is the principle that describes how seemingly dissimilar and distinct things have significant impact with one another. While it might be difficult to see the relationship between water cooler conversation at work and our Christian faith, or a side-conversation during worship time and whether the visitors sitting behind you will be back next week, what happens in one part of life, or one part of the ministry of the church can have a significant effect on other parts. When we think about interdependence in the life of the church, we need to remember the following three issues: We need to be skeptical about short-term success and seeming miracle solutions; we need to become aware of possible side-effects of our actions; and we need to keep the whole picture in mind—in terms of the NCD process, that means keeping the whole NCD package in mind, not just focusing on one component of the system and hoping that will lead to improved church health.

Now, we can agree we all want a healthy church, though we may not agree what a healthy church looks like. But, the research done by the Institute for Natural Church Development has discovered that there are six growth forces (including interdependence). When we unleash these six growth forces, we unleash the power of “All-By-Itself” growth.

As Christians we have been given different gifts, all of which have a place in the ministry of the body of Christ. As Paul says, each of us is a part of the body of Christ—Alone, we each only have a few gifts; together, we have been given all the gifts needed to be the body of Christ and to reach the world with God’s love. The key is recognizing that we cannot do it alone, that we need one another and one anther’s gifts to grow a healthy church filled with healthy Christians.

No church is perfectly healthy, and at least in this congregation, we all want to see a few more members, a few more givers, a few more workers, and a few more people committed to Jesus Christ. But the risk for those of us who want to see increased numbers is the promise of a miracle cure. God performs miracles, but God also works through the institutions that exist in spite of the institutions’ shortcomings. We need a real solution to the issues we face. Interdependence reminds us to be skeptical of short-term success. Health tends to come more slowly than we’d like, and short-term successes may come at the expense of the overall health of the body of Christ. Just like using steroids might offer a shortcut to rigorous strength-training, but can disease the human body, so too quick success can come at the expense of the long-term health of the church which is Christ’s body. Just as steroids are a poor solution for the long-term well-being of athletes, as a Church we do not need the latest fad or newest Church growth gimmick. We need a healthy Church, a sustainable Church, that has become Christ’s hands and feet at work in the world.

Healthy athletes are aware of the side-effects of their choices, so are healthy congregations. We need to develop an awareness of how our actions might effect other ministries and other parts of the congregation. As the Body of Christ we too often think the pastor is the most important part. As Paul reminds us, no part of the body is unnecessary. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…the parts that are unpresentable we treat with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.” None of us is indispensable, but the relationships we assume must be significant are not always the one’s we should be considering. Instead of running a United Methodist Church in the typical way—with too few people, too many committees, and overburdened ministries—if we remember the significance of interdependence, we will focus on the relationships between our structure and our ministries, and the relationships between our ministries and our people, and work to prevent negative results of conflict, burnout and limited resources.

As we grow in health and numbers, things will change. No matter what, with growth comes change, and side effects come with that change. Everything we do in Church affects some other aspect of Church life. We need to be aware that there are no quick fixes, and sometimes what we do produces unexpected results. We need to be aware of these “side-effects” in every area of ministry. IF the Church budget shows a reduced amount of money available for custodial supplies, will the way we clean the church change? IF we start a ministry that actually reaches new people, and they enter the sanctuary for the first time, how do we tell them were things are located and what is expected of them? Whatever we do, we need to keep the BIG PICTURE in mind because “Just as a body, though one, has many parts…so it is with Christ!”

Our ministries need to be intentionally interdependent! To unleash the power of “all by itself growth,” we must ask ourselves how our ministries and other activities connect and affect one another. “All by itself growth” can only happen when we operate the way God intends, by getting out of God’s way, and allowing God to work through us in God’s way. “Now you are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it,” Paul writes. So, rejoice with those who rejoice, suffer with those who suffer, discover your gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom—All our gifts are equally important, and equally necessary for the Body of Christ to be healthy enough to reach the least, lonely and lost souls in the world around us! In Christ, we have all we need if we live holy, faithful lives! Thanks be to God!

Symbiosis: Cooperating for the Common Good: Sermon 1/21/2007

Pastor David Nicol

Isaiah 62: 1-5 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11

I’m not going to preach on the Wedding at Cana text today—I want to preach a sermon on Jesus’ first miracle, but I’ve committed to preach a sermon series, between now and Easter, on the Growth Forces, or Life Giving Principles assumed to be at work in the process of Natural Church Development, so I’ll be focusing on Symbiosis, Cooperating, especially in light of 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

Some of you might be asking the question—what is Natural Church Development? Natural Church Development, or NCD, is a process of assessing church health, and responding to the places where the church is less healthy than it should be. The Institute for Natural Church Development has undertaken substantial research and seen significant success in improving the health of churches that faithfully participate in the NCD process. As of 2006, the Institute has surveyed over 45,000 congregations in 70 countries worldwide, including over 23,000 in the United States. I’d be glad to help folks find more information about NCD, but its too much for one sermon or even one sermon series. So, over six sermons, I’ll be talking about one of the most significant insights in NCD—that when we understand God’s natural Growth Forces, which work in nature as well as the church, we can work to apply these Growth Forces to ministry in the Church.

What you do need to know, is that when we apply God’s natural Growth Forces to the life of the Church, in combination with the 8 Quality Characteristics of Healthy Churches, we can release God’s “All By Itself Growth” in our congregations. In nature we see “All By Itself Growth” most easily in plants—in scripture, we see this in two key verses: Jesus’ parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26-28 where Jesus “…said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” and 1 Corinthians 3:6 where Paul says “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” The Good News here is that the Church grows as if all by itself, because as Paul realized, it is God who makes it grow!

For this to happen, we need to learn to plant, water, fertilize, weed, graft, and get out of the way when necessary, which often times is a hard to do. What usually occurs in churches is that various committees, individuals, or ministry groups decide on the best way of doing things without consulting other groups within the Church. When we do this, our ministries do not exist in a symbiotic relationship. They are unable to live as different entities in mutually beneficial relationships. As we think about ministries in the local church, we need to recognize that each ministry within the life of any church is unique. But we also need to ask the question of all our ministries, are they living in a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the life of the Church?

As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12, God gives all believers gifts for the building of the Kingdom. Though not all Christians receive the same measure of all gifts, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit has equipped you with spiritual gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom. There are many gifts, including those Paul lists, but all gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and are gifts for ministry. Not all believers receive equal measure of wisdom or knowledge, or gifts of healing, or miraculous powers, or prophecy, or discernment of spirits, or speaking in tongues, or interpretation of tongues, or gifts of administration, evangelism, preaching, teaching, or the ability to operate electronic equipment or cook beans—but all believers have been given faith in sufficient measure to seek God and God’s plan for our lives!

As we look at our God-given gifts, we need to ask ourselves, what is my place in God’s plan for this congregation? How can I use my gifts for ministry? Sometimes we need help discovering what those gifts are, and God provides a way to let us know, but just like getting out of the way of Church growth, we must get our fallen, sinful selves out of God’s way, letting the Holy Spirit work through us and use us to strengthen the Body of Christ and further the cause of the Kingdom of God in the world around us. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:7 “…to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

The Holy Spirit has given us the gifts and talents necessary to reach the lost, the lonely, the least—all those who need to know that God loves them and wants to help them find a new and transformed life in Christ. If this congregation is going to be healthy, living according to God’s natural Growth Forces, we must start by examining the ministry programs we have, and what we have asked people to do. We must determine whether or not our life together is symbiotic or chaotic. By thinking about how our programs, ministries, and personal spiritual life can be more symbiotic with other people and ministries in this congregation, we can begin to unleash the forces of “all by itself growth.”

Are you ready to get out of God’s way? Are you ready to unleash the power of God in this place? Then begin by asking God to work within you to show you your spiritual gifts. Next, find where God is calling you to serve, and make sure your ministry works in a symbiotic relationship with other ministries, so that this congregation can become Christ’s hands and feet at work in this community.

Made Manifest--Holy Mystery: Sermon 1/7/2007 (Epiphany Sunday)

Pastor David Nicol

Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12

Why Myrrh? Why Myrrh? Isaiah talks about Gold and Incense, but the Magi brought Myrrh… Generally, an epiphany is a sudden realization—If you remember the Peter Pan sequel “Hook” from a few years ago, the character Smee exclaims “I’ve just had an apostrophe!” with a stunned look on his face, and Hook responds, “you mean an epiphany…” In the Church, an epiphany—a sudden realization, is a moment where God’s Transcendence and Immanence become clear together: when we suddenly realize, yes, Jesus is human like the rest of us, but he’s also so much more than that! This week, in this context, I had an epiphany about the myrrh.

In the Eastern Church, the Feast of the Epiphany predated Christmas, and even today, Epiphany is far more significant in those traditions than Christmas. Over the next three weeks we will hear the three most significant Epiphany stories of the ancient Church: The 3 Magi (which we just heard), the Baptism of Jesus, and the Wedding at Cana. Each is an in-breaking of God into human experience – a moment where Jesus’ Divinity is revealed: Each is a moment where the people around Jesus realize his divinity—where the Holy Mystery of Jesus is made manifest to those around him.

That’s enough of a history lesson, I think—I asked the question, why myrrh at first—and I think honestly, the myrrh, and the cross, are the key to understanding the Magi. Most of us probably wouldn’t give a baby gold, frankincense or myrrh, but myrrh is especially odd—we might give money or savings bonds, which are our modern equivalent of gold. Some of us might give Bibles, religious items, or similar things, which are sort of like giving incense, but most of us probably wouldn’t pre-pay for a funeral for a newborn… myrrh was the ancient Jewish mixture used for embalming bodies. The Magi brought myrrh…

I know we often think about Christmas on its own—and we’re probably tempted to do the same for Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord, or the story of the Wedding at Cana—these are basically happy stories—but none of these stories means much of anything without Good Friday and Easter.

The Magi got it. They brought myrrh… Matthew makes sure not to leave out the item Isaiah does. Isaiah signals that the coming Messiah would be a King and High Priest, but the Magi go one step farther—myrrh admits that Messiah Jesus’ death would play a significant role in his ministry to the world!

Paul makes a similar theological point in Ephesians 2. Jews and Gentiles would be reconciled to one another and God “in his flesh” and “in one body …reconcil[ing] both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” Jesus offers us peace, with one another, with the world, and with God. Through the Cross-, Jesus has offered new life to the world.

We as Christians have been given the responsibility of sharing this gift of peace to the world around us. God came to be with us in the holy mystery that is the incarnation. God continues to come among us in the Holy Mystery that is Holy Communion. God offers grace to us, demonstrating overwhelming, unconditional love by giving his life for us on the Cross. Because Jesus was far more than just a baby, because Jesus was God come in the Flesh, his death and resurrection are far more than just the death and miraculous resurrection of any average person. God loves us so much, and wants to overcome our separation from God and one another, that Jesus Christ died, suffering separation from the Father and the Holy Spirit so that we might be in full and right relationship with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit! As the Body of Christ, we have been called to stand as a temple to the Lord, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

The apostolic faith of the Church refuses to allow differences among Christians based on who we used to be, recognizing that the only important distinction for us to make is between those of us who have been called to live new and holy lives, serving as Christ’s Body at work in the world, and those we are called to serve and to invite to join us in Christ’s body. The prophetic message is that we are to turn upside down our usual social understandings—empowering the powerless, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and bringing down the powerful. Christ Jesus’ message goes even farther—God loves us enough to die for us—so we should love one another and our neighbors as we love ourselves!

The Magi came bringing gifts—not because they were told how much the Church budget would be, or because they knew that with gold and incense Jesus could make sure the light bill got paid, or even to pay for staff and food at the local soup kitchen in Bethlehem. No, the Magi brought gifts as an act of praise and thanksgiving for God’s willingness to come among us as a human being. The Magi gave of their wealth, but also sacrificed months of their lives in arduous travel to encounter the King of kings, the Great High Priest, and the Lamb of God born in Bethlehem.

The Magi refocused their lives because they realized the Messiah was coming. The Messiah has come—We need to refocus our lives as well. The Magi brought myrrh to help prepare the Lamb of God for burial—to show the significance of God’s willingness to come among us and die for us, so we might be at one with God. As Christians, we need to be willing to confess that God was made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ—that God became one of us, so that we might become more like God through God’s death and resurrection. We need to be willing to embrace the healing power of the cross, not shying away from the birth, death or resurrection of God in Jesus Christ because we don’t understand it. We need to learn to accept mystery, embrace God’s gift to us, and respond in praise and thanksgiving, as holy and living sacrifices in union with Christ’s offering for us. The Magi brought myrrh—thanks be to God that God loved us enough to use their offering of praise and thanksgiving. Amen.