Sermon 4/19/15 - legacy, evangelism

Scripture Readings are Acts 3: 1-21 and 1 John 3:1-7

          We’re in week 2 of hearing the voices of 2 different early groups within the Christian tradition. Acts is trying really hard to make the case that the work Peter and John are doing is in the line of the prophets and Jesus. The writer tells us of a miracle of healing a lame man and gee this story is pretty familiar. Jesus healed a lame man, Bartimaeus, who was carried into the temple on a mat as we read in Mark 10 starting with verse 46. Jesus healed him in the same way by telling the man to get up and walk. Peter and John want to carry on the legacy of Jesus’ work here on earth and this miracle helps to cement the case that these people are the real deal. They do what Jesus did.

          Then we take a look at 1 John. And while there’s not a great miracle performed here, the author is asking are people doing what Jesus did? Do people believe or is their disbelief so great that it causes them to sin? John’s author is so concerned about this that if you read all of the books with the name John on them you could easily formulate the definition that sin equals unbelief.

          So what does this mean for us today? Why don’t we ask some questions of ourselves that these writings are trying to answer at the time they were written. What miracle(s) are we performing to show folks that we are of the same line of Jesus? I’m not saying that we need to be out there trying to raise people from the dead but think about the word miracle – Miriam Webster Dictionary defines as “an unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God” and this is generally what we think about. But what about this other definition: “a very amazing or unusual event, thing, or achievement.” Using that definition what is/are the very amazing or unusual event, thing, or achievement that we can be known for? This thing that demonstrates that we’re in the line of Jesus – what is it? 

          I want you all to think seriously about this. What is the legacy, the thing this congregation will be known for? What will you be known for? As a congregation we are at a point where we should be concerned about our legacy. We need to take an honest, and a somewhat hard look at ourselves. Membership is declining, our offering is declining, our endowment is declining. But we stand at a crossroad, are we going to keep doing what we’re doing, which isn't really working on any front, or are we going to work to create a miracle, a legacy?

          This is exactly what the early Church struggled with so we’re in no different position than our forefathers and mothers. They had to decide whether they were going to be bold and go out into the world and engage it in a variety of ways, offering miracles to those they encounter or if they were willing to let the movement die – a very real option as the leader was killed violently and many of Jesus’ followers were persecuted.

          It’s not fun to think about our legacy because often times that means us not being here – we think end of life planning: wills, estates, funerals. And as much as we all try to avoid these conversations and thoughts, eventually they catch up to us. The question is will it be too late? Will it be too late for us to have any say about what happens to us?

          I would like to say this is where I find hope – that it is not too late for us as individuals and as a congregation to create a real and lasting legacy. We can shape the stories that will be said about us if we do the work now. This means that we will need to do more than worry about liability and the lights turning on and off. While we should be aware of these things, if we operate solely based on these things think about the legacy you’re creating. How will people remember that? What stories will people say? What will people say our ultimate concern is? And is that really what we want to be known for?

          What this means is that we will need to be concerned about the whole person. Do people have enough to eat, clothes on their backs, medicine if they need it? Are people being spiritual fed? Do people have a private and public life of faith? Where can they go to get spiritual fed and how? Do we just assume that it’s being done or are we working in the world to make sure that we cultivate a life of faith? Are we cultivating our own spiritual lives? Next Sunday, we will have worship over in the chapel area and we’re going to watch a video and talk about evangelism – what it is and is not as part of our time together in worship. This will help us gain a better understanding of how to create our legacy.

          We have some discussions to have. These are not always easy to have but for us to be healthy and honest we need to have them. We need to decide what our ultimate concern is. We need to decide how we’re going to address it so that our mission and actions match up. Let us pray that we do this now while we can instead of waiting for the future when it may be too late.