How Did We Get Here? Wisdom Together

Wisdom Together                                                        6/26/16

Proverbs 4, Colossians 1:28-2:7

 

Solon found himself right in the middle of it.  Before him was placed a political, social, emotional and human conundrum, and failure would mean civil war.  On his left were the wealthy, the land owners, the oligarchy (a leadership group consisting of family heads).  On his right, the farmers. 

 

Aristotle would later describe Solon as “middle class in wealth and status” (this is one of, if not the, earliest recorded use of the term).

                       

The problem was an extreme divide in wealth and the outcome was debt and debt bondage.  Farmers were becoming slaves in their own country.  Some had their children taken away as slaves by the wealthy to settle debt.  The system was broken, tension was heated and civil war was ready to happen.

 

The landowners wanted to keep their land.   The farmers wanted to live outside of an unreasonable debt system.  Everyone’s eyes turned to Solon.  What is the plan?

 

Solon was given the resources and trust of both parties.  They would respect his decision.  Solon cancels the debts, returns the children and land ot those who had them taken away, calls the exiles home and warns the rich that moderation is better than luxury.  Solon then introduces a term:  Eunomia.

 

Eunomia was the greek word for “the good order”.    This word was born out of abstract thinking, but it also made sense to the people.  This was what was needed:  the good order.

 

As a result of Solon’s call to good order, classical Greece expands its government to include more participation among a variety of people.  Society was defined by certain classes and phyle, and each of them had representation, and specific jobs given, with those who  were outwardly successful continuing in leadership roles.

 

Solon touched on something with a deep truth:  that there is eunomia (good order) to society, but also to family life, and the natural world.  Because of Solon, there was now a good order to the oligarchy and farmers of Ancient Greece.  The 6^th century in Greece gives birth to a golden age.   Democracy prospers because a good order was defined.

 

This summer, we will be looking at the question:  How Did We Get Here?  It is a review of the broad themes and values of western civilization.  Last week, we introduced Oral, Pre-Written History, with its lasting gift that life is more than survival.  Today, we lift up Classical Greece, and the practice of Wisdom Together.

 

Classical Greece, strong from the 800’s to 400’s BC, ruled throughout the Mediterranean, and whose values were continued by Rome when that Empire came to rule.  Greece provided several successful examples of wisdom together, including:

·       the purer form of democracy, that people could cast their vote after healthy debate

·       Heads of families, rather than dictators or emperors, worked together to offer direction

·       The master/disciple model used by Jesus Christ

·       Plato’s weaving together a multi-discipline worldview that eventually became what we call western civilization

·       Continuing the idea that the individual was part of something bigger and more important.

 

Wisdom is defined as the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships.  Wisdom is more than knowing what is right, it is also acting correctly.  We could say that wisdom is using the right information the right way.  The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia.

 

The Book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom.  This includes individual sayings, but also the background of why Solomon seeks to convey wisdom to the next generation.  Wisdom is for our life.

 

In Proverbs 4, we have a who, what, why, when, where and how of wisdom. 

 

Who?  Wisdom is called a protector, someone who watches over us.  Wisdom is referred to as feminine.  Wisdom is someone who seeks to exalt people, to lift them up.  She is a garland to wear around you. 

 

What should we do with wisdom?   4:13 cautions us to guard her, for she is our life.

 

Why should we have her in our lives?  Wisdom offers us health, even long life.  She is in our lives so that our steps will not be hampered and our running not stumbling.  We should have her in our life so that we avoid the evil path.

 

How do we get wisdom?  We are to listen to instruction, to pay attention, to get understanding.  There is a responsibility on our part, and bad habits can make it harder to overcome.  We are to take hold of her words, and keep the commands.  Solomon speaks clearly that getting wisdom will cost us; but that it is worth whatever it costs, even all we have.

 

When and where will you use wisdom?   Wisdom can be present throughout all the seasons of life.  She will be on our path.  Wisdom is about the matters of the heart.  We are to be wise in our words, to look out for wisdom with our eyes, and our gaze, and to give wisdom careful thought as we forge out paths.  Displaying wisdom requires a steadfast dedication, to stay on the right path, and to not turn toward evil. 

 

In Colossians, Paul teaches us about wisdom in the church (our life together).  He appropriately proclaims that Jesus Christ is our wisdom, and that we should teach about him and learn about him, and from him and his teachings.  Focusing on Jesus Christ allows us to find maturity.  What a wonderful gift maturity is, it is that good order that speaks to us as created beings.  Jesus gives us wisdom, and the energy to help others find wisdom.

 

What happens when we find Christ, and his wisdom?  We feel close to fellow travelers.  Paul tells the Colossians that they will be encouraged in love, united in love, and have the full riches of complete understanding.  Are these things that you want in your life?  Do you want them for the congregation?  Together, we are invited to know the mystery of God (Jesus Christ), in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.    Knowing Jesus also allows us to not be deceived, to have a faith that is firm, rooted and growing in Christ.

 

It isn’t just about being together.  All sorts of groups can be on the same page, and be together in their work.  Our work as Christians is about Christ.  He is the one we lift up, and in doing so, we find ourselves lifted up by old friend wisdom. 

 

Ancient Greece does offer us one extreme warning about being together, but not being wise together.  Some competition had been developing among the different philosophical groups.  When tensions rise, and accusations start to fly, one of the teachers is brought to trial.  A vote is called, and the people pay attention to the accusations rather than what was wise.  And as a result, Socrates was sentenced to capital punishment.  What a tragic loss that wisdom had been disconnected from the togetherness.

 

It was Socrates who brought forth important questions for the world to consider:  What is just?  What is truth?  What is good?

Hundreds of years later, across the sea, God sends the answer in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was just, true and good.  In fact, he said this about himself.  He said that he was the way (that is just).  He said that he was the truth.  He said that he was the life.  Life is good.  For God is the author of life, and God is good.

 

Pray for wisdom.  But not just for yourself.  Pray for wisdom together in all realms of your life.  Pray for your colleagues, pray for your work’s mission statement, pray for the congregation you are a part of, pray for your neighborhood, pray for your family, and for families, pray for leaders, in government and in the church.  Pray for wisdom. 

 

We can have wisdom together, because God has sent Jesus Christ.  In him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

 

How Did We Get Here? More Than Surviving

More Than Surviving                                                           6/19/16

Genesis 21:8-21, Romans 8:31-39

 

To the Glory of God.

 

“We were meant to thrive”

Does life feel like so much of your energy is simply about getting through a day, or a week, or a month?  “If I just get through this…”   Do you feel that you are surviving?  Barely?  

In the beginning of the year, we sought to answer the question:  Who are we?  We are members:  of Christ’s body, and of a Christian congregation.  This summer, we’ll explore the question:  How did we get here?  We will look into the history of Western Civilization, its themes and values.  We will look at how the values of ages long past shape us today, and how they are related to Scripture.

If you are interested in the text beyond Scripture that I will be referencing, it is “Civilization:  A New History of the Western World” by Roger Osbourne.

We start our story with beginnings.  Today, we will look at the era of oral history, history before writing.  One of the great lessons of this time is that human existence is more than survival.

When we call upon what we’ve heard of this time, we might think of how difficult daily existence must have been.  But historians see clues that tell a bigger story. We see a sense of purpose, growth and logic.   For example,

--The cave art speaks to the human need to communicate

--Humans in Europe add farming to hunting and fishing

--there is movement of goods and trade from a large geographic area through the super highway river systems of Europe

--In Cumbria, 4000 years ago, a discovery of an area with enough debris for over 45,000 ax heads.

--in early Celtic Culture:  fostering talented children instead of next of kin for leadership roles in tribes

--the emergence of customary law, rooted in family, where the individual was seen in the context of society, and land was redistributed yearly in order to avoid too much accumulation

It is not only what we know of early history, but what we know of the beginning pages of Scripture, that speak to humans doing more than just surviving:

--In Genesis 4:26, “at that time men began to call on the name of the Lord”, we have public worship

--customary laws seen in Lamech, seeking protection after his law breaking

--the cities referenced to in Genesis 1-11

--the architecture of Babel and the Ark

 

It reminds me of when I was in Israel, and I saw one of the generally agreed upon oldest structures in the world, some 10,000 years old.  Is there anything good we make today that will still stand 10,000 years from now?

Yes, the work of surviving took more time in the era of oral history than it might for many of us today.  Life was difficult.  And our technological innovation certainly bring a sense of ease into our lives.  But we are made for more than survival.

Genesis:

Abraham sends his son Ishmael and Hagar his mother out into the wildnerness.

 Marilynne Robinson

“This is how life goes—we send our children into the wilderness.  Some of them on the day they are born, its seems, for all the help we can give them.  Some of them seem to be a kind of wilderness unto themselves.  But there must be angels there, too, and springs of water.  Even that wilderness, the very habitation of jackals, is the Lord’s I need to bear this in mind.”                 -Gilead, 119

 

God promises to be present

God speaks to Abraham in his distress

God promises Ishmael’s life a purpose

God guides Hagar

God hears the cries and hurt

God shows the way.

 

This is a specific story for Israel’s life.  It is chosen today as an example of beginning generations facing difficulty, but also a deep sense of purpose and humanity.

 

There are special promises from Paul to the Roman congregation, and all to you and I, in our own way, in the wilderness.

 

God is over and beyond anything else.

 

(Me & God, Josh Turner song)

 

As a believer,

          --is God against the one he sent his son into the world for?

          --is God condemning those he has chosen and justified?

          --is God separating himself from his people who go through trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword?

          --No.

 

We are more than (Survivors) conquerors through Christ.

Death, life, angels, demons, present, future, any powers, height, depth, anything else in all the creation:  it cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ.

 

This theme of beginnings passed down to us orally, speak to us old wisdom, the importance of communication and connection and community, the proper place of self,  and the proper mix of local and movement in the grand world,   Life has always been about more than survival.  For all life comes from God.

 

What can we look back and find valuable for life today?

1.     Many in our world can thrive, not just survive

2.     people of faith come alongside to support those who’s full attention is given to surviving

3.     solving issues locally, and as a sense of family

4.     place surviving and thriving into God’s realm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Job as Members: Giving God the Glory

Our Job as Members:  Giving Glory to God                      5/22/16

John 9, Colossians 3:15-17

 

Our Job is to give God the glory.

Webster's Defines Glorify:  to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, admiration

               to light up brilliantly

 Paul tells the Colossians how to do this:

          Every word, every deed, all in the name of Jesus.  Thanking God through Jesus.

 

Why should we glorify God?
Because of who God is, and what God has done.
“The Lord is good, and his love endures forever”

Life is about engaging that idea of giving God the glory as we live through the seasons of life, as we live in our historical context, and as we navigate the culture and society that we are part of.   How do we give God the glory when we are uncertain about the future?  How do we give God the glory when we are tired?  Or hurting?  Or confused?

“Every word, and every deed in the name of Jesus Christ, thanking God for Jesus”.   The practical answer:  Your next word, your next deed in the name of Jesus Christ.  And after you’ve offered your next word to God’s honor, do the same thing again.

Let’s look today at the characters in this Gospel story.  In preparation I listed them, and the word that seemed to characterize what we know of them from the story.

In this story, Jesus did God’s work:  a miracle, a healing.  He is worshipped at the end of the story.  As the story unfolds, there are several different reactions.

 

The Man Born Blind

The descriptive word is HEALED.  Ultimately, the man receives healing from his blindness, but more importantly, he receives healing of his soul through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

His lot in life difficult, he was a beggar.  And when Jesus commands him, he obeys.  As a result, he receives sight. 

When people are talking about him, he speaks plainly:  I am the man.  Hi people, hello, over here, It was me.

Yet he didn’t go back at first to find his healer.  When asked what he thought of the healer, he replies simply:  He is a prophet.  You and I would say something similar. 

The man, when before the religious decision making group, is on the end of a fascinating command:  Give Glory to God, tell the truth.

What is his answer:  I once was blind, and now I see.  (that is an answer that gives God the glory)

The healed man even has a little feisty side.  When asked to repeat his story:  I’ve already told you that.  Are you asking because you want to follow him too?

After being thrown out of the presence of the Pharisees, the man meets Jesus.  When asked if he believes in the Son of Man, he replies, tell me who it is and I will believe.

Being told it is Jesus, the man worships.  “Lord, I believe”, and he worshipped Jesus Christ.

THE DISCIPLES:

The descriptive phrase is DRAWING CONCLUSIONS.  They ask a question of Jesus which was the conventional wisdom of the day, and is still something people today wonder:  Who did something wrong for this person to be blind?

Even if the question seemed legitimate to them, it wasn’t.  Jesus quickly corrects them and redirects their understanding to God’s ways, and not human understanding.

Neighbors that see a New Man

The descriptive word is TALKING.

In the story, there is a discussion going on between those that think one thing and those that think the other.  The problem is:  the answer was right in front of them.  It seems that they have more of an interest in sharing their opinions than in seeking the truth.

The Pharisees                                

The descriptive word is DIVIDED.  Upon hearing that this miracle occurred on the Sabbath, their classic stumbling block came up once again.  And some said that this proved that Jesus wasn’t from God, and the others used the same logic to declare that it shows he must have been from God.   But needless to say, someone got it wrong along the way.  Could God really be that upset that his Son healed a person?

Their inability to understand the Sabbath quickly deteriorates into inappropriate thinking.  Is it God’s will to hurl insults at someone with whom you disagree?  Is it God’s will to throw someone out of a group?  Is it God’s will to ignore a person when God speaks wisdom through someone?  Is it God’s will for us to feel so superior over another person?   

The conflict within the souls of these leaders leads them to do things that aren’t God’s will.

The Parents

The descriptive word is REDIRECTING.

Surely, it would have been difficult to consider the social consequences of being thrown out of the synagogue.  It was the social center of the Jewish life in the 1^st century.  But it is simpler to tell the truth than to be afraid. 

(truth will always win out.  It might be beaten up, dismissed, ignored, challenged, but truth endures.  Because if something is true, then its true)

In this case, the pressure was too much for the parents:  Ask him, he is of age.

 

JESUS
The descriptive word is WORKING AND HEALING.   Jesus’ self-understanding of his mission was perfect.   And as a result, he understood time, and lived with the perfect balance of urgency and intentional behavior.

“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sends me”.

He says this after dismissing the disciple’s misunderstanding.  The man was going to display the works of God.  Jesus was going to do that work, for he was the light of the world.

(earlier, the 2^nd definition of glorifying was to light up brilliantly.  By doing the works of God, Jesus lit up brilliantly his father’s character and mission.  He brought light to the story, and as a result, the blind man could see, but so could anyone willing to look and believe.)

 

He healed the man.  He worked God’s work.  And he healed the man’s soul.  

Jesus also taught his followers to not think more highly of themselves than they should.  Doing so can lead to blindness. 

 

Finally, there were PHARISEES with Jesus, and the descriptive word of them is OFFENDED.

We can easily imagine the scene, they were around Jesus, hanging on every word, when Jesus declared a truth which they weren’t expecting.  “Uh, uh…uh, uh.  Yep…wait, WHAT?   And that is when they get defensive:  So you’re saying that we are blind too?

Being offended is a oft-recorded response in the Bible.  Many people were offended and are offended today.  When we encounter the truth of Christ, we can choose to be offended, and distance ourselves.  Or, we can open our hearts by faith to believe in him, and even if he pronounces a judgment that is hard for us to hear, we should remember the one who speaks.  He has come into this world for judgment, that is, to announce a verdict; that the blind will see. 

We have these people in the story with their reactions.  In some ways these reactions reflect our faith in the 21^st century.  Words like DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, SPEAKING (without discerning), DIVIDED, REDIRECTING,OFFENDED:   these do not have to be the words we use for ourselves.  They are words we might chose for ourselves, much to our shame.

Rather, the man who once was blind, but now saw:  He was healed.  That is a true statement for all who are in Christ.  We are healed. 
And Jesus, coming to work and heal invites us to follow him:  we can work for God’s glory, we can bring Christ’s healing to the world.

 

How do we do that?

 

Your next word, your next action. All in the name of Christ. Then repeat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Job as Members: Worship, NOTES

Our Job as Members:  Worship

Exodus 34:29-35, II Corinthians 3:7-18

 

Review

          Members of Christ’s body through faith in Jesus as Lord

          Members of a congregation take on responsibilities

          Members of a Presbyterian congregation can look to the

                   resources of our history

 

3 weeks of final consideration:   Worship, Discipleship, Glory to God        Today, worship:

Webster's Definition:   worth, repute, respect, reverence paid to divine being

 

A Summary from the Book of Order:   Directory for Worship

          “Time:  Christians may worship at any time, for all time has been hallowed by God.”

          This hallowed sense informs the 7 day week, daily worship and church year

          “Space:  Christians may worship in any place, for the God who created time also created and ordered space”

          “Matter:  God created the material universe and pronounced it good.  The covenant community understood that the material world reflects the glory of God.

          Mission:  All time, all space, all matter are created by God and have been hallowed by Jesus Christ.  Christian worship, at particular times, in special places, with the use of God’s material gifts, should lead the church into the life of the world to participate in God’s purpose to redeem time, to sanctify space and to transform material reality to the glory of God

          Elements of Christian Worship:  prayer, scripture read and proclaimed, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, self-offering, relating to Each other and the world

         Ordering Christian worship:  Gathering around the Word, Proclaiming the Word, Responding to the Word, Sealing of the Word (Sacraments), bearing and following the Word into the world 

          Gatherings:  Prayer, service of wholeness, evangelism, mission, special groups, welcome, ordination, reconciliation, marriage, death 

 

 

Background for the Exodus Reading:

 

Exodus and Law, tabernacle, the golden calf, the law re-introduced

40 days and nights, Moses chiseled the stone with the commands of God.

 

What do we learn about God in this passage?

The Lord’s presence shines bright and glorious   (God is light, and in him there is no darkness)

The Lord’s transforming glory causes closeness and distance

There are always vain attempts to cover up the glory of God.  Vain is the key word in this sentence.

God’s light accompanies his commands.

God has intent and instruction for human beings in order for God’s will to be accomplished

People sensed the greatness of God by way of the radiant faces

 

How does Paul compare the Old and New Covenant?

Death by way of law v. life of the Spirit

Glory v. more overwhelming glory

Condemnation v. justification

temporal v. eternal

 

We learn that it is not good to veil God’s glory, in whatever form it is.  The New covenant gives us boldness.  Turning to the Lord, veil is taken away, freedom is experienced and a new charge is given:  mirror the glory of God,  let the Spirit shine (holy, not yours), we reflect his glory more and more.  We are being transformed into Christ’s image.

 

We can learn what worship is by looking at the strength's that Paul lists regarding the new covenant:

Life of the Holy Spirit, overwhelming glory, by Christ’s justification, eternal

 

How is your face shining?

How are you shining forth the glory of the Lord?

 

Our job as members:  worship, worth giving to God.  God is worthy!

 

All of life can be worship:

Commit  your ways to the Lord.

Pray to the Lord in all situations and seek the glory of God in all aspects of life.

Words, deeds and thoughts offered to God.

 

Book of Order Worship

Mission:  All time, all space, all matter are created by God and have been hallowed by Jesus Christ.  Christian worship, at particular times, in special places, with the use of God’s material gifts, should lead the church into the life of the world to participate in God’s purpose to redeem time, to sanctify space and to transform material reality to the glory of God

 

Highlights from Book of Order:  Directory for Worship

 

Christian Worship:  An Introduction

 Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the Triune God.  In worship the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives.  As they respond to God’s claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, believers are transformed and renewed.  In worship the faithful offer themselves to God and are equipped for God’s service in the world.

 

The Spirit of God quickens people to an awareness of God’s grace and claim upon their lives.  The Spirit moves them to respond by naming and calling upon God, by remembering and proclaiming God’s acts of self-revelation in word and deed, and by committing their lives to God’s reign in the world.

 

In the person and work of Jesus, God and a human life are united but not confused, distinguished by not separated.

 

The people of God response with words and deeds of praise and thanksgiving in acts of prayer, proclamation, remembrance and offering.  In the name of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian community worships and serves God

(1)            in shared experiences of life

(2)            in personal discipleship

(3)            in mutual ministry

(4)            in common ministry in the world

 

Time, Space and Matter:

Time:  “Christians may worship at any time, for all time has been

              hallowed by God.”

    This hallowed sense informs the 7 day week, daily worship

    and church year

 

Space:  “Christians may worship in any place, for the God who

                created time also created and ordered space”

 

Matter:  “God created the material universe and pronounced it

                 good.  The covenant community understood that the

                 material world reflects the glory of God.”

 

Mission:  All time, all space, all matter are created by God and have been hallowed by Jesus Christ.  Christian worship, at particular times, in special places, with the use of God’s material gifts, should lead the church inot the life of the world to participate in God’s purpose to redeem time, to sanctify space and to transform material reality to the glory of God

 

 

Elements of Christian Worship:  prayer, scripture read and proclaimed, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, self-offering, relating to each other and the world

 

Ordering Christian Worship:  Gathering around the Word, Proclaiming the Word, Responding to the Word, Sealing of the Word (Sacraments), bearing and following the Word into the world 

 

Gatherings:  Prayer, service of wholeness, evangelism, mission, special groups, retreats, welcome, ordination, reconciliation, marriage, death 

Leadership Notes

Leadership                                                           4/17/16

I Samuel 16:1-13, John 20:24-29

 

Reminder of the theme in our Membership series:

Members of Christ’s body by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

Members of a congregation, specifically, Presbyterian understanding

 

Leadership:

Definition of the word: (Merriam-Webster)

A position as a leader of a group

The time when a person holds the position

The power, ability, capacity to lead other people

 

Verb:  to lead

To guide on a way especially by going in advance

To direct on a course or in a direction

 

Biblical Definition:

One of the Spiritual gifts defined in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12

“if it is to lead, then do it diligently”

 

Presbyterian Structure, there are 3 positions of ordination for church leadership

Elder, Deacon, Teaching Elder (Pastor)

Everyone in a congregation, when using their spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit, demonstrates leadership.  We are moved into a deeper relationship with God and community by the Holy Spirit. 
 

The Story of David Becoming King

Saul was the first king of Israel.  He was made king though God says this action is a rejection of God by the people. God had communicated to the Covenant people that he would be their king.  Israel wanted one like everyone else had, when really they had the one that no one else had.  They couldn’t see the life and blessing before them.

Saul does not obey the instructions that God gives him, and the word comes to Samuel “I regret that I have made Saul King”.  Out of this background, today’s reading emerges.

Some lessons we learn from Samuel about Leading:

It is the job of a leader to do the will of God.  (16:1)

The Lord calls Samuel out of mourning.  In this case, God had rejected Saul, and now God was sending him to ordain the next king that he had chosen.

It is the job of a leader to think biblically and godly (16:6-7)

We are to place our thinking and understanding before God, so that his plans and ways are honored.  The Lord tells us he has a very different way of looking at the world, and at human beings.  God tells Samuel to start thinking more like God.

It is the job of a leader to ask the right questions (16:11)

Jesse provided all of the information he had wanted to do, to the prophet.  But Samuel then asks, Do you have any other sons?   Leaders can ask thoughtful and creative questions, which move toward solution and fulfilling God’s will.

It is the job of leaders to rise and anoint when God’s word comes.

Maybe not literally, but in this case, when God calls to Samuel and makes his command Samuel obeys.  In those times when leaders are to lead, they do so as a response by faith, to where they feel God is leading them.

John:  Our Response to Jesus Christ

All of us can lead when we use the spiritual gift the Spirit has put within us.  For all the gifts testify to the Lord.  They all announce, in their own ways, the glory of God.

The Disciples Announce:  We have seen the Lord.

Yet so often, the gut reaction by Thomas prevails:   “Unless I see, I will not believe”

The Living and Risen Jesus Christ:

He gives peace, making us right with God.  “Peace be with you”

He tells the truth, silencing our objections.  “Put your finger here, reach out your hand”

He invites us to life:  “Stop doubting, and believe”

 

Scripture reminds us “a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6).  We might often be surprised by who God puts in our lives to direct his will into our hearts.

If we are paying attention, everyone will lead when they display their spiritual gift.  Definition was “to direct on a course or action”

 

Notes on the Benefits of Membership

The Benefits of Membership

II Chronicles 34:13-33

Culturally, the decline in people becoming members of organizations is well documented.  This is not limited to the church.  But the easier work is to recognize the deconstruction that has taken place.  The more interesting question is, by placing less value on membership, what are we missing?

Definition from the Book of Order:

MISSION with a Purpose

*Church engaged in God’s mission

*Engaged with all the gifts necessary for being a church

*local congregation provides an example of the witness of the Church, contributing strength to the whole

The specific mission:  Reach out with the gospel, gather for worship, offer care and nurture, speak for justice and righteousness, bear witness to truth and God’s reign coming to the world

Not designed to work without trust and love.

MEMBERSHIP by a Promise

What is membership?

individuals living together in covenant life with God and each other through their confession of Jesus Christ as Lord.

Baptism:  of believers—God’s gift of grace calls forth a response

               of children—God’s love claims people before they are able to respond in faith.

 Let us understand membership in Christ's body as a gift of grace that has come to us from before us, and a gift that needs a response.

Illustration of giving a gift:

Take what you know of a person you love, that you want to bless.
You take care and the steps necessary to make another person happy.
What do you hope for when you give the gift?  Thank you response.

Ultimately, the benefits of membership are not self-fulfillment but participation in God’s mission for the world.

 What do members do?  The ministry of members    (read directly from the Book of Order)

 

Model led by Josiah (Healed by Yahweh)

Differences:  

*Transition from Assyria to Babylon, Jerusalem free to rule itself

*Josiah comes to reign in 631

*a time of monarchy, not constitutional representative

*part of God’s work in Israel, not the church nor America

*lessons of the benefits to membership to be learned by this story

The benefits of community and membership

1.         Leaders who seek the righteousness of God and are attentive to and humble before God. (19)

2.         Truth telling, even if it involves judgment of sin against the community  (21)

3.         the gifts of a great variety of people are valued, such as Hulduh,  (22)

4.         to be brought into God’s story, his call and judgments  (23-26

5.         mercy to the humble  (27)

6.         being called together (the least to the greatest, together) to listen to God’s word together (30)

7.         healing and mercy to the community that remembers the word of God, even if it has not been reviewed or practiced for generations (30)

8.         togetherness that invites participants to remember God’s covenant with the people and obey it now (32)

9.           to clean the space of idolatry (33)

10.     to live in devotion to the Lord (33)