Month: July 2023

Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla on July 23, 2023. Based on Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

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In today’s agricultural parable, we hear about “weeds” among the wheat. The Greek word used is “zizanion,” generally understood to be darnel. This is an especially undesirable weed for a couple of reasons. First, it looks very much like wheat, so much so that it is sometimes called “false wheat.” Its growth pattern is similar to wheat, and its roots wrap around the roots of the wheat plants. The similarity remains until the ears of grain appear. Only then can you reliably tell the difference. And it’s a good thing you can! Darnel is considered poisonous. In small amounts, it produces an effect like drunkenness. In larger amounts, it can be fatal. Under Roman law, sowing darnel in another person’s field wasn’t just bad manners—it was a crime because the darnel was so dangerous.

So we’re not talking about dandelions here. We’re not talking about something that looks bad or that causes a little bit of damage. We’re talking about poison. Poison that can kill. And yet, in the parable, the master says, “Let it grow until we can be sure which plants are good and which plants are bad.”

Jesus likens the weeds to evildoers. Often, this is taken further to include anyone who does not follow God’s law. If you follow city politics at all, you know that there is a movement afoot to institute a new ordinance against drag performances, largely led by some pastors and their followers. One man who spoke at the council meeting on June 19 kept shouting, “God’s word is true!” and threatening that judgment and vengeance were coming for all of us who do not believe what he does or behave in the way that he thinks we should. (Note: I spoke immediately after him. At the bottom of this message, I have links to some articles.)

So, let’s do a thought experiment. Let’s cleanse our congregation. The first to go are the heretics, so that they cannot lead other people astray. John Nipper preached on Trinity Sunday, the most dangerous Sunday of them all. Afterwards, I shared a video with him called, “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies.” It’s an excellent video that I would encourage you all to watch. St. Patrick gives a bunch of different analogies for the Trinity, and each time, the two supposedly “simple folk” he was talking to explained why he was repeating an ancient heresy. John recognized his own teaching somewhere in the video, so I guess he has to go. There’s a podcast I listen to called “The Heretic Happy Hour.” Each guest is asked why they might be called a heretic, and boy, there’s lots of reasons.

OK, suppose you are not guilty of any heresies. Next to go are the hypocrites. We surely don’t want people who fail to live up to their own ideals! Those outside the church most often criticize “the church” for its hypocrisy, so I guess we’d better purge them all to keep from getting a bad name.

Next, let’s get rid of anyone who has any doubts. I’ve heard it said that doubt is the enemy of faith. Now I’m not so sure about that, but this is just a thought experiment. So the doubters gotta go.

Finally, any sinners remaining better get out. We don’t want their sin poisoning our fellowship. I think Paul said something about that, regarding someone who was engaged in some sort of impropriety.

Heretics, hypocrites, doubters, and sinners. If they’re all gone, is anyone left? Not only that, but at each step of the process, we’re losing the spiritual gifts of people who have lots to give. Our fellowship is enriched by the diversity of perspectives we get from everyone who is willing to be part of it. We learn from each other, we lean on each other, and our gifts reinforce so that we can accomplish far more than we could with some hypothetical “pure” fellowship.

So, you belong. Everyone in this room belongs. Everyone listening online belongs. Everyone who is connected to our church in some way belongs. We all have a gift to share. Each one of us channels God’s love in a unique way. Some are better at being out in front. Some are better at working behind the scenes. Some are better sitting beside you while you heal or while you grieve. Some have musical or other artistic talents that glorify God and enliven our worship. Some just bring joy by being around you.

We all belong. We all have these different gifts, and all form one body. But I know that we are deficient. I know that we do not have the diversity that we need to truly be Christ’s body. Churches are some of the only multi-generational organizations, where you’ll find children and octogenarians and everything in-between. The most vital churches have people of different races and ethnicities, from different classes and professions, with different educational and life experiences. Each new perspective adds depth and color and vibrance to the church. We have some of that, but not enough. Not nearly enough.

What entitles us to membership in Christ’s body that is the church? What have you done to earn your place here today? Well, honestly, nothing. We are all here by the grace of God. We all bear God’s image. We are all made to be channels of God’s love. We have all been chosen by God. Grace is the ultimate unearned privilege, the gift we receive because God wants to give it to us.

And if we belong here today by God’s grace, what about people in the community? Don’t they belong here, too? God’s grace is a free gift, freely given to all those God chooses. It is not up to us to choose who is a weed and who is wheat. It is up to God. God knows who will bear fruit for the kingdom. I believe there are dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people in Rolla who do not currently belong to any church but who have been chosen by God for some task to build God’s kingdom. How much more effective would they be with a community of supporters? How much more would they be able to transform the world if they were aligned with others who saw the world in the same way, who shared their calling?

I also believe that for some large fraction of those people who need a community, this church is not the right place for them. Each person needs to find their own path and their own community. There are some people I work with in the community who are not Christian and never will be, but they are nevertheless building God’s kingdom. They are showing love in their own way. Even churches I disagree with, some vehemently, have a job to do for the good of God’s kingdom. Heretics and hypocrites—but different heresies and hypocrisies than my own. Those churches fill a need for some people. Some people need to be told what to believe, whereas I need to have the freedom to follow God wherever They lead me. Some people need the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit, whereas I am deeply suspicious of those supposed experiences. That’s fine—that’s why I’m here and not at First Assembly or Greentree or Harvest Worship Center.

But there are certainly some people in Rolla and in Phelps County and surrounding areas who need to hear the message we have about God’s love. There are people who hunger and thirst for righteousness, but don’t know how to find the bread of life or the living water that we know about. There are people who care deeply about the same things that we care deeply about, who can build us up while we build them up.

So I have another thought experiment. Let’s suppose we decide we want to have the most impure church of them all. Are you a heretic? Good! Join our Bible study; I’m sure you’ll liven it up. Too often, we read the Bible and see things that aren’t really there, because we’ve been told that they are. We need someone to question our assumptions so we can more nearly approach the Truth revealed in Scripture. Are you a hypocrite? Well, join the club. Let’s work together on cleaning up our hypocrisies. Let me tell you how I’m trying to improve, and you tell me how you’re trying to improve, and together, maybe we’ll find a better way to follow God. Are you a doubter? Well, thank God, because I am, too. I mean, geez, some of the stuff in the Bible is just unbelievable. Have you ever read it? There’s some weird stuff in there. Are you a sinner? Well, aren’t we all? Who am I to judge your sin? I’ll judge my own, and you can judge your own, and we’ll rely upon God’s grace to save us both.

That would be a whole lot more exciting! I’m sure we can be more successful inviting heretics and doubters to join us than seeking perfect believers. There’s a lot bigger pool to draw from. If nothing else, it would demonstrate intellectual humility. Some people try to find a church with exclusive access to the Truth, with a capital T. Like, after 2000 years, one church will finally get it right. I think it’s more likely that we’re all wrong, and we would come a lot closer to living the way God intends if we just live in that uncertainty and prioritize being loving over being right.

Somewhere in Rolla, right now, outside our doors, someone needs to hear about a God of love, a God of forgiveness, a God of grace, a God who accepts us in all of our messiness and imperfection, a God who desires them to flourish and grow. So I asked you last week: Who do you seek to share this love, this message of God’s kingdom with? What is your particular calling? Who do you seek to serve?

Ming asked me after worship last week, “So what’s next?” I told him to come this week, so I guess it’s time for me to deliver on that. Have you all had time to think and pray about your calling? Did you bring your card back? If not, there are more cards by the stack of hymnals in the narthex. First of all, if you weren’t here last week, let me walk you through what you missed. I want you to identify one thing, one calling, something that you personally feel called to do. Someone that you want to serve. Someone to whom you want to show God’s love. My rule is, it has to be someone, some group, outside this church and outside your family. I assume that you all want to love each other and love your families, but that’s not what we’re after here. What is the one thing that really calls to your inner being? Maybe it’s something you’re already doing, or maybe it’s something that has been nagging at you, something you want to start. Or maybe you already do a lot of different things and you need to figure out what ties them all together. Like I said last week, I do a lot, but there is one thread that runs through it all.

Once you know what that one thing is, or at least have some idea of what it might be, your next task is to think of three people in this congregation who might share that same calling, or something close to it. People who can help you, support you, and give you ideas and inspiration.

So now, I want you to really think hard about it. If you have already thought this all through, start thinking about one step you might take to follow God’s calling, God’s claim on your heart and your life. If you haven’t come up with your one thing yet, maybe jot down a few things that kind of circle around your calling, or a few spiritual gifts that you think you have to offer someone else. I’m going to give you a few minutes now to do that.

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OK, so you have that ready? Now, I want you to hold that card close to your heart, and we will pray together. Then keep it all in your heart and mind while we conclude the worship service. Keep it in your heart while you affirm your faith in our ever-present God. Keep it in your heart while we lift up our gifts to God. Keep it in your heart while we sing together and while Randy offers his gift of music to God. And then after worship, go find one of the people on your card and talk with them. If they’re not here today, call or email them this week. If you haven’t figured out your own calling, perhaps it’s because someone else is about to ask you to help them. Maybe you have a particular insight, a particular gift, that someone else needs right now. And I believe that through the Holy Spirit, we will each find our partners in ministry. As Brian McLaren said, “It’s not about the church meeting your needs; it’s about joining the mission of God’s people to meet the world’s needs.”

So now hold your card to your heart, and let’s pray:

Come, Holy Spirit. Come among us and guide us. Bless each person’s gifts and show each of us how best to use those gifts to build your kingdom. Guide us as we seek to transform the world with your love. Help us each to find our partners in ministry so that together, we can do more than we ever can do alone. Bind us together into one body, Christ’s body, to walk where Christ walks, to see and hear with Christ’s eyes and ears, to work with Christ’s hands, and to love with Christ’s heart. All this we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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I referenced a controversy in Rolla. LGBTQ+ Rolla hosted its third Pride celebration this year. We moved to a spot in downtown Rolla and included entertainment: Rodney Wilson, founder of LGBTQ+ History Month; Mystic Sands Bellydance Troupe; and a drag show led by Roxanna Rexia. Although there was no nudity and no sexually explicit content, this incurred the wrath of some pastors in town. Here are some articles about it.

Article about June 19 meeting from Phelps County Focus

Article about July 17 meeting from Phelps County Focus

Article about July 17 meeting from NPR

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Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla on July 16, 2023. Based on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.

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Who here is a gardener? Rhonda is, and her parents are, but I’m not. My preference is to buy produce at the store, or perhaps at the farmer’s market. If we must grow our own vegetables, then my preference is to buy plants, not seeds.

Rhonda’s parents are a lot more dedicated, though. In about February, which is probably too early, they start plants from seeds in their garage. They have two big tables that they cover with little seed-starter pots. They put the trays of pots on heating mats, and when the seeds germinate, they start the grow lights. Once the weather is acceptable and the plants are reasonably large, they put the plants outside for brief times to harden them, then eventually plant them in the garden. If a frost comes, they cover the baby plants with straw to protect them.

Now, perhaps this is an appropriate approach to growing vegetables, but it is not at all what farmers do to grow grain. This parable describes very different agricultural practices, which were common at the time. First, the land is cleared. There’s no discussion of tilling the ground, but presumably the farmer does something to get the ground ready. Then, the seed is spread indiscriminately. Not placed carefully in neat rows, but broadcast, kind of like the way we might plant grass. Well, after all, wheat is a grass, so that makes sense.

I did a little bit of research about wheat germination. If you take particular care of the seed, storing it at the right temperature and humidity, and plant it at the right time, you might get 92% germination rate. However, if you allow the moisture content to get too high, or you have certain kinds of wheat, or your timing is off, perhaps the germination rate is as low as 8%.

All in all, farming in ancient Judea and Galilee was a dicey proposition. Even setting aside the heavy tax burden, the methods and materials and equipment available to them were far less sophisticated than modern farming. Jesus’s audience would have known all of this. They would have known how hard they had to work to get a good wheat crop each year. They would have known how careful they needed to be with their seeds. They would have known how important the soil is to the success of their harvest, but also how little control they had over where they were able to sow. I mean, it’s not like they could just choose a different plot of land—they had to sow and reap on their own land. Maybe that land would be hard packed in places due to footpaths. Maybe that land would be rocky. Maybe that land would be adjacent to wild thorn bushes that would invade after they planted their crops.

Jesus used this common knowledge to teach his audience about the kingdom of God. One way to hear this parable is to consider yourself to be the soil. Hear and understand, not like the ones he likens to the path. Have deep roots, not like the ones he likens to rocky soil. Keep free of the cares of the world and the lures of wealth, not like the ones he likens to wheat among the thorns. Yield good fruit, thirty or sixty or a hundred-fold.

Absolutely. We should absolutely strive to be good soil, receptive to the message of God’s love. Repent! Turn away from the cares of the world. Have deep roots, and be willing to go wherever God calls you, even if it means carrying your cross, being accused of disrupting society or even of sedition.

But in verse 18, Jesus calls this “the parable of the sower,” not the parable of the good soil. So, he must have been trying to teach his disciples something about the action of the sower. When he is explaining the four scenarios, he starts with, “this is the one who hears the word.” So somehow, Jesus is trying to connect the action of the sower to the ones who hear the word of God’s love.

Who is the sower? Well, it could be God. The Holy Spirit does indeed flow over people, and Creation itself sings of God’s goodness. Perhaps Jesus was describing what he was doing. But I think he was trying to teach his disciples that they should be good sowers.

Let’s think again about the farming process. One season, you harvest your crops. You eat what you need, sell what you can, and save back some seed for the next year. When the time is right, you clear the land and prepare it to receive the new planting. Then you spread seed broadly over the land.

So, the first step is to feed yourself. Hear God’s Word. Study it. Experience it. Immerse yourself in God’s love. Be a part of a community that helps you connect with God. Then filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with love for God and for your neighbor, you will be ready to go forth and spread the seed of God’s love in other hearts. Remember, the kingdom of God is marked by abundance, not scarcity. There is always plenty of love to go around. If you feel depleted, it’s because you’re giving more than you’re getting, and you need to refocus on feeding yourself. Each person has different needs; figure out your needs, what you need to feel spiritually replenished.

Then go and spread love. The sower spreads seed indiscriminately. They know that some places won’t produce and some seeds won’t grow, but they don’t know which ones, not really. Like the sower, spread love indiscriminately. Jesus said to love your neighbor, and basically kept re-defining “neighbors” to include everyone. He never taught anyone to withhold their love, but rather that people who seem unlovable are like the barren ground—they just haven’t received the seed of God’s love yet. But if you plant love there, it might yield fruit.

Might. Jesus didn’t give his disciples any guarantees. He knew that some people are just not receptive to the message, and others seem receptive but don’t stick with it. Perhaps this is a counterbalance to his commissioning back a few chapters. I spoke about Matthew 10 a couple of weeks ago. Jesus had been working hard, teaching and preaching all around Galilee, and he decided to commission some disciples to work in his name. He gave them some instructions, which honestly were a little bit intimidating. I mean, he said they were like sheep among wolves, that they would be handed over to councils and flogged in synagogues and they would be hated by all. Gee, sign me up. Still, the disciples went forth and came back rejoicing! Well, even if they had some initial success, there was no guarantee of their long-term success. Building God’s kingdom is a marathon, not a sprint. So perhaps Jesus wanted to embolden them a bit, so they wouldn’t be disheartened when they returned to a village and found that people had turned away from what they had taught.

Jesus said when he commissioned the disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” He knew that God would multiply the efforts of the disciples. Their little bit of work would yield fruit 30, 60, or 100-fold. They might return to a village and find that some were like the seed that fell on the path, or like the seed that fell on rocky ground, or like the seed that was choked out by thorns. But they would find some who were like the seed that fell on good soil. Those few who heard the good news, understood it, grew deep roots to tap into God’s love, and turned away from the cares of the world would produce fruit in abundance for God’s kingdom. They in turn would spread God’s love to others, who would spread it to others, and so on until the world is transformed.

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be among those early followers of Jesus, or of the movement that sprouted after his resurrection? Hearing stories straight from the Son of God, or from eyewitnesses of his life. Seeing the signs of the inbreaking of God’s kingdom. From a few close disciples, a movement spread, first across Judea and Galilee, then later around the Roman Empire and points beyond. It grew from a small sect within a minor religion to the largest religion in the world. How did this happen? From people telling stories of their encounters with God, caring for their neighbors, and holding firm to the teachings that they received. God indeed multiplied the efforts of those early Jesus-followers to create a massive network of believers.

What we have seen in America and other Western nations over the past generation or two is a steady erosion of that network. Five hundred years ago, the western church splintered into thousands of denominations. Collectively, these splinters retained enormous cultural power, but fifty years or so ago, that cultural power was disrupted so that now, people no longer feel a need to be Christian to be part of society. This has had all sorts of negative effects on established churches, but one important positive effect is that we now need to think seriously about what we’re doing. We can’t just go through the motions and keep doing what we’ve always done because we’ve always done it. No longer do people attend church because their parents told them to, at least adults don’t. They consciously choose what to believe, what community to join, and how to connect to the Divine.

So, the task before us is to sow God’s love broadly, among people who don’t automatically assume that Christians are the kind of people they want to be around, but more often the opposite. We are tasked with sowing God’s love—somewhere. Remember what I said a couple of weeks ago, about God’s call to each of us individually and to all of us as a congregation? Well, it’s time to be specific. Everyone should have received a note card on their way in, and there should be pencils in the pews. I’m not going to collect the cards, but I do want you to use them. Here’s what I want you to do right now. I want you to think about God’s particular calling for you personally. Forget about what the church is doing. Just think about what you are called to do. What are you passionate about? Who do you feel called to serve? Who do you feel called to love? What you write down could reflect something you are already doing, or it could be something that has been nagging at you, a discomfort that is calling you to action.

Eventually, after you have really thought things through, you should only have ONE calling. I mean, I do lots of different things, but they all have ONE thread that ties them all together. If you’re wondering which activity in your life is your actual calling, maybe ask yourself: if there’s a schedule conflict, which one would you choose?

Once you have that down, I want you to take another step and think about who in this congregation might have a similar calling. Maybe not the same, but similar. Someone who might want to help you in whatever you’re called to do, or who might have some ideas that would help you. Try to come up with three names. The challenge will be to get people whose ONE THING is connected to your ONE THING.

So, let’s take a few minutes and think about that, writing notes on your card, and then we’ll pray.

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Let’s pray: Lord God, we thank you for the strength you give us by your Holy Spirit, and the way you bind us together and multiply our efforts so that we can transform the world into your glorious kingdom. Bless us now as we consider what steps we should take to be effective sowers of your love in our community. Give us courage and endurance, open hearts and open minds. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Now over the coming week, I want you all to continue thinking and praying about your calling. Feel free to talk with others about it, but don’t feel obligated to do so. Next week we have another agricultural parable, and we’ll think and pray more about our future together.

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Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla on July 2, 2023. Based on Romans 6:12-23.

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Brené Brown is a researcher in the field of social work. She catapulted to fame in 2010 when she gave a TEDx talk called “The Power of Vulnerability.” Her research is primarily in the area of leadership, vulnerability, and shame, and how they are all connected. It’s important to recognize that “guilt” and “shame” are separate concepts that are only loosely related. American culture is primarily built on a guilt-innocence paradigm. If you do something wrong, you are guilty and deserving of a proportional punishment. If not, you are innocent and do not deserve punishment.

Many cultures around the world, including that of Biblical Judea and several regions of the US, are built on an honor-shame paradigm. Brown grew up in such a culture in Texas. Shame is less factual and more emotional. Shame is about whether or not you measure up to your community’s standards. Often, these standards relate to gender and family roles. For example, maybe you are seen as not “manly” enough if you don’t act in a certain way. That doesn’t really incur “guilt,” because you haven’t actually violated any laws, but it does incur shame.

Shame is a powerful force embedded deep in the human psyche. Shame leads to being outcast, and in a primitive society, being outcast is nearly a death sentence. At the least, it’s an exclusion from the continuation of your family line.

Brown has studied the impact of shame on relationships for more than two decades. The challenge we face is that building a loving relationship requires vulnerability, but vulnerability then exposes us to the pain of shame. She wrote, “We desperately don’t want to experience shame, and we’re not willing to talk about it. Yet the only way to resolve shame is to talk about it. Maybe we’re afraid of topics like love and shame. Most of us like safety, certainty, and clarity. Shame and love are grounded in vulnerability and tenderness.” She also said that shame needs three ingredients to grow: secrecy, silence, and judgment. But what kills it is empathy.

Sin is associated with both guilt and shame. In a sense, guilt is easier to deal with. Suppose I steal something and therefore incur guilt. I can deal with the guilt by making restitution to the victim and possibly by being punished by the government, whether I’m fined or imprisoned. Now the guilt is dealt with by a proportional response. Shame is MUCH harder. Forever after, I would be branded as a thief and shunned by society. There are lots of jobs I wouldn’t be eligible for, and many of my friends would abandon me.

I think the best definition of sin is whatever separates us from each other or from God. In a sense, then, shame is sin. Shame causes us to hide from God, like Adam & Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Shame prevents us from confronting our guilt and repairing our relationships. Paul wrote that the “wages of sin is death.” Well, that death takes the form of shame that keeps us from thriving.

As I thought about the way sin and shame control us, I was reminded of some parasites that turn animals into zombies. Have you ever heard of those? They are fascinating. I don’t really understand how they work, except that they somehow take over their host’s brain. The Ophiocordyceps genus of fungi lives in an insect. The fungus controls the host insect’s brain and steers it to a place with the right temperature, humidity, and other conditions for the fungus to grow. When it matures, the fungus sprouts stalks and disperses spores to take over other insects.

Here’s another one. The Euhaplorchis californiensis is a kind of worm that grows in a carpet-like layer atop the brain of a California killifish. They can live and grow there, but they can only reproduce inside the guts of birds. So when they are ready, they force the fish to swim near the surface of the water and otherwise behave erratically so that a bird will see it and eat it. This is a more subtle form of control, in that the fish still basically behaves normally but does a few things that are risky. The worm basically suppresses the fish’s survival instincts.

Sin is like that Euhaplorchis californiensis worm. It burrows down inside of us and makes us do things we wouldn’t otherwise choose to do.  We fail to notice things that might harm us. The first few steps are innocuous enough, but gradually, we ignore the risks inherent to our behavior. Or like the Ophiocordyceps fungi, we let sin and shame steer us towards an environment where they can grow and blossom. We surround ourselves with people who encourage the wrong behaviors, or we hide from those who would help us escape the grip of our bad habits. Eventually, we become fully consumed by our sin and our shame.

But the promise of the Gospel is that we don’t have to stay in those dark places where shame grows. Through grace, we are forgiven of our sins. We don’t need to hide from God, for God knows our inmost heart and loves us anyway. God sees us as image-bearers, reflecting God’s goodness, no matter what the world sees. As we do each Sunday, we may approach God with boldness and confess our sins, assured in advance that God will forgive us and wash away all our shame. Rather than let it grow like a parasite in the darkness of secrecy, silence, and judgment, we may confess it in the light and be made clean and whole.

In some Christian traditions, the message ends there. But I say, what’s the point? Why does God forgive us? Why are we freed from our shame? Well, again, in some traditions, the answer is, “so we can go to heaven.” But as a universalist, that’s unsatisfying to me. And anyway, if that’s the only reason, why not wait until your deathbed, live a long life full of debauchery and get your freedom right at the end?

Paul writes, “Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” He anticipated that argument. The Romans might say, Hey, we’re forgiven, so let’s go wild! Paul says no: that path still leads to separation from God, it still leads to shame, it still leads to death.

We are saved so that we are free from the grip of sin and shame. Instead, we are led to righteousness. Last week, I spoke about the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the kingdom of God. Well, our freedom from sin is what enables us to become aligned on these two axes. We are free to follow God, with no need to worry about God’s judgment on us. We are free to reconcile with one another, with no need to worry about either of us being judged. We are sanctified and we participate in the sanctification of the world.

We are all called individually to the ministry of reconciliation. I have a particular calling that I’ve spoken about, and I know that at least some of you have identified your own particular calling. These are ways that individually we may pursue God’s kingdom. One by one, we go into the world and show God’s love to people we meet. We come here to be spiritually fed, then we go out and proclaim that the kingdom of God is at hand, through our words and actions. We meet people where they are and help them to see God working in their lives.

But the larger question is, what ministry of reconciliation are we called to as a congregation? I can only do so much—I can only be in one place at a time, and I have a job and a family. The same goes for each person—everyone has limitations and obligations. But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If we are individually working in lots of different directions, we can affect people at an individual level. But if we all work in the same direction, our efforts reinforce one another and multiply.

On multiple occasions, as recently as last week, I’ve said that our job is not to build a church but to build the kingdom of God. What I mean is that our primary calling is to reconcile the whole world to God and to each other. That’s a huge task, one that is impossible. If we each do a little bit, though, and work in one little corner, God will amplify our efforts and God’s reign will break through. And if we all do a little bit in basically the same corner of God’s kingdom, we will support each other and strengthen each other.

The way that impacts our church, then, is that other people see what we’re doing and want to help, too. They want to be part of the inbreaking of God’s kingdom. They need the support we can give them, and they are willing to give us support when we need it.

I recently read an addendum to Good to Great by Jim Collins. He has mainly studied businesses that far outperformed their rivals, but also did a pilot study of nonprofits and other non-business organizations. An important part of the success of any organization is what he calls the “hedgehog concept.” There is an ancient Greek expression attributed to Archilochus, “A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog knows one big thing.” The hedgehog concept is the ONE THING that an organization does well. It’s at the intersection of what our passion is, what we can do better than everyone else, and what drives resources. In business, “resources” means money. In a church, “resources” means money, yes, but also time and energy and ideas and people.

We have been freed from the shame of our sins. Everyone in this room, everyone watching online, everyone who is connected to this church in any way, has been freed of their sins. And so has everyone else. But for those of us connected to this church, this extension of Christ’s body has been called to do ONE BIG THING to reconcile people to God, to take part in the transformation of the world. We will shortly go to the Lord’s Table to receive spiritual nourishment to strengthen us in our pursuit of God’s kingdom. How will we pursue righteousness? What is our calling? What are we prepared to do, as a church, to spread God’s love, to sanctify one little corner of God’s kingdom? Let us listen to the guiding of the Holy Spirit as we lean on each other and work side by side for the renewal of world. Amen.

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