©Thomas B. Cundiff
Isaiah 58: 1-9a
False and True Worship
58Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
3 ‘Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day,
and oppress all your workers.
4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
Matthew 5: 13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
I. INTRODUCTION
I was sitting in the doctor’s office waiting room engaged in a casual conversation with a woman that led to my sharing with her that I was pastor of the Warren Avenue Church
This happens quite a bit. When introduced, people make the connection through some previous experience with our church. A lot of people know about us because of our summer youth programming. I’ve had grown adults tell me they were baptized in the church—therefore a member of the church. This could easily be true since we have done literally hundreds of baptisms of infants and children who never joined or formally became a member of the church. Of the 70-80 baptisms I have done in this church I am guessing only about 10% have actually become members of the church. And they are right when they say they belong to the church. We say clearly that through baptism, you belong to Christ.
The distinction: Belonging to Christ is not the same as being an active member in Christ’s Church!
There are 2.3 Billion people who call themselves Christian. I have to wonder how many of these 2.3 Billion are actually active members in a Christian church?
A few weeks ago I was reading an article by one of my favorite authors, Bishop William Willimon from the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist church and former Deacon of the Chapel at Duke University
[Willimon says] I explain membership something like this: "Membership is not about belonging. Everyone belongs; everyone is welcome. Membership is not about gaining special privileges...becoming a member does not mean you get something that non-members do not get. Rather, membership is about a commitment that you believe God is calling you to serve him by serving the church."
This is worth exploring. Outside the context of church:
II. BELONGING TO THIS NATION CALLED “AMERICA
BELONGING to a particular ideology or culture of faith is not unusual. Most of us are born American. We belong to this country as citizens. What we need to understand is there are hundreds of people in nations around the globe just as proud as we are to be born where they were born….with a strong national identity.
Look what’s has been happening in the Middle East and Egypt this past week…..a deep commitment of Egyptian people to their heritage and way of life with longings similar to what we long for – stability in government and health, a good education and job, a sense of peace and well being. As we’ve been seeing in the news, proud and committed Egyptians – many who are well educated professional people – willing to march and even give up their lives to realize a dream – for many (not all) this is a dream to be citizens of a free, democratic society.
Consider what young Americans put on the line every day to protect our freedoms as Americans…..to protect what we may take for granted by nature of our being born American. For those from other nations who come to America…..as all immigrants did at one point or another, the work it takes to become a committed citizen of the United States of America is quite extensive.
I am not sure, but I don’t think we have any members who personally went through this immigration process….but all of us, if we go back far enough in our genealogies – will discover that we came from someplace else – either slave or free – eventually taking on the identity of being or becoming an American.
There are many requirements to become a naturalized American Citizen including interviews and passing a 100 question test. From an official government publication:
“An applicant applying for US citizenship must have a general knowledge of the fundamentals of U.S.
The applicant must be a person of good moral character and willing to abide by the principles of the U.S. Constitution.”
The applicant must be a person of good moral character and willing to abide by the principles of the U.S. Constitution.”
My addition to this list: One of the greatest privileges of being American: PAYING TAXES!
How long it has been since you’ve studied American History or read through the Constitution. We pledge allegiance to the flag – yet a recent survey indicated that 75% of fifth graders in this country didn’t know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?[2]
Bringing this back to thinking about the church, it’s one thing to be born into a Christian household, to be baptized, and to say proudly you are Christian. It’s quite another thing to establish yourself as an active member of the “Body of Christ” called the church….to know substantially about Jesus and his life and teachings; to participate substantially in what it means to be one of Jesus’ disciples. You can be a good/great Christian – but CHURCH is where we learn what it means to truly be the Living body of Christ.” Worship is where we practice our faith in giving glory to God for God’s gift of Jesus Christ.
Call me an old-time traditionalist, but I struggle with how a person can be a committed Christian outside the context of active participation in the community of faith – the church…..for in church we worship and study and grow and learn about discipleship!
III. BELONGING TO CHRIST AND CHRIST’S CHURCH
For those of us here this morning, members and friends of the church, we have made a serious commitment to say:
Jesus is my Lord and my Savior
And we promise to be active in participating in the church as
active members….
For most of us this is deep and serious commitment…..to say we not only belong to Christ through baptism, but we will be active in living our faith.
With membership in Christ’s church, whether you are a member or friend of the church, there are some (1) privileges and (2) responsibilities to consider….
(1) Privileges of Membership
Some of the privileges of membership in this church: You get to vote when a pastor is called or representatives are elected to serve as church officers. Only members can be on the Session or Board of Deacons—defining the direction the church will go in serving Christ. Membership comes with it the expectation of some active involvement in the “worship and work” of the church. It is a privilege to return to God from blessings received.
(2) Responsibilities of Membership
There are certain responsibilities of membership. Using traditional church language we are called to “discipleship”. This means we learn and grow in carrying the gospel of Jesus into the world….living as Jesus lived….and as Jesus would have us live our lives in relationship with others. We are called to be EDUCATED SERVANTS of CHRIST. This is where our scripture today comes in. The depth of commitment in professing faith in Jesus Christ manifests itself in what we do with what we learn from scripture.
From Isaiah;
Why do we fast, but you do not see?
….is not this the fast that I choose:
to lose the bonds of injustice,
to share our bread with the hungry,
to bring the homeless poor into our house?
Active membership implies not just watching from a distance what the church can do in responding to the needs of the world. Membership requires becoming the “Light of Christ that shines in the city” – and well beyond the boundaries of our city. A light on a hill cannot be hid. We are called to let the light of Christ shine in and through us – or as Isaiah says, “the light that breaks forth like the dawn.
IV. SALT and LIGHT
In the context of scripture, we are challenged to understand what it means, as members of the Body of Christ, to be the Salt and Light of Christ in the world. Scripture really speaks for itself:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?”
Eugene H. Peterson says in his translation of this text:
“Let me tell you why you are here? You’re here to be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.”[3]
We are called to work to bring out the best in people, the good in people, the love we know people hold in their hearts.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid”.
Peterson says of this text, we are called to bring out the “God-colors” of the world. God is not a secret that can be kept. We are called as disciples not to hide what we know and believe….but to live each and every day so that the light of Christ will shine for others to see and experience…..
Worth repeating: As members of the church we become members of Christ himself. We become part of Jesus….his arms and legs and eyes and ears – and voice in the world in which we live. We believe Jesus continues to live in and through us. We are his disciples. The light that shines through us is Christ’s light!
So hold onto this verse. As members and friends of Christ’s church – believe and live because:
You are the light of the world.
A city built on a hill cannot be hid.
Oh God,
“May our light shine before others, so that others may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (vs. 16)
AMEN
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