Based on the
GREAT ENDS OF THE CHURCH
©Thomas B. Cundiff
Psalm 84
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise.
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise.
Happy are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways toZion
As they go through thevalley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen inZion
in whose heart are the highways to
As they go through the
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob!
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed.
give ear, O God of Jacob!
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed.
For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
he bestows favour and honour.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
happy is everyone who trusts in you.
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
he bestows favour and honour.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
happy is everyone who trusts in you.
Matthew 16: 13-21
Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
I. MISSION STATEMENTS
One of the greatest declarations in all of scripture: “Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Scriptural declarations like this become the cornerstone—the underpinning of mission statements in churches like ours wishing to make sure all we do is grounded in faith in Jesus Christ.
From our mission statement, “We seek to discern the will of God as we continue to serve the living Christ as a diverse, inclusive, and caring congregation.”
Let’s not forget that mission statements in the context of the church are a call to action. They are about what we are called to “do” in response to what we “believe” to be our calling as disciples. What are we called to do in carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ with us into the world? This is where things get a bit more complicated – because mission can mean different things to different people!
II. MISSION
Dr. Randall Bush. Pastor of the East Liberty Presbyterian church in Pittsburgh MISSION
Option One: Mission Kingdom of God
Option Two: Mission
They are both grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The challenge for me as a preacher is finding ways to do our work as Christ’s church in blending these two key components together. As a church we have used both options in doing mission in our mission statement that says,
WE REACHING UP TO GOD IN WORSHIP AND PRAISE; REACHING IN TO BE NURTURED AS BABTIZED MEMBERS OF CHRIST’S BODY; REACHING OUT WITH HISTORICAL DETERMINATION TO SHARE OUR FAITH WITH OTHERS.
In a broader context, the mission of Christ’s church is much more complex than any particular mission statement. A lot of things converge in our defining our identity when it comes to doing Christ’s work. We’ve said this as church officers and I say this from our pulpit: What we do as Christ’s church is guided by our values, our identity as a Christian community aligned with our values.
Scripture is our primary resource in identifying and defining our identity and mission in doing Christ’s work. There is another resource we use in this work: we also look at the evolving and ancient doctrines of the church, the confessions and creeds of the church, that date back to the Apostles and Nicene Creeds.
Our Elders and deacons answer this question, when ordained,
“Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed Faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do?”
Another key resource that that we use to guide us in our work as a church are the “THE GREAT ENDS OF THE CHURCH”.
The Great Ends of the church were developed around the 1700’s. They have remained the same over the years with very few changes. While we have scripture in one hand, we also have creeds and confessions that help us define our mission. We also have these “Great Ends of the Church” found in the constitution of our church that help us define who we are and what we hope to be doing as Christ’s church. It is statements like this that become ingrained in our identity as a Presbyterian Church. This is why I believe it is important to preach about them. This is why I am a HARD CORE PRESBYTERIAN!
What are the Great Ends of the Church: Under Christ’s Authority,
“The great ends of the church (and there are six of them) are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
This comment on the Great Ends from church historian and theologian J. Houston Hodges,
“our church doesn’t have a singular mission. Our mission is pluralistic—not one purpose but six. The great leaders of our church have stubbornly refused to single out any of the tasks as paramount or to suggest they’re written in ascending (or descending) order of importance.”[3]
A thumbnail review of the Great Ends of the Church are again:
1. “The proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of humankind;” This is my primary calling as a Minister of Word and Sacrament and a teaching elder. This is what I do. I preach. I proclaim the gospel for the salvation of all people! This is the heart of our worship and mission in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.
2. “The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;” God’s mission is to take care of everything God has entrusted our care. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are called to be a compassionate, nurturing congregation in sharing the love of God -- with all people and in everything we do as Jesus’ disciples.
3. “The maintenance of divine worship;” (personally, I would have put this at the top of the list) – we gather weekly if not more often to worship God. Every time we gather whether it is fellowship or a meeting, we begin with worship and prayer. From our mission statement, this is our “REACHING UP TO GOD” in worship and praise in thanking God for all blessings received.
4. “The preservation of the truth;” We must always be honest with each other. The truth we know about ourselves, our world and God is held close to our hearts with sensitivity for the feelings of others. We all want an honest, truthful, relationship with our all knowing, omnipresent creator – God of all time and creation!
5. “The promotion of social righteousness;” Deep, deep down we all want things to be “right” with God. In our community, in this church and in the nation and world – in our families – we want what is “just and right” for all God’s children. This is why it is so hard to sit by in doing nothing while others are suffering. At the core of our being want to “right the wrongs”. The phrase I like to use: We are called to be “right” with God, “aligned” with God in everything we do.
6. “The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven ALL created in the image of God—and this image is always good.
These Great Ends of the Church present a wonderful vision of all that we can be and become as Christ’s church.
As former stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church USA, Cliff Kirkpatrick, once said in response to the “Great Ends of the Church”: our call to share the gospel is matched only by a commitment for justice. The need for meaningful worship is matched by a commitment to always tell the truth. The imperative or building up the Christian community is matched by a call to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven
IV. SO WHAT’S THE POINT?
So what’s the point? Mission Statements? Why do we need them?
Simply, We are “Christ-Centered & Biblically Informed Church”. As we say in our ordination vows, we will be instructed by the confessions and creeds of the church. At the same time life in the church, in different contexts around the world, is extremely complex. Mission statements, along with the creeds and confessions and statements of mission help us place our ministries next to those things we truly value. Mission statements help us flush out and highlight those principles that mean the most to us, that can be helpful in living healthy lives.
Mission Statements, grounded in what we value, give us direction in doing Christ’s work. The Great Ends of the Church become PILLARS that hold us up while at the same time keeping us anchored in principles that guide all of us—aligned with God as Christians and as Presbyterians….and in the future as we move forward as the Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Honestly, as we contemplate our future and the challenges that will be before us a church, it will be extremely important for us to keep our eyes and hearts and minds focused on what God would have us do and become….lodged in what we believe to be our mission anchored in God’s presence with us.
V. THE GOSPEL
I have shared with you what is an admittedly overly simplistic “glimpse” into our mission as a church. In the end everything comes back to the gospel and the lesson that comes to us this morning from Matthew.
As Christians and as Christ’s church we are called to proclaim along Peter with confidence:
Jesus is the Messiah, Son of the Living God!
All the things we do in serving Christ are important. Instructed by scripture, informed through confessions and constitutional statements we are guided in doing Christ’s mission. But the basic affirmation we are always called to make:
Jesus is the Messiah, Son of our Living God!
Let us turn now to the insert in our bulletins and share together, what we believe through the Great Ends of the Church.
AMEN
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