THE GREAT COMMISSION (Part One)

“The Great Co-Mission”

Next week focus on the GREAT ENDS OF THE CHURCH

First of two Sermons

September 22, 2013

©Thomas B. Cundiff

Isaiah 61: 1-4

The Good News of Deliverance

61The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
   because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
   to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
   and release to the prisoners;
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
   and the day of vengeance of our God;
   to comfort all who mourn;
³ to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
   to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
⁴ They shall build up the ancient ruins,
   they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
   the devastations of many generations.

INTRODUCTION TO GOSPEL TEXTS September 22, 2013   Recent statistics indicate that 95% of Protestant pastors agree that caring for the poor is mandated by the gospel.  90% of pastors report that their churches have directly engaged and cared for the poor.  77% of pastors indicate they preach about poverty from the pulpit several times a year.*   I join with the 95% who agree that a significant component of mission in the church is in caring for the poor.  For example, ecumenically, I would agree with the statement of Pope Frances “that to not care for the poor is to steal from them.”    Today I am going to preach on the Great Co-Mission of the church that consists of two texts.  They may seem different but all come together in my talking about the Great Co-Mission of the church….as I read now from Matthew chapters 25 and 28:      Matthew 25: 31-36 now gives us this missional directive: 31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 28: 16-20, the end of the gospel that gives us what is formally called the Great Commission of the church. 16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’* *Statistics from Sojourners, September-October 2013, pg 32-33, Author Ed Stetzer, Life Way Research

I. 

William Willimon, a retired United Methodist Bishop and pastor at Duke University, said at a recent conference[1]: 

“Jesus was nonchalant about organization

but relentless about mission”.

When you think about it, Jesus didn’t spend a lot of time doing what we would call in the modern world – “administrative work”.   We all know the truth.  Jesus was not a CEO but rather, our LORD and our SAVIOR.        

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we are a church with a mission.  

To quote a Presbyterian colleague from Pittsburgh, Randall Bush[2], the issue for the church is that the word “mission” is routinely misunderstood.   If asked to define mission you are likely to quote one of the texts read this morning that point in two distinct directions when it comes to defining mission:

The first direction in defining mission:  Mission in the name of Jesus Christ is going into the world to serve the disenfranchised of the world.  The biblical grounding is the calling from Matthew 25 that says, “.....for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

The second direction in defining mission is in proactively making disciples.  This is the charge found in Matthew 28 that calls the church to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…..”. 

To again quote from Randall Bush:[3]

“Now at the risk of over-generalization, the first option is strongly emphasized in progressive churches while the second option is commonly found in more evangelical churches. The first puts an emphasis on “faith is what we do,” and encourages us to be active in living out our faith as evidenced by our good works for those in need. The second emphasizes “faith is what we believe” and challenges us to be active in articulating our faith to others, so that they too may come to possess a faith that is easily articulated and shared with others.

I have given this sermon the title “The Great Co-Mission of the Church” in order to bring an emphasis to the two Matthewian texts that have helped us through the years define our mission as the Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church.  I am guessing/predicting that these same texts will come in to play upon my departure as your pastor as the church continues to define its future.

Two important texts.  But what about where we are in this church today in the context in which we worship and do Christ’s work right now? 

II.

While I have been your pastor, now for over a quarter century, this church has had the opportunity to organize itself under the umbrella of three mission statements. 

The first mission statement, more of a slogan, was created #40 years ago by an Evangelism Committee chaired by Jean Lyon  (by the way, Avis and Yvonne had a delightful visit with Jean this past week) -- approved on June 14, 1973.    

This slogan was simply:  “Church Creating Community!” 

I really like this slogan….and shortly after I arrived as your pastor what seems like a really long time ago, the church session built upon this short phrase with a mission statement endorsed on December 11, 1986.

This second statement:

“The Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church remains in downtown Saginaw by choice as a church creating a sense of community.  We are committed to using our human, physical and spiritual resources to enrich the lives of our members and those in our community.  We seek God’s will for us as we strive to be a church where differences are welcomed and nurtured. We will continually encourage others to join with us in our mission.”

This is easily a mission statement that encompasses both of the Matthewian texts and what has become, over the years, the basis in which we have been able to nurture collaborative relationships with our neighbors within the community.

The third mission statement, adopted eleven years after I came as your pastor  was approved by the Session on August 14, 1997 – that was sixteen years ago. 

REACHING UP – REACHING IN – REACHING OUT”

“The Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church remains in downtown Saginaw by choice as an urban church serving Christ in the community around us.

•     We REACH UP in reverence and thanksgiving for the many ways God has blessed us as Christians and as a church.

•     We REACH IN to use our human and physical resources to nurture, through fellowship and educational programming, the lives of our members, neighbors, and friends both near and far.

•     We REACH OUT with historical determination to share Good News of the gospel in our church, neighborhood, city, and world.

We seek to discern the will of God as we continue to serve the living Christ as a diverse, inclusive, and caring congregation.”

III.

In making plans to leave this ministry with you in a few short weeks, I feel good about this mission statement in the context of the scripture lessons read this morning.  As your pastor I have tried to strike a balance between

(1)  Reaching Up to God in worship.  Worship on Sunday has always been my highest priority as we gather each week to give glory to God for blessings received!

(2)     Reaching In to nurture through fellowship and education our lives as members of the Body of Christ.  I’ve said it before:  We love church dinners and opportunities to be together in fellowship.  

(3)     Reaching Out to share the Good News of the gospel, with historical determination, within this neighborhood, city and world.  The record speaks for itself in all the things we have been able to do over the years in serving this neighborhood with this church building, the playground, and in supporting a host of programs whether they be the Underground Railroad or East Side Soup Kitchen or Habitat for Humanity or Women of Color’s or the Youth Center – just to mention a few.     

With what God has entrusted our care, I/we have tried to be faithful to this mission. It seems, from my perspective, that the identity of this church is linked intrinsically to this location in this neighborhood.  This church has nurtured healthy collaborative style of doing ministry that has made it possible to use this building – this building being one of our greatest assets – to meet the needs of children in this community.

IV.

What is our greatest asset?  Faith, Hope and the Love of God known to us through Jesus Christ!  As I started out this message:  Jesus may not be our CEO but he surely is with us every day as our Lord and our Savior.  I pray we want nothing more than to put our lives in his hands.  

With the challenges that stand before us, we must always keep faith in Jesus Christ!  God has held us in leading us through the challenges in the past.  God will always stand with us as important decisions are made about the future.

V.

Finally, with scripture in hand, the HALLMARK for us in doing Christ’s mission is in --

Sharing our faith and in doing Christ’s work!

My prayer:  May God continue to fill us with love and Christ’s spirit in all that we do as a church.  May God continue to enrich our lives as we search, together, for ways to do Christ’s work in the community and around the world. 

 

May we always remember God never abandons us.  

May God bless us in the mission work and service we have been called, together, to do. 

Amen.

---

[1]  Speaking at the PCUSA BIG TENT conference in Louisville in August of 2013.

 

[2]  Dr. Randall Bush. Pastor of the East Liberty Presbyterian church in Pittsburgh, recently wrote a short article on MISSION these two different directions….., Pastoral Message, October

[3]  Ibid.