Getting In Tune Again (Rev. Dr. Charley Reeb)
Recently I read about a blue grass radio station in Missouri that received a unique phone call. The caller said to the DJ, “Hello, I am a farmer living alone on my farm. My wife is dead and my children and grandchildren have moved away. I don’t see them very much. There are three things in my life that give me comfort. One is the farm. Two is my radio. The third is my fiddle. Sometimes in the night when you are playing songs that I know and love, I get out my fiddle and play along with you. It brings me great comfort. But recently my fiddle has gotten out of tune. The A string doesn’t work like it should, and I don’t have a tuning fork so there is no way I can get my fiddle back in tune. Would you mind playing the note A on your next program? If you will do this, I can tune my fiddle.” So the station played the A note, and he tuned his fiddle, and they all lived happily ever after (“Getting in Tune Again” by Bill Self).
A fiddle is not the only thing that can get out of tune. A church can, too. Churches can forget why they exist and play the wrong note in the world. It doesn’t happen all at once. It is rather insidious. Church business slowly replaces the business of the church. Budget concerns begin to override kingdom concerns. Self-righteousness over-powers compassion. The past becomes more important than reaching people in the present.
Without realizing it, a congregation can easily settle for doing church, rather than being the church. They are out of tune. There may have been a day when they were fine-tuned, blowing their trumpet for the gospel, but years of focusing on their power and agenda, instead of God, has caused them to get tired and check out. They would rather be left alone than be bothered with the mission of making disciples.
Some cynic said, “If it were up to some Christians, churches would have lightning rods on their steeples, instead of crosses in memory of that time when lightning struck the early church and as protection against it ever happening again.”
The good news is that First UMC of Lakeland is not that kind of church. If there is one thing I have sensed from you the last few weeks, it is you are a church that hungers to reach people for the gospel. You have a fire in your belly to follow Christ and grow the church.
Today I want to harness your hunger and fine tune ourselves as we begin a new season of ministry together. Like a pilot going through a checklist, I want to be sure we will head down the right runway and fly high in the right direction.
So how do we fine tune ourselves as a church? We play the A note of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We sing about it, preach about it, pray about it, and talk about it. You see, the church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We exist to spread the good news of God’s redeeming love of Christ so that all people will come and experience that love and learn to share that love with others. That’s it. It is pretty simple, but it is amazing how the church can complicate it, dilute it, or forget it. So how do we know if we are getting it right? Here is the checklist.
Reach Out More than We Reach In
Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” –Matthew 28:19
Notice what Jesus did not say. He didn’t say “Go therefore and sing your favorite songs in worship.” He didn’t say “Go therefore and find a church you’re comfortable with and attend twice a year.” He didn’t say “Go therefore and hang out with Christians who think like you.” He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” It is the Great Commission, Unfortunately, it has become the Great Omission!
Dr. Eugene Brice tells about a guy who toured the world’s largest grease factory. They walked through rows of machines with gears turning, wheels revolving, cylinders whirling, belts running, huge motors roaring away. Toward the end of the tour the guy asked the guide, “What do you do with all the grease you make here? Do you sell it?” The guide said, “Oh, no. We don’t sell it. We have to use all the grease we produce to lubricate the machinery here at the factory.”
Well, that’ll preach! Churches quickly get out of tune when they put all of their energy and time in lubricating their own machinery and ignoring the needs of the community and world. When a church starts ignoring the needs of the community and world, it is “lights out” for that church.
Take a look at what the book of Acts says about the early church: “The number of those being added to the early church was increasing daily.” Why do you think the early church grew like wildfire? Because they were constantly enlarging their fellowship. They were continually thinking of ways to reach the world for Jesus Christ.
Inwardly focused churches die and outwardly focused churches thrive. I’ll prove it to you. Go to any church that is dying and you will find people who are preoccupied with their history and the way they used to do it and why they can’t do this and that. They only see themselves. But go to any church that is growing and you will find people who are always thinking about how to reach people who aren’t yet there. Those churches get it!
And First UMC, you get it too! Someone recently asked me why our church is such a special church. How have we been able to remain healthy through a pandemic and the UMC schism. I told him I believe it is two things: One, First UMC has good DNA. Two, this church reaches out more than it reaches in. You have proven that you believe that the church is the only institution in the world that exists for the people who are not a part of it. We have the greatest job in the world! We get to tell people that God loves them and has a plan for them.
We are healthy church but we could do more, grow more. So I have a challenge for us in the form of two questions: One, if our goal was to please God instead of ourselves, how would we do ministry as a church? Two, when was the last time you invited someone to church? A faith worth having is a faith worth sharing.
In addition to reaching out more than reaching in, we will be in tune as a church when we are inclusive rather than exclusive.
Inclusive Rather than Exclusive
Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16
Once again, notice what Jesus does not say. He doesn’t say, “For God so loved the beautiful people” or “the Christians” or “the Republicans” or “Democrats” or “the United Methodists.” It says “For God so loved the WORLD.”
We have a myriad of denominations. We also have some churches that can’t agree on any of the denominations and so they sit alone as non-denominational churches. We have churches that determine who is in who is out by the kind of language people use about the inspiration of scripture, or how they worship, or how they read the bible, or how they pray, or how they baptize, or, Lord have mercy, how they vote!
While all this nonsense is going on Christians are forgetting that Jesus said the world will know we are his by disciples not by how we worship, not by how we read the bible, not by how we pray, not by the denomination we belong to, but by our love for one another.
I believe one of the biggest problems facing the church today is the contrast people experience in Christians whose beliefs and behaviors don’t match. Christians often preach love and mercy and act hateful and judgmental. 1st John is clear that it is impossible to love God and hate another person. If we hate another person, we are not following Jesus.
Yes, we must evangelize. Yes, we must be working to make disciples. But we have no right to act arrogantly or exclusively. Remember in the New Testament God in Jesus is going to the ungodly. In Jesus’ stories it is the religiously wrong who get praise. The Good Samaritan is religiously wrong, has the wrong version of the scripture, worships improperly, but in Jesus’ story he is closer to the Kingdom. In Matthew 8 it is the pagan centurion who has faith greater than any Jesus had seen in Israel. In Luke it is the Samaritan leper or the ten who were healed who only had faith and are made well.
Watch out in the NT! The outsiders become the insiders and the worst of Jesus’ judgments are on those religious folk who think they are the only insiders (Matt 23). Believing that Christianity is the truth and that other religions are not never means Christians should hate or despise or condemn people of other faiths. The closer we follow Jesus the more accepting and loving we are to all people. We must hope for the best for them because God claims them too. Christ died for them too. And if Christ died for them, if there is hope for them, if God is going to treat them in the same way he treats us, then we better treat them in the same way, hoping that they will also be in the Kingdom.
We need to remember that the gospel spreads through fascination, not coercion. Madalene L’Engle said that our job is to reflect a light so lovely that other people will do anything to find the source of it.
A few years ago, I heard a speaker at a conference tell a powerful story. He was golfing one day with some friends when the cart girl came around and asked if they wanted refreshments. The speaker said he had a golf shirt on with the church’s name and logo on it. She said, “I see the name of the church on your shirt. You go to that church?” He said, “Well yes I sure do. In fact, I’m the pastor.” They struck up a little conversation while she was getting their Gatorade. He asked, “Do you enjoy your job?” She said, “Not really. Old men flirt with me all day and they get drunk and say nasty things to me but I can’t find another job and it pays the bills.” It seemed she wanted to talk more but golfers were waiting behind them.
After the round, he saw the cart girl next to the club house replenishing her cart. She approaches him and said, “Well, I don’t why I am telling you this but you’re a pastor and you seem nice. I’ve been married twice. I’m a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. I have been arrested twice for drug possession. I drank so much I lost custody of my kids. I’m better now, but I am miserable without my kids. I’m involved with a guy who is into drugs and I don’t want that life anymore. I want something better, something more for my life.
“It’s funny that I met you because I have been thinking about going to church. I think it would be good for me. I’m wondering. Do you think I would be welcome in your church? You know, even knowing the things I have done?” He said, “Of course you are welcome at our church! In fact, you have my personal invitation to join us this Sunday. Why don’t you sit with my wife?” And you know what? She was in church the next Sunday. He gave her a Bible. And to this day she is active in the church and leads one of the AA groups in the community.
Is First UMC a church that would welcome a cart girl who is a recovering alcoholic and has been in jail twice for drug possession? I already know the answer. You are. You have proven it. Let’s keep being that church because if we don’t we will not be a church. We will be a lot of things – an event center, a concert hall, a social club, or a recreational center. But we will not be a church.
We will be in tune as a church when we show mercy instead of judgment.
Show Mercy instead of Judgement
Jesus said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” –Luke 6:37-38
One of the problems with Christians and churches today is they get angry with people simply because they sin differently than they do. Too many Christians today are known for their judgment instead of their mercy. They are known for their hate instead of their love for one another. Many non-Christians see Christians as hypocritical, judgmental, heartless, arrogant, and close-minded. That doesn’t sound like Jesus, does it?
I recall playing golf on Vacation and being paired with a guy I didn’t know. That happens sometimes. It is a complete stranger, which is great. I love meeting new people. But one thing I never do is tell them what I do for a living. I wait until the end of the round. Because quite often if you tell them before the round the fun is over! They also expect you to give them three-foot putts!
Well after this particular round, I told him what I did for a living because he asked and he was shocked. He said, “You’re a preacher!” I said, “Yeah, why do you find that so surprising?” He said, “I don’t know…you just…seem…nice.”
What is wrong with the church today? With Christians today? Christians need to look themselves in the mirror and see what they world really sees in us.
I remember hearing an alcoholic say the most profound thing. He is a follower of Christ and active in a church. He said, “The only thing I miss about being an alcoholic is the fellowship I had at the local bar. They always accepted me and never judged me. I could share anything. They had heard it all. I felt understood and affirmed.” Then he asked me, “Why can’t the church be more like that? Isn’t that how the church is supposed to be? Like a bar? But instead of dispensing liquor it dispenses grace?”
A friend of mine shared something with me about Lee Strobel, the popular Christian apologist. Strobel was an atheist journalist who converted to Christianity after examining the evidence of the Christian faith. He has written several books and speaks all over the world.
Strobel often tells the same true story at the end of his messages. The story is about a young adult he was trying to convert. Strobel presented argument after argument to her and she wouldn’t budge. Finally, he got word that she converted to Christianity. So, Strobel called her up an asked proudly, “Which thing did I say that convinced you. What argument did it?” She replied, “Sorry, you are not the one who convinced me. No argument convinced me. What moved me to be a Christian were my Christian friends who loved me and never judged me. I saw Jesus in them, and I wanted what they had.”
We will be in tune as a church when people see Jesus in us and want to experience his love for themselves. We will be in tune when we reach out more than we reach in, when we are inclusive rather than exclusive, and when we show mercy instead of judgment.
Daily Devotional Guide
Monday: Read Matthew 28:19-20. This is called The Great Commission. Making disciples was Jesus’s final command before he returned to the Father. What does it mean to make disciples of Jesus Christ? What is a disciple? You will find a variety of answers to those questions but at the very core a disciple is someone who follows Jesus intimately and lives out his teachings. A disciple is also a disciple maker. A follower of Jesus cannot keep the love of Jesus to herself (or himself). By the grace of God, disciples are compelled and empowered to share the good news with others – to be “witnesses.” A faith worth having is a faith worth sharing. This can happen in a variety of ways. In our text, Jesus promises to be with us as we follow him and make disciples. In what ways have you shared your faith with others? Who will you invite to worship with you this week?
Tuesday: This week’s sermon reminded us that healthy churches reach out more than they reach in. Vital churches are always seeking opportunities to reach out to the community with the love of Christ. Church growth is a natural byproduct of reaching out because people are so fascinated and touched by the love of Jesus that they want to know more. The church is more than ready to welcome them! This is why the early church grew like wild fire. Read Acts 2:42-47. “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” The early church was obsessed with sharing the love of Jesus. In what ways does First UMC share the love of Jesus with the community? What more could we do to expand our reach?
Wednesday: Read John 3:16. The week’s sermon reminded us that healthy churches are inclusive rather than exclusive. God so love the “World.” This is often lost on churches who try to draw lines where they believe God’s love ends. There is no such line. God’s love is limitless. When Christians try to restrict God’s grace, they betray the very grace they have received. In what ways do Christians and churches try to limit God’s love? How should we respond to those limitations? In what ways did Jesus expand our understanding of God’s love?
Thursday: Read John 8:1-11. This week’s sermon also reminded us that healthy churches show mercy rather than judgment. How do we see this message conveyed in the gospel reading for today? Not only do our own sins reminds us to be merciful, but we also remember that God is the only true judge. Our job is to love. How would the church and world be different if Christians remembered and lived out this message. How will you live out this message today?
Friday: Read John 13:34-35. Why is it so difficult for us to remember this command? Christians are known by a lot of characteristics. Unfortunately, love is not always at the top of the list. How will you reflect the love of Jesus today in your home? Workplace? Neighborhood? We can never go wrong seeking ways to be more loving and kind. Our default setting should be to show mercy and love.