“How to the Be the Church: Being Patient, Gracious, and Inviting”
October 22, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Once again, a reminder to everyone, and especially anyone hearing or reading this sermon online, about our Fall Dinner coming on November 4th! It’s been a tradition of ours since time immemorial, something we look forward to with joy every single year. We recall that there was at least one year, during the pandemic, when we were unable to have our Fall Dinner, so we rejoice and thank God, therefore, that we have been able to have our Fall Dinner again these past couple of years, that they have been successful, and we look forward to being able to have it for many more years to come. Even though the numbers we serve may be far fewer than they were decades ago, we still are able to feed many people every year. But now it is time to ask ourselves, for the present day, what can be another purpose of having such times of feast and fellowship as our Fall Dinner? And the answer is to be inviting, especially to people are looking for more than just food, but also for a church home, and a family to belong to – both of which we can offer, and we are in a better position to offer than ever before.
But even then, our whole purpose of existing as a church family is to help people experience Jesus. People, and this world, needs Jesus more than ever before. In a day when many have abandoned or rejected belief in the one true God; many have lost direction, and have fallen into destructive habits and lifestyles; many have forgotten what it means to be compassionate and gracious towards others; in an age when wars continue to rage, political and social division continues to run rampant; and even division among Christians over various, often trivial, matters continues to rear its ugly head, we need Jesus more than ever before to save us, bring us together, and remind us of who we are and what our real purpose is. We need Jesus to show people who God is and bring them back to Him; rescue those who are lost; bring peace and unity to our divided and hurting world; and bring us Christians together again. We especially need Jesus as our true source of strength and power to get through the problems of life. The bottom line is, we need Jesus, and so does everyone else. The trouble is, we, and others, may try to And, nowadays, the only real way anyone, and any of us, can find the peace and confidence we need to face struggles, and get through life, is by faith in Jesus.
Today, in our Second Reading, Paul utters what is perhaps one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible, and one which has encouraged believers like us for generations; in fact, I myself have it over my desk in the Parsonage study. It’s Philippians 4:13 – “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Now, while this does not mean Jesus gives us the ability to do everything and anything we want to do, it does mean that, especially when times are tough or impossible, He gives us the strength to get through them and overcome them. It also means that Jesus is able to overcome the impossibilities our world is facing right now, and we have to keep trusting that He will do so. Him giving us strength also means that He lifts whatever we have from us, and uses His own strength to carry it for us. Whatever you may be dealing with today, whatever may be weighing you down, or weighing heavily on your mind and heart at this moment, I invite you to turn it over to Jesus. Pray for Him to help you endure, if that’s what you need to do; otherwise, if you just can’t carry it any more, ask Him to carry it for you – and He will. He is always there for you – you only need to ask Him. Invite Him into your heart again, to give you comfort and peace, as you rely on His strength to get you through whatever it is you’re dealing with.
Once again, in order for us to help people experience Jesus, we are to invite people to come experience Jesus among us. And that is what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel reading: He has prepared a great feast, much like our Fall Dinner, only for eternity, and while there may be some who reject His invitation, there are still many others who will accept it.
But what this means for us is to keep extending the invitation. And, even though our invitation may not have instant or massive results right away, we are still to keep focused on inviting, because we may touch the right person’s life at just the right time. Now, here it probably gets a little troubling: Jesus also talks about throwing someone out of the feast who isn’t wearing proper wedding clothes. It would be easy to interpret that verse as meaning that only those who conform to a certain standard of requirements for entering heaven, and here we can fill in the blank as to what we think those may be: abstaining from certain substances or entertainments; holding to certain moral or political opinions; living or not living a certain kind of lifestyle, whether in habits or dress. But, as we know, none of these things in any way contribute to our being saved: only the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, have finished all the work necessary for us to be saved and enter eternal life. So, in fact, we could also say that the story is directed not towards people who fail to conform to a certain standard of requirements for entering heaven, but instead towards those who think that being able to enter heaven means conforming to a certain standard of requirements. So, what this means for us is, we ought to let nothing stand in the way, be an obstruction, to having a living, personal relationship with Jesus, either for ourselves, or anyone else. We are not to lay qualifications or additional requirements on ourselves or anyone, other than simply accepting Jesus as Savior and the promises He makes as true for us: to save, love, forgive, and help us in all circumstances.
Now, while all that may be true, we also have to remember that we are not only looking forward to the coming Kingdom of Jesus, but we are living in the Kingdom right now. And in order to live in the Kingdom, we are to be the Kingdom, and demonstrate certain characteristics of what God’s Kingdom looks like. As we continue to move forward, this is something helpful for us to keep in mind, especially to be more inviting in order to grow. It is a common misconception that, in order to join a healthy church, someone has to agree with every single stance either other members of the church have, or the church itself may have made. In fact, our only real requirement for membership is that someone believe in God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – both of which are expressed by saying the Apostles’ Creed. We will recall that, during our Baptism, Confirmation, and Reception of New Members ceremonies in particular, the Creed is recited as a way of demonstrating that our belief in the Triune God, and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are what we have in common, and our only real requirement for membership. Baptism is also necessary, of course, but it is always accompanied by confessing belief in God. This also means that there is quite a lot of room for a diversity of thought and opinion on various matters and opinions, especially, moral, social, political, and even theological ones.
Now, having said all that, during the service of Affirmation of Baptism, which includes both Confirmation and Reception of New Members, there are also certain promises which are made, which are also to be points of unity, especially of our purpose in our life together as our church family. If you need a reference, they are on page 201 of the Lutheran Book of Worship. And they are:
To continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism:
To live among God’s faithful people,
To hear his Word and share in his supper,
To proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
To serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus,
And to strive for justice and peace throughout the earth.
This demonstrates what our true purpose is: to love God, and learn from His Word and receive His power in Communion; live in love and peace with each other as members of the same family, especially by fellowshipping together, both inside and outside of worship; and reach out with God’s love beyond our doors into our community, and into the whole world. In order to be inviting towards others, we are to be demonstrating peace and unity of God’s family and Kingdom among ourselves. This means reflecting on how our words and actions towards each other, and how we treat each other, contribute to maintaining peace, friendship, and good relationships within our church family. Which even includes bearing and forbearing with each other, even in matters of disagreement. Remember, once again, church membership does not imply complete agreement in everything, nor does it mean insisting on complete agreement. Rather, it means living together as one family, respecting each other’s uniquenesses and experiences. It also means maintaining peace and unity in our own homes, communities, nation, and even, to the best of our abilities, in our world. Let us continue to do so, that we, and many others, may continue to experience and believe in Jesus, who gives us strength in all things, and whom we praise and thank for being our help at all times.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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