August 20, 1995	A Cloud of Witnesses	Isaiah 5:1-7

Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Luke 12:49-56

The church is the first and primary place where Christians may practice the teachings of Jesus Christ. Let's think about that, for a while. If we can't begin to make use of the teachings of Jesus Christ right here in the church how can we expect to make use of them anywhere else? And, so, if our life together is to give glory to God in any way, then the respect we give to one another as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ must be something that takes place in the church. And if our life and Christ means anything at all, our ability to forgive one another, to encourage one another, to teach one another, to listen to one another, to live and even die for one another, must be something that we do as we engage each other in the life of the church.

Certainly, that was the way it was in the life of the early Christian church. Today we sometimes get confused and think that this is a Christian society that we live in. But, what we often forget is that we live in a secular society. And the difference between a secular society and a church is that in a secular society relationships are governed by secular law which are forced upon the citizenry. In a church, however, relationships are governed by voluntary Christian principles. Sometimes, unfortunately, what this means is that a person living under the rules of secular society are actually treated better and more fairly than they might be by the church. For example: there are still many church congregations, today (many of them United Methodist churches), which refuse to accept women as pastors. And there are many white congregations that refuse to accept black pastors or welcome persons of other racial groups as members of their church. If such churches operated under the rules of secular society, this would not be allowed. But, since churches are allowed to operate under their own rules, what they perceive to be Christian principles, churches can sometimes be less "Christian" than secular society. Churches can sometimes be more oppressive than the society they may often condemn.

And, so I say it again: If we who are the church cannot live out our Christian beliefs in the Church, with each other, how can we possibly even begin to live them out there in the world? If anything, we in the church should show the rest of the world how to love people, how to show equality, how to treat employees in the work place, how to talk respectfully to others, how to care for the needy, and how to take care of the environment by not polluting the air, or water, and by recycling. But, so often, the church has failed to do this. And, so sometimes we may wonder which has the greater effect for good: the world or the church?

The early Christian church was very much aware of how important it's internal life was, not only for its own survival, but also as a witness to the rest of the world. This is what our lesson from the book of Hebrews is talking about, this morning. In fact, if we were to read a little bit further in the book of Hebrews we would see the following three exhortations, three things that we should be careful about: First, if we read on to verse 15 we would read that we should see to it that "no one fails to obtain the grace of God." Secondly, we should see to it that no internal evil is allowed to destroy the community. And, finally, verse 16 tells us that we should see to it that no one forsakes the life of faith and becomes "an immoral and godless person."

Let's take a good look at the first point. What does it mean that we should see to it that "no one fails to obtain the grace of God?"

So often the life of the church can get so involved with committee meetings and board meetings that there is a danger of forgetting what we're really here for. And, I suppose this is especially true of us as we go into this building project. Of course, we know why we're building this new sanctuary. We want to provide a beautiful place in Dundee for persons to worship God in the traditions of United Methodism. We also want to see our congregation grow. And I think it will as we build this sanctuary and in the months to come after we have built it. But, as we enthusiastically get involved with all of the things we need to do to get the job done, let's also keep our mind to the ultimate program of the church. What are we here for? We're here to offer Christ to the people of Dundee. And, so we continually need to ask ourselves how we're doing that.

So, let's ask the question: How are we offering Christ to the people of Dundee? We do it first and foremost through worship services here on Sunday morning. And so we need to continue to pay special attention to how we do this and how we welcome visitors and how we treat those with special needs. And we need to continue our support for the choir as they prepare for the Fall and singing every Sunday. And we need to remember and support those who serve the fellowship time after worship. We need do as much as we can to continue to make the worship experience here at Dundee UMC something that offers Christ to the community in an irresistible way.

But, more than that, we need to be constantly aware of the needs of our own members, actively concerned for one another in such a way that no one slips away. So, our work in the area of nurture and outreach and Christian education and social concerns must be as important as our work in the area of worship.

But, secondly, we need to see to it that no internal evil is allowed to destroy the community that we have. And what this means is that we must never forget the importance of an uncompromised allegiance to God.

Sometimes churches can fall into the rut of becoming like a little social club with persons' interest in the church pretty much wrapped up in vying for that favorite little niche or power position. But what we must constantly remember is that our interest in the church must be first and foremost a desire to serve God. Otherwise, the church, itself, may become the object of our worship rather than the God we are supposed to serve! And when that happens we become guilty of an idolatry that can destroy the church, itself, rather than build it up.

Our lesson from the book of Isaiah talks about this. Here, God is seen as looking at the creation of his people as being like the creation of a beautiful vineyard. And God cared for the vineyard and cleared it of stones and planted only the choicest vines. But, when God came back expecting to find good grapes, he found only wild grapes growing, instead.

Likewise, God gives us a church and a fellowship whose purpose is to bring us and others to a life enriched by God's grace. But, if all we can offer is the best of pop-culture, or the latest in popular psychology, or merely the influence of local personalities, rather than offer people a life firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, we need to think things over again. How are we growing spiritually? What kind of books are we reading to make us better disciples of Jesus Christ? What kind of Christian leadership education are we engaging in on a regular basis so that we may truly live out God's call upon our lives to serve him as his ministers? Otherwise, is the fruit that we are going to bear for the master going to be much better than wild grapes?

But, finally, we should see to it that no one forsakes the life of faith and becomes "an immoral and godless person." It is easy in the midst of the influence of a secular society to jettison our religious heritage. I am reminded of the story of Esau and how he sold his birthright to his twin brother for a bowl of soup.

Let us remember that our identity as Christians is what gives us strength. Without Christ we are nothing. With Christ we are everything. With faith in God we can move mountains, but, without faith in God everything that we may do becomes meaningless and empty. With Christ in our midst, we become the salt of the earth and the beacon guiding the traveler home in the dark.

There is the story of how years ago a man by the name of John Walker was the keeper of the light on Robin's Reef off Staten Island. Working there for the U.S. government he lived happily, faithfully performing his duties for four years, keeping the trust the nation had in him to mind the light. One day he suffered a heart attack. His last words to his wife were, "Mind the light."

Over the years his wife, Catherine, stayed on the "mind the light." In fact, she carried out the duties so well that she was appointed keeper of the light house. For more than thirty years she stayed there in that lonely spot, caring for the light which was a warning beacon that kept sailors away from the rocks.

"Mind the light." The words recall for us our duty and privilege as Christians and as the church. In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation we are set to "Shine a light in the world."

And it is in the midst of doing this work that we are given our identity, our purpose, and our strength. May God help us continue this work!

Amen.