We didn't have a "normal" sermon on Rock and Roll Sunday. Rather members of our congregation introduced each song with an explanation of our church and faith which the song then talked about. Since those words weren't written down anywhere (and since this served as our sermon) I'm reprinting them here. Hopefully this is a pretty good statement of what we believe, how we relate to each other and God.
Keep in mind there's supposed to be a song between each paragraph, so this isn't a seamless essay. Take a deep breath and count to three before reading each successive paragraph and you'll get the idea.
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Each song this morning has a lesson, something we affirm about God and our service to him. The very first affirmation is that God welcomes and loves all of us. You may be used to churches drawing lines between people. We believe God draws us together rather than tearing us apart, accomplishing good through our collective work. You are welcome here! Let’s celebrate!
We’re able to welcome all kinds of people in God’s name because we realize we don’t have all the answers. Too many faith communities try to center around being “right”. We understand that we can’t be. We’re constantly called to learn new things about God but we never reach the point where we know it all. Since I don’t have all the right answers and you don’t either, we settle for asking good questions and figuring it out together, putting up with the occasional wrongness about each other so we can see the greater good.
Our admission that we’re “Stuck in the Middle” of all this without the right answers, unable to find our way home by ourselves, drives us to depend on God. We know we can’t be perfect. We know we can’t earn our salvation. Instead we depend on Jesus Christ, the Savior who gave himself for us, to guide us and bring us home. We don’t view God’s love as a reward, earned only by the few who are worthy. Instead we hold to First John 1:8 which says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” God’s love comes to the people who need it most. We’re not good people saving ourselves, we’re God’s people, saved by the cross.
We’ve made some bold claims about God: that he welcomes us, loves us, saves us, even as mixed up as we are sometimes. How do we know this? This message is found in the Bible. God’s Word is the center of our worship life and faith. It guides us as we make daily decisions. It urges us to live different lives than we would have if we were left to our own instincts. It is God’s gift to the world: the story of his Son and his salvation.
The central story of the Bible is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God’s Son lived among us, transforming us in a startling way. John, Chapter 3 puts it well: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus redeemed us by becoming one of us, even suffering death so he could break its power. When death tried to break Jesus as it had broken every other human being, Christ was stronger. Christ broke death instead and emerged out the other side, living forever. In doing so Our Lord transformed death into the gateway to new life, turning the moment of our worst loss and fear into our greatest assurance. Experiencing death in common with us made Jesus our brother. Overcoming it for our sake made him our Savior.
The Bible tells us Jesus became our Lord, holding power even over death itself. He became the savior of sinners, redeemer of all of those the world had previously despised. He became God of the poor, the lame, the blind and maimed, the outcast, the foreigner, people of all genders and races. He extended his love to all those whom society considered less able and less worthy. He made clear that God loves all his children. That’s the message we proclaim today. God loves us all and everyone we meet!
Just because God loves us all doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels, perfect and satisfied with ourselves. God didn’t save us just so we could be smug and self-congratulatory. We still remember how far we have to go before we fully realize God’s gifts to us, how much we have to strive daily to be worthy of the name that God has pinned on us: “My Child”. We are always on the move as individuals and as a church: moving, growing, being refined by God’s spirit at work within and around us. We’re meant to learn something new about God every day, which means every day gets better and better as our old instincts melt away and God’s new Spirit emerges.
Just like we don’t sit still with our faith, God doesn’t either. He comes to us daily: refreshing, inspiring, and strengthening. One of the most important ways he comes to us is through communion, his body and blood together with bread and wine which we will share together today. We now join together in prayer and sharing the meal Our Lord has prepared for us.
Having heard the story of God’s love, his salvation for even the poorest and least worthy among us, his invitation to love and live at peace with each other, what is there left but to celebrate? In the end that’s what we’re here for: to enjoy God’s gifts, each other, and the wonderful opportunities that the Holy Spirit puts before us every day to love our neighbor, serve each other, and make the world a better place.
Now we come to the end of our worship time together, but the beginning of the great feast of joy that will last our whole lives long and even beyond. “Come, eat, enjoy!” God says, and we respond with gratitude. We’re all called to spread this good news, the message of welcome and redemption, hope and love, salvation and transforming grace to the whole world. Our words, actions, and lives are not just our own. They belong to God and everyone whom God calls us to serve. We’ve been called, sanctified, and filled with rejoicing! Let us go in peace and serve the Lord!!!
Thanks be to God!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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