Saturday 24 November 2007

25 NOVEMBER 2007 FOLLOWING IN THE STEPS OF THE MASTER. Robert

Isaiah 55: 1 – 13 Luke 10: 1 – 20

INTRODUCTION TO THIS THEME FOR THIS WEEK
We are following a series of themes entitled “Following in the Steps of the Master” in which we are exploring what it means, as a church – the people of God – to be a Community of Faith, bound together as followers of Jesus Christ.

So far we have considered our need (and our increasing nowadays) to Care for Creation; to be a Community together on the Pilgrim Road; to have an individual (and perhaps also a corporate) rhythm of prayer, work and recreation; to absorb the scriptures; to lead a simple lifestyle; to be a community that helps to bring healing to a fragmented society; and (in order to achieve all this) to be open to God’s Holy Spirit.

What is the object of these admirable targets in life? Naturally, we say, it is because they are good in themselves. Both individually and together, they are basic to a life that is healthy, holistic, enjoyable, and creative.

But there is a second purpose which is just as important. By living like this, we are to commend the God whom we worship; Jesus Christ who stands at the very centre of our faith; and the good news of salvation He came to bring, to the great outside world. We are to be a community of mission and that is our theme for today.

KEY TEXT
And I have chosen as the Key Text for today, which I hope you will commit to memory 2 Corinthians 5 20: “We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God was making his appeal through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God”.

We are not just here for our own benefit. Archbishop William Temple once famously said that the Church is the only institution that exist primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members. That is a fundamental truth that too often gets lost in all the busy whirl of activity, and all the arguments about which form of service we like, which hymns are our favourites, what the church should or should not be doing or saying to the outside world.

Being a Christian community should not be a matter of our own preferences. That is not the way of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve. Foremost in our minds should be the question: “What best commends Christ to the world outside?” That should shape our policies, our attitudes, our goals.

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST
Consider the role of an Ambassador. Imagine that you have been appointed British Ambassador to some important country, and this building is the Embassy. You, with those around you, and this building, is to represent everything that is best about Britain.

The building will look as good as it possibly can. It will fly the flag that says Britain is best! No leaking roofs, shabby interiors, uncomfortable seats. And you, as Ambassador, must represent everything that is best about Britain – its attitudes, its policies, its character. And your proud task is – by example and by word – to let everyone know that Britain is a fine and honourable country, to be commended everywhere.

We are Ambassadors for Christ. All the same criteria apply. Everything we are and do and say must commend Him – recommend Him – and (as St Paul says) appeal to everyone outside, to find their life’s fulfilment and salvation in the relationship to God that we represent. Who could imagine a more honourable, proud and wonderful role to fulfil? It should fill our hearts with both pride and humility, and make us work to our utmost to be the best ambassadors we possibly can be.

But it must clearly also fill us with a great sense of responsibility. How will the great outside world know that Christianity is best, is life-fulfilling, and leads its followers to the heart of everything they have always longed for?

And if it is indeed the case that most people neither know nor care much about the Christian faith, the love of God, and the riches to be found in Jesus Christ, whose fault is that? To be brutally honest, the church in this country does not usually present a very attractive or compelling case on God’s behalf. Nor do we always try as hard as we might, to fulfil that ambassadorial role.

OLD TESTAMENT BACKGROUND
If we look back through the Old Testament, we find that this is far from being a new problem. The Israeli nation knew itself to be chosen by God. What they too often failed to remember was why they had been chosen. They thought they were just very special, and God would always protect them, no matter what. But God kept reminding them through the prophets that the reason they had been chosen was so that they could be ‘a light to the Gentiles’ – that they could draw all peoples and nations to the worship of the one true God. They were chosen to be a missionary people. And when they forgot that, they found to their dismay that God was no longer prepared to grant them special status, and they had some hard lessons to learn.

LESSONS FOR US TODAY
It is the same with the Christian Church. When we stop being a missionary church, and simply look to our own interests and preferences, we lose credibility, and God is not going to prop up the life of this or any church which has ceased to fulfil the purpose for which He created it.

THE GOOD NEWS FROM ISAIAH 55
We have such a great and valuable gift from God to offer to the world. Why are we so slow to tell everyone about it? Why do we get bogged down in matters which are ultimately of no concern? Isaiah 55 is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Out there is a parched and hungry world, longing and searching for spiritual values. Here are we sitting on them and refusing to share. Isaiah says that God offers water to the spiritually hungry, and bread to the spiritually hungry. And all this comes to fulfilment in Jesus who is the bread of life, and offers to fill our lives with the cleansing water of the Spirit.

JESUS AND HIS MISSION
And in Luke 10, when Jesus sends out his disciples with this good news to share, they find that so many receive it gladly. We read in verses 17 and 18: “The seventy two returned with joy and said: ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’” And Jesus cries out “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” There is no reason why this could not all be true today.

How, then, can we become a Community of Mission? It is, of course, both an individual and a corporate endeavour. As ambassadors for Christ, we act both on our own, and as a body.

ST MICHAELS MUST BECOME AN AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST
Individually, the ambassador must embody the message he proclaims. It is when people see something different about us that they are attracted. The person who prays and serves God with integrity and humility does not go unnoticed in a brash, violent and sinful world. And when people start to ask questions, we can point to the source of our strength and our inspiration.

As a Church, we must fly the flag, and embody the good news of God, who is alive and well, and among us in Camberley. Everything about our building must proclaim our values, our beliefs, our welcome, our relevance, our mission. We are just beginning work on this, and we have a long way to go.

And as a Church, we must be together the people of God, showing how very different people can live and worship together, in love, humility and honour.

We are called to be a Missionary Community. And there is a priority and indeed an edge to this. So long as we fail, the church will decline. We have been warned that, unless we rise to this challenge, there will be no live church here in 20 years or less. God will not artificially prop us up if we are not fulfilling his purpose. He will find other ways. All the history of the Bible proclaims the truth of this. This is a deeply serious matter.

As we come to Holy Communion today, let us each pray that God will fill us with his Holy Spirit – fill this Church with his Holy Spirit – and turn us into a glorious witness that will bring the light of the Gospel to Camberley; see many needy people coming to a new faith and a new life; and see, here in Camberley, Satan fall like lightning from the sky, defeated by the power of Christ.

Lord, make us each one – and make this church – a worthy and effective ambassador for Christ,

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

What characteristics make a good ambassador for Christ in the modern world?
What do you think needs to change about the life of St Michael’s to make us better Ambassadors?
What do you think needs to change about the building and its surroundings to make us a better Embassy for Christ?
What do you think should be the next step to make us a better community of mission?

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