Monday 4 February 2013

Sermon for Sunday 27 January 2013 – Just walk across the Room, Three week – The Power of Story –1 Peter 3: 8, 13-22 and Luke 5:12-16


Two weeks ago Bruce introduced the idea of Just Walk Across the Room. Bruce talked about being willing to enter the Zone of the Unknown and listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and encouraged us to Just GO! How did you do? Like to hear! Last week Bruce suggested we become 3D people. And suggested we DEVELOP friendships. Why, just take a look at the world, our community, the road where we live, there is not enough friendship in the world. We were to move out of our comfort zones, our cocoons of comfortability and protectedness, and go on living in ‘search mode’. He encouraged us to DISCOVER other peoples stories and to value them for who they are. Bruce also suggested we should also to get in tune with the Holy Spirit so that we can DISCERN with God the next steps. Taking time to pray, looking for any promptings about the way forward in our friendships. So how is it going? I would really like to hear how you are doing.

This week we are talking about the Power of Story. So are you sitting comfortably, then I’ll begin……. God has a story to tell and as He is not here himself to tell it; He has entrusted us with that task and we need to learn to tell it well. We also have stories to tell about us, I have a number of stories to tell about my life, what I’ve been up to, how I can to faith, some will be interesting to you, and some won’t. Laurie will have a lot more stories to tell than me, because he is a little older than me, and Amelia won’t have as many to tell because she is a lot younger than me. But we here all have a faith story to tell. Of how we came to come to St. Michael’s and who/what brought us here. We all have our stories and we need to tell them well.

Today’s gospel tells us about one of the many healings that Jesus did in His ministry and I love this story because it encompasses all about God’s love for us, His mercy and His willingness to respond to sickness whether its emotional, physical, psychological and He did it in ways which meant everything to the person concerned. Take this story. Lepers were outcasts, they lived in the caverns or makeshift shelters outside the village or towns.  If you were fortunate enough to have family and friends you get fed. Food would be brought to you and left on the outskirts – the designated line/wall that should not be crossed. Lepers were not to be touched because you would get disease. If you were a leper you lost everything, job, family, home, friends, and status.  No one approached you, you were alone. And lepers were not supposed to approach people, but this man came into town and came to Jesus in desperation and asked Jesus to heal him.

Jesus did the unthinkable – he touched the Leper – a no-no and everyone who was there would have seen Jesus do this. Yikes! Jesus touched a Leper – medical alert! This could have immediately repelled other people from seeking him. But it didn’t.  Touch in this instance was the important part of the story – sometimes words do not have any meaning but a touch of the arm or a hand shake, a hug does more wonders than words. Jesus didn’t care about whether to touch or not He just did it.  When, was the last time any of us Walked Across a Room and touched or shook hands with a person with sever eczema or a lady or gentleman of the road, or a lonely person? And Jesus goes on to tell him not to tell anyone but go to the priest (doctor) to get it confirmed that you are healed and then make the appropriate offering.  But the news spread – became infectious. The salvation work of the Lord was being done – a BRIDGE – between God and this leper – and his people had been built. The people who saw what had happened obviously forgot that Jesus had touched a leper because the crowds sought Him. Jesus response to success was to withdraw and to pray and commune with His Father. He did not allow popularity to detour him from the Father’s will. From listening to his Father and finding out the next step.  Despite His success Jesus regularly communed with His Father, ignoring the phone, text, diary to spend time with God. To keep the communications open so that as He was always In-tune with his Father, so He could be more effective. Do we take the necessary time to listen to the will of God, to act on it promptings and then to draw back to Him for support and guidance? Or do we blunder on and then wonder why  when things go wrong.

Jesus said ‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has cross over from death to life.’ (John 5:24).

But how are people going to know about that eternal life, if we don’t Walk Across the Room and strike up a friendship with them? How are they going to hear about how life was for us before Jesus entered our lives if we don’t get to a point in the relationship where we can see that we are different or tell them that Jesus loves them for who they are! God, the Father has been given a wonderful role to play, to share in the spreading of the Good News.  He hasn’t told us to stand on the street corner or wear a sandwich board, He has asked us to be friends with other people, to show love and courtesy, to be a local church of peace, to share the love of God. And if this causes other people problems to the extent that we as Christians suffer for saying and doing what is right, we should follow in Jesus’ example, we witness not by making noise or fighting back but by showing meekness and fear. A gentle witness can make a big difference in a violent world.

Our goal is to learn to tell God’s story and our own faith story well. Regardless of whether you think or feel you are formally ‘gifted’ in evangelism or not, all Jesus-followers can engage in a spiritual conversation and do what they can to point people towards a faith in God. By learning God’s story and making friends and learning your own faith story you will have the opportunity to sow seeds and see other peoples’ lives change as they engage with God themselves.

How many of you realise that you have Walked Across the Room when you came along to the Jubilee Party or the Olympic event, or coffee morning or Youth BBQ.  Seriously, you engaged with the wonderful residents on the estate. You gave your time and willingness to get wet, to forge a bridge for Jesus. You made a difference to them and now we have been seeing them come into St. Michael’s on various occasions. So if you think you can’t do this, well sorry to late, you already have.

My faith story is a gradual one where at different times various people have Walked Across to Room, literally and metaphorically which has moved me on my journey with God.  (I tell you a story or two)…………

What was your life like before you came to faith? How is your life now? May I encourage you over the next week to write it down and think about your life before and now.  What difference has it made in knowing Jesus? By writing it down and learning it well you will become so familiar with it that when you are asked; and you will be, you will be ready to communicate like a Walk Across the Room Person. You will realise that stories and the words used to tell them are powerful and when used well they infect others…like a smile, laughter, love. Are we willing to be a Walk Across The Room Person? A God friend to others?

Let’s Pray.  Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to be the person who Walked Across The Room to us through others.  We ask for your help in writing our ‘faith’ stories. Give us wisdom and guidance in the coming week as we seek to befriend people we don’t already know and help us to be ready to share You with them in the ways you feel is appropriate for each person. In Jesus Name.  Amen.
Discussion pointers

1.       In this week’s video clip, there were several really bad stories! 

o   Long–winded – went on and on

o   Fuzzy – never got to the point

o   Religionese – full of Christian jargon

o   Superior – full of pious haughty language

Which one bothered you most and why?

2.  Discuss what features you noticed as common to the “good stories” that were told at the end of the video clip.

Ensure the following points are made: 

When a person is open to hearing your faith story, all they really want to know is

o   what you were like before you met Christ

o   how you came to know Christ

o   and what you have been like after submitting to him. 

In other words your ‘personal before and after’.  That is what makes a faith story good!

3.  Exercise: With a partner from within your small group work through the following:

Write down 5 adjectives that describe what you were like before you came to Christ.  If you came to faith at a young age, describe what you were like before you came to develop a more mature thriving relationship with Christ.

Choose one that best describes your ‘before’ state.

Now, describe the circumstances that caused you to give your life to Jesus. What was the most significant thing about your making the decision?

Your ‘after’:

Complete this sentence explaining the primary difference Christ has made in your life:

Since inviting Christ into my life, I’ve become ______________________________________

You are now ready to tell your ‘before and after’ story.  If you have time, practise telling it to your partner.  N.B. Be sure to mention one or two areas of your life that Christ is still refining.  No-one has ‘arrived’ – it is important to acknowledge this reality.

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