Am I A Messy Christian? Series

Template Oct 1, Messy Spiritualism Series 1 2006 World Communion Sunday

Messages adapted from Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli.

Felt Need: Does God accept me with all my baggage, shortcomings, sins?

Desired Outcome: To understand that God always is seeking and loving the least of these and He loves us with all our baggage, shortcomings and sins.

Message: Am I , a “Messy Christian?”

Scripture: Luke 9: 51-56

51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and they went to another village. (The messiness of the Disciples)

Synopsis:

A Heroes of the faith were Messy.

1. Noah, David, Disciples

B. Our lives are messy, if we are honest.

1. Being real. “Messy spirituality is a description of the Christianity most of us live and that few of us admit. It is an attempt to break through the religious wall of secrecy and legitimize a faith with is unfinished, incomplete, and inexperienced. Messy spirituality is a celebration of a discipleship which is under construction.”

2. Notorious Sinners

3. Who did Jesus hang with? Prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners.

C. Jesus sought out the lost, disenfranchised, the least of these, ie. the messiest people.

1. Story of Anne.

2. God’s mercy for us.

3. God’s grace within our own mess.

Metaphor:

Music:

Am I a “Messy Christian”?

Peanuts cartoon

Charlie Brown has stopped at Lucy’s five -cent psychology booth for some advice about life.

Life is like a deck chair, Charlie, “she says. “On the cruise ship of life, some people place their deck chair at the rear of the ship so they can see where they’ve been. Others place their deck chairs at the front of the ship so they can see where they’re going”

The good doctor looks at her puzzled client and asks “Which way is your deck chair facing?”

Without hesitating Charlie replies glumly, “I can’t even get my deck chair unfolded.”

As Christians there are so many so called gurus who define our life, our values and make the Christian walk look so predictable and easy, and yet at the same time most of us are still trying to unfold our deck chairs in our spiritual journey.

It was not different for some of our fore fathers of the faith....

A Heroes of the faith were Messy.

1. Noah, David, Disciples

Noah had his faith journey, people tolerated his wild visions thought he was crazy, but he had a strong faith and was courageous. He was ridiculed, but he built the ark., because God said it was going to rain and we all know it rained for 40 days and nights. but when the mission was accomplished he scripture records that Noah got naked and got drunk. What do we remember, we remember him as a man of faith who was faithful to God.

David now King, sees Bathsheba and lusts for her and gets her pregnant. Has her husband killed on the front lines and yet we remember David with fondness, for his psalms, his courage, his leadership.

The disciples spent a lot of their energy wondering who would be first, who would sit where, they were so human, yet we remember them with respect for how they sacrificed their lives for the faith. In our scripture this morning we see their true colors flying.

51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and they went to another village. (The messiness of the Disciples)

B. Our lives are messy, if we are honest.

1. Being real. “Messy spirituality is a description of the Christianity most of us live and that few of us admit. It is an attempt to break through the religious wall of secrecy and legitimize a faith with is unfinished, incomplete, and inexperienced.

Messy spirituality is a celebration of a discipleship which is under construction.”

None of us here are complete, none of us have it altogether in our faith journey, we are all under construction and for most of us it isn’t pretty.