Introduction
The loaded station wagon pulled into the only remaining campsite. Four youngsters leaped from the vehicle and began feverishly unloading gear and setting up a tent. The boys then rushed off to gather firewood, while the girls and their mother set up the camp stove and cooking utensils. A nearby camper marveled to the youngsters’ father: “That, sir, is some display of teamwork.” The father replied, “I have a system. No one goes to the bathroom until the camp is set up!
Teamwork
In today’s reading we see the next chapter unfolding in the life of Jesus disciples. The disciples had gathered together out of fear of local religious leadership. The Pharisees and the other religious leaders had put Jesus to death. And they wondered, “Are we next?
They were brokenhearted and defeated. The man who they had followed for the previous three years… the man who they believed to be the very Son of God… had been put to death. And not only that, he had been beaten and humiliated on the Cross. Defeat had brought them together and fear had kept them there.
It was then… in the midsts of their hopelessness and despair… when they were at the very end of their rope... when in walked the Lord of mercy… the resurrected Jesus. And He said to them, “Peace be with you. Even as the Father has sent me, so too I am sending you.” And then He breathed on them and said, “Be filled with the Holy Sprit.”
When Jesus had been crucified the disciples had scattered. They were afraid for their lives… and probably rightly so. They knew how brutal the Romans could be and they knew that the Jewish religious leaders were unlikely to forget that they were followers Jesus.
Though defeat had brought them together and fear had kept them there… hiding in a room… the overwhelming grace of God and the power of one another is what fueled them for the journey ahead.
They embarked together on a journey of faith that turned the world upside down as they witnessed miracles… saw great triumphs… and intense resistance.
It is amazing in fact that in the face of brutal opposition and persecution the church actually grew! All but one of the disciples, John the Beloved, was martyred for their faith and proclamation of the gospel of Christ.
All suffered persecution… and yet none of them rejected the resurrection of Jesus… they had seen Him resurrected with their own eyes… Thomas had even placed his hands in the side of Jesus and touched the wounds still evident on His hands
The early Church Father Turtullian wrote that, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” In a very real sense this is true. In spite of vicious opposition, the church grew and flourished. The early church had partnered for the journey of faith. They had come together… in one accord…
The story is told of a horse-pull in Canada. One horse pulled 9,000 pounds, another 8,000. Together you would expect them to pull 18,000 pounds. Not so! When teamed together, they pulled 30,000 pounds.
The principle is called synergism. By definition, the simultaneous action of separate agents working together has a greater total effect than the sum of their individual efforts. More can be done in a team effort than can be accomplished solo. In order for the principle of synergism to work like it should, there has to be teamwork.
Everything we do takes teamwork and trust. Every person in the local church is valuable and needed. The church is a team, and together we can build for the Lord.
I recently read a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody knew that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Somebody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody because Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
I remember when I was a young Marine going through basic training in San Diego, California.
One of the most challenging parts of the training was a several mile hike wearing full equipment with a rifle and a rucksack (backpack) in excess of 26 pounds… which culminated in climbing to the top of a very steep mountain peek which bears a name which is unrepeatable in church!
By the time you get near the top of this mountain you are literally on hands and knees climbing because the mountain is so steep. And it’s the most amazing thing… as you near the top you see young Marines dragging other young Marines up this hill…
If a person falls behind, a stronger Marine will take his pack and carry it for him… If someone gets hurt… they don’t get left behind, they get helped to the top… because that is the destination… and the mission is to get there… to partner on the journey… together.
The disciples partnered together on a journey of faith. They lived a life of spiritual transformation. Each day they chose to follow after Jesus as they journeyed from town to town declaring that the mercy of God had been revealed to humanity…
God has called us together – His Church – to reflect His love and mercy in this world. And every one of us has intrinsic value as a part of His Church. No one is more important that another. We all have a part to play, a song to sing, and are valuable. We are a team… we are partners on a journey of faith…
The Journey
The Christian life is much more like a journey than it is a destination. Jesus said, “Come… be my disciple…” Being a disciple is a lifelong journey of discovery and growth. Becoming a disciple of Christ isn’t about praying one time prayers according to some magical formula… it’s about strapping on your sandals, picking up a walking stick and following after the master on a lifelong spiritual journey…
This journey is one of transformation as we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great nonconformist. Jesus bucked the political, religious, and social norms of His day through radical loved-filled living… through peaceful nonconformity Jesus and His disciples changed the world!
Luke 9:23 Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Jesus doesn’t call his disciples into a pain free existence. The way of Jesus is not a necessarily a way of prosperity…
The earlier followers of Jesus were known simply as “followers of The Way.” The way of Jesus is a way of peace, a way of mercy, and a way of grace. Christianity is more than simply an ethic or a philosophy. The early disciples lived together and broke bread together… they partnered in a journey of faith. Let us do the same…
The Christian life is a relational journey. We come into relationship with one another as we seek to be in relationship with God. We share together… following after The Master… Continually being transformed by the way of compassion… the way of forgiveness… the way of peace…
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit. The transformed nonconformist, moreover, never yields to the passive sort of patience which is an excuse to do nothing.”
You don’t have to be a civil rights worker to be a transformed nonconformist. You don’t have to be extraordinary to live a transformed life… Wherever you are, God has placed you there to be a radiant example of His goodness and His mercy…
Wherever you find injustice in your place of work… in your family… in the lives of your coworkers or friends… simply by living out your faith and letting the love of God which is inside of you overflow into the lives of others… by doing that you can become a transformed nonconformist…
By choosing each day to follow after the Master of Mercy… the way of Jesus… you can be transformed from the corruption of this world to the love and mercy of Christ. But nonconformity for nonconformity sake is foolish…
We have not been called to be different for difference sake… we have been called to be different for sake of Christ. We have been called to be radiant examples of His mercy and we have been called to be living testimonies of His grace.
This world is full of corruption… pain… sorrow… but here… revealed in us… is the compassion of the Cross… the mercy of God shown forth is us as we show mercy to others… the radiant love of God exposed as we love others foolishly… with an unbridled sense of compassion and forgiveness.
In Luke chapter 7 Jesus tells us that we, who have been forgiven much… we ought to love much.
Conclusion
The Christian life can be… and should be… an exciting adventure… a journey of discovery as we are consumed with knowing God and being known by Him… a journey of unfolding grace as we are overwhelmed by His love and the goodness of loving others…
I invite you today to get just a glimpse a His glory… just a taste of His goodness… just a sip from the refreshing waters of His grace is more than enough to transform you into a follower of the way of the Master of Mercy…
We need more of His peace, more of His love in our lives, more of His mercy expressed through us in the lives of our families… our friends… our church… and everywhere else where God places us as His means of communicating hope and promise to a world desperately in need of that message.
God doesn’t need us to be perfect… just available. In Mathew chapter 9 Jesus tells His disciple Mathew, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Jesus doesn’t call the perfect, he works perfectly through those He calls to travel on this lifelong journey of faith – together.
Let us pray.
God of mercy and grace, today we choose to pick up our cross and follow after you as we choose to be followers of the way of compassion… the way of mercy… the way of grace. We have partnered on this journey. Fill us to overflowing with your love. Amen.
