Psalm 130
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.
My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Those who have been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Starting Out on the Right Foot
He sits down. It is a few hours before Sunday worship. He is nervous… but it is the good kind of nervous. This is the moment that God has been preparing him for. His whole life has been leading up to this. He is anxious. Who wouldn’t be? Today would mark the end of one step of the journey, and a brand new beginning to another step. It is his first Sunday as a brand new pastor. He wants desperately to start out on the right foot. But how? Where should he start? How should he start? Where can he look to for guidance? Words of men are fine, however in a case like this one needs something more… divine. And so he folds his hands, bows his head… and prays.
It may not surprise you that I use this story of a new pastor, because that is exactly where I am at… and exactly where we are at. I have huge expectations of myself and I am sure you have expectations as well. So those same questions plague me as I look at our new beginning. Where should we start? How should we start? And… Where can we look to for guidance?
But how do we do it? How we can start our journey together out on the right foot. If we were business people, it would be a simple matter of collecting data, crunching numbers, putting everything in its place, and organizing and streamlining our work together. If we were athletes, we would train, and exercise, work, practice, and put our bodies through all sorts of punishment.
However, we are not in business together nor would I compare the work of the church to an athlete in training. No… our calling together is something more, something altogether different, and we can not find the answers for how we can live out our calling by looking to the examples of the world. So… how can we make sure we are on the right path, following the will of God, and living up to the call he has placed on us as a church?
We need to look to God and the examples set forth in scripture. Rightfully so… any new beginning in a church whether it be a new pastor coming or a new curriculum should be undertaken with a focus on God. This is the exact example set forth for us in our scripture lesson for today.
Today’s scripture is from our dear brother Paul to the church in Ephesus. The Ephesians were struggling with their “new beginnings” apart from Paul. His letter to the church detailed a blueprint for how the church should progress forward. It might not be a huge surprise to hear what Paul says on the matter.
Paul writes to the Ephesians, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love.” Paul was always concerned with the example set forth by God, and the example set for us by Jesus Christ. For him they were the ultimate, or more accurately, they were the perfect model for us to follow and for us to strive for.
So what did he do? If God was the example set, indeed if God was the blueprint for Paul, it is an appropriate question to ask how Paul lived out his calling with God as the guide. The answer is, he made God the center of his ministry. This is the same message he passed on to the church in Ephesus.
Paul spent many hours in prayer and encouraged the Ephesians to pray constantly, trying to discern the will of God for their ministry. With their eyes focused on God, Paul encouraged them to look to what God desired of them, rather than what they desired from God. And from this we learn two things; first, we should start, continue, and finish every project with prayer, and an eye for discerning God’s will throughout the process. Second, that we need to focus on what God desires of us, rather than what we desire of God.
At this point you might be saying, “Well that’s really great pastor Homan, but what does that mean? How does that effect how I live my everyday life?” Well, I’m about to tell you. Paul called the Ephesians to more than just prayer and an eye for God… he called them to true discipleship.
He called them to be kind to one another, but it goes so much farther than that. He uses a term that I used the last time I preached here, “brothers and sisters,” and yet it goes so much farther than that. He called them to, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love,” and there we begin to have it. Walk in the way of love. He doesn’t say, “Love everybody on Sunday.” He doesn’t say, “Love only the people in your church.” He says, “Walk in the way of love.”
It is a call to live their entire lives, in everything they do, with an eye for serving God. It extends to every aspect of our lives; our work… our rest… even our play should be taken in light of God’s call in our lives. A quick word of caution, this isn’t a call to a pious life and a stoic self depreciation. God wants us to work, to rest, even to play. Yes… our play is God ordained. We are allowed to play. But you see… it makes a difference in our lives, if focused on God, we understand play to be a gift from God. Likewise, if we believe our work to be a calling from God… think of how differently we could approach the work day. Discipleship is so much more than trying to live a good life. It is a life that keeps God always at the center.
I believe that we, beginning our journey together could do no better than to follow Paul’s example, and look to God and Christ as our templates. I believe that to begin this journey on the right foot, we as a congregation need to be focused on God, and centered on Christ.
We need to continually be in prayer, and seek the will of God in our lives. We should constantly ask how God is calling us to service, and where he is calling us to. Finally, we can “Walk in the way of love,” living our entire lives for the one who made us, the one who redeemed us, and the one who calls us home.
I return now to the story of the new pastor. A few hours before Sunday worship. Still nervous, still anxious. Knowing at least in part what lies ahead of him. The new pastor turns it all over to the one who holds the future in His hands. Yes, there would be times where he makes mistakes. There would be times he would be far less than perfect. There would be times that the church was not just one big happy family, times when he would not be all loved.
But he knows that God will be with him, and the whole congregation through it all. For all the worries he could undertake, the only ones he has to undertake is the worries of how to serve God best, how God is calling him to service, how God is calling the church to service, and how they all can live as disciples.
It is here and now, that he bows his head to pray. Let us listen to his prayer:
Dear Father, I know I am not worthy of the task you have put before me. At the same time I know that you go with me, and that you are here with this congregation. Help me to be a good servant, and help lead this congregation into service with you. Help me to be a good disciple - remembering the call you placed upon my life, and help this congregation remember the call you have placed on their lives, to live as your disciples. Help us to see your will together, to see where you are calling us to go. Help us to live together as one body; sharing with those in need, building each other up, being kind and compassionate to one another - especially when we do not always get along. Let us always remember your example. As your children, help us to truly live as brothers and sisters. Let us go forward, from this “new beginning” always keeping our hearts, minds, and our lives forever focused on you. For I know in my heart, that if we focus on you, we will indeed start out together on the right foot.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
