Nehemiah 2:11-20
Sermon Series: Creating a Shared Vision
“It’s in the Way that You Use It”
by: Rev. Ken Sauer, Pastor, Grace United Methodist Church, Soddy Daisy, TN www.graceumcsd.org
Around 444 BC, a Jewish man named Nehemiah was given a vision by God.
He was to rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem after it had lain in ruins for over a hundred years.
The Jews living in Jerusalem at the time were content to live with the broken-down wall.
But Nehemiah’s compelling vision for their future changed their attitude.
In Nehemiah’s short but highly effective speech to Jews still living in Jerusalem we are shown a brilliant model for casting a compelling vision!
First of all, Nehemiah defined the problem that his vision addressed.
Second, Nehemiah offered a solution.
And thirdly, Nehemiah followed with the reason why something had to be done and why it had to be done immediately.
I am going to focus mainly on Nehemiah Chapter 2:17-18.
Let’s hear it or look at it again.
“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.
Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’
So they began this good work.”
This morning, you and I are beginning the good work of creating a shared vision for Grace United Methodist Church.
During this month of February, I will preach a sermon series about creating a shared vision.
On the first Sunday in March we will begin the task of working on this vision together.
We will have a celebration!
Chris Lanier will unveil an original song he has written for Grace Church.
There will be cake, balloons, and prizes for those of you who completely fill-out all four sets of note-sheets in your bulletins!!!
A community of believers called Grace United Methodist Church has been meeting on this site for nearly twenty years, but there are only a handful of folks who were here in the beginning.
This is basically a brand new congregation.
And we have been planted in an area that “lies in ruins.”
There are many, many folks who have no church home.
In the homes behind us in Rolling Hills and across the street in Hunter Trace human beings are living dysfunctional lives.
The population is medicating itself with pills, illegal drugs and alcohol more than ever before.
A sadness hangs over our community like a dark cloud.
Lives are broken.
Homes lie in ruins.
Marriages are on the rocks.
A few miles up the road lies extreme poverty.
These are the folks who are being hit the hardest by the current economic crisis.
Many of them have literally nothing at all to live on.
Yes, we are surrounded by ruins.
As Christ’s Church which meets at 9833 Hixson Pike in Soddy Daisy, TN in the year of 2009…
…Who are we?
…Why are we here?
…And what are we going to do about it?
What is our vision for this church?
The first step is to define the problem.
To cast a convincing vision, we have to define the problem that our vision addresses.
For Nehemiah, the problem was obvious.
Jerusalem was in ruins!!!
That was a problem for the Jewish people, and thus, it was a problem in the sight of God.
But it wasn’t until Nehemiah drew the people’s attention to the problem and put forth a plan of action that they finally felt compelled to do something about it!!!
Every Vision is a solution to a problem.
If our vision isn’t getting traction, something that needs to happen won’t happen!
A problem will continue to go unaddressed!!!
To make our vision stick, our community needs to understand what’s at stake!!!
It’s the ‘what’s at stake’ issue that grabs people’s hearts.
What’s at stake if this community does not understand that Grace United Methodist Church does not meet here for ourselves but for our community?
What’s at stake if this community does not know that we are an inclusive loving community…
…a community that we want all people to be a part of?
…That we are a people who find hope, strength, love, courage, and healing through being a part of a community which puts it’s faith in Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior?
What’s at stake?
What’s at stake for those who think the church neither wants them nor needs them?
What’s at stake for those who have only experienced the church as an exclusive institution rather than an inclusive movement based on unconditional love?
Some of us may be thinking, “but we are only a small church with an even smaller budget.”
Do you all know that “small” is the majority church size in our denomination?
Almost 3 quarters of all our churches are small congregations.
We are called (at this moment in history) to be a small vital congregation that has not settled and will not settle for mere survival!!!
And the distinguishing factor that makes this a reality is a clear vision and a strong sense of purpose!
Vitality happens when even a few people possess a powerful sense of God’s presence and call on their lives!!!
This is the reason we are constructing Grace Church’s Vision Together!!!
We all must own it as our own!!!
Every successful or vital organization is viewed by its community as a solution to a problem.
If you don’t believe me, Google in “business solutions” on your computer.
You’ll get more than 440,000 results.
Why?
Because a business knows its future hinges on the perception that its product is a solution to someone’s problem.
The same is true of OUR VISION!
This community must know and believe that we are offering a solution to their problems.
Nehemiah’s solution was pretty straightforward: “Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.”
Reconstructing the wall was the solution to a problem.
Again, you may be thinking to yourselves, “the problems that surround us are so great. How can a small congregation such as Grace bring solutions to this community?”
What makes a good church anyway?
The mentality in postmodern Churchianity is often that the bigger the church, the better it must be.
More disciples and more dollars are the standard of what is blessed by “God” in Churchianity.
In his book Natural Church Development, Christian Schwartz conducted a global survey of the worldwide church and came up with a whole bunch of important characteristics of a healthy church…which we will talk about over the next three weeks…
One awesome thing that he did discover is that smaller churches are actually healthier than the huge megachurches.
He says, “The evangelistic effectiveness of mini-churches is statiscally 1,600 percent greater than that of megachurches”!!!
In his research he calculated 170 variables and determined which factors were the most negative in relation to health and growth.
He found that large size was the 3rd most negative factor as it pertains to church vitality!!!
What do you think about that?
Someone once said, “God must like churches of seventy to a hundred people because God made so many of them.”
It’s awesome to know that God has a special love and purpose for those things that are small!
Just as God once lifted up the tiny nation of Israel to be a witness, God is calling US to do the same today!
The writer of Deuteronomy reminded the people of Israel that God chose and loved them not because they were numerous but because they were “the fewest of all peoples.”
Jesus taught that the tiny mustard seed had great potential, that the meek and lowly were especially blessed, that the widow’s mite was a valued offering, and that seeking the one lost sheep truly mattered!
There are amazing ministries happening—problem solving ministries happening in our tiniest churches…
…because they have a shared vision which is a real solution to a real problem!!!
What solution is Grace United Methodist Church proposing to our community?
How are we positioned as a solution to the problems which face the people around us?
Are we rooted in Christ?
Do we have a desire to follow Christ’s great commission which is the Mission of the United Methodist Church…
… to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” ?
Does our community see this kind of love and self-sacrificing care when they meet us?
The third component to a powerful vision statement is the reason something must be done now!
People must see the reason for our vision.
We must be able to answer the questions: “Why must we do this? Why must we do this now?”
Nehemiah’s reason was wrapped up in this theological phrase, “and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
The bottom line was that the Jews knew that the city of Jerusalem was meant to reflect the greatness and their God.
As long as the city was in disarray, it reflected poorly on God.
Something had to be done!
One thing to wrestle with is that our visions are usually not new or unique.
Like Nehemiah, we look at the things around us that need to change and we wonder, “Why hasn’t somebody already done something about this?”
We aren’t the first ones to see that something needs to be done.
But what others have seen and been content to ignore—a vital and healthy church sees and takes action!
A healthy and vital church points the way to a solution and gives a compelling reason why something must be done now!
In Nehemiah’s case, the wall had been that way for over a hundred years.
Why rebuild now?
What had suddenly changed?
Only one thing: a leader came along who saw and stated the problem of sticking with the status quo!
In our Scripture Lesson from Nehemiah we see that Nehemiah and the Jewish people came along some folks who did not share their vision.
Instead, they wanted to stick with the status quo.
Nehemiah said that they “mocked and ridiculed us.”
“What is this you are doing,’ they asked.
Nehemiah answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success…”
The same goes for us!
Why must we cast a Vision?
Why must we do this?
Why must we do this now?
We are to be a light in this community.
We are to shine in the darkness.
We are to be vital.
We are to fulfill Christ’s Mission and Reason for our existence—“To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Once we define the problem, state our vision as a solution, and discover a compelling reason why now is the time to act WE will find more passion for this community and this church than any of us thought possible!!!
Something will come alive in US!
The excitement is almost too much to handle!!!
May it be so.
Amen.
