Before I begin, let me ask you first to turn to Galatians 5: 13, and be ready to read it with me in a little while.
[Read II Corinthians 3: 1-3]
I have an announcement to make. The most amazing thing has happened. We have found another letter from the Lord to the churches. We have discovered an extra letter.
You know how over the past seven weeks we have been working through the seven letters to the churches of Asia? You remember that we have spent time plowing through what the Lord wrote to the churches in places like Ephesus and Thyatira and Pergamum and Laodicea? Well, I am proud to announce that we have found an extra letter; we have discovered an eighth letter to go with the seven in the Book of Revelation. Isn’t that astounding!
Let me tell you about this extra letter. Maybe you remember that each of the original seven letters began with the phrase, "I know"? I know your works, I know where you live, I know your affliction. Do you remember that? Well, the eighth letter has that very same feature. The extra letter also carries the Lord’s powerful phrase, "I know." It really is quite a special thing, to have found this extra letter.
Then, too, maybe you recall that in each of the seven letters in the Book of Revelation, the Lord admonishes the church to be faithful in very specific ways. Do you remember how He told the church at Smyrna to return to their first love, to set their priorities straight? And then He said, "Be faithful." Do you recall how He cried out to the church at Thyatira about their sexual sins, and pointed out how badly they would be hurt if they were not faithful? Do you remember the formula of the seven letters: "I know ... be faithful."?
Well, that applies to the eighth letter too. "Be faithful" is the watchword of this extra letter. Can you see how excited I am to discover that we have found, right here in our church, this extra letter from the Lord?
Well, I will not keep you in suspense much longer. In just a moment I will read you the text of the extra letter. But before I do, maybe we should remind ourselves, one more time, of the thrust of the seven original letters. Maybe we should recite, one more time, the key verse we used for seven weeks. It begins, "Be faithful ... " Can you say it with me:
"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."
Again: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."
And now, will you also read with me Galatians 5:13:
Do you remember that this is the theme verse for our church this year? From this verse we have drawn our annual theme, "Freedom, Love, and Service." What is our theme for the year again? "Freedom, Love, and Service."
Say again the verse from Revelation .. "Be faithful ... "
Now: here is the text of the special delivery, extra letter, the eighth letter to the church. This letter does differ from the others. It isn’t written on paper; it is not in a book. I cannot photocopy it and pass it around. This letter is unique. This letter is written in lives. This letter is written in human experience. This is the letter prepared by those who have lived among us. And, as Paul said to the Corinthians, they are "a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Let’s read this extra letter.
And to the angel of the church in Takoma write: These are the words of the saints among you, those who dwelt where you dwell, who have passed from life through death unto eternal life.
We know your works. We know what kind of church you are. We know what makes you special, for we participated in shaping you. We helped to make you what you are, good or bad, right or wrong, success or failure. We are your living letters. And we admonish you: Be faithful. Be faithful in freedom, love, and service.
I
First, we know that you have been a church which has cherished freedom. We know that from the earliest days you have encouraged independence of mind and openness of spirit. We know that you celebrate the diversity within your ranks. We have even heard that if you get three members of Takoma discussing some issue, you will get at least four different opinions! We know that you have cherished freedom.
But we have this to say to you. We have this to admonish you. Embrace all sorts of people and help them to be truly free. Embrace all kinds of people, with all kinds of needs, and help them find freedom. Help them know the grace of a loving Lord that gives true freedom. You are called to freedom, brothers and sisters.
We are the living letters, written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. We are the extra letter.
The extra letter was sent to Takoma by brother Otis Rush, whose physical handicaps were so severe, but whose heart was turned toward the Lord because in the care of his sister and in the embrace of this church he found freedom. Freedom in which to grow despite the seriousness of his limitations. The letter sent from the heart of Otis Rush says to the church at Takoma, "Be faithful. Be faithful in accepting the physically and mentally challenged. Be faithful in seeing in every person the potential for God’s Spirit to work." Brother Otis Rush writes, in his living extra letter, "Be faithful in freeing people whose bodies imprison them." You are called to freedom, brothers and sisters.
This extra letter was sent also to Takoma by sister Avor Anderson, whose mind, once alert, became subject to the ravages of age. The letter sent from the heart of Avor Anderson says to the church at Takoma, "Be faithful. Be faithful in remembering the elderly, with all of their frailties. Be faithful so as not to laugh at them or to write them off. Be faithful to visit the infirm, to touch them. Be faithful to see those who can no longer lead as treasures to be cherished." Sister Avor Anderson writes, in her living extra letter, "Be faithful in freeing elderly people from having to be up to par." You are called to freedom, brothers and sisters.
This extra letter about freedom, freedom and grace, was sent to Takoma also by brother Michael Hill, who struggled for most of his adult life against powers too great for human endurance, against those things which our society makes glamorous but which are actually destructive. The letter sent from the heart of Michael Hill says to the church at Takoma, "Be faithful. Be faithful in freeing young people who are bound to some dangerous routes. Be faithful in understanding that there is a difference between allowing people to be free and in standing by, doing nothing. Be faithful to learn that God calls you to intervene, the mandate of the gospel summons you to get involved, the necessity of the good news frees you to help the struggling. Brother Michael Hill writes, in his living extra letter, "Be faithful in working diligently to free God’s children from dependence on things that are not healthy." You are called to freedom, brothers and sisters. To freedom, love, and service.
II
But the extra letter continues. This letter from the saints who have lived among us:
Not only do we know that you have been a church which has cherished freedom. We also know that you have been a church in which love has lived. We know that you have been a close and caring fellowship, at your best, and that even when you have fought and disagreed, you have worked to keep unity. We, your living letters, know your works, and we know that behind the scenes, where no one even sees them, there are countless acts of kindness, there are dollars being given and meals being prepared and prayers being offered and visits being made. We know that you have cherished not only freedom, but also love.
But we have this to say to you. We have this to admonish you. Let your love be broad and embracing. Let your love extend not only to those whom you know already, but also to those you scarcely even recognize. Let your love reach out to win the lost, to care for the lonely, to affirm the searching, to acknowledge the obscure. Let love cause you to want to know the people you don’t know. Let love banish from your vocabulary the sentence, "Who is that? I don’t know who that is." Let love banish from your hearts the desire to sit only with your old friends, to speak only to people of your own age and race, to invite into your home practically nobody! You are called not only to freedom, but also to love, brothers and sisters.
We are the living letters, written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. We are the extra letter.
The extra letter sent to Takoma by sister Athelstein Coleman, whose quiet, careful ways made her unknown to many of us, and not well known even to those who did visit her. The extra letter from the heart of Athelstein Coleman reads, "Be faithful. Be faithful in loving that quiet reserved person who suffers in silence. Be faithful in searching out those who do not choose to call attention to themselves, be faithful in finding those whose illness draws them away, for when you love them, you will find yourself being loved. When you love those who need love but who do not ask for it, you will find yourself enriched by their faith and their patient endurance. Sister Athelstein Coleman writes, in her living extra letter, "Be faithful in loving people the way they want to be loved; if openly and joyously, then wrap your arms around them and embrace them completely. But if they want to be loved quietly and calmly, then give them space. Give them room to be alone, if they wish. But you are called to love, brothers and sisters.
The letter continues. Some of the letter on love comes from brother Lafayette Long, who chose to worship elsewhere, but who kept up close personal ties with family and friends here at Takoma. The extra, living letter from the heart of Lafayette long reads, "Be faithful. Be faithful in loving those whose spiritual needs take them elsewhere but whose human needs can be satisfied only by maintaining old friendships. Be faithful in loving those who may not show up here every time our doors open, but who do not break the ties of kinship and friendship. Love, and love with acceptance, those in this household of faith who, for one reason or another, do not find it comfortable to worship here, but who do know that it was here they met the Lord and here they learned of Christ. Keep on with the work of reconciliation, keep on building bridges. Brother Lafayette Long writes, in his living extra letter, "Be faithful in loving those who follow at a distance, for from them you will learn something. You are not called to criticize, brothers and sisters. You are called to love.
And this same letter, this very same letter on love, comes as well from brother Edward Alton Hurd, who, though advanced in age and unable to be out very much, continued to remember his church, continued to give of his resources, continued to grow in spiritual knowledge. The extra, living letter from the heart of brother E. A. Hurd reads, "Be faithful. Be faithful to love the mission and ministry of the people of God, even when circumstances make it impossible to be here. Be faithful to care for the things that have eternal significance, even when the things of this world fail you. Do not let your love be just a matter of talk, do not let it be nothing but emotional outburst. But let your love be practical. Give even when you cannot receive the benefit of your giving. Help to build the church for its future, even when you cannot be there in the present." Brother Edward Alton Hurd writes, in his extra living letter, "Be faithful in loving and in giving to serve even those persons whom you will never see, for those coming after you will need this church. Authentic love means building for the future." You are called to that kind of love, brothers and sisters. To freedom, love, and service.
III
You are called to freedom and you are called to love. But the extra letter continues on a different note:
We know, reads the letter. We know that you are a church which has been called to freedom and called to love. But you are also a church which has been called to service. We know your works: that you have, over the years, engaged in many works of mission and ministry. You have done works of evangelism and witness. We know that your faith has not just been theory, but that on many occasions you have put your hands to the test, and you have done things. You have accomplished things, for the glory of God and the service of His children. We know, Takoma, that you are called to service.
But we have some things to say to you. We have some serious concerns to raise with you. We must admonish you not to lose sight of every form of service. We ask you to be faithful to the full range of ways in which the people of this community and this world can be served. We urge you not to write off as too expensive or too much work any form of service. You are called not only to freedom, and not only to love, brothers and sisters. You are also called to service, definite, concrete service.
We are the living letters, written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. We are the extra letter.
The extra letter sent to Takoma by sister Mary Henry, whose passion it was to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love; who shared her faith with anybody who would listen. The extra, living letter from the heart of sister Mary Henry reads, "Be faithful. Be faithful in the task of telling the good news of salvation. Be faithful in the thing that is so basic that if you do not do it, the church will die, and worse yet, souls will die. Be faithful in the task that some even turn up their noses at, the task of evangelism. Do not hide behind your shyness; you are called to this. Do not hide behind your ignorance; your church will train you. Do not hide behind what you think others will feel; the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say. Without evangelism, there is no church, no salvation, nothing. It is absolutely basic." Sister Mary Henry, in her extra, living letter, writes, "Be faithful to serve others through sharing your witness. You are called to service, to evangelism, brothers and sisters."
But this part of the letter continues, with growing passion. This part of the extra letter sent to Takoma comes from our sister Sadie Simmons, who saw a community of people who needed to be taught, needed to be helped, and needed to be empowered. Engaging in tutoring, in ministry to the elderly, in teaching, the extra, living letter from the heart of sister Sadie Simmons reads, "Be faithful. Be faithful in serving the human needs of others so that we can get to their spiritual needs as well. Be faithful in doing what Jesus did, for the Scripture says that He went about doing good. Some of us, you know, just go about, doing. Be faithful in seeing people as they really are, not as you would like them to be. If they are hungry, feed them. If they are cold, warm them. If they are young and in trouble with the law, then give them guidance. If they are children and nobody is there for them after school, then give them a safe place. Do all that you can to serve the most basic human needs of others, and you will then be able to speak to their need for the Lord. Sister Sadie Simmons, in her extra, living letter, writes, "Be faithful to serve others, whatever they need, spending your money and investing your time. You are called to ministry, to service, brothers and sisters."
But the letter is not finished yet. Not quite. For among us there was one other voice. For a long time, this voice. And it was a voice not just for the community, but for the world. Not just for what we can see and do right here, right now, but for what we can accomplish in those faraway places with the strange-sounding names. The extra letter sent to Takoma is completed by our sister Minnie Hutton, whose passion for missions burned bright, whose concern for a world in need of a Savior never failed. The extra, living letter from the heart of Minnie Hutton reads, "Be faithful. Be faithful to service through the worldwide missionary enterprise. Be faithful to pray for missionaries who carry the message of Christ to nations around the world. Be faithful to give to missions offerings so that these men and women can be supported. Be faithful to know about missions, to care about missions, to help call out young people for careers in missions and ministry. Know that you can help make a difference through missions. Minnie Hutton, in her extra, living letter, writes, "Be faithful. Be faithful where you live, of course; but be faithful to serve the whole world through supporting missions. You are called, brothers and sisters, to be brothers and sisters to all of humanity. You are called to missionary service.
Freedom, love, and service.
So ends the letter to the church at Takoma. Wasn’t it wonderful to have had the privilege of receiving an extra letter from the Lord of the church? We are what we are because of these living letters. We are, for better or for worse, shaped by who they were and what they did among us.
Only one question remains. Only one issue is now before us. Paul frames it for us: "You yourselves are [now} our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.”
Will you be able, when the time of your departure comes, to be included in this: "And you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." Will you be a letter of Christ? Are you even now being prepared by the Spirit of the living God? What will they read when your days are finished? What do they read now? What will anyone learn from your life?
I pray God it will be "freedom, love, and service." For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become servants to one another."
Be faithful unto what? Death. And I will give you the crown of life.
