As we think about what it means to be a caring community, it is important to think about how we reflect God in our caring.
This means that foundational to all our caring is God.
When God is foundational to our caring, we see how much God loves us and cares for us.
And second to God being foundational for our care, it is important to think about how we view the church…
Listen to this little interchange:
Irvine and Peter are work mates. It was Friday and as the day drew closer and closer their conversation went something like this.
Irvine: :Hey Pete, what are you up to this weekend?
Pete: Spending time with family, watching the footy, doing some gardening and on Sunday I am off to church.
Irvine: Church??? What do you want to want go there for? It is full of hypocrites and it is boring?
Pete: Boring? What do you mean boring? I am not sure when you were last part of the church, but we are not boring. We are frequently learning. We always have a lot on. Sure we make mistakes at times, but there is where you learn and have the opportunity to experience some of God’s love. As the church we are spending time in loving God, serving each other and helping others.
Did you notice the difference between the two?
Irvine’s perspective of the church is that the church was something or someone else that he expected to meet his expectations and serve him, and by the sounds of it it hadn’t. He had a narrow view of church.
Pete on the other hand was fully involved. He clearly saw that he is part of the church. He was aware how much was happening among those who made up the church so that people lived out its calling.
Understanding that you and me are part of the church is critical if we are to live out our vision statement that we will be caring for people biblically, spiritually and pastorally.
Being a caring community requires every person to see that they are called to be caring.
Caring for people involves us, you and me.
It is not someone else’s responsibility, it is yours and mine, we are the church.
The New Testament reminds us that the church is God’s people coming together to listen to God, receive His forgiveness and guidance and be His disciples who actively love God, each other and the wider community.
It is also important for us to see that when people we know who are part of the church visit us, care for us, help us, that that is the church visiting us, helping us and caring for us.
And care through the church has a broad dimension.
Now think about the various ways people need help.
As part of the church we have a role to play in many of these ways.
That is why our vision statement points to us being a caring community biblically, spiritually and pastorally.
Often when we think of care, we think of the practical care people need.
Over the last year listen to how God has shown His love to people through our congregation:
cooking meals
babysitting and animal sitting
giving others a lift
visiting others
sending cards
praying for people
giving food through loaves and fishes
plus there are many more.
Can you think of a way someone in this congregation has helped you?
Thank God for them and His care through them.
Please keep in mind that that is God showing His love to you through them.
Unfortunately someone people believe the church should keep its nose out of this practical help.
However that is not the teaching of the bible.
In our reading from Acts 6,
the disciples recognised that widows needed to be helped but the disciples were already over committed.
Now they could have said, this is not our responsibility?
However they didn’t.
They probably remembered the story of the Good Samaritan which encourages us to see that whenever we see someone in need, God is calling us to help them.
And in the Small Catechism Martin Luther reminds us that the bible encourages us to have this approach to life, that being a Christian is a call to be actively be involved in helping people.
and this is how Luther expresses it in the Large Catechism
The fifth commandment is violated not only when a person actually does evil, but also when you fail to do good to others, or, though you have the opportunity, you fail to prevent, protect, and save others from suffering bodily harm or injury. If you send a person away naked when you could clothe him, you have let them freeze to death. If you see anyone suffer hunger and do not feed them, you have let them starve. Likewise, if you see anyone condemned to death or in similar peril and do not save them although you know ways and means to do so, you have killed him. It will do you no good to plead that you did not contribute to their death by word or deed, for you have withheld your love from them and robbed them of the service by which their life might have been saved.
and from the explanation to the 7th commandment Luther reminds us that the bible encourages us to help others improve and protect their possessions and ways of making a living.
So being the church means that we are called to get involved in caring for others in practical and helpful ways.
Now the Christian community in Acts 6 highlighted that our care should be seen as a spiritual activity and therefore be delivered by people who have a good relationship with God and the Christian community.
From verse 2 to 4 we hear
So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them”
Even though they we were looking for people to wait on tables, it was still important that those involved in the service were Christians, actively being taught by God through His word and community.
Why do you think this might be the case?
Verse 7 says as a result of their service the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Our acts of caring, are ways God will use to help others not only experience his love, but they also create opportunities for us to develop relations and share more about how good God is and what he is offering.
We need to take this seriously as individuals and as a church.
Think about your life, who has good placed in your path that needs some help or care?
How are you helping them?
How can this situation be an opportunity for you to build or strengthen a relationship?
What spiritual conversations may you be able to start up?
It could be as simple as can I pray for you.
It may be revealing to people that even though they are going through a tough time, that God still loves them and they are not necessarily being punished.
Our acts of service, especially in caring, are not just about doing stuff, but they are about building relationships so that we can connect people to other people and to God.
This is why it is also important that in every agency of the church we have leaders, staff and volunteers who are not just good at what they do, but are also being shaped by God through their participation in church life and worship.
And when it comes to Christian care it is very helpful when we see that it is even bigger than practically caring for the individual, it also involves caring for the community as a whole.
This means not just looking at the immediate needs or demands of people.
But thinking about such things as how do our plans, actions and even what we say affect our community, especially what we are meant to be doing.
A good question to ask is, are we on track to be a community of people being shaped by God, being distributors of God’s forgiveness and inviting others to be part of His kingdom?
The truth is unfortunately we often get distracted from this calling.
Some years ago a President from one of our Districts observed that most of his time and the pastors and leaders he meets of congregations seem to be consumed with dealing with problems caused by people who are not concerned about how they are affecting the community. They seem to be more interested in their own interests and agendas. As a result many of our leaders are drained and have little time to help us be a community of people who are shaped by God, distribute God’s forgiveness and actively involved in growing God’s kingdom.
Now this is not saying we should ignore everyone who has an issue with the congregation or church. However there is a healthy and caring way to deal with issues.
When people have complaints good care for our community is that we follow and encourage others to follow the biblical process as mentioned in Matthew 18:15-20. In short this practically means if you have a complaint against someone take it to them directly and listen to their response. If you are not satisfied take a witness along, not to be on your side, but to help you see the other person’s point of view and to verify that you are trying to rectify the situation. If you are still not satisfied take it to the leaders of the congregation, and in our congregation this means either BCL or our Pastoral Assistants. Then if you are still not satisfied take the matter to the congregation. Now remember this is not about winning, but ultimate your goal is to be reconciled with that person. The reason Jesus has put this process into place is very simple, it provides us with a good healthy and caring way of dealing with complaints, and when we don’t use this process we are often cause further problems to our community’s ability to carry out its calling to be shaping people with God’s word, being distributors of God’s forgiveness and inviting others to be part of His kingdom.
Also remember we need to be caring of each other, because none of us are perfect, and James chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 gives us some guidance on how we are to treat others when they make mistakes, Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
In caring for the congregation as a whole, also we are not simply looking to be fixing up problems, good care is also about being proactive, and preparing people for the ministry and mission God has called them to be involved in.
Peter Corney who has been the leader of a thriving Anglican church in Kew, makes the following observations in his book Developing congregations into caring communities.
Congregations become more caring when they focus on being:
Committed to the community over the individual
Committed to Jesus
Committed to one another
Committed to the Word of God
Committed to unity in diversity
Committed to worship
Committed to servant leadership
Committed to connecting the wider community to Jesus
These commitments help us to proactively care for each other. Like a person preparing for marathon, we need to be constantly preparing for our life as God’s people, of loving God, loving each other and loving the wider community.
So here is something to think about and if you have an answer please talk to Pastor Richard about it.
Where do you need help so that you are better able to be part of our congregation’s life?
Finally there is something very important to remember
As we get involved in caring for others, God will use these interactions to help us grow as His disciples and help us understand more about Him and His way of life.
In our reading from Matthew 25:31-46, we are reminded that as we care for others we will meet Jesus.
Think about what this means.
Our times of caring are not just about us giving something on behalf of God, it is also about us receiving something from God
Some weeks ago I mentioned the story of Jim Cymbala and how through prayer his congregation changed dramatically.
Well here is another story how God changed Jim Cymbala not through prayer but through him serving another person
Listen to his story
It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the stage, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service. Our leaders and pastoral assistants were talking with people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, “Could I talk to you?” We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, “What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine.” He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him. I asked him, “What’s your name?” “David.” “How long have you been on the street?” “Six years.” “How old are you?” “Thirty-two.” He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed. “Where did you sleep last night, David?” “Abandoned truck.” I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I’ll have to do it because no one will volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out. David pushed his finger in front of me. He said, “I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.” I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening. I pleaded with God, “God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!” Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma. Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said, “This is for you.” It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford. A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the microphone and began to speak, I said, “The man is a preacher.” This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying, “Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher.” We can get so full of ourselves.
As you care for others look for how God is meeting.
Look for how God is shaping you.
Lets us pray
Amen
