[A note to the reader: Please note this is not intended to be an expository sermon. I do use the Bible text in question but I relate this to a particular time at a particular church and what God is doing in our midst. If it helps you, great!]
A few things that you’ll rarely, if ever, hear in church:
1: It’s my turn to sit in the front row. 2: Personally, I find evangelism much more enjoyable than golf. 3: I love it when we sing songs I’ve not heard before. 4: Nothing inspires me more and strengthens my commitment like a talk on tithing and stewardship!
Jokes aside they’re statements that can be connected to issues of discipleship; and what is discipleship? To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a follower, a learner, and an imitator of Jesus. To be a disciple is to put the claims of Christ first in all things – literally in all things, so that Christ is always first; and when people do that, and when a local church does that amazing things happen. Hence David Watson wrote this about 30 years ago: “If we are willing to learn the meaning of real discipleship and actually to become disciples, the Church in the West would be transformed, and the resultant impact on society would be staggering.”
Christ Church I believe God wants to both encourage us and challenge us. Be encouraged by the signs of fresh discipleship and transformation in our midst; but at the same time let’s be clear-headed and wake up to the urgency of the situation we are in.
Be encouraged and talk about the signs of God at work in our midst. Tell one another about answers to prayer because that builds up faith and we’ve started to make more space for that in our worship. Be encouraged by the responses we’ve had at the end of our services over recent months. As we wait on God Sunday by Sunday and at other times we’re simply asking our Father in Heaven what he wants to do in our midst. We’re seeking to listen and be obedient to what he is saying. We realise we won’t always get it right and we’re prepared to take risks and God has honoured that in surprising ways. Often as we’ve shared what we think God has given us people have responded and come for prayer.
It seems that God is saying to people I know you, I care about you, I’m interested in, and I want to encourage you. So, for example, a few weeks ago as we prayed before the service and just as we were finishing I asked, “Lord, is there someone you want to speak to?” In my mind’s eye I saw a pond and I thought, “Oh boy. Is that me or is that you speaking Lord?” At the end of the service I shared it and a lady who’d never been to Christ church before came to me and said, “Warner I want to encourage you. I’ve been praying about an issue every day for about a year now where a pond plays a very significant part in my prayers. I believe God is encouraging me to keep praying. Thank you for being brave by sharing what you saw.” Then a couple of weeks later someone had a picture of feathers in their mind’s eye. Was that from God? Well, as odd as it may seem, not one but several people responded to that and asked for prayer because there was a specific and current issue and it seems God wanted to bring encouragement.
Be encouraged by our monthly prayer meeting on the first Wednesday of the month from 8 to 9 p.m. and please come. In December Chris Davis delivered Christmas invitations to Christ Church to his neighbours with a note saying, “Hello, my name’s Chris, I live at number 19 and I worship at Christ Church. On Wednesday evening we’re praying for our community. Can we pray for you?” So on Wednesday 4 December Chris brings along a card from a neighbour saying they’ve recently moved into the area. Please can we pray for a friend’s son? What a privilege it was to pray – and how lovely when Chris’s neighbour came to our Advent carol service with her children and loved it.
Be encouraged by the working party that met recently to tidy Phil Hylton’s garden; by our Men’s group Forging Men and by the work of Ladies of Thursday – both groups seeking to make disciples; and be encouraged by the soon-to-be Rev Margaret Fowler.
Be encouraged by the ten young musicians who played together at our Christingle services on Christmas Eve, brilliantly coordinated by our Youth Outreach Worker – and be encouraged by the record attendance of 812 at those three Christingle services; but more than that be encouraged by the people who spoke to me afterwards saying they were interested in the Pilgrim course that starts on Wednesday 15 January. Pray that they will move from interest to attendance and beyond.
Be encouraged; but let’s be clear-headed and wake up to the urgency of the situation we are in. “If we are willing to learn the meaning of real discipleship and actually to become disciples, the Church in the West would be transformed, and the resultant impact on society would be staggering.”
As a Church we struggled financially last year and I don’t yet know what our year-end figures look like.
The roof of the building is leaking, our monthly income is less than our monthly expenditure and we recently said goodbye to several old friends. Sunday attendances were relatively low during the autumn and we know that nationally over the next ten years about half of our paid Vicars will retire leading to a significant shortage of clergy. My job description has to change and it already has; but as Archbishop Justin Welby said recently, “We may not be optimistic but we are hopeful”; and I remain as hopeful now as I’ve ever been because the Lord is in our midst. The Lord is here! We’re facing challenges and we need to wake up to what the Lord wants to do through each one of us to build his church, to grow as disciples and to make new disciples.
Jesus started with 12. Many enquired and loved his miracles but many lost interest and turned away when his teaching became too challenging and too hard to practice (e.g. John 6:60-66). That happens today.
Our Bible reading was the so-called Great Commission. After his death and glorious resurrection Jesus gave instructions that his disciples should go to Galilee, north of Jerusalem, because he would meet them there (28: 7, 10 and 16); and he did; and verse 17 must surely encourage us when we get downcast or doubt that God is really at work. Maybe Christmas went badly, maybe illness or redundancy strikes and faith wavers. Maybe people let us down and we blame God or maybe we just get tired and weary. If so, Jesus wants to come to you today to restore your hope, passion and purpose, to commission you or re-commission you for the life of discipleship.
Verse 17: ‘When they saw [Jesus], they worshipped him; but some doubted.’ Yes, some of them doubted, even though they were witnessing first-hand the resurrected Jesus; so don’t be too hard on yourself when you doubt; but hear and receive the commission of God upon your life.
Jesus said to those first disciples, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (28:18-20).
What is Jesus saying? He has all authority (28:18). We might look around at society, worry about family values and wonder about who is in charge but here’s the answer. It’s not the Prime Minister, it’s not your boss at work and it’s not me thank God. It’s Jesus. He has all authority. He is in control even when we can’t see it. He has a plan even when he’s being crucified and when it looks as though all is lost. Jesus has all authority. When things look bleak financially, numerically, or spiritually, we fix our eyes upon Jesus once again. Resolve to be or become genuine disciples, following, learning from, and imitating him.
A disciple recognises that Christmas begins with Christ. Priorities begin with Christ. Every day begins with Christ. The call on my bank account begins with Christ. Love, forgiveness and acceptance begins with Christ. Life in all its fullness begins with Christ.
I’ve heard many talks on this Bible passage and I’ve spoken on it myself several times. Sometimes, tongue-in-cheek but with more than a hint of seriousness it is referred to as the Great Omission, because when the Church gets inward-looking, comfortable, or lazy or complacent or all of the above it is the command of Jesus that gets ignored.
In November the Bishop of Chelmsford was here sharing a terrific training evening for our Deanery. 175 people from Billericay, Basildon & Wickford attended as the Bishop invited us to evangelise effectively and to organise a weekend of mission specifically during 2014 – the 100th anniversary of our Diocese.
Bishop Stephen also just happens to be one of the co-authors of the Pilgrim course that starts on 15th January. No, I’m not on commission for the number of times I mention the course but I do want us to get serious about the Great Commission and the Pilgrim Course will help us to do that.
If I can praise Jesus’ words it would sound like this: “Go. Make disciples. Baptise them. Teach them to obey.” It’s not primarily about travelling overseas as a missionary although that is included. It is primarily about making disciples, baptising them and teaching them to obey. That needs to be our focus. Our aim as a Church is to know Jesus better and to make Jesus better known. That’s discipleship, and it fits with the command of Jesus to make disciples, baptise them and teach them to obey him.
So, why are we going to use Pilgrim? The initial course lasts 6 weeks focusing on Turning to Christ.
Thereafter, if people enjoy it and find it helpful there are a further seven short courses each six sessions long covering the Lord’s Prayer, the ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Bible, the Church and Communion. It’s a disciples making course for disciples and I would love to see as many of you attending a course as possible. I’m running one primarily for people who want to enquire about the faith but it’s open to anyone. Some of our Home Groups are going to take up the challenge of running a course so they will happen at other times and on other days so let me know if you want to attend and we’ll find a venue that will work for you.
My hope is that once a few of us have run the course with others, many of us will see how easy it is to run Pilgrim. Other courses can then spring up as we invite friends or neighbours and people from church to join us in discovering more about Jesus. In this way we can become a disciples-making church.
That’s my hope. Am I optimistic? I’m certainly hopeful!
If you’d like to learn about running a course I’m running a session here this Wednesday evening and I’ve got enough resources for 10 courses. You could say that’s resources for courses!
If you’re wondering about how to stretch yourself this year in terms of discipleship then I’d urge you to do something new. Join a Pilgrim course. Train as a Street Pastor. Work with young people at our Friday night youth club. Volunteer with Schools’ Ministry Billericay. Help me start up a credit union in Billericay.
Finally the Bishop wants every Parish to run a weekend of mission in 2014. Something we’ve not done before. Many parishes have forgotten what it means to be in mission-mode but thank God we have not. There is more to say about this but back in September I was approached by the Town Council who asked if I could organise a Civic Service.
Our Town Councillors want to commit their work to God. How fantastic is that! So I’ve been working with them for a while and it will take place here at 3 p.m. on Sunday 16 March. There will be worship, a song from the new CTB Community choir a short preach, prayers for our councillors and our MP, and stories shared of the church in action. It may not be the only weekend event we’re involved in, but our Team church Council and Churches Together agreed that we will work together. On Saturday 15th there will be a range of community projects, outreach events and acts of kindness and during the Civic service we will briefly share some stories of what we got involved in.
The modern view of mission is that we need to find out what God is doing and then join in. I observe God at work through the structures of the council, the big litter pick, Forging men community projects, Street Pastors and the Churches Together concept of Love Billericay and we’re joining in.
“If we are willing to learn the meaning of real discipleship and actually to become disciples, the Church in [Billericay] would be transformed, and the resultant impact on [our Town] would be staggering.”
Does anyone have any questions about Pilgrim or the Weekend of 15 and 16 March?
Let’s pray.
