Dear Sleeping Beauty
Isaiah 52:1-6 Rev. 3:1-6
Mark Twain once said, “The reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated.” Well, just the opposite was true of the church in Sardis. Today we continue examining the series of letters Jesus writes to the seven church in Revelation to see what He was saying to them, and to see if perhaps he has something to say to us in those same letters. You may remember that the first letter was to the church in Ephesus, where, according to Jesus, they had forgotten their first love---which was Him. Other loves and other interests had captured their fancy and their heart. The second letter was written to the church at Smyrna who was in danger from both internal as well as external threats. The following week, we looked at the letter to the Christians at Pergamum who were conflicted about their faith. Some faithfully followed Jesus while others followed teachings that were contrary to Jesus. And last Sunday, we examined the letter to the church at Thyratira. You remember that some of them were rather careless with their beliefs and had lost their way, their True North. They were proclaiming Christ but knowingly tolerating ungodly teaching and behavior. And this morning, some of you may be surprised to find that the sermon has nothing to do with a Walt Disney character. Dear Sleeping Beauty was addressed to the church in a place called Sardis.
A little background first: Sardis was a city that seemed to have a lot going for it, and the church there seemed to have a lot going for it too.
Located some 30 miles to the east of Thyratira, it was built on a plateau some 1500 feet high and overlooking a valley. Steep cliffs protected Sardis on almost every side, with only one rather difficult way into the city…and that was along the ridge that ran on the top of the plateau. A high wall surrounded the city itself, so that militarily, Sardis was practically impenetrable. And yet, twice in its history, the city had been conquered. Cyrus the Great had conquered it in 549BC and Antiochus captured the city in 218BC. Both times, the city was taken by surprise…at night, by enemy soldiers who followed the ridgeline and scaled the walls only to find everyone asleep and no one on guard. The citizens were so secure, so sure that they were in no danger that nothing could happen to them that they let their guard down. They became lax and lazy. And the same thing was happening to the church in Sardis. There was no threat to the church from the outside—no persecution—and no threats from the inside—no serious heresies to battle and so the Christians in Sardis grew dangerously comfortable. They really weren’t doing anything wrong, they just weren’t doing anything. For you Veggie Tales fans, they were the original Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. They were rumored to be alive, Jesus said, but they were dead or dying inside. They were just there…taking up space, staying well within their comfort zone, going through the motions but really doing nothing for the Kingdom. And so, Jesus warns the church that unless something changes…unless they wake up, He will come like a thief in the night.
You remember that one of the questions posed in the message about the church in Smyrna was, “When Jesus does return, will He even recognize His Bride?” Well, a similar question arises for the Christians at Sardis, and that is, “When Jesus does return, when He comes for His bride, how will He know if she is even alive?” You know if you’re in a deep enough sleep, if you are absolutely still, it can be difficult to know if someone is dead or alive.
Early on a Thursday morning in February of last year, workers at a funeral home were shocked when they found Walter Williams alive, and literally kicking from inside one of their body bags. The man was set to be embalmed later that morning. After finding Williams alive, the workers at Porter and Sons Funeral Home in Lexington, Mississippi called the County Sheriff. And what happened is that at about 9 pm on Wednesday night, the county coroner declared Williams dead after he failed to find a pulse. Later that night, he was taken to the funeral home. Williams was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he recovered.
NOV. 2014 Caption, Never underestimate the healing power of a good nap…CNN reported that a 91-year-old woman in Poland was declared dead and sent to a funeral home, only to wake up 11 hours later in cold storage. Now she's home and doing fine. The doctor had gone to the woman’s home after her family said she'd stopped breathing. "I checked the pulse on the forearm artery, he said, and listened to the heart, to the breathing. I also examined the pupils. There were no reflexes. Typical symptoms of death." So, the doctor signed the death certificate, and the woman's family began planning services.
July 2015 A German doctor declared a 92-year-old woman dead after an employee at a nursing home found her without a pulse, according to the New York Daily News. The woman woke up in the funeral home and let out a scream which attracted the attention of an employee there.
As weird as it is, in 2012, an Egyptian guy made it all the way to his own funeral before waking up.
The church at Sardis had become lethargic; so comfortable that it had fallen asleep. And when a church becomes too comfortable, it is in danger of no longer being the church. The salt is no longer salty. The light no longer shines. The message and witness no longer make any difference in the world.
This letter is a wakeup call to the church in Sardis, and I can’t help but wonder how many churches are in the same situation as the church at Sardis? I wonder how many good Christian people are in the same situation as the folks in Sardis Church. One of the things Katarina and I like to do when we are in Europe, is to visit different churches. But if you visit almost any Lutheran Church in Sweden on any Sunday, or any Anglican church in England, or any Catholic Church Germany, you will find only a handful of people in worship; huge Cathedrals, tiny crowds. What happened to most of these churches, and what has tragically happened in way too many mainline churches here in America is similar to what happened to the Church in Sardis. They got too comfortable. They fell asleep. They really weren’t doing anything for the Kingdom because it had become all about them. And in this letter, Jesus shouts three things, He says, “Wake Up!” “Strengthen what little remains!” “Remember who you are and what your purpose is!”
In the past fifty years, many of our mainline churches have come to resemble religious Rumplestilskins rather than the Risen Bride of Christ! And sometimes individual Christians can look more like a Sleeping Beauty than Jesus’ spotless Bride. I heard of one family who moved from the Presbyterian church to the Episcopal church. When one of the neighborhood children asked his friend why their family changed churches, the little girl said, “I think my mom likes the Episcopal lethargy better.” The church in Sardis had grown lethargic, lazy, comfortable, sleepy. No real hardships, no real trouble. Just warm and fuzzy, comfortable Christianity. Jesus says in His letter, “there was a rumor that you were alive, but it was just a rumor.” They were dead…or at least comatose. And Jesus said, “It’s time to get up!” “It’s time to get moving!” “It’s time to get out of your ecclesiastical recliner and get to work!” “Wake up & Do SOMETHING or I’ll cart you off to the undertaker!”
When our daughter Hannah was a child, in fact, ever since she could walk, she kept her mother and I on our toes…not in the daytime, but at night! You see, she used to sleepwalk. In fact, there were probably fewer than a dozen nights a year that she didn’t get up in the middle of the night and walk around the house…and yet, she was sound asleep. She appeared to be awake, eyes were wide open, but she was sound asleep. I remember one night; she got up and walked into the kitchen where I was preparing a late night snack. With all the lights on, she walked right into the kitchen and insisted that I give her the cheese cutter I was holding in my hand. I gave her the utensil and she turned and walked right into the laundry room. Finally, I went in and redirected her back into her room. The next day, she knew nothing about the comic incident. You can see why sleepwalking is so dangerous and why night time was the only time we locked the doors. Not to keep people out, but to keep her from going out and into the road! You can see why the Risen Christ was sending this WAKE UP call to the church then…and perhaps now.
But not only does Jesus say, “WAKE UP!”; He also says, strengthen what remains. In other words, “It’s not too late!” You can still serve God! You can still have an impact on the world! It’s not too late! They were doing church work but they were no longer doing the work of the church! They were lethargic and spiritually starving to death.
You know, we have a serious health problem in America today, with people eating way too much but not nearly enough of what is good for them. We’re eating junk food and our bodies are getting bigger but we are starving ourselves to death nutritionally. We can do the same thing spiritually too! A spiritual diet of meeting together with a congregation once a week for 60-70 minutes is not enough to grow and become or stay strong. We’ve got to feed on the Word of God through study and reflection and we’ve got to exercise our spiritual gifts if we want to strengthen our faith and strengthen our witness. That means, serving. That means doing acts of mercy and acts of piety. That means leaving this sanctuary and going into the mission field that lies just outside these doors and actively participating in the kingdom enterprise. You see, the life of a disciple is marathon life—a lifelong enterprise that requires serious spiritual food and sufficient spiritual exercise. Wake Up! Jesus said…and strengthen the faith you have. And there’s no lack of ministry opportunities…even around here. If you can knit, you can be a part of the Prayer Shawl ministry. If you can do manual labor, you can be a part of the firewood ministry that delivers free firewood to families who need it. If you can pick up paper and straighten up things, you can stay after this service and pick up all the cups and bulletins left behind so the people coming to worship at the second service have a clean sanctuary. If you can shake hands and say “hello”, you can be a part of the welcoming face of Jesus every Sunday morning and greet people as they arrive for worship. If you can write down a few names, you can help to check in the children when they come. If you like children, you can help with the children in nursery or help one of the J-Train teachers. If you can answer a telephone and smile, you can serve as a volunteer receptionist here in our office. You can hand out name tags or sing in the choir or praise team. If you have been blessed with more than enough, you can give generously, or you can help out at the Crisis Pregnancy Center or Reach or visit folks. There must be a thousand ways to be engaged in kingdom work so the whole world will know that not only are you awake, but you are ALIVE!
The third thing Jesus said was, “Remember what I am all about. Remember what I came to do. Remember what following Me means….and do it! It’s a matter of motivation. You see, it doesn’t matter what your doctor says or your wife or your teacher or pastor or boss. If YOU are not motivated from within, nothing is going to happen. All the patches in the world won’t make you quit smoking if you’re not motivated. Jesus says, “Remember what I did for you. Remember that my cross was for YOUR sins. Remember that I am the one who forgave everything you ever did---wiped the slate clean. Remember who loves you enough to die for you…and did.”
Perhaps the greatest threat to a church, then and now, is the danger of becoming so comfortable that we no longer take risks for the kingdom. Blessings can become a curse and success can lead to lethargy if the church loses its fire and its passion for lost souls. When a church’s main focus becomes of “Maintenance” rather than mission, that is, when a church’s priority is “saving itself” or staying comfortable rather than saving the lost, then it simply appears to be alive but it is really dead and has lost its soul.
Let me close with this: there is a promise at the end of this letter for all who remain faithful and for those who wake up and begin living for Christ by serving His kingdom (v. 5) Wear white gown or robe (bride) Name in Book of Life * Announce you as you arrive for the banquet. VIP
