So hey, good morning and welcome or welcome back to this place we call DCC. We want to give a special shout out and welcome to all of our friends who are watching us online right now wherever it is that you might be and to all of our new friends who are here for the very first time today. If you were here for the first time last week, I wasn’t, so thanks for coming back and a special welcome to you too. If you are fairly new, it’s important to us that you know that you are in a safe place full of people just like you, all of your story is safe and welcome here regardless of how it reads and you belong with us regardless of what you believe. Hope you feel that and experience that in your time with us today.
Okay. So we are now coming down the backstretch in this series called the Separation of Church and Hate trying to discover how we can begin to put some distance between those two words and if you haven’t been around or haven’t tuned in we have talked about how the absence of love in and coming out of the church is creating the perception of hate in the world around us, how we need to move toward not away from people who are different than us and who disagree with us, establish common ground with them, and think conversation before conversion, how we need to stop judging people outside the church or even sitting inside the church who don’t believe in Jesus and love those around us that do enough to have hard conversations with them when necessary, and last week Andrew talked about this question that quickly arose in the first century church that still exists today. Why are we making it difficult for people who are trying to move toward God? So we have covered a lot of ground but still have a lot to talk about in these last two weeks.
ILLUST> So last Sunday, Stacy and I jumped on a plane in Denver and flew to NYC for a few days for the Solomon Foundation’s Annual Meeting where I was set to speak on Tuesday morning. On Monday night our group headed down to the end of the island toward Battery Park and got on a dinner cruise ship called the Spirit of New Jersey. We cruised around and got to hear and see a lot of cool things but the coolest part was the Statue of Liberty. Here’s a photo I took on my phone. So our group of church people had the second floor of the ship and everyone else had the first floor, but we all had access to the open air third deck. I went up there as we approached the Statue of Liberty to get some photos. Everybody on the ship had the same idea. So the music is rocking and the bar on the third deck is open, people are loud and having a good time, it was packed up there. Then as we approached the Statue of Liberty by water the captain took the boat down to a very low idle and we sat there. In just a moment or two the dj started to play God Bless America. All of a sudden the crowd got quiet. Everyone stopped taking pictures. We all just stood there looking at the Statue. Then the strangest thing happened, one by one, young and old, black, white, hispanic church, dechurched, unchurched, and never churched people started to sing. I looked over to my right there stood a man about my age holding up his beer singing God Bless America. It was incredible. I started to cry as I started to think about this great country we live in and the faith that it was established on. But more than that I teared up because it was obvious to me God is up to something. He is still trying to move in the hearts of people.
So I started thinking about that. What it is that is standing between God and the people that he is trying to reach? I’m not up here to talk politics. The answer is not politics. As I thought about it I couldn’t help but come back to this. How much of that answer is this thing that we do called church? Our country is what it is today because throughout our history there have been individuals and groups of people who were unsatisfied with the status quo, people that decided to take it personally and set out to change it. I think we can learn from that. See I think that the separation of church and hate will naturally occur as we begin to take it personally. That’s what I want to talk about in the few minutes that we have left together today. So you ready? Let’s do this.
If you have a Bible you can turn there. If you want or need a Bible, we have Bibles on the back tables that you can grab right now if you would like if you close or on your way out. Or you can hit read off your program, hit our app, and then hit You Version, and it will all be right there in front of you. Everything I read is also going to be on the screens. So here we go Mark 2 verse 1…
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Ok. So pretty straight forward, you tracking? Jesus is preaching and the entire house and everywhere around the house in the yard around it is jammed packed with people who are all there to see him. And then 4 men come up carrying their friend who happens to be paralyzed. Since there is no way to get him to Jesus, these guys get their friend to the roof, rip a hole in it, and lower him right in front of Jesus. So that’s this moment and here’s where I want us to start. True 2000 years ago and still very true today…
THE CROWD AROUND JESUS TENDS TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM WHAT THEY NEED MOST. Who is that crowd? Look around, it’s us. I read these stats this week and it really messed with me. Not only are our unchurched friends and family unconvinced that there is anything that happens in this place that we call church that they really want or need, check this out, there are 22 million Americans who call themselves Christian and claim that their faith and commitment to Jesus is very important to them have quit attending church. That number is growing at a rate of 10,000 people per week. That messes with me. See here’s the thing. Most of those churches love Jesus and believe the same essential things that we believe in this place. What they believe is not the problem. It is all about the experience.
I don’t think any church writes this stuff into their bylaws. We want to be a place that keeps people from what they need most...Jesus. They don’t want to do that and they don’t intend to. That’s ridiculous. They just don’t really know how not too. No small group or church ever intends to become something that keeps people from bumping into Jesus. It is just like Andrew talked about last week…it’s a very subtle drift. Somehow, someway it just happens in the church and a lot of us have experienced that.
ILLUST> My friend Jim is the pastor of Flatirons Community Church up in Lafayette Colorado near Boulder. He is an amazing communicator and leader who has led the church from about 3500 to 18,000 people over the past 10 years. He tells the story of a few years back when he went to the doctor. Since I can’t tell it like him I am going to let him tell you. (ROLL VIDEO)
Couldn’t you just keep listening to him? He’s awesome.
How sad is that? You go to a church that you know you can’t invite your friends to. Anybody ever go to that church? Me too. I had that experience for years. Get this part now. It had nothing to do with fearing that they would not hear the truth. The truth was always taught there. It really all came down to this I knew what they were going to experience and that it was not going to feel safe, they were not going to feel comfortable or like they belong, and to often the experience is was just not going to be good. It’s sad but too often that’s true in the church. Excellence is not valued. It feels like we are just making it up as we go…we don’t really have a plan or a journey that we are trying to taking you on we are just going to spend an hour or two or three singing, praying, and telling you what you should do and not do. I spent years in that church. No church sets out to become that place. Somehow, someway we just land there.
That’s one of the many reasons why I love this place. We aren’t perfect, we don’t have it all figured out, we aren’t the best, but we are committed to being a safe place that you can invite your friends to. A MASH Unit or hospital for wounded, broken, hurting and hopeless people. I prefer MASH Unit because a MASH Unit is messy and right there on the front lines where the action is. People need a place where they won’t be criticized, judged, looked down upon, shunned, condemned, or summarized because of their story or the current reality of their life. What kind of hospital has people walking down the halls telling people that they need to stop acting sick or to leave? If we did that people would and should say…you know what …I walked in here because something is broken in my life, something is missing in my life, I’m dying, I’m totally without hope…and you are turning me away, you are excluding me because I am sick. I can’t believe that. Actually, I think they would say something much different. I said it once, I got in trouble for that. This has just been my experience, the crowd around Jesus doesn’t ask questions about what we are doing to help hurting, broken, and hopeless people.
ILLUST> One more Jim story. So he like me gets a lot of emails from people that visit Flatirons, he gets a lot more. He once talked about one he received that said my family and I are new to your church. Can you tell me your position on gay marriage, abortion, and Israel? He said I wanted to hit reply and say I believe that gay Jews should not have abortions. He didn’t. He did go on to say you know what, in my 25 years of ministry I have never been asked our position on greed, pride, anger, selfishness, or self-righteousness. Not once…never.
It’s true isn’t it? Too often it is how we roll in the church. We seem to be against everything and for absolutely nothing. That is why as much as I loved, my moment on the top deck of the Spirit of New Jersey this past Monday I wasn’t about to invite any of them to church. See, not only was I very aware that New Yorkers seldom say no thank you and that there was only a very short rail between me and the Hudson River, I also realize that the crowd that is all about the preaching tends to keep people from what they need most…the opportunity to bump into and experience Jesus for themselves. They experience us and say no thanks. Let’s keep reading…
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?
Okay. So here are the Pharisees, the religious of the religious, questioning Jesus’ ability to forgive sin, but I want us to keep our focus on this paralyzed man and his four friends. The Pharisees are not the only ones that are not happy with Jesus’ response “son, your sins are forgiven”. Think about it. This paralyzed man and his 4 friends aren’t happy with Jesus response either. Here’s what I am getting to…
WHAT PEOPLE NEED MOST IS NOT WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR. Son, your sins are forgiven. That’s great Jesus but not exactly what we came here looking for at all. Not even close. We came here to have you heal our friend, period, that’s all, that’s it. Yeah Jesus, they brought me here and lowered me through that roof which was a little frightening by the way so that I could be healed. Appreciate the forgiveness thing but not at all what I am looking for. True then, still true today, what people need most is not what they are looking for.
I mean I get it, we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It’s true. And the wages of sin is death and Jesus came to die for us, so that we could be forgiven, overcome death and live forever. It’s clear, that’s what all of us need most. If you haven’t accepted Jesus, it’s no secret, you want to do that. Talk to us we can help you do that and then jump in that tank right behind that door and tell and show the world that you have done it. BUT…here’s my question. Do you really think people come to church looking for forgiveness? I don’t. I think people come to church looking for help and hope and too often they don’t find it.
ILLUST> We spent part of this past Tuesday afternoon at the 9-11 memorial and museum. Any of you ever been there? I have been to Auschwitz in Poland 3 times and it felt a lot like that, lots of thoughts, feelings, and emotions running through me as I walked through it. This is a window from one of the airplanes that hit the world trade center that was found in the aftermath. I stood and stared at it for a few minutes. It made me angry to think of all of those innocent people both inside of that plane and inside that building. I watched the surveillance video of all the terrorists making their way through security at the airports. I listened to audio of the phone calls that passengers from United Airlines Flight 93 over Pennsylvania made to their loved ones telling them goodbye. I sat in silence and watched the transcript from the flight recorder play out on the wall in front of me. The very last words as the plane flipped just seconds before it hit the ground were from a terrorist in the cockpit… “Allah is the greatest”. It made me sick. All in the name of religion. If you don’t ascribe to our religion, if you disagree, we will kill you. That’s extreme and it is not the same, but is often not far off how people feel about church because of what they have experienced. We may not kill you or even want to but we certainly are not comfortable with you near us. People feel that. In some churches they don’t even try to hide it.
September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday. You know what happened 5 days later? People poured into church looking for hope. It was a record attendance day for most churches in America. Guess what? 7 days later those same new people were nowhere to be found. I wonder if it was because they came looking for a little bit of hope in an uncertain world and all they heard was what they needed most. I am sure that the truth was taught. It wasn’t about that. It didn’t feel safe, natural, normal and comfortable. They felt like a fish out of water. Their fears, worries, stresses, and concerns went unaddressed and they walked away thinking just as I thought. I think I will pass next week.
What people need most is seldom what people are looking for. We have to start getting that. That is why we consider it a major win on Sunday morning if you want to come back. Why, because if you believe that it’s a safe place and you believe that you can find what you are looking for you will come back and if you come back we will get the opportunity to help you understand what you need most. Let’s finish this…
10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND HATE STARTS WITH ME.
Who is ultimately responsible for what happens for this man? Jesus. Does he ever get to Jesus if it is not for his 4 friends? Probably not. Don’t miss that and please don’t miss this. You play a huge role in what the people around experience in this place too.
ILLUST> We were in Louisville a few summers ago back in our home church on Sunday a church of about 20,000 people. All of our girls were dressed in sundresses and all looked beautiful, they just have a way of doing that. Someone in the elevator on the way down even told us how beautiful they were. So about an hour later we are sitting in church waiting for the service to start when one of the old ladies behind us whispered to the lady next to her just look at those girls. I can’t believe that they would dress like that for church. I wanted to turn around and ask her if she wanted to see Jesus and that I could speed that up for her. I was furious. I don’t remember anything else about what happened in church that day. What in the world are we thinking? Can I tell you what we are not thinking? The separation of church and hate begins with me.
People we are the church. We will never be able to separate these two words church and hate unless we all begin to take it personally…to step into this mission. It will not always work and it certainly won’t be easy.
ILLUST> When we first moved to the Springs my wife Stacy began substitute teaching. I will never forget the day she come home and told me about her experience that day in the teacher’s lounge. The conversation went something like this. I can tell from your accent you are not from here. Where are you from? Originally Kentucky, but most recently North Carolina. What brought you here? My husband’s job. Is he in the military? No. Well, what does he do? He’s a pastor. Oh and she turned and walked away. Conversation over.
Back in May of 1995 Judge Samuel B. Kent, a federal judge for the Southern District of Texas said this in open court. “Anyone uttering the word “Jesus” during a high school graduation ceremony would be arrested and incarcerated for six months.” For good measure the judge added “anyone who violates these orders, no kidding, is going to wish that he or she had died as a child when this court gets through with them.”
It is so easy for us to hear things like that and start to lose hope. We will never close this gap. Our country is becoming more anti-God by the minute. What’s the use? After all what could I, what could we possibly do? It’s a lost cause. Is it? After listening to all those people around me sing God Bless America on Monday night…see I don’t think so, but it easy to think what difference could I possibly make?
ILLUST> Martin Luther King, Jr was a man who refused to accept things as they were and paid a heavy price to change the world around him. He was motivated by a quote from Thoreau’s in his book Civil Disobedience. “A creative minority, even a minority of one honest man could set in motion a moral revolution.” King said “I came to see that God had placed a responsibility upon my shoulders and the more I tried to escape the more frustrated I would become. One person can make a huge difference. One person has made a huge difference throughout history. Aren’t you glad that those who came before us took it personally? God has placed that same burden on us DCC. I don’t know why, but this I know, it’s true. He has chosen me and you.
How do we begin to separate the church and hate answer one person, one encounter, one smile, one conversation, one invitation at a time. You and I have to begin to take this personally. As people that are not like us walk into this safe place that we have created here how will we respond to them? Specifically, how are we to engage with the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer community? We will wrap up the series with that next week. Hope you come back. Let’s Pray.
