12-18-2011 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

ONE MORE THING

    Several years ago, our oldest son, Rob, took the SAT and the ACT tests before he went off to college. The scores he achieved were higher than the scores my wife or I achieved when we were in high school. Upon learning that fact, Rob boldly pronounced himself to be the smartest member of the family…much to the chagrin of his younger brother and sister.

    Not long after that, we all went to visit my wife’s family in Iowa.  The day we returned to Meadville, we were packing all our suitcases in the back of my truck.  Now we knew they fit because I’d managed to squeeze them all in the back of the truck on the way out.  In any case, Rob took charge of the packing. Yet somehow, he couldn’t seem to make them all fit. Finally, our daughter Mariah said, “Dad, will you please come pack the suitcases?  The smartest member of the family can’t seem to figure it out.”  She’s always been very good at biting sarcasm.

    That story is actually indicative of the recent data on Intelligence Quotients and Creativity Quotients.  Researchers at Duke University examined IQ tests of 1.7 million fifth, sixth, and seventh graders between 1981 and 2010.  What they discovered is that IQs have increased by an average of three points per decade.  Thus, theoretically, the current generation should have IQs that are about 20 points higher than their grandparents. That explains why Rob had higher test scores that my wife and I, I suppose.

    On the other hand, The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking indicates that the creative ability of American children has been trending downward over the last 20 years.  This test examines a child’s ability to come up with original ideas and put them into practice.  Call it a CQ, or, Creativity Quotient.  Perhaps that explains why Rob couldn’t seem to figure out how to pack the luggage in the back of the truck.

    The data seems to indicate that while Americans are growing smarter, they’re becoming less creative.  IQ test scores are up while CQ test scores are down.  The question I have for you now is: “How are our SQ test scores doing?” If IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient and CQ stands for Creativity Quotient…then SQ stands for Spiritual Quotient.   It’s a term I thought I made up for this sermon, but when I looked it up, I found that there actually is such a thing.  Yet the typical SQ test has little or nothing to do with Christianity.  They advertize palm reading on those websites, for crying out loud. 

    Thus, allow me give you my own unsubstantiated theory.  One’s Spiritual Quotient tends to be inversely proportional to one’s worldly savvy.  In other words, the more one seems to be in tune with the ways of the world, the less one tends to be in tune with the ways of God.

    I think a man named Graham Standish would agree with my theory.  Graham Standish is an adjunct professor at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and is a contributing author to an organization called The Alban Institute.  In a recent article addressing the decline of the mainline church, Standish wrote:

Many denominations, churches, pastors, and members have become mired in a series of worthless arguments in their attempts to diagnose why mainline denominations and churches are in decline.  Too many in the mainline church think the problem has to do with theological position, style of worship or the availability of programs.  So they say the decline is the result of churches being too liberal or too conservative, or the decline is due to our worship being too traditional. They say we don’t meet enough of people’s needs and we need to offer more programs.

    Ladies and gentlemen, such conclusions are the result of burgeoning Intelligence Quotients and declining Spiritual Quotients.  In other words, we truly believe we can figure things out for ourselves.  Who needs God when we’re as smart as we are these days?  Graham Standish calls this belief rational functionalism. What is rational functionalism? Rational functionalism is the belief that we can uncover all the mysteries of God and life through rational thought and disciplined investigation.  Rational functionalism ignores the possibility of spiritual experiences and miraculous events.  Rational functionalism actually has very little use for God.  And therein lies the problem.

    Consider Mary in the passage we read from the gospel according to Luke.  The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and says to her, “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you.”  Then in verse 29, Luke adds, “She was much perplexed by his words…and pondered in her heart what sort of greeting this might be.” Perhaps a better description of Mary’s response would be this: “She was terrified beyond measure, and trembled at the sight of an angel in her room.”

    In any case, the angel Gabriel describes what’s about to happen to her.  She will conceive and bear a child, and that child will be called the Son of God.  Not having a husband, Mary wonders how this will be. Gabriel tells her that the Holy Spirit of God will overshadow her. Then he even tells her how her kinswoman, Elizabeth, is about to bear a son as well. Gabriel concludes by saying, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”  To which Mary then replies, “Let it be with me according to your word.” 

    Let it be with me according to your word.  No more profound words have ever been spoken.  I think of that famous line from Miracle on 34^th Street: “Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to.”  Mary simply says, “Let it be with me according to your word.” 

    Ladies and gentlemen, that’s my job in a nutshell. Every single sermon I preach is basically aimed at increasing faith.  Every single sermon I preach is aimed at getting you to say to God, “Let it be with me according to your word.”   It’s the exact opposite of rational functionalism.  And it will greatly enhance your Spiritual Quotient.

    You see, I don’t think faith in Jesus Christ is just meant to get us into heaven when we die.  I truly believe that faith in Jesus Christ can solve all the world’s problems. How different the world would be if everyone loved their neighbors as they love themselves. How different the world would be if people would only say, “Let it be with me according to your word.”  We should leave room for spiritual experiences.  We should leave room for miracles.  We should leave room for God to speak and move and act by way of the Holy Spirit.

    Perhaps the question now is, “How do we leave that room?”  How do we leave room for God to speak and move and act?  Abraham Heschel addresses that issue in his book, God in Search of Man.  Listen to what he has to say:

To sense the presence of God, one must learn to be present to God.  Presence is not a concept, but a situation.  To understand love, it is not enough to read tales about it.  One must be involved in love to understand love. One must be inspired to understand inspiration. Just as we cannot test thinking without thinking, we cannot sense holiness without being holy.  Presence is not disclosed to those who are unattached.

    “We cannot sense holiness without being holy,” and “Presence is not disclosed to those who are unattached.”  Holiness and attachment: those seem like worthwhile goals for us, do they not?  Perhaps the question now is, “How do we find them?”   

    That’s what we were attempting to do in the sermon series, The Seven Covenants of a Disciple of Jesus Christ.  I began the first sermon by making the case that Christ’s Great Commission, as recorded in the gospel of Matthew, is the reason for the church’s existence in the first place. The church is called to make disciples.  Yet it the church is ever going to make disciples, the people who habituate the church…must first become disciples themselves.  That’s what the seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ were all about. 

    The seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ are as follows: worship regularly, pray daily, study diligently, live faithfully, serve joyously, give generously…and witness boldly.  The first sermon delved a little more deeply into the first covenant: worship regularly. We said in essence that it was Jesus’ custom to worship, and it should be ours, as well.  Yet we should come to worship expecting God to speak, to move, and to act.  That’s what keeps our faith from being a mile wide and an inch deep.

    Then we examined the second covenant: pray daily.  There we saw that we are called to share our hurts, our sorrows, and our joys with God.  God listens to us in compassion and love…much like we do when our children come to us. And when we do that what we discover is that by praying, we learn how to pray.

    Then we examined the third covenant: study diligently.  We learned that God is responsible for the Scriptures in a revelatory way, not just in an informational way.  The Bible is how God reveals God’s self to us. It’s something we absolutely, positively never could have come up with on our own. What’s more, we learned that you’ve got to read the textbook if you’re going to take the course.

    Then we examined the fourth covenant: live faithfully.  We learned about orthopraxis, or, right practice.  People tend to pass judgment on Christianity by the way they see Christians living their lives.  It is absolutely imperative that we set a good example.

    Then we examined the fifth covenant: serve joyously.  We learned that God calls each of us to ministry. God calls each of us to an occupation or to a task that God believes we are uniquely qualified to do.  Just don’t forget that how you serve is every bit as important as who you serve.  Attitude is everything.

    Then we examined the sixth covenant: give generously. We learned that it’s our responsibility to form the framework of a world that is the unique dwelling place of the Immortal God.  Thus, Christians in important secular environments have a responsibility to see to it that what’s done with the goods of the world is done as God would have it done.  We must never take that charge lightly.

    Finally, we examined the seventh covenant: witness boldly.  We learned that the first step to witnessing boldly is to stop complaining.  Yet the fact of the matter is, we encounter situations all the time where we realize that if family, friends or neighbors just had a little faith in God, a lot of their problems would be resolved.   We need to be bold enough to invite them to share in our own life of faith.  We need to stop being so blasted afraid of rejection.

    But there’s one more thing.  The seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ aren’t just about raising up disciples within the church in order to raise up disciples outside the church.   The seven covenants will also aid you in your quest for holiness…and will necessarily draw you closer to God.

    So you see, there is something in it for us.  Are you feeling unbelievable stress in your job on a daily basis?  Maybe it’s because you don’t have your priorities in order.  The seven covenants could help.  Do you feel an emptiness deep inside that you can’t quite put your finger on but that you know is very real?  Maybe it’s because you’ve drifted away from God. The seven covenants could help.  Do you feel as if your life has no meaning, and that you’re wandering around on this earth without purpose?  Maybe it’s because you’ve lost sight of God.  The seven covenants could help.

    The seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ have become the vision statement for the First Presbyterian Church of Meadville.  But there’s something in it for you as well. Take them home with you.  Post them in a highly visible place.  Live them to the best of your ability. Then, like Mary before us, we just might find ourselves saying to God, “Let it be with me according to your word.”  And suddenly…the world won’t seem like such a bad place after all.  Amen.

 

12-11-2011 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

THE SEVEN COVENANTS OF A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST: PART VII

    Several weeks ago my wife and I were driving in downtown Pittsburgh on our way to pick up our daughter at college.  As we approached a stop light, there was one of those airport shuttles in front of us that – when it stopped at the light – was completely blocking the crosswalk. Trying to cross the street at that crosswalk was a blind man.  We knew he was blind because of the distinctive white cane he was carrying.

    The man seemed confused.  He sensed there was something in front of him…and it was as if   he did not know what to do.  Suddenly a young woman, who’d been leaning against the side of   a building waiting for the bus, sprung to his aid.  She took his arm, whispered something in his ear, and led him around the bus to the other side of the street. Then she scurried back across the street to her post against the building. 

    When the light turned green and we began to proceed through the intersection, my wife caught that woman’s eye. She gave her the thumbs up sign. The woman just smiled. It was an absolutely beautiful picture of human compassion.  When you witness an event like that, you’ve just got to tell everyone you see all about it.  A good story like that simply begs to be told, does it not?

    So does a bad one. Listen to this. As you know, before my mother died, she wanted to see me one more time.  So I flew down to Phoenix, Arizona to see her.  Now since my brother is going blind and has no business driving, my father gets confused on the road at night, and my sister is busy with her own life, I decided to rent a car.  I rented a mid-sized car because I don’t really fit in a small car and a big car costs so much more. Yet when I went to the garage to pick up my car they didn’t have any mid-sized cars.  The man in charge told me I could take a car from the second or the third row.  The second row was full of little bitty cars.  The third row was full of Chevy Malibus and Ford Crown Victorias. I found a key in a Chevy Malibu and drove off   the lot.  I ended up getting a full-sized car at a mid-sized price.

    Two weeks later, my wife and I flew down to Phoenix for my mother’s funeral.  I again rented a car for the same reasons I expressed earlier, and I rented it from the same place I had rented the last time.  I told the man behind the counter about how I’d gotten a full-sized car at a mid-sized price and asked if it was going to be the same this time.  He said, “No.  We’ve got a full complement of mid-sized cars.”  Then he told me that for a mere $55.00 more, I could have a full-sized car.  So I agreed to pay the extra money, which with the local taxes on rental cars ended up being $75.00 instead of $55.00, and went to the garage to pick up my car.  And wouldn’t you know it?  The second row was full of little bitty cars and the third row was full of Malibus and Crown Victorias, just like it was the last time.  The good news is, I drove out of there in a brand new Crown Victoria.  The bad news is…that guy snookered me out of 75 bucks.

    Good stories just beg to be told, do they not?  Yet so do bad ones.  When we see or hear something spectacular we can’t wait to tell everyone all about it. The same is true when we see or hear something bad.  We simply cannot wait to express our sense of injustice or indignation.

    Case in point, my family and I moved to Meadville a little more than eight years ago.  I still remember how everyone told us that we’ve got to eat at…where?  Eddie’s Footlongs.  And for dessert we’ve got to try what?  Hank’s Frozen Custard.  Of course, I later discovered that there are Hank’s people and there are Casey’s people, but that’s another story.  People simply could not wait to tell us all about Eddie’s and Hank’s.  I honestly don’t think Eddie’s or Hank’s even have to advertize.  They get all the publicity they need by word of mouth.

    Perhaps the question now is: How good of a job do we do at publicizing the church by word of mouth?  Or, perhaps even more important, how good of a job do we do at publicizing Christianity by word of mouth?  Listen to this.  Many years ago, two men moved into houses next door to one another.  One Sunday morning, the two men walked out their front doors at the very same time.  The first man said to the second, “Hey, I’m going golfing.  You wanna come along?”  To which the second man replied with a hint of indignation, “No.  I’m going to church.”

    The very next week the two men walked out their front doors at the very same time again.  The first man said to the second, “Hey, I’m going golfing. You wanna come along?” To which the second man replied with a bit more indignation, “No.  I’m going to church.”

    Now believe it or not, this went on for twenty years.  Yet another Sunday morning, the two men walked out their front doors at the very same time.  The first man said to the second, “Hey,     I’m going golfing. You wanna come along?” To which the second man replied, “No!  I’m going to church!”  Then he added, “You know, it would do you a lot of good to go to church sometime as well.”  The first man looked at his neighbor and said, “You know, for twenty years I’ve been inviting you to go golfing with me.  And in all that time…you’ve never once invited me to go to church with you.”

    How good of a job do we do at publicizing the church by word of mouth?  Or, perhaps even more important, how good of a job do we do at publicizing Christianity by word of mouth?  A few years ago at a presbytery meeting, our General Presbyter said that the average Presbyterian invites someone to worship with them once every 17 years.  On the plus side, at least that was better than the Methodists.  The average Methodist invites someone to worship with them once every 24 years. Ladies and gentlemen, that has got to change.  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

    A number of weeks ago we began a sermon series entitled, The Seven Covenants of a Disciple of Jesus Christ. I began the first sermon by making the case the Christ’s Great Commission, as recorded in the gospel of Matthew, is the reason for the church’s existence in the first place.  The church is called to make disciples.  Yet if the church is ever going to make disciples, then the people who habituate the church…must first become disciples themselves.  That’s what the seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ are all about.

    The seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ are as follows: worship regularly, pray daily, study diligently, live faithfully, serve joyously, give generously, and witness boldly.  The first sermon delved a little more deeply into the first covenant: worship regularly. We said in essence that it was Jesus’ custom to worship, and it should be ours, as well.  Yet we should come to worship expecting God to speak, to move, and to act.  That’s what keeps our faith from being a mile wide and an inch deep.

    Then we examined the second covenant: pray daily.  There we saw that we are called to share our hurts, our sorrows, and our joys with God. God listens to us in compassion and love…much like we do when our children come to us. And when we do that what we discover is that by praying, we learn how to pray.

    Then we examined the third covenant: study diligently.  We learned that God is responsible for the Scriptures in a revelatory way, not just in an informational way.  The Bible is how God reveals himself to us.  It’s something we absolutely, positively never could have come up with   on our own.  What’s more, we learned that you’ve got to read the textbook…if you’re going to take the course.

    Then we examined the fourth covenant: live faithfully.  We learned about orthopraxis, or, right practice.  People tend to pass judgment on Christianity by the way they see Christians living their lives.  It is absolutely imperative that we set a good example.

    Then we examined the fifth covenant: serve joyously.  We learned that God calls each of us   to ministry. God calls each of us to an occupation or to a task that God believes we are uniquely qualified to do.  Just don’t forget that how you serve is every bit as important as who you serve.  Attitude is everything.

    Finally, we examined the sixth covenant: give generously.  We learned that it’s our responsibility to form the foundation and framework of a world that is the unique dwelling place of the Immortal God.  Thus, Christians in important secular environments have a responsibility to see to it that what’s done with the goods of the world is done as God would have it done.  We must never take that charge lightly.

    Today we examine the seventh and final covenant: witness boldly.  In his Great Commission, Christ challenged his disciples to make disciples of all nations.  To make disciples of all nations, we must spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. We begin by sharing our faith and values with family, friends and neighbors. We aspire to fearlessly encounter situations where we have the courage to speak, and our Christian witness can truly make a difference. 

    I think that is exactly what Jesus was getting at in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew.  “You are the light of the world,” he said.  “You are the light of the world.”  In other words, your life and witness as Christian disciples is meant to brighten an ever-darkening world.  We can have all the faith in the world; we can possess the most profound theological knowledge in the world; we can have a perfect church attendance record for a decade…but if we don’t let our light shine in the world, what good is it?  Listen to this.

    Many years ago, a great legal battle was fought over a terrible automobile accident that involved a train near Blue Mountain, Georgia. The accident happened on a dark and rainy night   as a fast-moving car flew down a mountain road and ran head-first into a train. Several people lost their lives in that accident.

    In a fiercely contested courtroom battle, the railroad flagman told precisely how he had gotten off the train before it reached the railroad crossing.  He then stood on the highway, swinging his lantern back and forth, to signal any approaching vehicle.  It was a notoriously bad intersection, and on this particular night he had done precisely as he had been instructed, and has he had done on many occasions before.

    Under determined cross-examination, he consistently answered each question regarding his procedure that fateful night.  Yes, he got off the train ahead of the crossing.  Yes, he swung his lantern back and forth.  He even noted how he had had to jump out of the way of the speeding automobile just before it hit the train.  The jury deliberated and in the end, the railroad won the case, primarily because of the unwavering testimony of the flagman. 

    About a year later, that flagman was fishing on a nearby lake.  The attorney who represented the family who died in the crash just happened to be there as well. The attorney approached the flagman and said, “Hey, you were a witness at that railroad crash last year. You know, that was the best-fought trial I ever had.   I should have won that case.  You were the best witness I ever cross-examined.  I lost that case because of your magnificent performance.”

    The humble flagman squirmed a little and said, “Oh, man, I was scared that day!  I have never been so frightened in all my life!”  The lawyer replied, “Well, it didn’t show.  You were great the way you handled me.”  “Oh, I was scared,” the flagman said. “I was afraid you were going to ask the question.”  “What question is that?” the attorney asked.  “You know,” the flagman replied, “I was afraid you were going to ask, ‘Did you have your lantern lit that night?’”

    Jesus says to us, “You are the light of the world.” But if our lanterns are not lit – if our lights   do not shine – the world will remain forever dark.  Listen, I see churches all across the country advertizing for ministers all the time.  The ads are often quite similar.  They want some young, dynamic minister to come in and inspire them to grow. They’re missing the point. It’s a different age. The church is not going to grow because of some young, dynamic minister. The church is going to grow when people in the congregation intentionally invite others to worship with them.  Mass evangelism doesn’t work anymore.  Relational evangelism is what works today. Relational evangelism has to do with forming relationships with people, and then letting them walk with you in your life of faith.   If a church is going to grow, the people who populate that church must take an active, intentional role.

    Now I could go on for another hour about this.  So I’m just going to give you step one today.  I don’t think the problem with the church today is that people aren’t witnessing boldly.  People today are witnessing boldly.  But what is that about which they are witnessing?  They are witnessing about their own dissatisfaction. There is far too much complaining going on.  One person says the music is too slow. Another says the preaching is boring. Someone else says that all they talk about at church is money. Yet another says the people aren’t friendly. Who would ever want to go to a church where all the people do is complain?  Why, it’s a lot like waving a lantern that isn’t lit.  Step one to witnessing boldly is to stop complaining.

    Listen, that’s the secret that a lot of these mega-churches today have uncovered. No, their music is not for everyone.  And yes, their theology tends to be a bit shallow.  But they brag about their programs.  They brag about their staff.  They’re proud of their church and they want everyone to enjoy it with them.  Where would you rather go on a Sunday morning?  Ladies and gentlemen, you are the light of the world.  Witness boldly…and let your light shine.  Amen.