A Community that Tells the Story Together

“Where two are gathered in my name, there I am also.” Matthew 18:20

“As he was walking he called out to them, “Follow me! I will make you fish for people!” They immediately left their nets and followed him.” Mark 1:17

During the most influential time of my faith formation as a teenager I struggled going to church, just not in the sense that we understand “struggling to go to church” today. I did not struggle getting out of bed or getting ready or making it to church on time. In fact, I think I was (or could have been) the poster child for every teenager and church. I was there practically every Sunday and I was involved and I loved it. My struggle was finding a place in the church. I strongly desired a leadership role in our youth group (which eventually I was able to find) and strongly desired to find a way to worship, pray, or encounter Christ that was not a three step process or the end not already laid out. The truth is what I struggled with most was finding my own place in the community of the church and, let's be honest, there is not a lot of room for children and teenagers in church community.

Yes, most churches have their own youth and children ministries but those ministries are more about keeping kids occupied and out of trouble. Youth ministry is more about teaching kids who to hang out with and how to have good morals than it is about becoming a devoted follower of Christ. The reason a majority of teenagers quit coming to church as soon as they turn 18 or before is because the church does not have a place for them. They do not have a role for them to play in the story of the kingdom of heaven so they leave to find a role in a different story, one where they are valued and accepted.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that there is no such thing as an individual Christian. The kingdom of heaven involves the whole community not just the individual. Jesus, himself, calls and seeks out companions to be a part of his bringing of the kingdom. He chooses not to go about his ministry alone but with others. He invites others into his community to be a part of his story. He seeks them out where they are and they also seek him out and they bring others with him. According to John's gospel, Andrew goes and finds his brother and brings him to Jesus; Philip went and found Nathaniel and brings him to Jesus. As Jesus gathers his disciples others begin to join him whom he did not seek out. His disciples, while focused on just twelve, would eventually consist of others who would join him including: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Chuza, and Susanna, and many others. In fact, according to Luke the number of followers of Jesus would grow to seventy. The kingdom of heaven does not belong to just the individual. It does not just include the individual but the whole community that encounters God's great kingdom.

As we see with Jesus, we find that the kingdom of heaven engulf others who are longing to be a part of something great, something epic, something that is life changing. Throughout the scriptures we see moments when the kingdom of heaven reaches out and gathers people from across the nations. While praying one afternoon, Peter had a vision of a sheet filled with creatures that were clean and unclean. The voice of the Lord spoke to him telling to get up, kill and eat. Peter denied to eat anything that was considered unclean by the Jewish law but the voice of the Lord said, “Do not call what I have made clean unclean.” Peter, puzzled by this vision, receives word that Cornelius, a gentile, has requested his presence at his house. Peter learns from Cornelius of a vision he had three o'clock, “I was praying in my house,” said Cornelius, “when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. He said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.” Peter then understood the vision, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

Peter learns the meaning of the kingdom of heaven, he learns that Jesus meant what he said when he would gather all the nations together, that people would come in from the east and the west, from the north and the south to be a part of this kingdom. The kingdom of heaven does not belong to the individual, it belongs to the community. The kingdom of heaven shines through and overtakes the community, as the saying goes, it truly takes a village.

I mentioned I struggled finding my place in the church as a teenager. During my four years of college I barely attended church. There was not a place for me in the churches I visited. I remember once at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, OK being told that if you are from Texas you are not welcomed at their church. Of course it was after the OU and UT football game in which apparently every Oklahoman decides every Texan is evil and vice-versa. Still, that moment I discovered there was not a place for me in that church. I discovered that for many churches in a college town, there is not room for part timers or seasonal attendees such as college students. We were there to justify new buildings and programs but we were not invited to be a part of the story they were telling.

I would argue this happens to a lot of people, not just college students or seasonal visitors. I think, and I am not expert in this, the reason church attendance is down or churches are in being viewed as declining is because we are not allowing people to join our story. I would argue that we are not offering them a role to play in our story. I would argue that many see the church as more of an extension of government politics than the body of Christ; and that story is not appealing. I believe that many view the church as a place whose sole concern is their soul; therefore we're simply about baptism and salvation and once those two are done, what story do they have to participate in?

Making room for people to participate in the kingdom of heaven is vital for the church. There needs to be room for everyone no matter their race, gender, orientation, age, martial status, or (dare I say it) their sin. The kingdom of heaven, according to Jesus is full of both sinners and saints, of thieves and sweet souls, of prostitutes and tax collectors, of pharisees and fishermen, of the sick and the healthy. The kingdom of heaven is full of people saying to one another, “Holy cow, how did you get in here?” “Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing.” The kingdom of heaven does not belong to one or twelve or to seventy. The kingdom of heaven belongs to everyone and everyone has a role to play.

Ministry done with others is ministry of presence; meaning we are present with one another in the midst of working for the kingdom of heaven. There once was an elderly woman who was asked to serve communion one Sunday. She was in her late 70s, gussied up the way elderly women are. She stood patiently as people came up to take from the bread and of the cup. There was kindness and gentleness in her greeting as she served. As the procession slowly winded down, a group of gangly teenagers made their way rambling, whispering, giggling, nudging one another—causing ushers to spew numerous “shushes” while sorting them into an orderly line. A young man at the front of the group stepped forward to receive the elements. She looked up, her eyes pouring tears, as she held the bread before the young man and said, “The body of Christ broken for you, Thomas.” The next teenager approached she repeated the words again and again saying their name.

At the end of the service, a youth consultant meet with 15 adults who served in the youth ministry. Before the meeting started, he asked the elderly woman about her participation in communion. She said, “Many of those kids I've actually never met before. I was asked to serve in the youth ministry by praying for the kids. I'm too old to run around with them, but I told the associate pastor I could pray for them. Well, she took photos of all the kids and asked them to write their names on the back along with a prayer concern. All of us adults trade these pictures each week so that each of us gets time to pray for each kid. That was three years ago. Every morning, for three years, I have taken out my photos as part of my prayer time. I spend time just looking at the faces of those kids. I have beheld those faces for three years, praying for them and their futures. And then suddenly they are in front of me, and I'm handing them the bread of Christ. I just felt so honored.”¹

As I said earlier I struggled find my place in the church. It wasn't until I met Lacy that I discovered my call. Thanks to the good people of First Baptist Rockport and the good people of University Baptist Church in Shawnee, OK, I found my role in God's story. I found a role that held meaning and gave me an ambition unlike I had ever had. I am here today because of two churches who made room for me, one as a youth intern, and another as their youth minister. When we make room for others, when we share the kingdom of heaven with them and give them something grand to participate in, it can be life changing and life giving.

We are called to be a people of God, not individuals of God and we are called to live life together. We cannot tell the story of the kingdom of heaven alone. Let us be a community where lives are changed and discovered. Let us be a community where the people, before they take their seat, before they pull into their parking spot, before they leave home, begin to smile, and then as they approach begin to laugh, and then as they enter they smile uncontrollably because they know they are at a place where they are deeply valued, a life giving community.

1Adapted  from Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yachonelli

To Stand Inside the Fire

A famous Okie once said, “We call them cool, those hearts that have no scars to show. The ones that never do let go and risk it the tables being turned. We call them fools those who have to dance within the flames; who chances the sorrow and the shame that always comes with getting burned.” The scriptures tell us those who stand in the fire, who risks all, who give all, who sacrifice all because they value the treasure they found, that is what the kingdom of heaven is like.

The kingdom of heaven, says Jesus, is like a man who, while plowing the field, hears his plow hit something, so he bends down, scoops away the dirt, and there finds buried treasure. He quickly covers up the treasure, leaves his plowing, runs to the bankers, sells everything he’s got, and then goes back to the owner of the field and asks, “Um, how much would like that rocky, worthless, barren field out there? Call me crazy, but I’d like to buy it.” Jesus says the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like that.

Have you ever found something that you thought was so valuable that you were willing to sell everything you owned, risk everything just to obtain it? When I was in sixth grade, my friend Gaylon said he had a copy of the first Wolverine comic. I told him I would give anything I had to get that comic; so the next day as I gathered my things, I gathered my Mark McGuire rookie card, Bo Jackson rookie card, first edition of X-Men, and my autographed Tony Dorset hat. As I left the house my dad asked me what I was doing with all my stuff. I told him I was trading it from the Wolverine #1 comic. He ordered me to leave my stuff and go to school. But when I got home that afternoon from school, he had bought me a copy of Wolverine #1. He saw that I was willing to part with every valuable object I had in order to purchase something I believe to hold more value.

The question Jesus asks us when we read the parable of the treasure and the pearl is this: What are you willing to give up for this treasure? It is the question Jesus asks the young rich man when the young man asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Keep the commandments.” Jesus says. “I have,” the young man responds, “But what else do I need to do?” Jesus, it seems by the scripture, would have been satisfied with the man, until he asks, “What else do I need to do?” “Sell everything.” Jesus says. Not just sell his belongings but his life. Sell it all because the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man discovered and buried, and the in his joy proceeds to sell all that he has to buy that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a fine merchant searching for fine pearls; on finding one very valuable pearl, he proceeded to sell all that he had and bought it.

When you want something, if it is something worth having, you are going to do anything possible to get it. You are going to take risks and chances that you may not often take. You take them, however, because you believe the risk is worth the reward, as the saying goes. Last week I said that a story is about a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. That something could be anything from getting a new car to graduating high school or college. The something is our ambition, our goal for life and they help give meaning to our lives. I talked about how God was offering us an invitation to be a part of an epic story and that God has a role provided just for us.

For adults, it is hard to come up with adequate ambitions. The older you get the harder it is to think of anything else but retirement. I guess you could say for most adults retirement is the goal or ambition. You work 20-30 plus years doing a certain job with the result being able to comfortable retire and doing things you have always dreamed of doing. Does that sound about right? “When I retire we will finally be able to take that Alaskan cruise or that trip to the tar pits.” I believe the most difficult thing for us is to admit that Jesus came to offer us a better way of living; that he has given us an ambition greater than any we could imagine and that ambition is worth the risks we take.

Being a part of God's epic story requires a lot of risk on our behalf. We have to take the risk that God's faithfulness will hold up. We have to take the risk that we are following God's call even after months and months of prayer. We have to take the risk of offering love, grace, and compassion to others with no guarantee they will return such things. We have to take the risk of being taken advantage of, persecuted, or worse it, of failing.

One night a minster was tucking in his two boys, he sang to them a song that contained the word Christian. His oldest son asked, “Dad, what's a Christian?” A sudden panic came over the minister. He searched through his training: testimony? Might put him to sleep. An exegesis on John 14? Might be too heavy and too long winded. His son interrupted, “Well, Dad, what does it mean?” Before he could gather his thoughts he found himself telling his son, “It means 'little Christ'. People who are trying to live like Christ call themselves Christians.”

His son paused for a moment and asked, “Are you a Christian?” “Yes I am,” he replied.” His son the asked, “How do you become a Christian?” The minster explained that you simply say to God with all your heart, “I want to to join Jesus in loving you and loving others,” and then you try to live your life like Jesus.” His son thought it over for a second and said, “Let's do it.” They sat together on his bed and prayed a simple prayer.

His son got up and went to brush his teeth, listened to a bedtime story, and climbed into bed. Before he fell asleep he said, “Dad, I don't think I want to be a Christian.” “Why is that?” the minister asked? “Well, Jesus gets killed by the soldiers doesn't he?” “Yes...he does,” the minister answered but with calm assurance added, “But God raises him and his spirit is still with us today.” “I know that Dad...but I don't want to get killed.”

Silence. “Don't worry,” the minister said, “you're not going to get killed. That happened a long time ago.” His son yawned and with his closed said, “Yes, but if Jesus is still with us today, it can happen again. I don't think I want to be Christian, Dad.”¹

The little boy realized that being Christian comes with risk. He realizes in his childlike way that the kingdom of heaven involves taking risks and that being a part of the kingdom heaven is not simply about being nice and have good morals—it often means facing the pain and evil in the world. It is why many of us do not really confront ourselves with what it means to be a true follower of Christ, to pick up our crosses and follow him. It is much easier to be a bystander than a participant in God's story. It is easier to live for retirement than to live for the kingdom of heaven. It is easier to live from our couches than from our crosses.

Life is full of risks and conflict. True there are unnecessary risks that we do not need to take but we often take those risks without ever thinking anything of them. We risk being absent from our families when we work long hours. We risk being poor friends when we do not make time to sit and talk. We take risks when we ignore one another and when we seek war over peace. We take risks when we seek to remove those who are different, who disagree, who are outsiders, or those whose beliefs differ from our own. We take risks each day in different ways and not know it but it comes to taking a risk for the kingdom of heaven we, as the song goes, choose to stand outside the fire.

The parables of the treasure and the pearl are not just about God's great love but of the love for the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven burns in our hearts in such a way that we not only take the treasure but the whole land on which it is found because what they have found is better than that which they had. The life they had cannot compare to the life that they found. Their old story cannot compare to their new story and to their new role in the kingdom of heaven. When our ambitions and desires are that of the kingdom of heaven there are no unnecessary or silly risks; there is nothing we wouldn't do to see the ushering in of God's kingdom. We, like the wise men, would travel years just to see a child in a manger. We, like the disciples, would follow Christ to our own forms of the cross. We, like our ancestors, would give our lives to see the kingdom of heaven come to life. We would not count the cost or the risks instead we would trust in God's faithfulness and go forth in faith.

Once there were three brothers who, after their father died, tended to his garden with great love and care. They considered it their inheritance and great treasure. God smiled on their devotion and sent his prophet, Elijah, to visit the brothers with an offer of gifts. Elijah approached the first brother when he was gardening. “I can offer you one of three gifts. You may have either this jewel that will bring you great wealth, this scroll that will give you great wisdom, or the love of a fine woman.” The first brother took the jewel. Elijah visited the second brother, who chose the scroll. The third brother wanted the love of a fine woman.

Elijah and the third brother traveled the earth to find this special prize. Elijah consulted with the animals in every town, for he could understand their language and knew that animals saw humans in their true form. When he was satisfied that the third brother had the best woman, Eljiah performed the marriage ceremony, wished the couple well, and left.

Many years later, disguised as a beggar, Elijah returned to see how the brothers had used their gifts. He went to the mansion of the first brother, who by now was the wealthiest man in the land, and asked for alms. He received instead blows from the first brother's servant. Elijah then demanded of the brother: “Give me back the jewel I gave you. What good is all your wealth if you cannot share it with one less fortunate?” And even though the brother asked for another change, Elijah took back the source of the wealth and left the brother in poverty.

He journeyed to the second brother, a wise scholar. Elijah sat in the back of the study house and asked a simple question. The second brother sneered and said, “You expect someone as wise as I to answer such a simple question?” Elijah demanded the scroll of wisdom back, saying: “What good is all of your wisdom if you cannot answer a simple question?” And even though the second brother asked for another chance, Elijah took back the source of wisdom and left the brother.

He journeyed to the third brother. Before he could approach the small house where the couple lived, the wife ran to greet him and welcomed him into their modest home, in the spirit of Sarah. Elijah stayed the evening, sharing the couple's food, laughter, and stories. Their home was filled with love and joy. And although Elijah knew that the third brother had the jewel and wisdom of his wife, he gave the couple the actual jewel and the scroll to remain in their family, along with their lover, for generations to come.²

What good is being a part of the kingdom of heaven if we do not participate in the kingdom of heaven? What good is joining the story if we simply desire to sit off in the corner and allow others to tell the story? What good is finding the treasure if you are not willing to give everything you have to obtain it? What good is the pearl if you are not willing to sell everything to buy it? What good is following Christ without living a risky life?

The kingdom of heaven brings out our passion for this life. We offer up all that we have to see it come forward because we know, deep inside, the kingdom of heaven is better than anything of this world. To live a life without passion and risk is to live a life without texture, contrast, and depth.³ Sue Kidd once said, “I'm discovering that a spiritual journey is a lot like a poem. You don't merely recite a poem or analyze it intellectually. You dance it, sing it, cry it, feel it on your skin and in your bones. You move with it and feel it caress. It falls on you like a teardrop or wraps around you like a smile. It lives in the heart and the body as well as the spirit and the head.⁴

May we find a passion, an ambition, a role in this story of the kingdom of heaven to live passionately and with risk to see this kingdom come forth. May we stand inside of the fire without fear of getting burned.

1Yaconelli, Mark. Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of Christ. Zondervan 2006

2Stavish, Corrinne. “The Treasure in the Field and the Pearl of Great Price” The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible Vol. Eleven. Dennis Smith & Michael Williams ed. pg 56-57

3Yachonelli, Michael. Dangerous Wonder. Navpress 1998. pg 109

4Kidd, Sue Monk. When the Heart Waits. Harper San Francisco, 1990. pg 71

An Unexpected Invitation

Why are you here this morning? What brought you here? (and the first one who says, “a car” or “my mom” or “my spouse” gets a timeout). What are your reasons for being here? Why wake up on a Sunday morning and come sit for two hours listening to people talk? Why are you here?

I think for many of us, we're here because it is what we do. We get up on Sundays and we go to church. It has become a part of our lives and a part of our weekly activities that we often do not think about why we are here. Now, when I ask the question “why are you here” I am not asking in a demeaning or flippant way. And it is not a way to talk about worship. It is a sincere question: Why are you here this morning?

We are all familiar with Paul and who Paul was and is. In fact I bet the majority of Baptist know the Paul conversion story better than do any part of the scriptures. He does after all make up a majority of New Testament. Paul or Saul (as he is called at the time) is not a kind person. He was indeed an evil person who was living the only story available to him. He was a killer and persecutor of the church. That is who he was. He was a pharisee in every form of the word and title. Saul found a role in the only story available to him, the only one he was familiar with and the only one that had a specific part for him to play. On the road to Damascus, Saul receives an invitation, if you well, to become a part of a better story, one that is an epic story. What do I mean by that? Well allow me a moment to explain.

A story is about a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. Think of your favorite book, movie, television show, or radio show; most likely the story revolves around a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. Now that something could be anything: for Rocky that something is to go the distance with Apollo Creed; for Castle that something is to solve a murder; for Bilbo Baggins and the company of dwarfs it is to get their treasure back from Smaug the dragon; for the Shadow it is to bring justice to criminals for the Shadow knows what lurks in the hearts of men. The something is often the character's ambition, desire, or goal that is to be achieve and sometimes might be very worthwhile and important or could be very selfish and unimportant. Thus the concept of story is very simple: a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.

The key to good storytelling is the ambition of the character. If the ambition of the character is selfish or destructive then it is not good story. There is nothing appealing about the character or the character's story. They just are. There is nothing to like about Saul. His story thus far is one of murder, persecution, and hate. He is telling an awful story with his life. In other words, what we do matters, our ambitions, our goals, our resolutions matter because they give a perception of who we are and the kind of story we are living. We often claim that the world is living a bad story but we do not offer a better one for them to live into. We shout to the world what we are against and all they see are characters who are against something (very similar to what Saul was doing). The Christian story is not about what we are against but what we are for: justice, peace, joy, love, hope, and the kingdom of heaven. Those are what we are for and what our story is ultimately about. The story God is writing is not a story that looks to remove others from our midst or our places of worship or our society. The story of God is not persecuting story, it is above all about the ushering in of the kingdom of heaven. And as we learned during advent, the kingdom of heaven is ushering in the peace, joy, hope, and love of God through Christ.

Saul is not telling a good story with his life. He is a part of a story that is not about life or about the forwarding of the kingdom of heaven. The story he is a part of is about the past and the power of a few to remain in power. Saul grew up, if tradition holds, as a roman citizen and a pharisee which means the only story he knows is one in which those with power rule while those without are enslaved. He honestly does not know any better. The story that he is fighting to stop from spreading is a story that goes against every tradition and lesson he was taught. This new story of the kingdom of heaven did not measure up to that of his current story. So, Saul continued to tell a poor story because it was the only story he knew. Likewise, I think many of us are living the stories available to us. We are very much like Saul, we buy into whatever story is available and whatever role the story has for us to play. Whether we know it or not, we long to be a part of something and we are drawn to stories that are readily available to us and not all of those stories are good for us nor do they forward the kingdom of heaven. We tell the stories we know and rarely do stop and ask, “Are these stories really something I want to be a part of?”

However evil and vile Saul is, God does not remove him from the story. Instead God offers him another role in a different story, a better story, an epic story. Traveling to Damascus, Saul encounters a bright light. The bright light comes on suddenly it knocks him to the ground and a voice cries out, “Saul, why do you persecute me?” Taken back, Saul asks, “Who are you?” The voice replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what do.” Blinded by the light, Saul enters into the city and a man named Ananias reluctantly meets him. The Lord tells Ananias that Saul is to be his instrument, the one chosen to take the message of the coming kingdom to the gentiles. God offers Saul an unexpected invitation to be a part of the epic story God is writing, to be a part of a better story.

We are being offered roles in this same story that began eons ago. Every day God offers us a role to play, a role that is designed specifically for us, and every day we make the choice to either tell an epic story or a “bad” story. Saul's conversion and invitation into God's story shows us the power of God to tell an epic story through flawed people. Because God is the one writing the story of the kingdom of heaven, there are no unimportant roles. Each of us have a part to play and none are being asked to play a minor role. We are supporting actors and our roles are no more insignificant than those who play to a bigger audience on a bigger stage. Just because you are a teacher, a doctor, an architect, a retiree, a farmer, or a teenager, or a child, you are being offered a role to play in this story. Just because we are small church does not mean our role is an less than the role of First or Second Baptist in Richmond. We are receiving an invitation to become an active participant in the kingdom of heaven. We are being given a better story. We just need to find our role in it.

How then do we find our role? How do we discover our part in this epic story? Well you say yes to the invitation. You accept the invitation to be a part of a better story. You make the conscious decision to step out your front door, not mind your feet, and allow God to sweep on this adventure. Second, you begin to pray about your role in this story. You pray as a family, as a church, as an individual and actively discern what role you are being offered. Third, you start living out that role, even if you are not a 100% sure what that role is, you just start living. Find ways to live out this story that is beneficial and meaningful. It can be as simple as calling a friend, making a visit, buying someone lunch, or doing some random act of kindness. Find something, an ambition that allows you to live out your role in the kingdom of heaven. Allow God to use you and trust that the story God has for you is the best story out there.

Each of you have been given a literal invitation to be a part of the kingdom of heaven in your bulletin. Take it home, pray over it, and as we continue our series, discover what role God is calling you to play in this epic story of the kingdom of heaven. You should be warned though, adventure is guaranteed but it will change you. You will not be the person you were. But at the end of the journey and your hearts testing, in Jesus' image you will wake or as Gene Shipes would say while patting his belly, “Thanks for having me.”

You, _________________,are cordially invited to be a participant in the kingdom of heaven.

Your role in this story will be ________________

Adventure guaranteed but it will change you. You will not be the person you were before.

Please accept this invitation and join us as we live an epic story together.

Sincerely,

God