Challenge: Proclaim the Good News

I preached this at the Cedarcrest Congregation in
Marysville, WA, on Sunday, March 13th!

Today our theme is “Proclaim the Good News”! As I have been preparing for my talk today it has been deeply impressed upon me that I am to give more of a challenge to the congregation this morning rather than a sermon.

One of my favorite scripture passages comes to us from the 4th chapter of the book of Matthew. It is the one that I will premise my challenge with today. In the book of Matthew we find the story of the four fisherman that were called as disciples. Let me read it for you. Matthew 4: 18-22: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

For me, this is one of my favorite scripture passages because it is a passionate example to the response of the Call to Discipleship. We are all called to respond as such. We are all called to leave everything behind and follow Jesus. But, how many of us actually do it? How many of us actually leave everything behind and follow the Son of God? I am gonna venture to say, not that many. This morning I am not talking about leaving behind our possessions or our jobs; those things in our life that we do often times lift up higher than servitude. No, this morning I think we need to briefly look at Fear and Time. Fear and Time, as I see it, are two of the main things that hinder us more than anything else when becoming a passionate disciple of Jesus Christ. Let me explain.

First off, I love quotes! I love being able to take the words of someone else and turning them into meaning for me. So, I did some searching for quotes that related to fear and I came across one from Mexican Author and Teacher Don Miguel Ruiz. He is quoted as saying “Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive — the risk to be alive and express what we really are.”. Wow! When I think about fear as it pertains to what hinders us on our journey following Jesus Christ. As it pertains to being a witness to everyone we meet of the teachings of Jesus Christ, this sums it up nicely.

We are fearful of taking the risk to truly be alive and express what we really are. We are Christians! We are followers of the teachings of Jesus Christ! But how many times do we avoid the opportunity to share about our Lord and Savior because we are afraid of how the person with whom we share will respond? I know I get that way. Honestly, some times it is easier not to share. It is easier to keep it inside because we are afraid we can’t answer the questions that they might have (that can be a big one for me). Sometimes we just don’t want to deal with it. Folks, it is time to put fear in the past. Sure, we are gonna come across people on our journey who do not want to hear. So what!? God is with us!! That really is all that matters. We are counseled in D&C 162: 3a-b, “Do not be discouraged. You have not been promised an easy path, but you have been assured that the Spirit that calls you will also accompany you. That Spirit is even now touching alive the souls of those who feel the passion of discipleship burning deeply within. Many others will respond if you are persistent in your witness and diligent in your mission to the world.” So, do not be fearful. Wherever we go, Whomever we come in contact with. The Holy Spirit will be there with us.

Now, I also said that time hinders us on our journey. Time, that’s a biggie. I think it’s even bigger than fear. How much of it do you really dedicate to serving God? How much of your time is used up because of being a Disciple? We greatly value our time. But, look at the big scheme of things. Think about how much time you put in each week doing the Lord’s work. God gave us time. God gave us life. Are we being good stewards of that time? Now, I am not even necessarily talking about time devoted to church work. In fact, some times we focus too much on the “church” stuff and not enough on the “God” stuff. Though, don’t get me wrong, the church stuff is important. I am talking about how much of your time is devoted to helping out at a soup kitchen, a food pantry, maybe helping out at a senior center, standing up for basic human rights (such as marches), volunteering at a school, and so many more things that we can do that are not church related. Though, they are all a part of the call to Discipleship. They are all a part of living a life following the teachings of Jesus Christ. So, I want you to consider on how much time you give?

When evangelism becomes a part of our everyday living, when it becomes a part of who we are, good things will happen! Let me share with you briefly the store of a small congregation in Hearne, Texas. I took a class taught by the Missionary Coordinator for that area at this past World Conference. During this class Joanne shared her congregations story. This was a typical small congregation of about 6-8 people just a few years ago. So, they decided it was time to do something to bring life back to this congregation. Through hard work, casting out the fear and putting in the time, they are now a congregation that regularly has 30-40 people or so in attendance on Sunday mornings for worship. They took what it meant to be a witnessing congregation to heart. Once a quarter they have some kind of event where they invite the community. At these events they have been known to get up to 152 people. Because of their effort to be a witnessing congregation they have had several baptisms take place as well as had members that stopped attending return. When I took the class Joanne shared how she even makes these business cards with her contact information as well as contact information for her congregation. Wherever she goes she hands out this card. Whether it be leaving it with the tip on a restaurant table, giving it to the cashier at the grocery store in exchange for her change, wherever. It is something that is really so simple but it gets the job done.

As I was preparing for my charge today I came across one of their congregational newsletters from last year. They ended there newsletter with this, “The theme heard from Hearne is “Everything we do is Outreach”. It is the theme of the Outreach Team of the Mission Center and now is the cry at Hearne. The people at Hearne strive to live each day as God would have us to live so that our witness to the communities in which we live might have integrity, and others will come to want to know our Lord. We must remember that everything we do, everywhere we go, every word we say and every action we make testifies to whom we belong. May God continue to bless us all as we strive to live out of witness to Him!”. It is my personal hope and prayer that someday soon we will be able to say this about us here at Cedarcrest.

So, are you ready? Are you ready to become a congregation dedicated to being a constant witness of Jesus Christ? Quaker author and theologian Elton Trueblood said it best when he said “Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”. Folks, the call to continuously be a witness of Jesus Christ is a call for everyone. Not just the pastor, not just the leadership team, and no, not even just the priesthood. It is a call for every boy or girl, man or woman, who has made the decision to go into the holy waters and experience the sacrament of baptism as a personal commitment to following the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is the call to every Christian. We have work to do. I have work to do. Delta has work to do. Nina has work to do. Celeste has work to do. We ALL have work before us. We need to change our habits and be a witnessing congregation.

Before I started with my charge we sang “I am standing waiting”. Cedarcrest Congregation our community is standing waiting. There are people wanting to learn. There are people yearning to be fed and not just by food but spiritually as well.

How will you respond? How will we live up to the mission statement of the Community of Christ faith movement and “Proclaim Jesus Christ and Promote communities of Joy, Hope, Love, and Peace”? The closing of D&C Section 162 reads “You are a good and faithful people, but sometimes you fail to see the power that is resident in your own story and fellowship. Look carefully, listen attentively, and sense the Spirit among you. Do not be unduly concerned with numbers. Be fervent in your witness, passionate in your discipleship, and vigorous in your labor on behalf of peace and justice. Where two or three such disciples form community, there will the Spirit be. Many will come to see. Continue your journey, O people of the Restoration. You have been blessed thus far but there is so much yet to see, so much yet to do. Go forth with confidence and live prophetically as a people who have been loved, and who now courageously choose to love others in the name of the One you serve. Amen.”

Are you ready to be like the four fishermen and stop what you are currently doing and be that disciple for Jesus Christ? Are you ready to proclaim the Good News to the community that surrounds us?

I am ready to respond. Will you join me?