Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (from The Message paraphrase)
8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
11 When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Sermon: : “Glimpses of the Rising Church"
(#9 in a series on the book Weird Church)
It’s late August, and around this time every year I inevitably ask myself wistfully, “Where did the summer go?” And then my next thought is, “Woah! That means Fall is just around the corner!” I said, “Woah!” But I could just have easily said, “Wow!” Because this time of year is full of transitions, which almost always bring with them a mix of feelings. For many children, youth, young adults, parents, teachers, professors, there is the HUGE transition of “back to school.” People getting used to new classrooms, new classmates, new students, sometimes entirely new schools. For freshmen in college, there is not only a new school, but also a totally new living situation. And for parents of college students, there is a new living situation as well! And did I mention a mix of feelings? Excitement, trepidation, joy, and sadness, just to name a few.
This is the time of year when everyone realizes that in the very near future, things are going to be different, and how things are going to pan out, we don’t exactly know.
To quote this morning’s Scripture reading, from 1 Corinthians 13, verse 12: “12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.” You may be more familiar with a traditional version of this Scripture that reads, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly.” But while this familiar version is beautifully poetic, given how much mirrors have improved in the last 2000 years, the mirror image (so to speak) has lost a lot of its impact. I prefer the wording in The Message paraphrase of squinting in a fog or peering through a mist. It fits better with what the Apostle Paul was trying to get across--that although we may get some glimpses, we can’t see the whole future stretched out in front of us--it remains mostly hidden.
I’ve been doing a sermon series on this book, Weird Church, which points out that our world is in a time of transition. The culture is rapidly changing around us, and if the church wants to continue sharing its message of God’s Love in ways that people can understand, then we’ve got to make some changes too. For the past several weeks, I’ve talked about 7 different shifts in ministry that the church needs to make to continue sharing its message. The implication is that if the church makes these shifts--or even some of these shifts, it’s going to look or feel rather different, which is a bit scary, isn’t it? I mean, what if we don’t like the changes? I am guessing that each of us has at least a part of us that resists change (I know I do!) and asks, “Can’t we just keep everything the same?”
This book answers that question with an emphatic, “No.” Or, let me rephrase. Actually, we can choose to keep everything the same, but if we make that choice, then, like animals who aren’t able to adapt to their changing habitats, we’re not going to be around for much longer. To quote from page 83,
“Most of the churches that are designed for yesterday will vanish like the dinosaurs, and possibly more quickly than we currently expect. One particular type of church that will be nearly extinct by midcentury is the denominationally based, neighborhood franchise church waiting to get its box of curriculum and offering envelopes from headquarters… If that is your church, then we are talking in this book about the end of church as you know it!”
I’m not going to sugarcoat it--these words are more than a bit chilling. They are predicting that denominationally based churches, like ours, are simply not going to be around for much longer--unless we make some changes. We need to dare to squint into that fog, peer into that mist that is our future and see if we can catch a glimpse or two of what the future may hold for us. Not so that we can freak out at our demise--but so that we can be motivated to go in directions that are life-giving! If we look at new, potential ways to adapt to our changing environment, we might see one or two or three new ways to do ministry in Jesus’ name that, in the words of this book, “…help to stir longing and imagination within your church’s people and kickstart you on the next phase of your journey together with God.” (Weird Church, p. 83)
This book actually looks at 19 new ways that churches can do ministry in the future in order to adapt to the way society is changing. They give “snapshots” or “glimpses” of each new way based on examples of actual churches that have already started to implement these new ways and are doing vibrant ministry. The authors don’t claim that every new way will work in every setting, but they do invite us to look at them and pray about them and consider which adaptations the Spirit of God might want us to consider. Since exploring 19 different glimpses of new ways to “do” church is not feasible in one--or a few--13-minute sermons, I will present only a handful of “glimpses of the rising church” over the next couple of weeks--a sampling that may stir longing and imagination. (And, by the way, the authors call it “rising” church as a reminder that our faith is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus and the power of God to bring new life to any situation.) Let’s briefly look at 3 glimpses today.
[NOTE to readers: In the next pages of this sermon, I am summarizing different chapters in Weird Church, using a combination of the authors’ words and my own.]
One “glimpse of the rising church” is called “simple cell.” Some people also call these churches “house churches” because they consist of groups that meet, primarily, in people’s homes. The groups may be connected to a larger organization, or they may just pop up independently. Each group forms their own practices and rituals, and “Their monthly rhythms often include worship, fellowship, learning, and mission.” Here is a description of a simple cell church from the point of view of someone who is “spiritual but not religious” who has newly started participating in one:
“I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. My friend invited me over to her house church on a Thursday evening and I met a bunch of people who intrigued me… I have found a safe place to ask questions about all the things that I find offensive about religion… We do all kinds of things together, like watching movies and talking about them, cooking meals together, gardening for our local food pantry, and serving meals at the local shelter… Each of us takes turns sharing our gifts and interests, leading, and hosting. I like how we read the Bible. They call it lectio divina. I am not exactly sure what the term means, but it invites me to listen to my intuition and to the wisdom of the group… we are on a journey together and I like that.” (Weird church, p. 89)
This book points out that this simple cell, house church model may be foreign to most of us in our culture, but it is a configuration of church that allowed Christians to thrive for hundreds of years, particularly in times of persecution. It was also the form that John Wesley followed in the Methodist movement back in the 18th century. As I read the above description, I thought it sounded somewhat similar to the “connect group” concept you have here at FFC.
Another “glimpse of the rising church” is called “Dinner Party.” Here’s a description of one such weekly gathering that takes place in an old church basement. The description is written from the point of view of someone who came to this church for the first time, having been invited by a friend:
“There were about forty people gathered, everyone so friendly, so relaxed. It was like a good dinner party. Then came the Trader Joe’s wine bottles, and a toast to Jesus… And the breaking of these magnificent loaves of bread…A couple of guys had worked all afternoon in the kitchen preparing soup and bread. As we ate, there was Bible reading, poetry, music, and people telling stories from their lives… You could not stop the conversation. It was so interesting, so honest… The pastor finally talked a bit--I guess it was a sermon. It was funny, and it was about life. When the evening came to a close, I thought it had been the shortest church service ever--but I looked at my watch to see that two hours had passed.” (Weird Church, p. 95)
One thing the authors point out about this form of church is that it is very easy to have it be multi-generational. This “dinner party” form of church seemed to me like the old church potluck dinner combined with Bible study, song and sharing.
The final glimpse of the rising church that I wanted to mention today is called “Community-Based Enterprise” where a church starts some sort of regular, on-going business venture that “builds up” the community around the church while at the same time making money to supplement their budget. The type of business venture varies, of course, depending on the needs of the community in which the church is situated. Some real-life examples include:
· Baking bread and selling it at a local farmers’ market
· Creating marketable crafts and selling them regularly
· Building websites for nonprofits
· Having a pumpkin farm
· Starting a coffee shop
· Running a thrift store
· Housing a pre-school
· Turning the church sanctuary into a climbing center (this church now holds their weekly worship services in the banquet room of a popular local restaurant, which actually increased their worship attendance!)
It is important to note that this “Community-Based Enterprise” model is not easy. One pastor--the one with the church who created the pumpkin farm--describes this ministry as a constant “hustle.” It is not for low-energy leaders. Many of the business ventures involve “repurposing buildings in ways that build community relationships and create cash flow,” which requires not only a lot of work, but also the willingness of the congregation as a whole to “think outside of the box” and prioritize what is most important to them.
Enough glimpses for today. I invite you to hold these glimpses--and others from the book-- in prayer. To picture yourself as “squinting into a mist, peering into fog,” being led by the Holy Spirit. Ask yourself, “What does God want me to see? Are there any elements of these glimpses that stir my imagination and longing?” And, remember that as long as we ground ourselves in the faith, hope, and Love of God, God will guide us into the future in ways that bless our church’s ministry to the community around us.
Our closing hymn …
LET US PRAY:
O God, bless your church universal AND this local group of people called Franklin Federated Church. Be with us as we squint into the fog and peer into the mist of our unknown future. Help us to continue to experience the Light of your Love, and help us shine that light into our world.
And now, O God, hear our prayers for our community, our nation and our world.
- Be with the people of Louisiana, where Hurricane Ida is forecast to arrive as Category 4. We pray that all who are vulnerable can safely evacuate and that their homes and businesses will be spared.
- O God, we continue to lift up to you Americans and American allies in Afghanistan--as well as the citizens of that country, particularly women, girls, and people of religious minorities who fear oppression, persecution, and even death. Surround them with your Love and may they be protected from harm. May there be no more terrorist attacks.
- And, God, we continue to pray for our climate, where some areas have life-threatening drought and some have devastating floods. Help us all to make the adjustments we need to make in order to stem global warming.
[LOOK AT PHONE]
- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream… [PAUSE]
- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing…. In Jesus name, Amen
PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
- Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven
- Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors`
- And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. AMEN
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt
Franklin Federated Church
Franklin, MA