To The City

Revelation 21:9-14, 22-27

August 28, 2016 • Mount Pleasant UMC

Sermon Study Guide

If this church were not here, would it make any difference? If suddenly, we decided to close the doors, stop having worship services, close the preschool and stop all programming, would anyone in Terre Haute or Vigo County notice? That can be a sobering question, and it was one asked by a group of pastors several years ago in and around St. Louis. In their situation, they realized they were making so little of an impact on the neighborhoods and community around them that it was likely no one would even notice if they were gone. It was like the situation I mentioned last week, where in some communities, local businesses don’t even know where the church is located, even if it’s just around the corner from them. Those pastors asked that question honestly and when they realized the answer was “no one would miss us,” they began to do something about it. Not just for the sake of being noticed or known, but for the sake of carrying out the mission Jesus had given them. Out of that question came a day called “ShareFest,” which was an opportunity to do practical acts of love and witness in the larger community. They believed if the church doesn’t make a difference in the community it lives in, we have to wonder if it’s really a church at all. We are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and that means we should be making a difference right where we live. Make an impact, be an influence, as Pastor Rick said two weeks ago. So, friends, let’s ask this question very personally: this church has been here for 181 years. If we closed the doors tomorrow, would anyone notice? Does Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church make a significant difference in this community?

That’s the real question that has been underlying this short series called “Facing a Task Unfinished.” Three weeks ago, our kids reminded us that God is the God of this city, and two weeks ago, Pastor Rick reminded us of the critical importance prayer plays in any great move of God—praying for our community, praying for our leaders. And then last week, I asked you to consider where God might be calling you to serve, and the homework I gave you was to be praying about what you, specifically, are called to do as a ministry. If you didn’t do your homework, you might want to start now, if you can pray and listen at the same time, because at the end of this morning’s sermon, like a good teacher, I’m going to call for your homework. You’ve been warned!

But first, I want us to take a look in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. God’s story begins, in Genesis, in a garden, but it ends in a city. And it’s not just any city; this is a place called the “New Jerusalem,” a city that has come down out of heaven from God. Part of our struggle with reading the book of Revelation (aside from often mispronouncing it “Revelations”) is we get too bogged down in the symbolism. We want to figure out every single symbol and what it means, how it fits into the “real world,” and then we try to lay out a linear story, some sort of roadmap of the end. The problem is this: Revelation is not written like that. We try to read it with a Greek, Western mindset, where the story proceeds from A to B to C. Revelation instead is Hebrew, Eastern poetry, where the story is being told and retold several times in the space of a few chapters, from different vantage points. To read Revelation like we read a novel is to misread it. To read Revelation as a roadmap to the end is to misunderstand it; by its own admission, the point of the book is to help us see Jesus better. It is a “revelation from [or of] Jesus Christ” (1:1); another word for “revelation” is “unveiling.” This whole book is meant to help us see Jesus better, to encourage those who are persecuted, and to give us hope. Honestly, this book used to scare me, but as I’ve learned to read it with different eyes, I find tremendous hope in these pages.

These last chapters, especially, overflow with hope. John, the author, sees the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2). When I officiate at a wedding, one of my favorite moments is stealing a glance at the groom at the moment the bride makes her appearance at the end of the aisle. I’ve rarely been disappointed because in that moment I see such joy, love and hope reflected in those grooms, and that’s the same image John has here. The arrival of the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, is a time not for fear or discomfort. It’s a time for hope, for new beginnings, for wonder and joy.

As John sees the city descending, he notices several details about it, two of which I want us to especially focus on this morning. The first thing I want you to see are the gates. He describes them in verses 12-13: “ It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.” Now, what are gates usually meant to do? Keep something in or keep something out, right? And yet, on down in verse 25, we’re told that these gates will never be shut—because there will be no more night. These gates aren’t for defense; they are for entry, and they remain open to any who will willingly come to the New Jerusalem. “Nothing impure” will enter the city (21:27), but it remains open to all who will trust Jesus, who will find their names written in the Lamb’s book of life. The gates aren’t for defense or to keep people out. They are meant to welcome people in (cf. Wright, Revelation for Everyone, pg. 194).

And there are gates facing every direction. I remember when we dedicated this new worship center, Mary Catherine Couchman told me she had now worshipped in every direction. When the church was across the road, it faced south. When it was moved to this location, it faced north. Then, this sanctuary was built and it originally faced east, but in the ReBuild, we turned it to face west. So this church is a bit like the New Jerusalem, right? We’ve had doors open every direction, just like that city does. William Barclay sees a deep symbolism here that I don’t know if John had in mind or not, but certainly it at least flows out of the never-closed gates. There are gates facing the east, and the east is always the place of the rising sun, the new day. Through those gates, the New Jerusalem welcomes those who come to know Christ early in life, in their “mornings,” so to speak. And there are gates that face west, the place of the setting sun, the ending of the day, which could remind us that there is also a place in the New Jerusalem for those who come to Christ late in life. The one who come through a “deathbed conversion” are welcome, too. The gates on the north are facing the part of the world seen, at least from our perspective, as places that are a bit chillier, which Barclay relates to those who come through intellectual struggle. They might be the ones like C. S. Lewis, who reasoned his way to faith, and who, upon his conversion to Christ, called himself the “most reluctant convert in all England” (Downing, The Most Reluctant Convert, pg. 12). Finally, there are the gates that face south, the place of warmth and gentle breezes. These are the folks who come to Jesus through their hearts and emotions, who, like John Wesley, might suddenly find their hearts strangely warmed, who gaze at the cross and are overwhelmed by the love of God. None of these are the “right” way to come to Jesus, but the fact that the gates are open and facing in all directions can remind us that all are welcome. In whatever way you come to know Jesus, the city is open to you (cf. Barclay, The Revelation of John, Volume 2, pg. 211).

The second detail to notice about this city is the glory. In verses 22-23, John describes it this way: “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” When everything else is stripped away, the only thing that lasts, and the only thing that matters, is the presence of God, for he is the only light that will last, the only thing we need. We get so wrapped up in what is, ultimately, minutiae in the church today. We argue over things that Bible never says anything about, things that are, in the long run, only preferences we have. We worry and fret over the style of music, or the architecture of the worship space. We debate the color of the carpet and the paint in our space. In our few months in this space, as I’m sure many of you are aware, there have been numerous debates about what we did or didn’t do, what we should or shouldn’t have done. And those debates will go on, I have no doubt. But in the end, none of those things matter. Now, we have tried our best to create a welcoming space, a comfortable space, a good environment to enable worship and to help others encounter Jesus, but in the end, what really matters is whether or not Jesus is present. Is the glory of God in our midst? “Buildings do not make a Church nor liturgy, nor form of government, nor method of ordination to the ministry. The only thing which makes a Church is the presence of Jesus Christ. Without that there can be no such thing as a Church” (Barclay 216).

Several years ago, at a time when worship leader Matt Redman had found some success as a singer and songwriter, he and his pastor realized something was missing in their local church worship. They had all the trappings of success, but something wasn’t right. So Redman’s pastor did a bold thing; he removed the sound system and the band and told the congregation they were just going to worship with their voices. They had lost their way in worship, and the only way to find it again was to strip everything down to the bare minimum. Out of that time of reflection and seeking God’s glory emerged what has become Redman’s most famous song: “When the music fades and all is stripped away, and I simply come, longing just to bring something that’s of worth, that will bless your heart…I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about you, Jesus…” That’s the same point John makes in this chapter: the glory of God is what it’s all about. In the end, it won’t matter if anyone knows my name or yours. It won’t matter if they remember Mount Pleasant. It will matter if they don’t come to know Jesus, if we don’t experience his presence here.

But also remember this: this same Jesus is the one who gave us the task that lays unfinished. He told us to take his spirit and his presence and go into all the world, sharing the Gospel. There are gates through which people can enter the kingdom. There is glory that people need to see. But it’s through you and me that people will be able to come to that city, the New Jerusalem. That’s why Jesus sent his eleven disciples from the mountain in Galilee to the world (cf. Matthew 28:16-20). That’s why he continues to send us from this Mount Pleasant into the world, to our community and to our city. And, as I shared last week, he sends us in very practical ways, so it’s to those ways, and how we can each respond, that I want to turn for the rest of our time together this morning.

There’s a difference between your job, your call and your vocation. We have and need all three, and sometimes they overlap, but there are still distinct and different purposes for each. Your job is what pays the bills. Your call is the purpose for your life; it’s also known as our mission. For us, as Christians, our call is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We’re going to be talking more about that word “call” when we look at the Apostle Paul’s life this fall. Your vocation is the specific way you live out your call, and it’s your vocation that I want us to think about this morning. Theologian Frederick Buechner described it this way: “Your vocation in life is where your greatest joy meets the world's greatest need.” Where your greatest joy—what passions, talents, skills God has placed within you, what brings you joy and satisfaction—meets the world’s greatest need.

Max Lucado, in his book Outlive Your Life, suggests two questions (pg. 27). First, with whom do you feel most fluent? Do you enjoy working with children, teenagers, the elderly, addicts, business people or someone else? Do you speak the language of sports or of spreadsheets? These are the joys God has given you. Now, a caution. You may be all excited about working with folks who are homeless, and you may find it impossible to believe that not everyone shares that passion. But remember what Paul said to the Romans: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (12:6). God has wired us each differently. My wife and I are very different people. I find great satisfaction in preaching and teaching and leading worship, but she finds the thought of standing up and speaking to a large group very unsettling. On the other hand, she can work with people to help them discover their deepest hurts and needs, and I find myself worn out by such work. God has wired us differently, and if we didn’t understand that, we could end up arguing a lot about whose ministry is the most important or most effective. It’s not about that. It’s about finding where we most fluently speak the language, where our deep joy lies. And it’s good, especially in the long run, that the Spirit of God gives us different gifts, different passions, different joys. If two of us had exactly the same gifts, graces and talents, one of us would unnecessary. And yet, again as Paul said, “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (1 Corinthians 12:18). As a congregation, we have all the gifts we need to accomplish the mission God has set before us…if we are all faithful to pursue our particular vocations. With whom are you most fluent?

Lucado’s second question gets at the second half of Buechner’s statment: for whom do you feel most compassion? Do those commercials about hungry children tug at your heartstrings? Or is it the youth who seem to be so lost and purposeless? Do orphans trouble your soul? When you see the homeless people, does your heart break? Or when you drive through poverty-stricken parts of Terre Haute do you just have this urge to do something? For whom do you feel most compassion? What, from your viewpoint, is the world’s greatest need? When you find the answers to those two questions—with whom do you feel most fluent and for whom do you feel most compassion—you will have found your vocation. It may or may not be something you can turn into a job. For some, it’s the thing that gives passion and purpose to life even if you never make a dime doing it. Either way, we find our vocation as we match our deepest joy with the world’s great needs.

Just as there is a place for everyone in the city described by John, there is a need for every single person to be in ministry to the world as we have it now. Part of the reason you are here, in this congregation, I believe, is that God has given you gifts and abilities that we need at this point in time to accomplish the mission he has set before us. The problem is this: some of us aren’t using the gifts God has given us and others aren't seeking the vocation God has called us to. So, this morning, we’re going to have a different ending to the sermon and to this service. In your bulletins this morning, you will find a beta version of what I’m calling a “Servant Catalog.” I did not come up with that title myself; I stole it from Ginghamsburg Church, and this document is not all we want it to be yet, but it will get us started this morning. Inside this flyer is list of various opportunities within the church and within the community where you can shine the light of Jesus, where you can be one of those inviting people into the city, the New Jerusalem. Within the church, there are opportunities for ministry with children, with youth, with adults, with Celebrate Recovery, Upward, small group Bible studies, worship ministries and so on. There is also a large blank space on the back; that’s for “other,” where you might have an idea or a ministry that we haven’t thought of yet. We’d love to hear that idea and consider that opportunity. Here’s my philosophy: if you have a passion for a ministry, something that will help us make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and it doesn’t have budget or financial implications, you’re going to get the go-ahead to pursue that. But you’ll be in charge of it; this is not “dream up more for the staff to do.” This is your great joy and the world’s deep need meeting, and making a difference here in Terre Haute and Vigo County. There are also, in our Servant Catalog, a beginning list of community opportunities for ministry at places like Next Steps, 14th & Chestnut Community Center, the Crisis Pregnancy Center and other places. Now, here’s what I’m asking you to do this morning. In just a few minutes, we’re going to have the band come back and you’re going to hear the song “God of This City,” and during that time, I want to invite you to do two things. First, take the post-it note that’s on your Servant Catalog and write your name on it along with the place of great need where you believe you can find deep joy. In other words: where is God calling you to serve? Write that on the post-it note along with your name. Then I want to invite you to bring that post-it note up to the front and place it on this map of Terre Haute. This is where you turn in your homework from last week! Remember the goal, which I shared last week: to move us all from the pew to the public, from our seats to places of service. So I’m asking you to take a step in that direction by coming forward and leaving your name on this map. And then we’re going to pray as we seek to finish the task Jesus has given us here in Terre Haute.

Before we do that, though, let me say one more thing. I was asked last week about those who can’t get out and swing a hammer or watch a child. What if you have physical challenges that prevent you from doing many of these things? That question made me think of Pauline Huffman, a dear saint who was just a mere 93 years old when I met her. She was a shut-in and when I visited her the first time, Pauline told me she was sorry she couldn’t do anything for the church any longer. She felt guilty about that, for she had come from a long line of faithful people. Her father had always welcomed in strangers, people who were traveling or down on their luck—a different time, to be sure. But he had done that because of his faith. Pauline herself had served in the church kitchen and most any way folks in a small church serve. She had done about everything through the years. So when I visited her the first time, she apologized that she wasn’t able to do those things, or to come to worship. There just wasn’t anything she could do for Jesus anymore. I looked at her and, in a rare moment of wisdom for me, I said, “You can pray, can’t you?” Pauline looked up at me and said, “Why, yes, I can.” “Then you pray for us, Pauline. We need that more than anything.” And I believe Pauline did, intentionally from that moment on until she went home to be with Jesus at the age of 99. So for those who are limited by illness or circumstances or situations, I would say the same thing: you can pray, can’t you? Then pray for us. Pray for Mount Pleasant. Pray for Terre Haute. By all means, pray for our nation and world. We need your prayers! There is an image in the book of Revelation that is particularly powerful in this regard. In chapter 8, an angel takes a bowl of incense and pours it on the altar; John tells us the incense is the “prayers of all God’s people” and that the “smoke” from the incense goes up before God himself. God hears the prayers. But I think I like even more what happens next. The angel then takes the incense, the prayers, and hurls them back to earth. Then there is thunder, lightning, and an earthquake (8:1-5). All highly symbolic, but here is, I think, the basic message: your prayers matter, and they not only arise to God but they make a difference here on earth. We need your prayers; that is a powerful act of service.

So, now it’s action time. It’s response time. I’m going to ask the band to play as you come forward. If you’d like to pray at the kneelers as you leave your commitment, you’re certainly welcome to do that. Let’s listen to God as we respond to him this morning, as we face the task unfinished.

RESPONSE TIME

The book of Revelation says we are called to two things: worship and witness (Wright 195). We worship here and then we go out to witness, to shine the light of Christ, to invite people into the New Jerusalem. By your action this morning, you have told Jesus you will be his witnesses, and so to remind you of that, we’re going to send you home with a sticker of sorts—I don’t really know what to call it. It will stick to your bathroom mirror but also to your car and it can be reused as well. It’s got a logo from this series and this prayer: “Jesus, I will do my part to finish the task.” May this be a daily reminder of the task unfinished, of our calling, and of God’s vocation for your life. Together, we will be focused on making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Together, we will go to the city. We will make a difference in Terre Haute, in Vigo County and around the world. Let’s pray.

O Father who sustained them

O Spirit who inspired

Saviour, whose love constrained them

To toil with zeal untired

From cowardice defend us

From lethargy awake!

Forth on Thine errands send us

To labour for Thy sake!