Called Together

Matthew 16:17-20

February 5, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC

So, I hear there’s some little game going on today in Houston. I know the teams involved may or may not spark your interest, but there’s no denying the impact that this little game has on our culture, or our economy. According to TicketCity.com, the “best seat” available would cost you $9,000 per ticket. You can “get in the door” and have what we might call “nosebleed seats” for $2,700 per person, or if you wanted to go really big, you could rent a suite. Those were going for $358,000. Add to that the cost of advertisements during the broadcast of the Super Bowl—coming in at an average of about $5 million for 30 seconds (that’s about $167,000 per second)—and you can truly see the truth of Jesus’ words: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). We pay for what is most important to us; our money indicates our devotion, which is why I often refer to sports as a religion in America—maybe the religion in America. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Has there ever been a culture that lived that out so well? And not only with our money but with our participation. There is no doubt that organized sports has been better at calling people together and getting them to show up than the church has been; we’ve forgotten that we’re supposed to be a “called together” people.

Today, we’re continuing our series on “The Big C,” the Apostle’s Creed, the statement of faith that has shaped the church since at least the fourth century. As we’ve been walking through this creed, we have been asking two primary questions. First, what does this statement of belief mean? And second, what does it mean to claim this belief? In other words, what difference does it make to say “I believe” in 2017? And we’ve encouraged you, as you claim these beliefs, to add to our display here on the stage. There are markers and wooden pieces here for you to write the words, “I believe” along with your initials and then drop it into the frame. So we’ve talked about believing in God, and in Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. Today, we turn toward the last paragraph which can sort of read like an “odds and ends” section, but in reality these are beliefs that are critical to our faith as Christians. In two weeks, we’ll talk about why forgiveness matters, and in three weeks we’ll look at our hope for eternity. But today, we’re going to focus on these two pieces of the creed: “I believe…in the holy catholic church [and] the communion of saints.”

I’ve already been approached about that word “catholic.” Ever since the Protestant Reformation, that word has caused some folks some problems, because it sounds like we’re affirming the Roman Catholic tradition. I’m not here to beat up on another tradition; I just want to remind us that the word “catholic” in the creed is not capitalized and it means “universal.” What we affirm in the creed is our belief in the church universal, that all of those around the world, wherever they are and in whatever tradition they might be found—those are the ones who make up the church, the people of God, the body of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church is one of the three historic streams of the Christian faith (along with the Eastern Orthodox tradition and we Protestants), but the creed is focused on the universal church. In fact, when the creed was written, there was no Roman Catholic Church. There was only the Church, the universal church. The creed was never intended to affirm one tradition but rather all those who follow Jesus. When I, from time to time, get asked if people from this tradition or that are Christians, my usual response is, “Well, some are and some aren’t, just like in every church.” Because what makes us part of the Church is not the name on the door but the condition of our heart.

In our Gospel reading this morning, we’re revisiting a passage we looked at a few weeks ago, where Jesus has taken the disciples away from their normal routine to a place way up north called Caesarea Philippi. A couple of weeks ago, we looked at how Jesus asked them who he was and how Peter, speaking for all the disciples, affirmed Jesus as the savior they had been waiting on. Jesus blesses Peter, and then he makes a statement that has, ever since, defined the people of God. Jesus says this: “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (16:18). In the Greek text there is, as you may know, a word play going on here. The Greek word for “Peter” is petros and the Greek word for “rock,” as every fan of 1980’s Christian music knows, is petra. Jesus basically gives Simon a nickname here: “Rocky.” But the question that has divided people through the centuries is this: what is the “rock” Jesus says he will build on? Is it, as the Roman Catholics claim, Peter himself? Based on this passage, Peter was later understood to be the first “Bishop of Rome,” or Pope, and the authority of every Pope since that time has been linked back to Peter’s authority (cf. Green, Matthew for Today, pg. 158). The largest church in Christendom is at the Vatican, St. Peter’s, and is said to be the place where Peter himself is buried. So, literally, the church is built on Peter himself. Protestants, the stream of which Methodists are a part, have a different take because the word Jesus uses here translated “church” doesn’t refer to a building or an authority structure. It refers to a people. The word is ekklesia, which might be better translated as “congregation” (Card, Matthew: The Gospel of Identity, pg. 151). It’s a word that means “called out,” and it was used to describe an assembly of citizens, perhaps “called out” together to cast a vote or debate an issue. Jesus uses the word here to refer to a people who would be “called out” or “called together” from the world into a new community, a community in which members make the same confession Peter has just made: Jesus is the savior, the Son of the living God. The church is not a building. The church is not an organization. The church is a collection of people who make this confession, called together to stand against the gates of hell itself (cf. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part Two, pg. 8; Hamilton, Creed, pgs. 110-111).

The New Testament has a variety of images to describe the church. I’ve already mentioned the word “community,” and closely related to that word are images of fellowship or family. Nearly a hundred times in the New Testament, believers are addressed as “brothers and sisters” (cf. Hamilton 113). When we use that language, we often think of things warm and fuzzy. I’ve heard the idea of a church “family” described in terms of feelings—closeness or love or whatever you most associate with that word. But here’s the problem with that: I don’t always feel warm, fuzzy feelings toward my family and, if you’re honest, neither do you. Family is not about feelings. Family is rooted in two primary facts: one, you’re related to each other whether you like it or not and whether you like each other or not. There are, honestly, times when I don’t feel warm, fuzzy feelings toward my brother or my parents. There are times we have disagreed. There are times my son and daughter have fought and said they hated each other. But they were and are still family because it’s not about feelings. It’s about being related—in the case of our biological families, by blood; and in terms of the church family, by faith. Sometimes I disagree with brothers and sisters in the faith, but I’m still related to them because we all have, Paul says, been adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5). Several years ago, on the show Parenthood, there was a great image of what it means to be adopted. This is a parable of what it means to be part of the church; take a listen.

VIDEO: Adopted

The second fact about family is this: it’s hard work. Being family means we care for one another, work for the good of the other, support one another, even when it gets difficult. It means we don’t walk out on each other when we don’t get our way or when we don’t agree. We not only attend worship together; we learn to truly care for one another, in good times and in bad. Paul put it this way: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2; Hamilton 113).

Paul’s other favorite image for the church is the body of Christ. To the Corinthians, Paul says, “You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Certainly Paul uses that image to indicate that we are all a part of one another, and that there is no one part that is more important than any other. That is all wonderfully true, but this image is also about moving into the world. We are Jesus’ hands and feet; we are the ones called together to be equipped to do his work in the world. Sometime around 1980, Christ the King Catholic Church in San Diego was attacked by vandals, and one of the things they did was to break the hands off of the statue of Jesus that stands outside the church. The church debated repairing or removing the statue, but ultimately they left it as it was, adding a plaque at the bottom that says, “I have no hands but yours.” They took the idea from a poem by St. Teresa of Avila: “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no feet but yours.” As the church, we are his body. We are the ones called to do his work in the world.

I want to introduce you to someone who is answering God’s call to be the church in the world, to be Christ’s hands and feet. McKenzie Barber is a remarkable young woman I’ve gotten to know over the last few months, and she and her husband, Eric, are usually a part of our 10:45 service here at Mount Pleasant. McKenzie is on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a group that is close to my heart because InterVarsity had a significant impact in my life as a college student and has shaped me in huge ways. One of the things I love, as a local church pastor, is that InterVarsity does not seek to be a church; they work alongside local churches to help students draw closer to Jesus. In fact, it was while I was in InterVarsity that I fell in love with the church once again. It was while I was in InterVarsity that I answered a call to become a pastor. So, please welcome McKenzie.

INTERVIEW: Tell us a bit of your story and how you came to know Jesus.

What is your vision for how InterVarsity here at ISU can make a real difference in the lives of students?

Why, in your view, is the local church so important in today’s world?

Thanks, McKenzie. If you want to know more about InterVarsity or McKenzie’s particular ministry, she’ll be available after the service. I’m excited about ways we can link arms with what’s happening on the ISU campus and this church; that is a mission field, to be sure!

So…the church is a family, the church is the body of Christ…and so, I believe in the holy catholic church. And I believe in the communion of saints. This one is also a bit confusing to us today because when we hear the word “saints,” we tend to think of those who are designated by particular parts of the church with the title “saint.” We think of people like Mother Teresa, who is now Saint Teresa after Pope Francis canonized her last year. We think of a series of steps or requirements a person’s life has to fulfill to gain the title. But, actually, “saints” is one of the New Testament’s most common ways of referring to all believers. The word for “saint” in the New Testament means “holy ones,” and it describes both a present reality and a future hope. It refers to something set apart—you might even say “called out”—from the sinful and broken world. A saint is someone who is set apart or called out from the world in order to give themselves to God’s purpose for their lives. Saints are not “super-spiritual” people. Saints are ordinary folks seeking to live their lives the best they can in alignment with God’s will and God’s desires for them (cf. Hamilton 122). That’s the present reality.

The future hope aspect of this is found in an image in the letter to the Hebrews, where the author describes a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us (Hebrews 12:1). The imagery there is steeped in athletic contests where a runner takes the field and those on the sidelines, even those who have run before him, will cheer him on to victory. “Keep going, you can do it, run like you never have before.” That’s the imagery here: there is a communion of saints, a great cloud of witnesses that cheers us on, that surrounds us and longs for us to take hold of everything God has for us. When I picture that group, I see my Grandma Ticen, who taught Sunday School for I don’t know how many years, who went through a series of strokes that eventually ended her life, but who now stands whole and healed. “Keep going, Dennis, you can do it!” I see my neighbors who were nearly like grandparents to my brother and I, but now Papa is healed from his Parkinson’s, and he’s there in the crowd. “I always told you you could do it.” I see Esther Beard, my high school Sunday School teacher who had 21 plus years of perfect attendance, who told us each and every week how much God loved us, who would take time out of her Christmas Day to call each and every one of us to tell us that again. “God loves you, Dennis! Keep going!” I see John Paul Jones, a pastor I was privileged to serve alongside in my first appointment, who taught me the gentleness required to care for people. I hear him reminding me, “Best of all is, God is with us.” So many more in that great cloud of witnesses, that communion of saints, those who have paved the way and now are waiting on us, we who believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints, to complete the work they began. They’re cheering us on so that we will fulfill the hope of Hebrews 11:40, that “only together with us would they be made perfect.”

I believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints—but so what? How should such a belief affect our lives in 2017? The first reason the church matters is that we’re called to be a “salt and light” influence in the world around us (cf. Matthew 5:13-16). Salt preserves the good; light dispels the darkness. We do those things best together. Without each other, it’s easy to become discouraged when we seek to make a difference or face an evil in our world, but together we stand stronger. Church is not just about showing up on Sunday morning whenever we feel like it. Church is about standing together through thick and thin, learning to deal with and walk alongside people we don’t necessarily like, pray for one another and be there for one another in difficult times. If you are a part of this church, if this is your church home, we ask for five things, whether you’re an official “member” or not: prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. I could preach a whole sermon on each one of those five, but for the sake of time, let me give you the thumbnail explanation. Prayers: praying daily for the church and for our leadership. We need it! Presence: showing up unless you’re sick or out of town. We are better together, as Pastor Rick reminds us. Gifts: supporting the ministry of the church with the resources God has given you. Service: using your talents and time in some area of service in the church or in the community. And witness: always ready to give an answer to those who notice something is different about you. When we stand together, then the church can be salt and light in the larger community. Imagine if the influence of every church were pulled out of our community, or out of the world. Food banks would have bare shelves or not even exist. Homeless people would be out on the street. Many hospitals would not exist, nor would many institutions of higher education. I could go on, but suffice it to say that the church provides much more salt and light than it often gets credit for.

And so do you, as you live your lives as ordinary saints. I appreciate Adam Hamilton’s description of an “ordinary saint:” “Ordinary saints take thirty minutes off work to donate blood and help to save the life of another. They turn off the lights when they leave a room in order to be good stewards of the earth’s resources. They visit prisoners at the local state prison or show up for Friday night Bible Study with formerly homeless people. They visit the elderly who have no family in town and work to do home repairs for them. They find ways to bless others without seeking recognition. They have a heart of compassion. These ordinary saints pay attention each day, watching for moments when God needs them to reach out to someone who needs care. They think less and less of themselves and more and more of others as they grow older. They seek to avoid evil and to do all the good that they can. They practice the things that help them grow in love for God and others” (123). I’m not the ordinary saint I want to be, but by God’s grace, I’m becoming moreso every day. And I need you to help me become all that God wants me to become. You see, my prayer is that when people in Terre Haute think of or speak of Mount Pleasant Church, they don’t think of that big church on Davis Drive, or the church that had to rebuild its worship center, or the cute white church on the hill. I want people to think of Mount Peasant Church as a church filled with ordinary saints doing extraordinary things for the kingdom of God. The church is not a building, a location or a pastor. The church is God’s called out people, ordinary saints, making a difference because of whose they are. I believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints.

This morning, to affirm that belief, we’re going to share in an act that most all Christian share in common. We may do it differently, some use grape juice and some use wine, some kneel and some stand, but we are united in this act, this celebration of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. The bread represents his body, the cup represents his blood, and taken together we remember and we celebrate and we give thanks. And even more than that, we affirm our unity as the body of Christ, the family of God, the fellowship of the saved. We join together with saints who have gone before as we gather at the Lord’s table and together we proclaim: “I believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints.” Let’s pray as we prepare to come to the table.