1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Third Sunday after Epiphany
27 January 2008
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
“Come! Follow Me! I will make you fishers of men!” [Matthew 4:19]
With those ten words – none longer than 7 letters – Jesus started a revolution that has turned this world upside down. With those ten words, Jesus started a revolution that has endured now for 2,000 years – and instead of declining in intensity even over the past 2,000 years, has indeed only grown stronger. There’s got to be something in those words!
Here we are on the last Sunday of January, 2008. For the first time this year I get to mention from this pulpit our annual motto: “Becoming GREAT in 2008.”
As I have mentioned to many of you individually, as trite as that motto may sound, it should not be taken as trite. Instead, I believe, it is and it is going to be a very challenging motto, a motto that, in one way or another, is going to literally define the future of this congregation. If we rise to the challenge and do the hard work of “becoming” great, the future here is bright and the future here is long. If we simply acknowledge the motto as a cute, trite saying to circle around during 2008, the future here will look like present – which is not necessarily bad, but it may not particularly be what God has in mind for this place and our future.
What would you think if I told you I already had the secret equation to fulfill our motto, to make us truly great? Well, I do have the “secret” equation. Or, I should say, Paul does. And Jesus, in calling His first disciples, did. And Isaiah did. The secret equation is the power of God, the power revealed in Jesus Christ, the power of the Cross.
I don’t have to tell you that we live in a splintered world. Nowhere is that seen anywhere clearer than in the religious community. Here in Pasadena alone, since the 1950's, there have been three Lutheran churches of our own particular denomination, The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. In Pasadena and Altadena together, there are a total of 8 Lutheran churches belonging to The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. We are either the second or third largest congregation, so that gives you an idea of the overall sizes of these 8 congregations. And that’s just starting things. If you stand at the corner of Los Robles and Buckeye, within eyesight, if it were not for all trees and houses, are no fewer than 11 churches. Let me define the scope of that eyesight – it’s from Washington to Orange Grove, from Raymond to El Molino. 11 identifiable churches – and probably even more that we’re not aware of. We are again probably the second or third largest of those 11 congregations in these several square blocks.
We live in a splintered world. Everyone is after their own “market share.” If I were to walk into any of those 8 Lutheran churches in Pasadena or Altadena, or into any of those 11 churches in this neighborhood and start passing out our church newsletter and my business card, you can be sure I wouldn’t be too warmly welcomed. And that’s probably putting it lightly.
The same seems to be true of the first century church. There was the “Church of Paul” and the “Church of Apollos” and the “Church of Cephas” and the “Church of Christ.” Talk about confusing, especially when they were all saying the same thing. They were all preaching the same message. They were all attempting to get the message out about Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who came from Heaven to earth to live, to suffer, to die and to rise again to save the entire world . Through that simple, but powerful message, they were all attempting to empty hell and populate Heaven.
But then the human got in the way. Let’s be honest here – the devil inserted the human ego in the equation, into the life of the church. Toes got stepped on. Feelings got hurt. People left one church for another church and suddenly the “war” was on: the “war” for church members, the “war” for raw numbers, the “war” for the best preacher, the “war” for the best location, the “war” for the most media coverage.
That “war” is today very evident. It’s very evident to those of us in the church. It’s sadly very evident to those outside the church. We’ve come very far from those early days when mission and ministry were simply defined by Jesus with ten words: “Come! Follow Me! I will make you fishers of men!”
Listen to what John the Baptist had to say about all this, even before the “war” started: "A man can receive only what is given him from Heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of Him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine and it is now complete. He must become greater. I must become less” [John 3:27-30 NIV].
That’s basically also what Paul said: “It’s not about me. It’s not about a building with a sign that says, “The Church of Paul.” It’s not about having a following. It’s not about having a parish register with lots of names on the recently baptized list. It’s not about your name in the bulletin or your picture hanging in the Narthex. It’s about Jesus Christ. It’s His Church. He’s the Bridegroom. The Church is His bride. He must increase. We must decrease.
There is the simple – and yet not so simple – equation for “Becoming GREAT in 2008.” We must decrease. He must increase
Imagine for just a moment what this place would look like if all people saw and all they heard was Jesus Christ. Imagine in the darkness of the noisy world with all the churches screaming their own message and promoting their own church, that there was one sweetly penetrating refrain: “Jesus.” That refrain would become a magnet. I don’t say that. Jesus said it: “Come! Follow Me! I will make you fishers of men!”
Imagine also for just a moment what your own life would look like and feel like if all you were really concerned about was allowing the Lord Jesus to increase in your life and in your relationships.
The revolution started by Jesus some 2000 years ago can indeed impact this place. It can indeed impact each of us. It simply takes the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit to know that it’s not about us, but it’s about what Jesus on Calvary’s Cross has done for us and for all people.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena