Slow, Costly, and Hard

One day, when I went to a coffee shop in Athens, I pulled into a parking space and next to me was a truck with one of those bed covers on it. And surrounding the bedcover were computer printouts of the driver’s opinion about things, politics, religion, culture. And most of the opinions weren’t very positive. Among the rants, there was a piece of paper advertising the driver’s lawn care business along with a phone number…which I didn’t think was a very effective way to advertise, because that particular piece of paper had smaller typing than the opinions swirling around it.

I didn’t want to think about it too much because I wanted to go inside and just get my coffee and work on a sermon while I waited for an appointment.

No such luck. I went inside, and at a louder volume than was on his truck, the man was telling his opinions to anyone that listened, and the only taker he had was the barista, who kept nodding and listening, not really saying anything.

I ordered my drink, and I sat down. I opened my Bible, and my prayer guide. But could not keep from overhearing everything that the man said about how the government was keeping him from getting a landscaping job, that lazy immigrants were undercutting him in price and that he was being punished for doing the “right thing” and that was someone else’s fault. I couldn’t think. So I packed up my things, and left. And as I left I noticed that there weren’t too many other people sticking around either, whereas I’ve been to this coffee shop before, and it is usually packed.

I thought and wondered about this man, and what made him so angry at everybody. Why he shouts his opinions to strangers both in his truck and in the coffee shop. And then I felt a twinge of sadness for him. Not only because he seemed to be struggling, but that he was also lonely. Something had made him angry, and there wasn’t anyone he could share it with.

And as I left the coffee shop to go back to my car to find another place where I could work, I looked at his truck again. And one of those computer printouts had a verse from the Bible that we read here this morning.

It said; God’s economics: those that don’t work, don’t eat. And it quoted Second Thessalonians.

If that is the only part of the Bible that you read when you think about God’s economy, then it makes sense that you are lonely, because by cherry picking that verse, you are missing the amazing experience of community that surrounds it, and the economy of grace that gushes forth from Scripture.

This letter was written by Paul to a community in Thessalonica that was facing a bit of a crisis. Because while the community accepted Jesus Christ and promised to follow him as disciples, they didn’t quite understand what that meant, which sounds familiar in our time. And we are reading about that misunderstanding.

You see, some people in the community felt that since they had accepted Christ, that they were free from any obligation they formerly had. They didn’t have to work, because what was the point in working if Christ was just going to come back? They didn’t have to care about their family because their family would be enfolded in the Christian family when Christ came back. They didn’t have to worry about governments or other people, because all of those would be overthrown. They just had to sit back, and wait. They were done. They were lame duck Christians.

The term “lame duck” came into use in the 19th century and it referenced that a lame duck could not keep up with their flock so it was more of a target for predators. All you really had to do was to wait it out.

This makes sense with our political system because you just had to wait out a public official if someone else were elected, or they chose not to run again, or their term limits precluded them from running. Other officials would be less likely to work with them because…what was the point? They would be gone, with no one around to defend them.

There is another side of the coin though, that a “lame duck” in office really has greater freedom because they don’t have to worry about political implications of their actions, and therefore can be more genuine than if they were seeking reelection.

So Paul is talking to a bunch of lame ducks in Thessalonica, people who figure that since they are following Christ, they are safe, and his return is imminent, so why bother?

I would dare to say, that this attitude is present in many churches today. They are in, others are out. So why bother? They have their opportunities just as everyone else does, so why bother inviting, or doing mission work, or teaching?

But Paul is saying…because of Christ, you have an even greater freedom and responsibility to do good in the world. His call is clear in verse 13, never become weary of doing what is right!

And the way that this is done is in community. Relying on one another, caring for one another. Showing hospitality. Showing grace, but also defining expectations of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

To be a member of a community, takes discipline. That is why the monks in the ancient church had Rules to live by. Because being a community who follows Christ requires a lot of us.

I read a few articles recently in some United Methodist publications about how the key to vitality in our congregations is high membership demands. That we should require a lot from the people who are members of the church, because when people become members of the church they become a part of the community of Christ. This is an important, life-giving thing, so we should help teach people as such by asking as much from them.

Now don’t get me wrong, Bold Spring is open to anyone who wishes to come, and all will be welcomed with open arms. But I do believe that when we join together here, we need to be asking and requiring of people what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Asking that we know about one another. That we care for one another when we are sick or are in trouble. That people feel free to come to this community for support, because we are known as followers of Christ. Asking that you give your time, your talents, and your gifts to the ministries of this church as we experience the Kingdom of God.

Asking people to give, to invest in the community of faith. Asking people to invite others to be a part of what is going on here. Asking people to volunteer to teach the children, and to help the poor. All of it are what we ask people to do when they become a member of this church, because that is what Jesus requires of his disciples. And if that is what we claim to be, then we need to be up to that standard. To learn about its history, to study scripture…to grow.

“Those that don’t work, don’t eat” could be cherry-picked from the Bible to legitimize people being poor around us…but I think what Paul is talking about is that all should invest in their community of faith, and then the fruits of the spirit will grow within you.

Imagine if we relied completely on others for our spiritual nourishment. That we relied on the preacher to tell us what the Bible says. And that we relied on other people to pray. That we see the poor and the outcast as someone else’s problem. Would we grow? The answer is no. Those that don’t work…don’t experience the fruit. We have to invest in what we are doing here, and growth will come from that.

In a wonderful book called Deep Economy by Bill McKibben, who is one of my favorite authors, he writes that in order to have a truly sustainable economy, we must move from an individualized culture to a communal one. Where we support one another.

I’ve seen this here. I’m not a wonderful handyman, but I am a constant learner. I try to buy my hardware locally, with people I know, who I know can help me. You all have been gracious to give us vegetables, that I swear taste so much better than what I could buy at the grocery store, and that I know I can’t grow myself, because I don’t know how.

McKibben says we need to move away from “fast, cheap, and easy” as our mantra for living. That fast, cheap, and easy has failed us. Because “fast, cheap, and easy” are not three words I would want describing anything I do, and I wouldn’t want to describe anything I’m a part of. Because those are not terms of what it takes to follow Christ. And if anyone tells you different, they are selling you something. It is slow, costly, and hard…but it is good.

Its like when CS Lewis’s characters from the Chronicles of Narnia are listening to the beaver describe Aslan, the Christ figure in the book. They ask, is he safe? And the beaver answers, “who said anything about safe? But He is good.”

Tonight, we will meet together as a community of faith to discuss the vision this church has for the future of its mission and ministries. The biggest highlight will be that your building committee will present what they have been working on in the past year, and they have done truly excellent work.

But what I learned from Paul this week as I thought about our church, I thought about our leadership, I thought about our mission, and I thought about our future while always keeping an eye to the past: is that we need to be this community’s church. That we are poised to have a significant impact on this community, and especially the youth and children that are here, and that might come through here. That we be a community of faith that encourages growth. That we need to not live in idleness, because an idle vehicle isn’t going anywhere, but that we do not grow weary in what is right. It will not be fast. It will not be cheap. And it will not be easy…but it will be good. And we do not need to lose sight of that fact.

That we invest in our church, and we invest in our community. When this happens, I believe that we will see the fruit of God’s mercy grow among us. Giving us even more opportunity for doing good.

This may mean we invest more financially, and we will ask you to do that in the coming year, I’ll be honest with you. It may mean that we invest more of our time, so that we have a real group effort in all of the ministries what we pursue.

Because to be a member of the community of faith requires more from us.

But in it all, we come together as a community of faith. Being a positive presence in the larger community, offering the hospitality and grace to everyone in need. We more fully become Christ’s church, and a community of faith we can call home. Each giving their own part, and each sharing their own part, but all coming together as one.

It will be local. It will be a community effort where we get to know one another on a deeper level than many of us have grown accustomed to in our hyper-individualized world, which means we might risk the exposure of our weaknesses. We risk the exposure of our flaws. And that we share our successes. But I believe that we will grow in faith together through it all.

Do not be weary of what is right. It will require a step of faith for all of us. I believe that when we take these steps together, which is why we are meeting together tonight, we will be doing God’s will for this church, and for this community, and for the world.

I believe it is a noble calling, of which I am excited to be a part. And I hope you are too. Even though it will require more from us, it will be a wonderful journey together. Because it is an adventure with Christ.