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How to Change the World – SAVE THEM: FROM WHAT? Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN Main Theme: I thought I was done with this series. But God put it on my heart to add this PS. We may WANT to help God change the world, but we cannot help God save His lost sheep, if we do not understand the world we’re trying to save. Many mainline churches have lost their effectiveness today because so many define “salvation” in terms of their own needs. When what we perceived “we needed saving from” does not align with the next generations’ perception of what they need to be saved from – communication breaks down, and our message of hope is cared away with the wind. To change the world – we need to understand how today’s world thinks, and THEN we can locate the “contact point” from which the Good News can be shared. For the most part, today’s generations are not concerned with death, heaven or hell, or feeling guilty about anything. What they seek is “meaning” (purpose) and “connection!” They need to know someone (Jesus?) hears them, and can relate to their feelings… especially their question: WHO NEEDS ME? To help change the world, we need to understand the changing world. 1)SAVED? After preaching 4 sermons in the series, I thought I was done with this topic. But God put it on my heart to add this PS. We began asking “Do you WANT to help God change the world?”, looked at the amazing resources God put at our disposal, explored our unique and specific spiritual gifts, and discussed the Lord’s plan – His vision – for us as individual disciples and as a united church. But we cannot help God SAVE His lost sheep, if we do not understand those we are sent to save. And what it means “to be saved.” Saved from what?” And even if the church’s past definition of SALVATION makes sense to us, will repeating it just as we have been still make a difference? Let’s look at some facts concerning the effectiveness of our efforts to change the world for Christ…. 2) GOOD NEWS? February’s edition of “The Lutheran” reported this: “Canada’s churches are suffering such a serious membership decline that some denominations could disappear, according to an Anglican Church of Canada report. The report shows that between 1961 and 2001, Anglican numbers plunged from 1.36 million to 642,000, a 53% decline. The Anglican church loses 13,000 members each year and faces, “extinction by the middle of the century,” the report states. During that same period, membership dropped 39% in the United Church of Canada, 35% in the Presbyterian Church of Canada, 7% among Baptists, and 4% among Lutherans.” Add another fact: that 25% of all the ELCA Churches in the NW and SW Washington Synods are in jeopardy of closing in the next 10 years. Questions: are there no lost sheep in North America? If the population of Canada and the US continue to climb, why has not mainline membership? Is the Good News of Jesus Christ no longer “good news”? Or not being shared? Or… is the Good News shared ineffectively? 2) OLD TIME RELIGION? When I first came to ASLC, I challenged and even disturbed some by pointing out that our world has changed! Dramatically! Quickly! And none of us got to vote on it – it just happened! And I shared how this “changing world” affected each new generation… how the 4 adult generations in the church perceived their world differently, and how by understanding our differences we could find the changing “contact points” for the Good news, and be more effective witnesses to God’s love. I was immediately accused by some as negatively emphasizing differences and separating people into groups and working to break down the unity between them. My attempts to help the church recognize, appreciate, and understand the NEW DIVERSITY in the world was thought to undermine a concept that all people ARE THE SAME! “We sin, we live in a broken world, we need saving. It’s that simple”, I was told. “Just keep dishing out that old time religion and people will get what they need!” 3) SAVED FROM WHAT? Ironically, some of the first vocal defenders of the “status quo” were grandparents whose adult children were NOT attending church, nor were their grandchildren! They didn’t want to hear that only 1/3 of the boomer generation,15% of the X-generation, and only 6% of the Millennials (today’s 20-somethings) are in the church! And chances are – if they ARE in church, they are not in a mainline church. See, agreeing that lost sheep need to be saved, is not enough! We have to be able to explain to our youth in the latest “cultural language” the answer to this question: “Saved from what?” Older generations in the church quickly regurgitate what was previously meaningful: we need to be saved from “Sin, Satan, and death”. Those words spoke to us as young people! Why? Because those were the anxieties that plagued us! 4) IRRELEVANT! Professor of Theology, Douglas Hall, opens us today’s college students in his book “Why Christian?” Through constant dialogue, his students have been teaching him about their perception of the world as they wonder why anyone would want to believe in the “Christian God”, especially in Jesus. These are intelligent kids who have heard other Christians talk about “salvation”, and yet the tired explanation they received had little impact on them. Talk of eternal life and freedom from the guilt of sin bounce off most, as being irrelevant to their life. Listen to the student’s comments: “I already said I’ve little interest in getting to heaven, at least not now. But I’m also not worried about hell, frankly. I mean… I don’t feel all that guilty. I’d be very surprised – I think I’d be indignant – if anyone told me that the things I’ve done in my 20-odd years, or even the things I haven’t done, are serious enough to deserve eternal damnation or something.” 5) DEATH! Does that shock you that sin, Satan, and death DO NOT bring youth anxiety? It shouldn’t. These are young people growing up very differently today than the majority of Christians throughout history. Let’s face it, for the average Christian throughout the last 2000 years – death was a HUGE ANXIETY. If you were an early Christian getting persecuted, or a peasant in the middle ages wondering where tomorrow’s food was coming from, and how to avoid the plague – DEATH was a constant companion! If you lived as an early pilgrim in the wilderness of America - food was scarce, the child mortality rate was high, hostility from the local natives loomed large, and medicine was primitive and in short supply – DEATH was always present. If you lived during a time of World War when Hilter threaten democracy, bombs fell on countless cities, young soldiers came home everyday in body bags, and Jews were being slaughtered by the millions – DEATH was a constant anxiety. Until recently, poverty and sickness have never been far from Christian’s doors, and you prayed you wouldn’t get sick or lose a limb because there was no workers compensation, welfare, or human rights. You simply hoped to get through life without too much pain, and tried to put off death! 6) HEAVEN? But for the vast majority of today’s American youth, the necessities of life are as near as the supermarket or mall! 911 and hospitals surround us, life-expectancy is growing! Let’s face it: in the last 60 years 3 generations, raised in an affluent society, do NOT wake up in the morning overly concerned about death and dying! How different this is from most Christians throughout history, when “Heaven” was a pleasant consolation for the sorrows and sufferings of this life. But to children who define suffering as not being able to purchase the fancy $500 class ring, and having to settle for the $150 dollar basic model – “heaven”, as defined as “consolation for a life time of suffering” … well, it hold’s very little appeal. 7) LIFE MORE ATTRACTIVE! Why? Because the connection of “salvation” with the after life was historically based on two common experiences: 1) grave disappointment with this life, and 2) tremendous anxiety as one faced the constancy of “death” in daily life. Today our life-enhancing educational, scientific, and technological discoveries have made this life infinitely more attractive than it must have been for most of our ancestors. 8) AFTER LIFE? And remember: it’s not our kids fault for not being too concerned about the after-life! Our parents had one goal: to make the world a better place for their kids, eliminating many of the struggles they themselves encountered. Many accomplished that goal: so… why the surprise that suddenly heaven (“some day down the road”) should not impress affluent kids that are busy living a good life? Sure the “after-life” is toyed with on TV, but for the most part, our kids don’t see or deal with real death, and the topic of “after life” is relegated to churches and funerals – and it’s so easy not to attend those! 9) SAVED FROM SIN? “But what about ‘sin’ pastor? Each generation ‘sins’ – don’t they want to be SAVED from it?” When every nation was filled with people believing in a higher power, and in a definable truth: it made for a simple world. Your god or culture said “This is right – and this is wrong!” Anyone who chose or failed to live according to the morality of their culture – felt guilty! Recognizing they “stepped over the line”, and believing there were eternal consequences for doing so… meant? You needed to be saved from your sin! 10) GUILTY? But we now live in a pluralistic, post-modern culture that declares “There is no black and white truth! What is your truth, is your truth, and what is my truth, is my truth! You can’t force your morals on me, or make me feel guilty! Perhaps there is truth ‘out there’ – but anyone claiming to know exactly what is true - is to be mistrusted and deemed suspect!” For example: How many generations will continue to “live together” before marriage without Godly guilt, because our culture told us others didn’t have the right to tell us what to do? Again, don’t blame the kids, the media they have listened to isn’t produced by children but adults! Each generation is merely a product of their inherited culture – and today, feeling “guilty” about any of their behavior is increasingly seen as “unhealthy”. 11) ANXIETY? So what I’m saying it that when we witness to people suggesting they need to be SAVED from SIN, SATAN, and DEATH – recent generations will not have the same anxieties of those of us who were born in an earlier time, or raised in a church where salvation from “sin, Satan and death” are big deals. So to “change the world”, what do we do? Criticize them? Do we condemn them? Do we give up on them? And the answer is NO, NO, NO! We do what Christ did: meet them where they are, discover what their anxieties are – and bring the Good News to that special contact point! If they, unlike grandma or grandpa, are NOT anxious about death, if they are NOT anxious about sin – where DO their anxieties lie? What’s the “hot topic” that DOES open them to the hope and love of Jesus Christ? 12) PURPOSE! Remember: Jesus said, (John 10:10) “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” What is the “perceived threat” to today’s affluent generations? “A lack of purpose!” Yep, most of our youth today aren’t worried about survival, hunger and death, OR feeling guilty about their lifestyles! They are afraid of waking up to realize that they have no purpose. When people feel superfluous, they are not only unhappy, they are frequently destructive. Our children today are highly intelligent and gifted, but when they cannot find goals big enough for their capacities, they grow frustrated, angry, or depressed. Because of affluence - their anxieties are not about fighting back death, or surviving – they now have the luxury of focusing on their whole existence. And anxiety about goals, purpose, and meaning is perhaps the most critical anxiety of them all. 13) MEANING! Consider this: Western civilization has taught the latest generations how to keep death somewhat at bay, (or seem to), and how to handle guilt, (or seem to). But in doing so it has made room for the still more unnerving anxiety: the temptation to suspect the whole enterprise called life, is what William Shakespeare called “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” See, the church’s history of focusing on being saved from sin and death, was based on an underlying belief in life’s meaningfulness. Previously, our fears were based around deaths’ and sins’ potential to get in the way of our meaning and purpose! Today’s generations want to be saved FROM meaninglessness! See, they can get pep-talks and “encouraging words” from the Reader’s digest. So, if the church is going to change the world, we must refocus on what the bible says about this great anxiety presently affecting our youth: we must discuss the basic question of human existence. The recent 300% increase in suicide has not occurred because kids are dealing the fear of death or guilt from sin – they have failed to discover meaning! 14) WHAT ARE PEOPLE FOR? What are people for? I repeat: what are people for? That’s what today’s generation’s want to know! They aren’t asking us to debate “truth” or “theology” – they want to know what we’re here for? Does the church have any answers? Dag Hammerskjold, Secretary General of the United Nations, spoke for his age when he wrote these words in his journal:
Tell me: does Christ – through us – have anything to say to this anxiety? This SAVIOR we talk about – can He offer them the longed-for response to their deepest yearning? Can we offer an answer to their question: What are people for? 15) JESUS CAN RELATE! Our Lord won’t be REAL to them until they believe Jesus can relate to them, and their fears. “Emmanuel” means “God-with-us” – but can Jesus be with us in this anxiety? Though WE learned Jesus identifies with and shares in our anxieties and human condition, will new generations learn that Jesus can empathize with those lost sheep who struggle with purpose? Christians who avoid Lent, portraying only a raised and perfect Jesus, without fears, without doubts, without ever having questions, will not have much to offer those who are still struggling with meaning and purpose. But we who carefully observe His whole journey to the cross will see a Jesus who is often tempted, worn out, and struggling to understand God’s purpose for His journey! Jesus can relate! 16) LOVE! Remember, what threatens to keep each generation from God’s abundant life, is presently changing as our society changes. Yet, the answer for each generation’s anxiety is always the same: love! Christ’s love! His love was the reason for easing our fear of death. Love was the reason for easing our guilt and anxiety about our sin. But if newer generations have no or little anxiety about death, or guilt about their sin – starting at those once familiar “contact points” will make our answers irrelevant. Today, mainline churches are too often perceived as irrelevant for a changing world! Though today’s answer is still divine love – it must be served up in a special way – caring enough to first “discover” a generation’s greatest anxiety, and ONLY THEN addressing… say, Dag Hammerskjold’s concern for meaning and loneliness. “Dag, you are not alone – Jesus KNOWS exactly what it means to stand in your shoes. Jesus hung alone from cross, (torn, bleeding and dying, and pleading for God to take this cup from Him) – yet trusting God to reveal His Purpose in His own divine time and way. Dag, our purpose is to receive and pass on the life-giving gift of sacrificial love!” 17) PURPOSE OF LIFE! Today’s world wants to know: what’s the purpose of life? Jesus’ death and resurrection proclaims the purpose of life is to love! To love God and one another! To love in a Christ-like way in which we selflessly pour ourselves out for others! No, it is not a life without pain, suffering, or sacrifice, but it IS a life made full through meaning! Christ calls and empowers us to love as HE loves us! Ours is a selfless and giving life joyfully shared with other disciples, who are both recipients and distributor’s of Agape Love! This is the purpose of life! 18) IRRELEVANT? Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there aren’t still people in every generation who feel overpowered by the fear of death, or guilty about their sin. But what I am saying is this: if you and I do not want to be irrelevant, we must ask Christ to help us CARE enough, LOVE enough, LISTEN enough, and SACRIFICE enough to find the true source of each individual’s or generation’s anxiety, address it, and only then can the Gospel be truly Good News! Naturally, ALL generations sin, but successfully finding the greatest temptation (for that particular generation in this rapidly changing world), will prevent the church from offering what is often interpreted as a stale religion and an irrelevant Jesus. 19) UNDERSTAND – REVEAL! Before we can change the world, we must not assume the “contact place” for Christ’s Word in our life reflects every generation’s. Let’s put away our “canned messages” and “routine answers”. Our greatest anxiety may not be the previous or next generation’s greatest anxiety! Many around us today are not asking about death or seeking help with guilt, they are seeking purpose and meaning. “Who needs me?” they ask. “I do!” says Jesus. “For what?” they ask. “For the sole purpose of loving others as I have loved you!” says Jesus. “And what is love?” they might ask. Let’s point to the cross and the Savior who loved us to death! Salvation must be approached from different directions depending on who we meet! Christ is here now to open our eyes to the differing anxieties of the lost! Before we witness, He wants to instill within us the desire to understand them first! And THEN to empower us through the Spirit to reveal the Good News. Just like He revealed it to us! Praise God! AMEN! Sermon/Confessional Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we know that we cannot change the world without first understanding it, but we confess we are not always willing to accept or listen to a rapidly changing world. Our outreach suffers because we often assume, even insist, that everyone sees the world from our perspective. We find it easier to criticize, condemn, and ignore those who differ from ourselves. Forgive us Lord, and empower us instead to sacrifice comfort, stretch ourselves in understanding our neighbor, and to seek the contact points that opens the door to your life-giving WORD! Lord, anxiety penetrates and negatively affects every generation. But forgive us when we assume that our greatest struggles or temptations are always the same. Forgive us for not listening before we give canned messages and routine answers, and for justifying ineffective ministry. Help us instead to care compassionately about each new generation, observing and learning from them, so that their needs, wounds, and struggles find that portion of your life-giving Word that opens the door to a deeper relationship with you. And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.) (Silence) Lord, you have reminded us that your mission is to change the world – including each new generation. Help us to see our differences NOT as faults, but just as differences. Help us to learn from one another, and minister to one another – sacrificially pouring out your love in new ways that transform hearts, change lives, and renews souls! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN Assurance of Forgiveness: Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who truly understands you and graciously meets you where you are, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now with God, fear not a changing world, but listen and learn - that together we may find the door to every heart, and open it to Christ’s love! Praise God! AMEN Opening prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we return having spent another week in a rapidly changing world! Nothing seems to remain the same. Our neighborhoods, jobs, health, culture, music, fashions, forms of communication – everything is in a constant state of change. And we often feel tired and worn out as we try to adjust and keep up with it all. But here, in your arms we are reminded that your love never changes – and is always unconditional and eternal! Your forgiveness and mercy never fail to cleanse us and renew our souls! Though we may receive new emotional, physical, and spiritual wounds, your healing, guidance, and power never fail us! Even when you call us to join you in doing a “new thing” in the world around us, it is the same divine never-changing love that drives you to save your children from sin, Satan, and death. Because your love for us never changes, we can open ourselves to internal change without fear. So eliminate our anxieties, and let your Holy Spirit live deeper within us! Let our spiritual transformation produce nothing but joy-filled fruit in others! Free us that we can be the persons, the followers, the church you designed us to be! In Jesus Name We Pray! AMEN! |
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